I finally have my herd! Some people may know that I have been planning and researching goats for many years. I decided on a specific breed that is perfect for a small acreage and is also a dual purpose breed (Milk + Meat) which I think is great for a small homestead. The breed I decided upon is called a Kinder Goat. They are from a line that came about from crossing a female nubian (largest dairy goat) with a male pygmy goat (smallest meat goat). Out here people just say, “Oh, you got FANCY goats.” Which I guess I do, maybe? Really I think of it like a labradoodle of the goat world. There’s a lot of specialized mixed breeds that have the best of two worlds and personally I have always preferred mutts!
My herd consists of two females from Hefty Goat Holler down in Arkansas and two buckling’s and a whether from Kinder Korner in Illinois. Both trips took me about 4 hours one way which I didn’t think was too terrible of a drive, in fact I quite enjoyed the trips!
Just a couple of weeks ago I dropped off my brother’s goats who had been enjoying summer camp with my ladies (wink wink) and to pick up two young studs from Kinder Korner in Illinois. I’d been on a list with them for a couple of years now and all the times before I was unable to make it work. I even got to name my new goats! Huckleberry and Finn! <3 I came home with an extra goat because a little whether going by the name of Tiny Tim decided to sneak out and tried to come home with me…so I let him.
So that makes 5 goats in total. Although my brother wants to send Lewis and Clark back for keeps and Magpie is expecting on September 12th so pretty soon we’ll have an even bigger herd. It’s super exciting to see something you’d been dreaming of and planning for years come together.
This Saturday I am going to the Kinder Goat show at the Missouri State fair. I am super excited to meet up with the person I recently purchased my two buckling’s and my tag along whether. I might even get to help show one of their goats if I’m lucky. I have learned so much from Lisa over at Kinder Korner. It really, really helps to find mentors when starting out. Heck I suppose at any stage of the game it’d be helpful to reach out to others for support and advice. Come and see me if you’re in the area and are looking for a good time! We can hang out and talk about goats.