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Goat Watch 2012/2013

We took out backyard goats, Hope and Molly, to get bred today.

Hope and Molly are full sized LaManchas. The are special because of the ears, or lack there of.

Hope is the Black and Brown one. Molly is brown with freckles on her nose.

We chose to get goats to meet our family's dairy needs. We don't have enough space for cows and after doing some research we decided that goats milk was a healthier option for us. Lamanchas are dairy goats. Their milk is known for having a higher fat content. Which is requiered for things like butter and cheese and ice cream.

From fiascofarm.com/

(This website has everyting you need to know about goats) :

"The LaMancha is a medium sized breed, developed in the USA from goats of Spanish origin. They have an excellent dairy temperament and are all-around sturdy, friendly, naturally healthy animals. LaManchas can come in a variety of colors and patterns. Their milk has an average butterfat of about 4.2%. LaManchas have tiny ears which come in two types: "gopher ears", which are little "sweet rolls"; and "elf ears", which are little hooked ears less than 2 inches long. LaManchas are seasonal breeders."

Seasonal Breeders means that the female goat has a limited time period to get pregnant. Lamanchas go into season in the fall to kid in the very early spring.

This morning when I went out to feed them it was very clear we had hit our window. I made a call to the farm where Hope and Molly were purchased from and made a plan to take them over to meet the eligable bachelors. We decided to pair Hope with Davinci, and Molly was paird with Watch Me.

It took about an hour to get everything taken care of. Each doe was bred three times. We had planned on twice but the goats had thier own plans. Now we wait. If the maiting was succssful the Does will be due March 18th to March 23rd. If it didn't take they will go into season again around Nov. 11th-15th and we will have to make another drive to the farm.

Side note: We had heard that a goat will not poop in your car if they are lying down. Good luck getting a goat to lie down in your car.

So now we wait. And keep our fingers crossed. How many kids do you think we will have? Colors? Birthdays?