Guest writer: AC
One thing has become abundantly clear during our first year on the homestead: we still have a LOT to learn. And one thing we recently learned is that we do NOT know how to pick ’em.
In our last post, we joked about how we were playing Matchmaker for our lady goats. We decided to go with a stud who was a bit cheaper because his owner was very convincing that his guy would get the job done so it seemed like a great value! We even saw pictures of some of his offspring to help us feel more confident about our choice. Turns out we failed to ask if the buck had ever left his farm before and, of course, this was his first sleepover. The young buck, only barely a year old, gave us exactly what you’d expect from a young child who goes for a week long sleepover at a stranger’s house; he was scared! At least, we are assuming his lackluster performance was due to fear.
Jack, the buck, arrived on Sunday in the early afternoon. His owners unloaded him from their pickup truck and things looked pretty good at first. Feisty immediately greeted him at the fence and they flirted quite a bit. Once he was inside the fence, all the ladies and even the dogs seemed interested in their new guest. Within the first hour, Jack tried to mount Feisty, our alpha female, a few times. We watched from the house in excitement, cheering him on. I know, we sound like pervs watching goats, but let’s be honest – the whole reason we invited him over was to knock up our girls. From our vantage point, none of his attempts seemed successful because he was shorter than all of our goats and Feisty wouldn’t stay still for very long. But a deep dive on the internet assured us that Nigerian Dwarf Goats take only seconds to make a baby and you could miss it if you blink. So here is to hoping one of those attempts was a success because, after Sunday, Jack lost all interest. He refused to eat or drink or even leave the barn. Of course, we had him on the coldest week we have experienced so far this winter, with windchills of -15 degrees Fahrenheit on the first night! Brr.
Monday morning after discovering Jack was refusing to eat, drink or leave the barn, we texted his owner and he assured us he was fine and probably just cold. Meanwhile, our goats had no issues and were carrying on with their normal lives and braving the bitter cold temperatures to graze on some hay. His owner also recommended some specific goat feed that Jack likes that may also entice him to eat. In an attempt to have a successful stay, Charli went to the local feed store and bought the two different types of feed, but that still didn’t work. He would stand in a corner trying not to make eye contact with anyone and when we held feed up to his mouth, it was like a toddler on a hunger strike. Stubborn ass!
When Jack finally did make it outside, he would sit or stand in the corner of the field refusing to interact with any of our does. After a few days of no interaction, we even tried locking Jack and one of our does into a small area on the milking side of the barn so they couldn’t get away from each other. But even that didn’t work. In the end, our stud was a dud! So we sent him home on day 6.
Fingers crossed he did the deed when we blinked.
Here’s a quick recap of Jack’s short stint at A|C Acres.
Until next time,
AC
Omg that was hilarious to read! I am sure it wasn’t hilarious to live through, though! I hope he did the deed and you have “kids” on the way!!!
Hey,
From a farm boy you meet at the jiffy lube in Spokane, let me suggest something for your buck. If you can separate him from the female(s) by use of an open fence where they can touch noses but not get together, often times that will cause the male or the female to arose to the point of wanting to be active. It may take a week or two but that works sometimes. If he starts getting active and testing the fence you will know he is ready.
Good luck,
Dana Petersen
I have been waiting for this update, and now I can’t wait for the next update!