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To: goat granny
We used to have ONE goat -- a little black and white floppy eared girl of unknown ancestry.

She belonged to our next door neighbor, an elderly man who was gassed in the Argonne in WWI. Periodically he had to go into the VA with lung trouble, and we would babysit the goat while he was gone.

He was just an old country boy, and as far as he was concerned the goat was just a lawnmower -- she had to live on the weeds and stuff in his back yard. When she came to our house for babysitting, she got alfalfa hay, Purina Goat Chow, and her own drinking fountain in the back yard, as well as a brushing every day and a bath once a week. She turned from a bag of bones with brittle hair into a fat, sassy, glossy-coated beauty.

And she used to periodically have a jailbreak and come putting her nose on our sunroom windows looking for a treat . . . .

Anyhow, when he passed away he bequeathed the goat to us, which was very nice, but then his relations came from south Georgia and claimed the goat. I just hope they didn't barbeque her -- but I think she was too old and tough for that.

147 posted on 09/18/2009 6:29:10 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
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To: AnAmericanMother
What a great story...goats can be taught lots of things...I had one born to a young nanny that was not suppose to be preg...She had a buck that I named after my Son-in-Law...I taught him to shake paws for a hand-full of corn...He got ornery at about 4 when I let him breed for the first time...

Our first kidding season (my hubby and I being city folk that decided to raise goats) we lost 3 out of 4 of our first year...But the one I was able to save became quite a pet...He was the only one that I could let out of the pasture and he would follow me around the farm, if he lost track of me he'd baaa baaa until I called him...I spent so much time with him and carried him to the alfalfa field (he was too weak to walk) and I'd hold him up with my calfs (leg muscles not cow) and let him eat all he wanted and supplemented him with a bottle several times a day...A neighbor around the corner raised dairy goats and I'd go buy a gallon from her for my little guy (that ended up being his name)

Angora's don't smell like a lot of breeds of goats as they are like deer and have a breeding season (2 months) at that time the breeding billys stink to high heaven...They urinate on themselves and I guess that is irrestistible to the nannys...Just not to the owners....You can smell those guys from 30 feet away...P.U.

As a general rule 1 goat is a lonely goat, being a flock animal they are more at ease with others...

I got on a thread quite a while back of with one gal that was able to housebreak her goat...she sent me a picture...now thats a woman with patience...but she too had a great story....

158 posted on 09/18/2009 9:49:28 PM PDT by goat granny
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