Milkshakes, our friend Amy’s dairy goat, has been at JMF for almost a year. She’s a bright, curious, and friendly little goat.
Amy picked her out because she was one of the smallest of her original flock, and was always getting shoved around by the other nannies. I’m happy to say that that is firmly not the case here!
I am especially fond of her luxuriant beard.
However, Milkshakes is also pushy, greedy, and wily.
She’s passed most of these traits on to her kids (if Sophie and Adelaide weren’t so sweet and photogenic, we’d call them something worse than little scamps, which is what we usually say).
Has someone escaped into the woods? Slipped into the pasture to visit her boyfriend? Jumped up on you from behind? Carefully inspected your pockets for treats? Or come and sat next to you for a few quiet minutes?
More than likely, it was someone from the Milkshakes family.
They’ve grown up into nice young does who are already nearly the size of the angora wethers who were born back in April. There’s definitely something to be said for hybrid vigor (Sophie and Adelaide are angora/dairy crosses).
No matter the hijinks they get up to, no one can deny that they’re full of personality, and that we love ‘em to bits.
{ 11 comments }
Cute!! Do you expect the kids to be fiber-producers? Dairy goats? Combo?
I had the same thought as quinn – will Milkshakes’ offspring be fiber producing dairy goats?
Do you, Zac and Susie drink Milkshakes milk or make goat cheese? Mmmm. goat cheese.
I, too, was going to ask if the kids be milkers or fiberers… Cute either way!!
that is indeed an IMPRESSIVE beard!
what cute pics
ALWAYS make me SMILE
really really big (bigger than this)
of course!
LOVE…
rona
p.s. more about sneaking off in to the woods to meet her boyfriend? omg do goats do this too?
I love this post Caroline! And the pictures too. You have certainly captured their personalities!!
It is delightful how animals, like people, can have such individuality, not fit in with the mainstream, and, yes, maybe add some work, but that their individuality is a joy to behold!
Caroline…thanks much for this! Gave me a big smile for the day!
Impressive goat beards F.T.W! My Bill’s got a mighty good one going…
I have a question… if Milkshakes has a long-but not curly coat, how do her kids have curly coats? Or does Milkshakes have a curly coat but its shaved in the picture?
Quinn, I expect them to produce fiber that fine, but not as fine as the rest of the flock. Our goats shear kid mohair even as adults, but I suspect Sophie and Adelaide’s fiber will be slightly coarser than the rest after their first two clips. Milk-wise, I think they will be as good as their mom, which is to say, better than an Angora goat. Angoras are not known for being heavy milkers and they probably wouldn’t be worth the trouble to milk; they make just enough to keep their kids fed, but only barely.
We do drink the milk Dina! We’ve made lots of cheese with it as well, because when we have all three dairy goats milking, it’s a lot of milk coming in every day.
Milkshake isn’t curly but her boyfriend is! Jack is our resident buck and he is an Angora. We got lucky in that the kids took after their dad, fiber-wise. It can go either way with crosses.