I’m A New Goat Mom

Me and Minnie

So I brought my cute little goats home, their names are Minne and Denver. Minnie and Denver are both Nigerian Dwarf goats, they are a couple of months old. My first hours owning goats have been very exciting. They are of course super cute and don’t mind being picked up. Denver, the little boy goat, or technically a wether, is larger than his sister, Minnie. Denver seems to be a little more shy around people and less interested in interacting. Although, he is a wonderful companion for his sister. Minnie often follows Denver around the stall but is curious if I stay for very long. She often comes out and licks my boot or sniffs my pant leg. My nine year old son has an affection for Minne and loves speaking goat to her; Minnie is always delighted to answer him with a sweet little bleat. We have been spending a lot of time in their shed and checking on them several times a day. A couple of weeks ago we noticed that our once faithful older barn cat had gone missing. Nipper was several years old. My older sons remember playing with her while visiting their grandmother, when they were much younger. Nipper was a good friend of my nine year old son. We decided Saturday before picking up the goats that a cat would make a good stall mate for the goats, a pet for our youngest son, and a helper on our homestead. After a failed attempt to rescue a cat, I remembered a friend of mine (a fellow homesteader) was giving away some older kittens. Sweetly, she agreed for us to take the cat home. Our little homestead gained three new members on Saturday: Minnie, Denver, and Winston the cat. Winston was well loved and socialized, he is not afraid of the goats at all. In fact Winston enjoys playing with the goats and rubbing up against them.

Minnie, Denver and Winston the cat

The next couple of weeks here in Kentucky are looking like they will be cold, which of course makes this new goat mom very nervous. The goats are temporarily in a shed that I have lined with shavings and hay. I noticed my sweet little goats slightly shivering, so what is a goat mom to do? Well YouTube to the rescue, I found a video instructing me on how to make goat jackets. The lady on the YouTube video recommended using old sweat pants. I successfully made goat jackets and have made a trip to Goodwill for more goat jackets to be made. Maybe we will have a goat fashion show? Here I am hoping the weather warms up and my goats can romp around in their field getting to know all the characters on our little homestead—like Bobby Brown, the rooster.