Gone are the Goat Days

It was a bittersweet day when I woke up at 7 o'clock that morning. 

It was the first Monday of December, and, though I knew it was coming, that didn't change the fact that I was half saddened to see it right before me. 

First of all, we got our horses and helped a neighbor gather his cattle.  It--in short--was a learning experience and one that we'll most likely never forget.  Needless to say, we did get the cattle penned.

That afternoon, we headed to Dodge City with a pickup-bed load of goats.

It was off to the sale with my nannies...

~

I got my first Boer nannie in 2010.  She was stubborn and rude and it's amazing that we kept her so long.  No one got along with her, but me, though we still had our spits now and then.  My second nannie goat (a LaMancha) was given to me later that year.  From those two, I raised many kids.  We would sell the billies and weathers (neutered billies) when they were old enough, and keep the females, hoping to enlarge the herd.
And this is how we ran the goats for the last few years.  They were free ranged on pasture land, so we were only making profit from the deal.  (No feed cost such as grain and hay, and they were healthy, so no vet or medicine cost.)  It was overall a really good and fun experience. 

But then they started escaping.  That put a damper on things.  After penning them at our branding pens, the fun was instantly yanked out of our grasp.  We were having to feed and water them multiple times a week and the business end was going down hill.  With winter around the corner, it wasn't going to get any better.  In Oct. we sold five and now we've sold our last four. 

~

Truth be known, I was sad, not to sell the goats in general, but to sell my little Stacy Day.  She was the best goat in the world! 

After I lost Tonzo, my dog, Stacy was kind of like his replacement.  I was milking her, so she was here at the house.  I could let her run around with me and she'd stay right close.  If she did wander off, I'd call her back and she would come.  It was so cute and just like a dog!

One afternoon I decided I'd teach her a trick or two...

Yep, she knew how to shake my hand, spin in a circle, back up, and she'd voluntarily "kiss" my nose.  She, to the day we sold her, would jump into the back of a pickup with just a verbal command.  She was a wonderful milk goat since she hardly kicked and gave nice tasting milk.
It's bittersweet because we no longer have to worry about them, feed them, keep them penned etc...  Yet, I don't have my sweet black and white Stacy. 

It was all for the best, however.

And so ends my years of owning and raising free ranged goats... for now anyway.  : )