The Goat Spot Forum banner

Long time lurker

2K views 30 replies 9 participants last post by  FizzyGoats 
#1 ·
I’ve lurked here in the shadows of TGS for many months, reading, learning, and plotting, er I mean planning. I poked around in hundreds of “goat” places across the vast interwebs, looking for a knowledgeable and supportive goat tribe and this where I kept returning. I’ve learned so much form everyone here. And now I know that I will never know enough, never be fully prepared, and I’ll make mistakes, and that’s ok because I found my tribe. I also know there’s more than one “right” way and everyone won’t always agree and that’s ok too. And no matter how much I plan and prepare, I’ll have to take all this expert advice and use it to find what works for me and my goats.

So I’m finally stepping out of the shadows (sorry if I startled anyone) and signing in and saying hi. I’ve built a barn, put up fence, stockpiled a decent medicine cabinet, built climbing structures, have enough feed (including loose goat minerals) to get started, still working on finding a vet (though my Amish neighbors said they think their horse vet also works on goats), and I’ve purchased three little ND doelings that will be weaned and ready mid-May. The breeder is super nice, very responsive, and doesn’t seem at all bothered by my thousands of questions.

I’m nervous and excited to bring my girls home. I live on just under 40 acres in the-middle-of-nowhere, TN (and I love it). Only five acres around my house and barn are currently fenced, but I figure that’s a good start. I have two dogs and two cats (all inside pets, no workers in the group), a few chickens, and am getting a handful of day-old turkeys poults the end of this month (anxious about those wee ones as well).

I am completely new at this and no one near me raises goats. I grew up in Colorado with horses, cattle, and lots of dogs and cats but these will be my first ever goats. And it’s been years since I’ve spent much time around any sort of livestock.

If you have any questions about me, ask away because I’m going to be asking endless questions (yep, even before the goats actually get here and definitely after as well). And if you have any tips for this goat greenhorn, please feel free to share. Did I mention I’m super worried about being a good goat mom? I don’t think I was this nervous about being a real mom (but I was young and knew everything, so why be nervous, right?). Thankfully my kids (of the human variety), turned out to be great people, but I think that speaks more to their qualities than my own.

So to recap, long time lurker - first time poster, nervous newbie, will be bugging you all for lots of input and advice.

Thank you for helping me even when you didn’t know I was here. And thank you in advance for all the help I know you’ll continue to give. I hope to return the favor someday.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
A big welcome to this fantastic forum! It sounds like you are all prepared!!!
Just phone that vet and ask if they do goats. That’s what I did before I got my goats, and it eased my nervousness some.
Looking forward to reading more from you especially once you have goat pictures to share!!!
 
#4 ·
I took your advice and put a quick call in to that vet and they do see goats. They’re about a half hour away and don’t do farm calls (at least where I live) but I’m ok with that. My only other option was going to be nearly three times the distance away. So you’re right, that’s a sense of relief to know. One less stress. 😁

I do have a pic of each of the girls. I’ll put them up in a bit (still learning how to do things here). Heck, I can’t even figure out how to get the multiple quotes in a reply. I hit the “Quote +” button but don’t know the next step. I feel like a dolt admitting that, but that’s the truth. So I guess it’s one at a time for now, lol.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the TGS tribe!! Lol. Good to meet you. Definitely found a safe friendly place here...plus we love questions..so go for it. Congratulations on your pending ND babies.
 
#6 ·
This might help ya!
How To Multi-Quote
Step 1:
Click the multi-quote icon at the bottom of each post that you want to quote.

Step 2: Scroll down to the text editor where you are going to write your post. Click "Insert Quotes".
Step 3: A small window will pop up for you to verify (or delete) quoted content that will be added to your post. Click "Quote messages".

Final Step: The quoted content will automatically be added to the text editor.

Add your comments and click to post your reply.

Added Notes: You can multi-quote from more than one discussion thread in the forum. You can also simply highlight the part of the text you want to quote. A small popup will allow you to choose the multi-quote option using just the selected content.
 
#7 ·
This might help ya!
Thank you for that info!
I don’t know if it’s because I’m using an out of date phone or what, but my text editor doesn’t have the “Insert Quotes” on it, so that could be my problem (well, one of them anyway, lol). No big deal though. Thanks for trying!
 
#9 ·
Awe . Pretty babies
 
#20 ·
On the app to multi quote all you do is tap on one of the posts you want to use and it will turn blue. Then a little black menu will pop up. Hit “more” and a separate menu will come up and it will have the option to multi quote. Push that and then select the posts you want to use. Then just push the button in the upper right hand corner, and finish your post. Easy right? [emoji23] lol.
Oh, I did it!

It took me five minutes, but I did it. Lol.

Now we’ll see if I can remember your directions next time I try it. [emoji16]
 
#14 ·
Thank you!
And luckily you all have made it easy (and often entertaining) to learn and research.
I know I have so much to learn still but I feel like my time spent reading and learning here has prepared me more than the books or other sites I’ve gone to. I’m so glad to have TGS members to call on when I need help.
 
#16 ·
Thanks so much!
All the time I’ve been reading posts here (seriously almost a year) and I just now found out about the app. I really am a dolt, lol. Ok, so I now have the app and this is my first post using it. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out the multi quote thing on here. Not sure though, haven’t played around much with it yet
 
#17 ·
Welcome! I lurked for quite some time, too, before I became a member. Your doelings are adorable!
The only advice I have for you at the moment is, enjoy the journey! Life with goats can be crazy, but it's also lots of fun, and we don't usually share about the good days, when all is going well. I can turn myself into an anxious mess by researching every little thing that could go wrong, and it is often more productive (and enjoyable) to put down my phone and just go sit with my goats.
 
#23 ·
Hi! So glad you jumped out and joined us! Welcome to TGS! Your little ones are gorgeous! All of us are learning here. No one knows everything. Thats what makes this so much fun. If you raise goats, believe me, you learn as you go! They can come up with the most frustrating situations & crying with laughter over their antics. So...glad you are here to share your lifes experiences with all of us.
 
#24 ·
Aw, thanks so much! [emoji846]

I love that you all (even the well versed) are still asking questions. I especially love that you answer them (because I seem to have 3 new questions pop up for every one little thing I finally figure out). And what sets this site apart from any others I’ve seen or been a part of, is how people seem to leave their egos and judgments at the door and are here to support each other. Glad I stopped lurking. [emoji16]
 
#31 ·
I am pretty excited. Luckily the hatchery worked with me my pushing the date back a bit because I have to go out of town for a wedding the 6th and will be back sometime on the 7th (though I’ll have someone here in case they turkeys get here before I do).
Then a week later, I get my goats! It’s going to be a crazy month. I’m nervous and excited.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top