New Home

Francis is on his way to his new home in Landers, California.  I made the difficult decision to give him away after a lot of contemplation and much frustration. However, it's just not very practical (nor safe at times) to have him while I'm trying to grow my dairy herd.  His dietary needs are completely different than my pregnant does, he's a little too rough with them, and much to stubborn for his own good. 

He's going to live with 2 Nigerian dwarfs on 2.5 acres where all he has to do all day is be a goat.  He'll be a lovely pet and apparently his new owners are already enamored with him.

Au revoir Francis, you're quite the character.

Welcome Home

The girls are back home.  Although I anticipated a spectacle on par with Cirque de Soleil from Francis upon their arrival he was rather...disappointing to watch. He actually didn't do anything.  He looked at them drive up and calmly watched then walk into the pen. Of course I know he's happy they're back (he doesn't scream bloody murder when you leave him now) but he doesn't necessarily seem overjoyed.

The girls are as sweet as ever but have brought back with them the smell of a barn. Both are getting a bath this weekend.

Clover was bred on November 24th so if it didn't "take" I should know in the next few days. The breeder was a very nice woman but I truly hope they don't have to make the trip up there again this season.

Assuming both girls are pregnant we should be expecting our first kids on April 23, 2011 and May 5, 2011.

Imaginary Friends

A lovely friend of my mother's suggested that I put a mirror in the goat house to give Francis the sense that he isn't actually alone in the pen. (The little guy is still mourning the loss of his girls.) What a novel idea. 

I found a 3/4 length mirror and propped it up on one of the walls in his house. Francis promptly investigated then began to bite and butt at the reflection. He would stare at it, then run out of the house to see if he could catch the goat, then he'd run back in and begin the process all over again. I'm not sure if it actually gives him a sense of companionship but it definitely gives him something to do during the day.