New Kids On The Blog/Block

My husband and I have been raising Colored Angora Goats since 1993. We have had upwards of 45 goats at the most and as few as 3 when we started. We have settled on 15 being a good and manageable number and do our best to keep it there. Over the years we have focused on different traits to improve on; color, size, fiber quality, conformation and production levels. We occasionally attend and participate in breed shows, fiber market day events, conferences and seminars. We have learned to shear, birth, spin and weave the mohair fiber our wonderful goats produce and even a bit about genetic heritability (we think of it more as a study of "best guess" outcomes). We get great satisfaction in taking our product full circle.

After several years of out crossing our colored does to quality registered white bucks to improve lock style and character while reducing micron, we had a pretty "vanilla" band of goats. (band is the official terminology for a group of goats - herd is just as acceptable in today's vocab). We were most certainly ready to get some of our rich color back; black, brown, mahogany, silver and taupe. Kidding time has arrived and we enter the barn each day holding our breath.

This has been a good week. Right on schedule our oldest doe, Katidid, presented us with gorgeous, red twin does. Although it is difficult to judge what color they will actually grow up to be at this point - what we see today is kid hair and will eventually shed out - we remain forever hopeful. Mom and babies are doing well and looking forward to sunshine and Spring - soon, please!

Two days later our second doe brought an unbelievable, curly, black buck into our world. He was a singleton, a big boy and 110% buck. Mom, Sole, is a blond first-timer with incredible, fine fleece who did a great job getting him on the ground all on her own and is proving to have stellar mothering instincts. This is a trait we insist all of our breeding does have.

So far, so good. Two down and seven to go! Every day is an adventure on a goat farm. Each goat is an individual, a character in their own right.