Meet Our New Baby Goats

If you’ve been following our farm journey for a while, you will know how our menagerie of animals has expanded. This Christmas the gang expanded further with the addition of two baby goats, Daphne and Lily. They are the cutest little creatures ever. (Says every goat mama on the planet!)

Why Did We Choose Baby Goats?

Honestly, I have no clue why we decided to get baby goats other than the fact that they are insanely cute! If you had told me five years ago I was going to be a goat mama I probably would have laughed. But then I didn’t expect I’d have ducks either. Or cows, sheep and chickens.

Daphne and Lily are very sweet additions to the family. I’m so glad we decided to get them. Now they are here the possibilities of how we can incorporate them into Green Gate Farm are endless.

On the day we went to meet them, I was still not sure we would buy goats but once we got into the paddock with the mamas and babies I fell in love. The does were so friendly and gentle, wanting to be patted and the kids were all over the place. Having decided they would be fun for children when we do farm tours, we chose a smaller breed of goat. Ours are not miniature but rather Boer goats that have been crossed with a smaller buck to achieve a small in stature goat. At the time of writing this, Daphne and Lily are only eleven weeks old, so we don’t know how big they will grow. They should reach a mature size in the next year.

Bringing the Kids Home

Bringing the kids back to the farm was easy (once we got them into the car). We prepared a spot in the back of the car in case of accidents and bought a small dog collar for each goat. Once the owner had picked the goat up we wanted we put them in the back of the car. That was when the squealing began.

Oh. My. God.

If you have never heard a goat scream it sounds like a two-year-old being told he has to go home when he doesn’t want to leave. A VERY LOUD two year old. Once we started to drive the goats became quiet and, fingers crossed, they have been quiet ever since. We were told they might cry loudly at night but they have not made a peep.

Preparing the Goat Pen

For a few days before we were due to collect Daphne and Lily, we considered various spots for their home. Ultimately, we’d like them to be tame enough to follow us around the yard (and not eat everything). But we did need a pen to keep them safe when we are not home and a warm, dry spot for them to sleep. We used builders pallets and leftover timber from the dairy to construct a little house for them. Star pickets and a sheep wire fence created the boundary to the area. For added security (and because we’ve been told goats can climb and jump, we put a hotwire all around the top and bottom of the fence. So far, we have had no problems.

Caring for the Goats

Other than a secure area and a little goat house, there were a few other things to do to make the baby goats happy and healthy.

Firstly, we made a bed of hay in their house to keep them warm. They are little and don’t have their herd to snuggle with. We bought goat pellets to supplement their feed. So far they haven’t really wanted them as there are lots of things for them to eat in the pen. We also made them a play area out of old stumps and put out a tin of water.

Getting to know the Baby Goats

The goats were very timid for the first few days. In fact, I think they were a little sad. It’s understandable they would be. We took them from their mothers. As the days are passing I’m noticing different personality traits emerging between the two. Both of them are a little nervous at their new surroundings and will run if you approach them too quickly

Lily is the bigger and more adventurous of the two. She was the first to come for a treat and wants to find out what I have in my pocket. Her inquisitive nature seems to get the better of her. Daphne, however, is the boss. Even though she is the smaller goat she bumps Lily out of the way for food. If she moves, Lily will follow. Daphne is also more aloof. She is not sure of me yet and will stand and stare. She’s not motivated by treats yet.

Treats for the Goats

I began to look up treats that goats might like in order to get them to trust and love me. Each day, I’ve been going into their pen a few times and sitting on a log with different things for them to nibble. Lily is keen to try everything and will now take treats from my hand. She puts her hooves on my knee to get what she wants so I think she will be easy to train. And she loves fruit, especially dried apple, banana and grapes!