Pack Goat Central

That is awesome Nanno. Pictures?

We took some pictures but they didn't come out very good. We'll try to get some more photos on another day. I have a feeling Cuzco will be showing off his new harness at this year's Christmas parade of lights. It's high time Pac-Man became familiar with parades. He's still somewhat nervous of traffic and loud noises. Going to a parade with Cuzco to show him how it's done should be a great way to get him used to all that excitement. I'd like to sell Pac-Man sometime, but I want to get a good solid training foundation on him so that he won't end up as someone's dinner. I think he's got great potential as a cart goat, and his flashy color really makes him stand out. He loves kids, so he would be a great one to take to birthday parties and events. He'd also be a great packgoat for anyone just doing day hikes and picnics, or for a kid doing a 4-H packgoat project.

So Nan, is your goal to just keep your does for milk (selling the kids), Finn and Cuzco?

I'm not exactly sure what our goals are yet. We're just kind of getting into things and figuring out what we want to do. I'm thinking we'll probably sell Pac-Man and Snickers at some point. I'm not sure about Sputnik. Finn is definitely a keeper. I'm not sure which girls we'll ultimately end up keeping and which ones we'll sell. At some point I'd like to get away from having Alpines in my herd and just have crosses. I just need to get some genetic diversity going on so I can start crossing my own goats with each other. Right now if I did that then every single goat in my herd would be related to Lilly!

Well, Nubbin is currently snuggled up with Finn in the boys' pen. Snickers and Sputnik have been kicked out of the honeymoon suite and Cuzco won't let them in his shed either, so I guess they'll have to squeeze into the dog house or stay outside. Happily for them it's a warm night. Pac-Man got moved up the hill to the girls' pen so as not to interfere with Nubbin and Finn's lovemaking. There was some concern that Snickers might make a move (he and Sputnik are technically still fertile), but Finn isn't letting either of the younger boys near his girlfriend (and Nubbin knocked Snickers sprawling when he made eyes at her), so I think it'll be ok. Our amorous couple didn't look like they'd do well being separated tonight and it was either move Finn in with the girls or move Nubbin in with the boys. If Nubbin gets tired of their advances she can shack up with Cuzco--Nubbin is the only goat he'll tolerate in his space. I'll have to get some pictures of our lovebirds tomorrow. They're so cute together! Nubbin kept resting her head on Finn's back all day and Finn looks so proud to have finally landed himself a girl. He struts like a peacock with all his hair standing on end. Hopefully he's actually doing his job and not just crowing about it!

Hi Everyone! Haven't been here in a while, just dropping in to say hi and how are you all? I'm moving to Nevada in two months, about 5 hours from San Francisco, close to the Sierra Nevada. I'll be coming to SF in one or two week chunks to work (there's no work where I'm moving to), while a neighbor there feeds the goats and horse (yes, I bought the goats a horse! - Leasing a place for a year (hopefully more!) on 40 acres of sagebrush near Topaz Lake, NV. Come visit! - I just couldn't handle living in the city anymore, I hate it, and Nevada is much closer than Mongolia, so here I go. I hope it goes well, I'll be off-grid with solar, a well, and firewood for heat - I need to find a cheap 4WD truck. And I may have to buy coats for the goats since I'll be moving them in late February and they're used to the mild SF climate, although I really don't want to spend the money. Do you think they'd be ok without the coats? Or is it too abrupt of a climate change for them? I kind of figured they wouldn't have a thick enough undercoat from living in SF... Also going to try and build a passive solar water trough for the horse and goats since I'll be at 5,200 feet elevation and it gets so cold there...

Howdy sweetie!!! Great to hear from you and great to hear you are staying in the western states. Sounds pretty exciting, the path in front of you. Might have to find time to swing on down and help you get settled. As for the goaties, as long as they are dry, old sweat shirts from say a thrift store is a cheap way to keep em warm. Or even old kids coats

Hello Saltlick!

Good luck with your move to Nevada! I'll bet if you build a decent shelter and bed it down good with straw, your goats will have no problem moving to a colder climate. Hay and shelter are better than coats. But if you're strapped for cash and you still think they need coats, I'd look into getting some wool blankets from an army surplus store. You can cut them to size and sew your own fasteners on them.

A goat in sheep's clothing, Nanno?

No, just a goat in cheap clothing.