Wednesday 6 February 2013

Solo

We were sure there had to be more than one in there. A late night wait for the second to appear, even a rummage around inside to see if it was stuck. She’d been wider than a bus for weeks. But no, just Solo.
Tilly is the goat on the left.
We're still not quite sure she's not carrying too.













The oddest thing is that Tilly, her Aunty, appears to have taken on the role of mum, and Peg seems happier to be on her own, but is happy enough to feed her.  It’s lovely to see Tilly, normally the bossy, bully matriarch of the group being so tender and sweet and playing games with wee Solo who does things like stand on top of her in a game of, ‘I’m the king of the mountain’ when she’s lying  asleep in the sun. I haven’t quite got there in time to photograph it yet. 

I spend way too much time watching her antics, the leaps, cavorts and carry on, particularly involving tree stumps. She's a cuddly wee thing.
She's in line to be our next milker. A couple of years away just yet.


As if that wasn't enough Solo’s a thoroughly convenient animal and only feeds off one udder, so we get the udder one.  Back to our own fetta again soon!

3 comments:

Dave said...

Hi Linda

I have considered getting a few goats. How high is your fence for the goats??

Cheers
Dave
http://tassiegerminations.blogspot.com.au/

Linda Cockburn said...

We're never had an issue with fences and goats (apart from Bella who could lean so far over she would eventually fall over) and that wasn't often. Fences good for sheep are good for goats. Though having said that we had to eat two suffolk wethers who could jump really high fences from a stand still.

I've heard it said, and have seen it play out that prick-eared goats are jumpers, floppy-eared goats aren't.

Goats are browsers, they're happy if they have plenty of woody weeds to keep them going, and you need more than one as they are very social animals.

MikeS said...

I love the ear theory of goat jumping.... but I have to say, from observation, it just about sounds right.

that's it then, Nubians from now on. Our little Saanen/British Alpine doeling may not be jumping over the fences (except the very lowest ones, but she's worked out how to get through them though hopefully she'll fatten up soon and put an end to this nonsense...!