I was raised in rural New Zealand and assumed my normal was everyone's normal (as you do when you are a child). I assumed my life would remain pretty much unchanged throughout my life. Of-course that was naive and I would never have learned to prize and strive to defend and protect my rural lifestyle.
I spent my teenagehood in the small city of Christchurch, and attended university there too, I travelled for three years abroad, then returned to New Zealand to be a grown-up. But the capitalist model didn't really work for me, profit before humans, animals and the environment makes my skin crawl. But I played the game long enough to buy my way out.
In 2014 I bought myself the smallest farm ever (the biggest property I could afford) in rural North Canterbury. Goats was the only thing on my mind, but we have chickens, keep pigs and have a lawn-mower sheep (east freisan - milking sheep breed). First I got a feral doe in kid, from a neighbour, that did not go well. Ferals are well feral and I should have gotten two, but I was a complete novice and had no clue.
I survived (dream intact) a lot wiser. A natural farming friend offered me twin does (10 week old) in late 2015, the dream was revived! These two were from a farmed Togenberg doe and a feral billy, who likely jumped the fence one day. Despite my concern about the feral nature coming thru, we picked them up in December. My boys name them Chocolate and Caramel. What a lovely Christmas gift they were! Kidling goats (well goats in general) are the most engaging animals ever (through I guess I am preaching to the choir, right?!).
I didn't want to breed from them in 2016, we were in drought and I was still not confident. But in that time I did some relief milking for a goat farm about 30km away, I love milking! I milked their herd by hand in exchange for milk, some product (soap, moisturiser and deodoriser) and a stud service for my girls.
On the 24th of July of this year, Choccy got serviced (I decided against getting Caramel in kid, just in case, I got in over my head again). So this means, Chocolate is due about the 21st of December 2017- 17 days away. I am nervous and excited and thought joining a forum might be a wise idea. So here I am!
Thank you for letting me join
I spent my teenagehood in the small city of Christchurch, and attended university there too, I travelled for three years abroad, then returned to New Zealand to be a grown-up. But the capitalist model didn't really work for me, profit before humans, animals and the environment makes my skin crawl. But I played the game long enough to buy my way out.
In 2014 I bought myself the smallest farm ever (the biggest property I could afford) in rural North Canterbury. Goats was the only thing on my mind, but we have chickens, keep pigs and have a lawn-mower sheep (east freisan - milking sheep breed). First I got a feral doe in kid, from a neighbour, that did not go well. Ferals are well feral and I should have gotten two, but I was a complete novice and had no clue.
I survived (dream intact) a lot wiser. A natural farming friend offered me twin does (10 week old) in late 2015, the dream was revived! These two were from a farmed Togenberg doe and a feral billy, who likely jumped the fence one day. Despite my concern about the feral nature coming thru, we picked them up in December. My boys name them Chocolate and Caramel. What a lovely Christmas gift they were! Kidling goats (well goats in general) are the most engaging animals ever (through I guess I am preaching to the choir, right?!).
I didn't want to breed from them in 2016, we were in drought and I was still not confident. But in that time I did some relief milking for a goat farm about 30km away, I love milking! I milked their herd by hand in exchange for milk, some product (soap, moisturiser and deodoriser) and a stud service for my girls.
On the 24th of July of this year, Choccy got serviced (I decided against getting Caramel in kid, just in case, I got in over my head again). So this means, Chocolate is due about the 21st of December 2017- 17 days away. I am nervous and excited and thought joining a forum might be a wise idea. So here I am!
Thank you for letting me join
