UP State Fair Goats

Recently I attended the  UP State Fair in Escanaba. Surprisingly, the UP State Fair is Michigan's only state fair, and is also financially independent, it doesn't need any state funding. I am not a fair junkie, I haven't gone to many. But Yoopers sure know how to throw a good shindig!

The focus of my attention was not the rides, food, or merchandise really. Instead, the animals of the fair! Especially the goats, who'd have guessed? I actually missed the goat judging, but that didn't stop me from getting to ogle at the goats afterward. Though that meant I missed the dairy goats who were judged, since they didn't stay overnight at the fair.

The wether above was the grand champion market goat! During the 4H auction, he went for an astounding $20 a pound. I think everybody at that auction needed to pick their jaws up off the floor after they heard that number, when the bidding for him finished. A very proud day for the 4Her who raised him!

This laddie was the other market wether, runner up. Yes, there were only two market goats who would be sold at the auction, but he also commanded a high price. $10 a pound, which also isn't bad at all! The norm for the goats at the 4H auction is apparently closer to $7. I am sure next year there will be more goats, given the prices they sold for this year.

There were plenty of other boer goats at the fair. Not for auction, just show. All the goats with the red collars on belong to the same owner. I honestly forget the name of their boer farm.

Oh hai person!

Zzzzing

A very nice doe! 

I love the darker red heads on these two

Another fantastic doe!

The other goats at the fair, who weren't gone by the time I went, were two sets of pygmies does and their kids. At least, I am pretty sure they were pygmies. They had more of the barrel keg with legs thing going on, very sturdy and bulky. Nigerians, their relatives, are a more fine and lean dairy breed.

This was a very friendly doe

The kid was an adorable little boy, pure white!

The Friendly Doe next to the other set of pygmies

Adorable little family!

Very fine kids! I especially loved the red/gold kid

And that concludes my little jaunt with the fair goats!

Yoko, George, and Artie

Introducing, the rest of my herd!

Sunnybrook Yoko

Yoko (and George) were a bit of a spontaneous addition to my herd. I saw them listed for sale, and was mostly just interested in young Yoko. But George was offered at an amazing discount, so I couldn't resist him! Of course, first I needed permission from Lord and Lady of the land I am a mere serf on (my parents, hah!), and they gave their blessings. I think when a lot of people hear her name is Yoko, they think of Yoko Ono. Me, being the weird person I am, imagine Yoko Okino instead, a minor character from an anime I very much enjoy.

Yoko is a doll. She is quite friendly and curious, a good rub under the chin or ears makes her close her eyes in bliss. 

See?

Her honey dappled coat is absolutely stunning, too! So a winning personality and lovely looks makes her a great addition to the herd! If I could improve on thing, her rump is a little steep. But it could be that I haven't set her up on a nice level surface with her hooves set in the right position. Next spring I'll give her a good show clip, so I can see her conformation under her wooly fur!

I will be breeding Yoko for kids in late March/ early April. After you see George, the sire to be, you can see why the kids will be quite exciting! 

 Can you tell I like using this boulder for goat pictures?

Cedar Pond Farm Tractor George 

George, or Georgie, as I call him quite often, is a lady's man! He'll do anything in order to catch the eye of a lustful doe. He'll pull all the moves, waggling his tongue, snorting, and strutting his stuff. He also makes sure he is wearing cologne that is irresistable to a doe in heat, though sometimes he over does it ;) 

All kidding aside, George is a wonderful buck. He smells like a buck, that is undeniable. But if bad smell during rut is the only downside, I am quite happy. You see, George may be a fragrant buck, but he is as gentle as a plush teddy bear. His previous owner must have worked with him a lot. You can do anything with him, he is like taffy. So handling his hooves for trimming, for instance, is very easy. Also, he leads like a champion. I think a toddler could lead him on a piece of dental floss, as long as no doe in heat is around to distract him!

He is rather well hung...

Another bonus about George are his stunning blue eyes!

George demonstrating the Flehmen Response

 

One interesting point about goats, is that blue eyes are dominant. In humans, blue eyes are a recessive trait. But if you have a goat with blue eyes, even if they are only heterozygous for the gene, some of the kids will have blue eyes! I think blue eyes on goats are fabulous, personally!

Getting a whiff of the ladies

A good side profile shot, though his feet aren't in the right place

King of the...spool?

Artie, the boer wether

And last but not least is Artie, my boer wether! He is George's companion, since no goat should be kept alone. 

Artie came with a doe I'd bought previously, named Twix. The story of Twix also has a tragic ending. I will keep it short. Up until recently, I kept collars on my goats. It made it easy to hook them up to lead, and they had identification tags. However, a preventable accident happened with Twix, because of the collars she was wearing. I can only assume she an Artie were playing, and his horns became hooked underneath her collar. I am sure this caused them both to panic, and Twix perished as a result. I found her only minutes after it happened. My goats no longer wear collars unless they are actively being led or with me (like when I unhook the lead for pictures). It is a lesson I learned, though one I wish wasn't so sad. 

Apple Tree Acres Twix

Anyway, despite having originally been slated for goat roast, Artie is here to stay! He is both George's companion, and also because my mother named him! He was never really socialized as a kid, so he is a bit nervous. He'll never be a goat who adores attention from people, but he does love his treats! And he is very enthusiastic during clicker training, since he will do just about anything for a tasty snack.

Dulce de Leche and Suzie Q

As promised, I bring you my Mini Yooper goats. I am starting out with the members of the herd I've had the longest!

Happy Tailz Z Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche is my special little girl. She came to me as a bottle baby, I picked her up when she was only two weeks old! She was born in March, 2012. She has grown into such a lovely little lady over the months! I would describe her as a pocket goat. She is always wanting to attached to your hip, and adores being lavished with attention and treats! Dulce can almost be a trip hazard, sometimes, since she wants to be right with you. And I should tell you about her voice! She is loud and talkative! Dulce will gladly blather your ear off!

 Baby picture!

If you are wondering, Dulce was not alone during this adorable stage. I do have to mention her 'sister' of sorts. Her name was Honeysuckle, a sweet and gentle little girl. I lost her over Memorial Day weekend due to acute bloat. Despite my best attempts to treat her (I could not get a hold of a vet), I lost her. It was a terrible loss that broke both my heart, and Dulce's even more. Honey was few days younger than her, and by that time, they were very closely bonded.

Honeysuckle and Dulce, troublemakers at their cutest

It was after I lost Honeysuckle that I added a new member to my herd. I could not leave Dulce without a friend, it was not fair to her to be alone. So the next member of my herd is...

Pelican Acres TLP Yseult "Suzie Q" 

Suzie Q her first day home

While her registered name is Yseult, she'll always be known as Suzie! Her breeder had that her nickname, and it kind of stuck! You are probably wondering why I didn't register her as Suzie, right? I wanted to have her named somewhat after her grandsire, Excalibur. So I chose a name from Arthurian Legend. Yseult is a different way to spell Isolde, from the tale of Isolde and Tristan.

But enough about the meaning behind her name. Suzie, you could say, was an unexpected addition to my herd. With the loss of Honeysuckle, I wanted to find a goat to be Dulce's new companion, and fast! I began my search, and Suzie was the a perfect fit. She was about the same age, registrable, and available! But knowing this was a stroke of luck. I was a 'fan' of Pelican Acres on Facebook, because over the spring Karen Las had many does on a MareStare birthing camera. Well, she posted Suzie Q for sale on facebook, since the person who was previously going to buy her backed out. Score! I think Karen Las had my deposit within an hour or two of her putting Suzie up for sale! Needless to say, within a few days I made an eight hour drive to lovely Pelican Lake to bring my new girl home!

Suzie has a much different personality than Dulce. Suzie was dam raised, but very well socialized. I wouldn't say she is shy, but she won't bound into your arms as quickly as Dulce will. Instead, she'll quietly walk up to your side and put her head into your hand for ear rubbing. And she is a very quiet doeling. She has a voice, but only uses it when she is especially excited. Kind, quiet, and sweet is the best way to describe her. I love her to pieces. I don't think of her as Honeysuckle's replacement, but as a new beginning. She is her own unique goat, and I love everything about her.

To finish up, pictures of Dulce and Suzie together!

Introduction - New to Blogging

While I realize blogging has been around for quite some time, I never hopped on the blogging bandwagon until now. I decided that it would be a great way for me to introduce myself, my goats, and my small farm. Someday I will work on creating a website, but for now, a blog will do nicely.

The Mini Yoopers are my small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. They really are a delightful bunch and make me smile everyday! So in the next few posts, I will introduce each goat in their own individual post, since they are all unique. Though I won't devote the entire blog to just goats, it will have a lot of goat related content!