"Lonely Hearts"

"Old Heidi babysits"

Weaning season has arrived at High Meadows.The bucklings are separated from moms first and taken to another field. There is some crying  but other activities soon take the boys minds off of mom.
Eating, grooming, head butting and rock hopping help to pass the time. Meanwhile back at the other pasture the moms seem content until their udders begin to fill. It takes a few days for them to settle into the "kidless" phase and begin the process of putting weight back. It will take several months on really good pasture to get the does ready for fall breeding.

"Like Father Like Son"

It is amusing to watch the bucklings follow the older buck around the pasture seeming to imitate his every move. What better way to learn than do what daddy does. Most of these young bucklings will go to the meat market. Not a pleasant thought on a bright sunny spring day just a fact of life for a meatgoat producer. A select few bucks will be allowed to grow out to judge their growth potential. One or two may be kept or sold as breeding bucks based on their birth weights, confirmation and average daily gains.

"Future Breeding Buck?"

"Busy Boys"

"All Aboard!"

"Waiting For the Bus"

"The Eating Never Stops"

 "All Aboard!" Get On! Get In! Get Off!" This time of year there is a lot of goat shuffling going on. Some are moved so the fence can be taken up, mowed under and reset. Some are moved because they are being weaned. Bucklings must be separated from doelings before "practicing" becomes the real thing. Weaned moms are taken to a quite place to begin the recovery process and get prepared for the next breeding season. Mature bucks need to be far away from the girls for the next couple of months. All of this moving makes for a challenging "chess" game from one pasture to another.
    

"Key Player in Every Move"

"Checking Out the New Digs"

 Fence supplies, catch pen panels, water pans and mineral feeders have to be inventoried and moved to the correct pasture. Key players in all this moving are the large guard dogs. Some are more mature and do fine on their own while other younger dogs work better in pairs. Just another piece of the puzzle that is goat farming.










We are doing vegetative management on several nearby farms and the property owners needs and wishes are a factor in how the goats are dispersed. Some prefer female goats and others don't want dogs. What ever the combination it  is always a pleasure to watch goats turned into a "new" spot.