Despite owning land and keeping a wide variety of animals, we are not a farm. My husband will gladly point out the difference to you, - farms make money ;)
I sometimes think we should change the name of our house to "Nota Farm" because then, ironically, we would be a farm !
We've got goats, ponies, horses, chickens, sheep, and two huge mad pointer dogs. I have my eye on some 'other varieties of animals' but I can't possibly comment as the husband might object. {see first point}
Originally I began this new blog to showcase the photographs of the gorgeous views and surroundings around us, but I figure you might as well meet the team, as 90% of my photographs have the animals in them.
Let's start with the goats.
If my animals are not making money, and trust me, they so aren't right now, you might have already realised I tend to pick up waifs, strays, unwanted, not suitable and generally quirky creatures. So if you think you're about to read a beautiful pedigree of hand selected, carefully bred, goats... you don't know me yet.*
*Disclaimer, totally open to the idea of owning beautifully bred pedigree goats too.
Walter and Herbie - A by-product of an awful petting farm, I collected two goats a couple of years ago. (If you've never stopped to think about it, all the tiny sweet baby goats you can line up and bottle feed at these petting zoo type places have to go somewhere. They can't possibly keep hundreds of weaned goats. So the minute they are of weaning age, they go to slaughter. And a new batch are brought in)
I had the pick from about 60 young goats all of whom were heading to slaughter in the next few days. Each and every one of those sixty goats were climbing on us, picking our pockets and being outrageously cute so it was a well thought out rational choice {not}
The chosen two were each about the size of a large puppy and travelled in the boot of my pick up. They didn't know how to 'goat', having been separated from their mothers way way too early and cried pitifully whenever I left their side to go home. Pretty sure my friend, who had them on her land at the time, regretted it in days if not hours. But then of course I packaged them into a horse transporter and had them 'shipped' to our new home in Wales.
Now they are two and a half years old, about the size of a seven foot man - if he was on all fours ;) - like eat rich tea biscuits and goat feed, and have their own strip of woodland to run around in. They have a 'responsible job' here to eat all the nettles, thistles and dock leaves that horses don't eat. Unfortunately they don't like nettles or thistles, so ...er...never mind...
Still the soppiest, sweetest creatures, and still love cuddles.
Recently I have begun halter training them, as the dog collars and leads were just not big enough anymore. Steering is fun...if you aren't familiar with goats then let me tell you goats are strong. If they say we are going left, then we pretty much go left...
