Ahhhh, I have said it once and I will say it again.  Who ever said goats are easy is lying!  Dont get me wrong.  I am so happy with my purchases and I love my new additions but it is a bumpy road and there is a light at the end of the tunnel but its a long tunnel. 

Da Vinci, MO and finnigan are being boarded.  As my babies arrived it became very evident that I needed to give my undevided attention to the babies.  Its like buying 3 puppies at the same time and trying to train them and deal with health issues at the same time and dealing with the older dogs bullying the babies!  Argh! The babies have had 5 different kinds of worms, ghiardia and respiratory infections.  They were sent to me healthy so I am hoping to get them back to that place very soon.

The summer is going to be a busy one.  I have a pygmy show this weekend and another in july... three more shows in the fall.  Mix in all of the personal committments and it packs my schedule. 

The goats come marching one by one horrah!!

The days have finally come!  My new herd has started to arive one by one!  May 9th I will get my last one and my herd will be complete!  Mini Silky Fainting Goats, here we come!

The first to arrive was Da Vinci.  He came to me after being on transport for 2 weeks.  The entire experience with this particular shipper (whom will remain nameless) was aweful.  He arrived in good spirits but caught a cough, runny nose, some type of skin irritation under his belly from sitting and joint ill.  2 weeks in transport is just too much but he is here and doing well.  Donna is helping me nurse him back to health.  i was very confident of my nursing skills and supplys on hand but once he came in I still felt so incompitent to handle them in thier sickness.  This keeps me humble and reminds me that there is still much more I need to know about.  As of today he is full of life and playing!  Getting much better thanks to some very supportive friends. 

Next we recieved charlie and sugar pie.  They were supposed to be delivered over this past weekend but the company could not get to me until the following wednesday.  So we went to them!  Charlie is a little chunker and eats like a piggy!!!  He is a great traveller and was in good health.  Sugar pie is not a good traveller and she arived with a cough and once we got her home she had a fever and was lethargic.  Again, donna came to my rescue and helped me with meds.  Today she is doing much better.  I am confident she will make a speedy recovery. 

Mo has adjusted well to everything, but finnigan is so mad at me.  He does not like any of this.  He cowars next to me, hides behind me and wont look at anyone.  He is not nice to anyone.  He screams at me alot and for me alot.  He will adjust very very slow.  I am so happy with my silkies but very anxious for everyone to get into thier groove and become well adjusted!

Getting ready for Da Vinci

Its Spring!  The weather is warming up and I am getting ready to recieve the first of my 3 new goats.  His name is Westwind Acres Da Vinci.  He was born in august of 2010 out of the mini silky of the year.  Mini Silky goats are so new that (I think) they do not have an official nationals or national champion.  However the Old Dominion show in virginia serves as a nationals of sorts and from that show they name the winninist mini silky of the year and this is like a national champion.  There is so much to learn from this new breed and I am so excited to be a part of it!  My new hog paneling came in for me to reinforce thier sleeping area so they are even more protected than they are now.  The next goat coming will be sol-orr's sugar pie.  She is coming after May 1st.  The last to arrive will be bear creeks petticoat.  She is coming sometime in may and will arrive on an airplane. 

Shows are coming soon.  For our pygmy goat we will be attending the WCPGA futurity in may, the san diego county fair in june, WCPGA spooktacular in october and the valley of the suns for the mini silkies in october as well.  We are hoping to add the orange county fair but we are not sure if we will be in town. With the support of the San Diego Pygmy Goat Association, I will be adding a new show for the mini silkies here in San Diego.  Mini silky shows are hard to come by.  Will see if anyone is interested in october at the valley of the suns show. 

Busy time of year

It has been so so busy for me in the last few months.  I have not had alot of quality time with my boys.  Now that we are in march, the time change has afforded me more time after a long day.  Final payment for new goats going out next week.  In april we will be preparing the new pens for our new goaties.  Looking forward to goat shows coming up between now and october.  People who have not seen me in a while continue to be amazed that I have goats.  Big storm is going through our area today and it has shown me that my current shelter needs to be waterproofed better.  So, alot to do in the next month.  Very excited for my new kids!

Getting ready for new goaties!

As you know, I have my 2 pygmy wethers.  They are a joy to have and I love them so much.  I did find a mini silky buck and have been looking for a doe.  I believe that  I have found a doe and she is a perfect match!!!!Da Vinci is my buck.  His sire was the 2011 mini silky of the year.  The doe that I am looking at is just as special.  Her sire was the 2010 mini silky of the year!  WOW!!!  What a great match!  I will be deciding in the next couple of days if I am going to buy her.  Both goats will be traveling in style in a livestock trailer in may. 

Lots to do in 2012

So its the end of january and there is so much to do with goaties.  The new pen was done in december.  But now I need more dogloos, toys, feeders, etc...  Sometime soon I will need to get online and see what I can build.  I also developd my own website.  No I am not breeding yet but it was cheap to get it up and running.  I am learning alot about the mini silky breed.  I am also learning alot about kidding from all my FB friends.  It seems like a scary but rewarding adventure to go on.  I will be welcoming a new buck and doe in march/april but I am still looking for my mini silky queen.  I hope there is one out there for me this kidding season!

As for me personally, I will be starting IVF in May for a kidding season of my very own.  :-)

The start of a great goatie year!!!

It has been a very exciting year for me already in the goat world... My 2 boys are doing so well... very healthy!  We also expanded the goat pen and it looks gorgeous!!  I also purchased a fainting goat.  Her name is faint hearted ranch cinnamon.  She is so very pretty and I cannot wait to get her.  I also found a Miniature Silky Buck from linda at blessed green pastures on the east coast.  His name is westwind acres da vinci.  He is exactly what I am looking for in a buck.  He will live at another breeders house because bucks smell and even though I am zoned for goats, I am still right next to my neighbor and no one wants to smell a buck or listen to them blubber!  That will make 3 at home and one away. I will only be looking for one more to top me off with 4 at home and one away.  I am still looking for a mini silky fainting doe.  My mini silkys will be my main investment and my main breeding. 

The other very exciting thing is that my husband and I looked at travel trailors!  I am hoping that within the next 1 and 1/2 years that we might be able to purchase one so that we can go to goat shows away and have somewhere to stay!  It is going to be so exciting!