My passion is all about goats!

Goats are very interesting creatures, they have four stomachs and burping is actually a sign of health! I have always been interested in animals since I can remember. Living on a farm was always my dream, but in the rural city making the most of my backyard was key. I have little over .4 acres, which if you know anything about land that is not very much. But it was enough for my first flock of chickens almost 7 years ago! I bought two black cochins. With fluffy but sleek sheen green feathers that sat so properly on the shoulders of the pair I had gotten for only a dollar. I kept many different breeds of chickens for the next 6 years and I began to get bored of poultry and my animal passion drove me to get some small animal that would benefit our large family of 6. Now with such a small property, the land required for any animal larger than poultry would be at least half the backyard. With my father’s permission I started researching the different species of animals I could fit into my tiny farm. With feathers in my hair and mud slicked on my jeans and boots, I had walked through the creek in our backyard and tried to use and think of every square inch of our yard. Pigs are dirty, messy and they stink for the most part, so that was an easy no. Larger livestock like cows and horses were out of the question too. I was at a crossroads. I had no idea what to get, DINK DINK DINK! A light bulb shined bright as I thought about the possibility of raising goats! I raced to the local library and rented all the books I could find about raising goats. Not only did they not require a lot of space but they are very multi purposeful  when it comes to livestock! Goats can be used for meat, milk, and as packing animals. The two areas that stuck out to me were the dairy and the packing aspects of the goats, I honestly would have the heart to kill them, I would get too attached! Now because of my lard size I needed an even smaller breed of goat. After immense amount of research I found the Nigerian Dwarf goat! Not only are the Nigerian dwarfs less than fifty pounds but when milking they can produce up to half a gallon of milk per day! Providing for my family is always an important matter and having fresh milk without chemicals and knowing what that milk was produced from gives me a sound mind when my siblings and family can reap the benefits from my herd. So with having a newfound passion for seeking out some dairy goats of my own I began my search on Craigslist. This website is where me and my dad find old cars and animals.My main priority was to find a female Nigerian dwarf. But after a month passed and all I could find was a wether, or a castrated male, for 75 bucks, we decided to go pick him up to see if I would be interested in goats for the long haul. We drove about two hours and when we got there, I immediately fell in love with my goat. He was quite timid but had a great body shape that would be good for showing and he was just a beautiful animal in general. But the conditions that him and his parents lived in was horrendous. A mud filled pen with a dirty hay basket and a wood shed that was not very sturdy. I immediately took my goat home and set up a dog crate with some fence around it until we could get some fencing up. Although the first night with the lone goat outside, I began to realize you cannot under any circumstances have a goat alone. It needs company, even one other goat is fine but it needs company period. Me and my dad began to looks through ads in newspapers and Craigslist until we came upon a Nigerian dwarf female, doe, a few hours away. She was $125, so more expensive for this goat than my last one but females are always more expensive no matter what animal it is. We made the trip down there and when we arrived it was obvious the family she was coming from was very wealthy. They called the mother and in a few seconds the glistening coats of the goats shone in the summer sun as they ran up the flowing grass towards their owners. When I saw the goat, again I immediately fell in love. The ironic part about both goats is that they have the exact same coat pattern and colors but are from two completely separate breeders. I later named them Jim and Pam as that is my favorite couple from the TV show the Office. When I brought Pam home, they immediately got along, a few head butts and they were good friends. Now all I had set up for the goats was an extra large dog crate with some fence panels surrounding that. We went to Lowe’s later that day to look for cheap fencing that was not gonna set us back a  few hundred dollars. We talked to another guy at the store who was buying fencing for his goats too and recommended electric fencing. Not only did it cost less than $50 set up, once they get shocked on the nose you have nothing to worry about. The setup was easy and affordable and ended up helping us later on. We had had Jim and Pam for a few months and everything was going great until we heard screaming around 2 o'clock in the morning. I run outside thinking my goats are getting attacked by some dog when in reality a coyote tried getting into the pen and got wrapped up in the electric fence and kept getting shocked, because the fence pulsates. I am very thankful we have an electric fence because without it my goats would be dead for sure by now. So while the fence was protecting them, they also needed to be protected from goat borne diseases. Jim was living in a filthy pen and had no vaccinations what so ever, while Pam was already given a  wormer and a booster shot. I did not want to pay over $100 in vet bills for them to inject my goats with a vaccine that can be purchased at tractor supply for $7. So i watched a YouTube video on how to get what's called a CDT vaccine which protects against any type of disease a typical goat would come in contact with. I went and bought the vaccine along with a few 2 cc syringes and 20 gauge needles to perform the procedure. I slapped Jim’s shoulder and had my sister hold him secure while I injected him with the serum. He yelled but within a few minutes he was fine, the same happened with Pam and I was ecstatic that I was able to vaccinate my own goats and to be independent and self sufficient! I still have a lot to learn but just these experiences makes me want to keep learning more and more about them everyday!  While these events were just a few of my adventures, I hope one day you can explore deep into the realms of your passion and find joy in that and have a great life!