Meet Our Goats

I just returned from walking the goats –  they have different spots all over the property that they like visiting each day for browsing. One of the favorites is our rock pile out front; they love climbing up and nibbling on the variety of leaves that are readily accessible from the branches at the top of the pile. I just adore these animals so much – each has its own distinct personality.

Heidi (Alpine) is the leader of the bunch, and likes to come and rub her head on my legs and stand on my feet. If I sit down on the ground, she gets in my lap (which is adorable right now, but I’m sure it will be more difficult when she’s full grown at three years old!) She also tries to climb on me if I’m kneeling down in their pen – she’s a mischievous one!

We brought Gidget home from the same herd as Heidi, and they were both unweaned, so I call them my “Bottle Babies,” because I fed them both goat milk replacer from bottles their first few weeks with us. Gidget is a LaMancha, so she has the cute little ears of that breed, and is very independent, but will come to me asking for pets.

Lovie, Ginger, and MaryMan all came from the same farm in the thumb area of Michigan. Lovie is all-white (Saanen) and has these lovely long eyelashes and two cute little wattles on her neck. She’s a little bit shy, and cautious about receiving pets and affection, but seems very much to want that attention. She’s demonstrated this trepidation ever since she had to have her horn scur removed, so it’s understandable why she’s sort of suspicious. I hope she eventually overcomes that shyness, though. She epitomizes the idea of “capriciousness” so often when we are out on our walks, as she skips and jumps whimsically along the way. Ginger (we think she’s a Nubian/Alpine mix) is very bold, and you can see it not only in her body language, but also hear it in her voice – she will start to really scream if she’s not getting her way. We call her our drama-doe. I suppose that goes with her namesake, though. Movie starlets, feh! And then there’s MaryMan (Alpine) – who started out as MaryAnn, but whose name has been changed due to our discovery that she is intersexed, and does behave quite a bit more like a buck. She was the goat we were originally going to look at when we went to that farm; I fell in love with her when I saw the initial photos of this little girl on the web. She’s quite diminutive in size, but full of piss and vinegar in personality! She defends her corner of the food trough from invaders with zest, to the point where she only need cast a look in the direction of an approaching herdmate, and they quickly alter course, knowing a hefty headbutt is awaiting them if they do not. MaryMan loves getting brushed, and practically begs when she sees the brush. Well, more like, she just comes and stands right.next.to.me with a very expectant/insistent attitude. MaryMan has the cutest voice – it’s kind of a funny juxtaposition, when you know what a little tomboy she really is!

Veronica (an American Alpine) is a bit of a shy girl, like Lovie, but as the largest goat in the herd, she does seem to understand that she has some weight to throw around, too. She enjoys a good rub behind her ears, and is the first to ask for an animal cracker as a treat.

Gheb is the newest member of our herd, and is a little Nubian wether. He basks in receiving affection, and would love to attach himself to my legs if he could. He’s so soft, and with those darling ears, he’s just a cuddle-goat, if you ask me. When we are on walks, if I get out of his sight, he will start calling for me: “MAAAAAAAHHHHM!!!” He’s also a fan of being brushed, like MaryMan, but she tends to hog up the brushing time whenever possible. Gheb, along with MaryMan, will help us to determine when our girls are in heat, because even though they cannot “knock up” the girls – they will act as if they are going to, which will be our alert that it’s breeding time. Gheb’s still a little young for that (he was only born on July 20th of this year), but MaryMan is already giving us the heads-up in that regard. It’s rather interesting!

Each of these goats has its own unique voice that’s easy to recognize, once you’ve spent a little time around them. I adore each and every one of them, and am so happy to have them in our lives.

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