Spring March, sunshine beat down warming the car as I drove along. Thoughts raced through my heart. I am doing this for my sister, excitement and anticipation filled my body. I had visited the farm another time and seen Honey and Oakley at a younger age. They were only 8 weeks old now. Today’s post tells the stories of bringing home Nigerian Dwarf Goats to CG Heartbeats Farm.
Over the winter months, I prepared a space in the barn to add goats to the farm. Today, I was bringing them home. Not their permanent home, but rather an interim residence until we could get them out to my sister who lived a few states away. And however temporary, I would be adding goats to the homestead on this very day.
To learn more about the Nigerian Dwarfs at CG Heartbeats Farm click: Nigerian Dwarf Herd – A Country Girl’s Heart -Beats that Matter (dontclipmywings.com)
Table of Contents
The First Goats Arrive
Fast forward 2 hours later, oh, my heart seeped happiness as I unloaded the little ones, placed hay and water in the pen for them. My husband did not say much as he looked at them. They are for my sister I told him. True enough, but with an awareness, I fully intended to add more for myself. Full disclosure: My husband enjoys the goats and we had previously spoken about adding them to the homestead.
Over the next couple weeks, I sat with them, resting. I knew I could not take away the struggle my sister was facing, but I could help her acquire the goats she had been looking for. At first the were not too sure about me, but in no time their curiosity overtook them. First an outstretched neck to sniff me, and then a nibble. Soon they were happy to sleep in my lap, jump on me, chew on my hair. I looked after these 2 teaching them to lead, trimming their hooves and getting them started on Parasite Formula from Land of Havilah Herbs.
Bringing Home Bonney, Knight, and Tucker
Courtney from De St Jean Farm had kindly given me the opportunity to visit in the fall of 2020. In the months following I often reached out to her with questions I came up with in my planning process. On her IG account she shared all her babies and mommas. I drooled, longed and saved my money. I wanted a few of those babies.
One evening I sat down and studied the for-sale page on Courtney’s website. I looked at pedigrees to find a bucks and does who did not share the same sire. Diversity was on my mind.
A long-standing theory of mine: no matter how good an animal looks on paper, it needs to physically present the qualities I desire, if I am going to reproduce it.
I planned a trip to visit Courtney again with a vision of what I wanted based on the info from the sale page. The goal at the time was to add quality registered Nigerian Dwarf goats to CG Heartbeats Farm and in so doing have my own milk to drink. One more way to produce my own food.
Dixie
Courtney posted picture of Dixie, sharing about the potential for her dam to be a 3* milker and the possibility of her sire being a star buck. It was unknown at the time which buck had sired her. Dixie sported a cute moon spot on her head.
I prayed, counted my pennies, and studied her pedigree. Oh! She appealed to me for her pedigree and the potential of her to be a 4* milker. In the end, only a week later, I put a deposit on her.
She came home with me the same day, Bonney, Tucker, and Knight did. She was still a bottle baby at the time. My heart melted every time I watched her wag her tail and drink her bottle. I started singing “My Dixie Darling” to her as she drank one afternoon. Thus, her name Dixie Darling, stuck.
Bringing Home Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Ariel
I learned to know Eva through our mutual chicken interest. When I found out she also raised Nigerian Dwarf goats, I determined to stay in touch with her. Poseidon, one of her bucks, had caught my eye on a visit to her farm.
Around the same time, I put a deposit on Dixie, I also put a deposit on a little doeling by Poseidon. I poured over her pedigree deciding on name. Ariel fits her sweet personality.
Sunny
In June, I once again was resting and perusing the Nigerian Dwarf goat pages on Facebook. Pictures often catch my attention. I then look for websites and pedigrees to help me determine if I want to pursue a purchase.
By this point in my goat shopping, I had a better understanding of they type of goats which were out there to choose from. My eye was developing and my desire for star genetics and champion lines increased. Certainly, I was happy with what I had, but my next purchase needed to be a step up, I decided.
In chatting with a woman whose had kids for sale, I was impressed with her buck. I inquired where he came from. On a hunt now, I checked out the website from the farm where her buck came from.
Here I found 2 bucks who impressed me greatly. I made a trip to visit Meadow Mist and enjoyed a great visit with Sandi, looking at her herd. A couple months later, I brought Sunny home.
Brian likes to go car racing. Turned out a farm I had found out about was located near his friends race shop. The next time he made a trip up there, I tagged along. We drove out to Meadow Mist and I met Sandi.
Bringing Sunny Home
Fast forward a couple months. Brian was going to racing for several days with his friend. For me to have a car to drive, I needed to take drop him off at the shop. Yep, the same shop near the Meadow Mist who had a buck kid I had my eye on. The back seat was packed full of Brian’s ‘stuff’ for his 5-day trip. No room for a dog kennel to transport a goat back home.
The Lord provides. I noticed a sign about a rummage sale in the town local to the car shop. Maybe there is a dog kennel for sale there, I thought. After leaving Brian at the shop and heading out to Meadow Mist I was disappointed to learn the rummage sale was actually a week later. However, I drove up on a garage sale. For $5 I left with a wire dog cage. It was not quite what I had envisioned. I would need to protect the back seat of Brian’s car from goat turds and the like, but it could work.
I drove home that day with a buck kid and an antique corn sheller from and estate sale I had stopped at also and laughed all the way home delighted with my new additions to CG Heartbeats Farm,
Bringing Home Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Peaches
Peaches deserves her own blog post to tell her entire story, but I will stick with the short version for this post on bringing home Nigerian Dwarf Goats. I had reached out to Sydney from ERSA farm as a part of conducting research on Sunny. Due to our previous connection, Sydney sent me a message when Peaches became available. She was a granddaughter of Sunny’s half sibling.
Thoughts continued to wander through my mind. Did I have the funds? Should I add another goat? I wanted to take a trip to spend time with family in August and did not want to add another goat until I returned.
But the next day, I put a deposit on her and intended to pick her up the end of August. However, Brian and I ended up making a date night the following weekend, driving to pick her up and I found myself with 2.5-week-old bottle baby.
Peaches delights me even now at 6 months old. She went on my trip with me to visit family because if you have a bottle baby you take them along. Well in my world I do. I mean after all if I can haul horses, I certainly can look after a baby goat. My nieces enjoyed her and on occasion I send them pictures of Peaches. She has become a fun way to connect with them.
Bringing Home Nigerian Dwarf Goats: Grace
Randomly checking out baby goats for sale when taking a moment to rest will get you (or rather me) in trouble. Do you see a pattern here as to how I ended up with the later members of my herd?
In this case, a picture popping up in my news feed on FB was the culprit. What? Eva had goats for sale? Ariel came from Eva’s Pine Knoll Farm. Oh, I liked the look of the one little doeling named Good to Go.
As I do, I investigated the pedigrees of both. After I considered their ages and decided I would likely not breed in the fall, but it might make a good companion for Peaches. I was pleased with the buck she was out of.
I struggled because I knew I needed to work on structures here on the farm. Winter was coming and housing is a work in progress here. I took money with me when I went to look at them. My mind weighed the pros and cons of taking another goat home and the fact if I bought this one. I NEEDED to stop buying goats for the time being.
I call her Grace and she came home with me. To my knowledge Brian did not know she was here for about a week. I say I needed grace for the fact I brought her home. She presents a little different look compared to the other goats here. I am looking forward to crossing her with my bucks to see what they will produce. Her sire’s dam is a champion and 2* milker. I trust she too will earn her milk star in time.
Looking Ahead
My goal for bringing home Nigerian Dwarf goats to CG Heartbeats Farm was to drink my own milk. I did not expect to enjoy them quite as much as I do. I am tossing around ideas for other ways to incorporate them in productive ways.
Over the last 8 months I have advanced my eye for what I want and want to breed for. Through conversations, reading, and farm visits my goals have shifted slightly from wanting my own milk to a desire to breed quality Nigerian Dwarf goats. The bottom line continues to be, I desire my own milk.
An additional desire marinates to produce milking lines recognized through ADGA programs. I am looking forward to milk testing does and participating in a few shows for 2022.
Read more about the Nigerian Dwarf goats at CG Heartbeats Farm on our page https://www.dontclipmywings.com/nigerian-dwarf-herd/
