Wesley & Buttercup

Back in October, only a few weeks after moving to the ranch, I decided I wanted a goat. So, of course, I text my friend because she raises and shows them. Almost immediately I got a reply that she just had two born the previous evening and included a photo of the little boy that was available. I had to have him! They are very social little critters and he would need a buddy so she started the search for a second that would be close in age. A few weeks later while running errands I got a call letting me know she'd found me a second goat that wasn't far from me, came from a reputable breeder's stock, and I would have two to choose from. I made the call and we headed that way. We met the nicest, feistiest, tiniest little lady that I wanted to bring home as well! Don't worry, I didn't. She's too happy where she's at. But, I do have a precious new friend! Anyway... As we were walking to the goat pen I caught sight of a spotted little thing and just knew it was a girl. She was... bummer. So, we hung out, talked, asked questions, and drove off knowing when it was time we'd be taking one but not quite sure which one. I called my friend back with a couple of questions...

Bear with me a moment, please. This is one of those times (there are a lot of them) when I feel rather uneducated, ignorant, and just plain dumb. Well, I'm not alone but still.... I knew I wouldn't need a rooster to have eggs when we got our first girls a few years back but the most common question is: Don't you have to have a rooster? The answer is: No. Unless, you want to raise chicks. Just like women chickens regularly "release" an egg. It's just daily (well, close) and, trust me on this, much more difficult. So glad I'm not a chicken. Everything they do and eat goes toward their body producing that egg. Whew!
Apparently, something most people don't think about and know, because we don't grow up on farms, is that dairy cows and goats are bred regularly to continue their milk production. DUH! Common sense. It's just not something I'd ever thought about. I was in the process of reading 4 books on goats at the time but the dairy chapters were skipped over because I didn't want a dairy goat. Okay, so, I learned something ~ cool! That's one of the many things I love about this new life out here ~ LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

To continue my story...

... and, I quickly learned something new and reinforced something I'd learned in my reading. Yes, of course, girls can be kept as pets without needing to be milked. Twice a day. Every day. With. Out. Fail. Yay! The wethers (just a minute) are considered to be "sweeter" but girls can be sweet as well. SOLD! I was getting the spotted one. Call made. We had lovely visits a few times and picked up Buttercup last Saturday.
Wesley spent Thursday with a morning side trip to the airport, most of the day at the vet, a three hour trip home, and a night in the garage with Hazel and Hank. He is absolutely adorable!

My babies are pets and will not be bred so this Wesley & Buttercup don't have to worry about unlocking that chastity belt ;)

Wesley is an African Pygmy and Buttercup is a Nigerian Dwarf. The difference is that she is built like a typical goat only smaller and he'll be shorter and stouter. They'll both be about 75 lb. His coloring is black agouti and she is white with brown moon spots (lots of them). Buttercup is 25 days older than Wesley.

Finally, here they are...

And, that folks, is what the shed is for :)