Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

Our huge relief at being able to rehome Butter and Marg has nonetheless re-enforced in us what a responsibility it is to bring new life onto the smallholding. We are of course now gearing up to having billy goats on site again for both our dairy and pygmy girls and as with every year we need to carefully plan so that we aren't lambing and kidding all at once.
There are exciting times ahead but the reason for breeding has to be very clear and a plan in place as to what will then happen to all the 'babies'.
When it comes to 'pet' sales (which is the only reason for breeding pygmy goats), the aim is to breed all the females as closely together as possible so that the kids are all ready to leave their mums at roughly the same time. That way, potential new owners can choose from all the kids. Brothers and sisters don't have to be sold together but unless the new owner already has goats, you MUST sell in pairs. Goats are very sociable animals and love to play (as these photos of Garlic and Pepper show). Keeping one on its own would be very cruel.
The same is true for dairy goats but dairy goats aren't really 'pets' in the same way pygmy goats are. Most people keep dairy goats for milk and most male diary kids that are born are fattened up for meat. We have sold our male dairy kids as pets in the past BUT as our experience with Butter and Marg show, this is not always successful!!!
Anyway, more about the billy goats and our mating plans another day...