Old Dallas Mountain Farms - Nigerian Dwarf Goats

GOAT GOLD & WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

GOAT GOLD:

Seriously, when is this heat going to stop?

It has been a long, hot stretch around here, and at this point we are all ready for fall. We are ready for cooler mornings, cooler evenings, less humidity and the general feeling that stepping outside does not immediately make us irritable and resentful. Our goats seem to agree.

When temperatures stay high, goats often slow down and spend more time resting in the shade. It helps them conserve energy and avoid generating even more body heat, which is probably the most sensible thing anyone can do in weather like this. Missy appears to have fully embraced that plan.

We are ready for fall. We are all ready for fall.

WEIRDNESS:

Your bones are wet. There. That is today’s unwanted information.

We tend to picture bones as dry, white things because that is how we see skeletons in museums, classrooms, and Halloween decorations. But inside your body, bones are living tissue. They contain blood vessels, marrow, cells, collagen, minerals and, yes, plenty of moisture.

So technically, you are walking around right now with wet bones. You were probably doing just fine before knowing that. You’re welcome.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is Lil Miss Fit, also known as Missy, looking sweet, calm, and maybe just a little "miss" chievous. We're hilarious.

GOAT GOLD:

Young goats gain confidence through routine, handling and time with the herd. The more they learn the daily rhythm of the farm, the more comfortable they become with people, chores, feeding, and all the little noises and movements of barn life.

That is one of the sweetest parts of raising goat kids. You get to watch them go from tiny, uncertain little things into young goats who know the schedule, know their people and sometimes know just enough to become mildly (majorly??) inconvenient.

Missy seems to be entering that stage now. She is still sweet, still growing and still figuring things out, but this picture does suggest she may also be developing into her own.

WEIRDNESS:

For Weirdness this week, we are staying farm-adjacent and heading straight into the category of things that sound completely made up. A chicken named Mike once lived for 18 months after losing most of his head. Yup, true story.

In 1945, a farmer in Colorado was preparing chickens for dinner when one rooster somehow survived the process. Enough of his brainstem remained intact that Mike kept living and he eventually became famous as “Mike the Headless Chicken". Really.

So yes, Missy may look a little mischievous in this picture. She may be developing opinions and she may even be forming plans. But compared to a chicken surviving for a year and a half without most of his head, Missy’s current level of suspicious behavior seems fairly manageable.

So in summary:

- Young goats gain confidence through routine and time with the herd.
- Missy appears to be sweet, observant and possibly up to something.
- Mike the Headless Chicken was somehow a real thing.
- We research all of this stuff so you don't have to.

Boris recently reached an important milestone in his new career as farm mascot.

A couple of months ago, Boris had what we politely referred to as a major change in career direction. This week, that process officially reached its conclusion. We will spare everyone the grisly details but let’s just say Boris is now fully committed to the mascot life.

He seems unbothered and possibly even proud. He sure is a sweet boy though.

Which brings us to today’s picture, because this absolutely looks like his official graduation photo.

SUNDAY SWEETNESS

Breeding season is just around the corner and our yearlings seem to know something is changing. They are growing up, filling out and starting to look a little less like babies and a little more like young ladies with future responsibilities. Around here, that is always a strange little season. One minute they are tiny kids bouncing around the barn and the next minute we are looking at them and realizing they are almost ready for the next chapter. Of course, they are still goats. So maturity is relative.

They may be getting older but they are still very much interested in cookies, attention, herd drama, and making sure we remain properly attentive to their needs. Breeding season may be coming, but for now, this group appears mostly focused on standing around together, looking pretty and acting like they know exactly what is going on. Maybe they do or maybe they are just waiting to see who brought their favorite horse treats, Nicker Makers.

Either way, it is sweet watching them grow into themselves. These are the little moments that make farm life feel both fast and slow at the same time. The days are long, the chores are steady and somehow the babies keep turning into yearlings before we are fully ready for it.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is Hot Mess, also known as Hottie, looking for her lunchtime electrolytes. Hottie has been living up to her name lately because it has been absolutely miserable outside here in NW Georgia. With temperatures pushing toward 100 and humidity making everything feel even worse, summer farm life becomes a lot less about getting things done quickly and a lot more about keeping everyone comfortable.

GOAT GOLD:

In hot weather, water becomes one of the most important chores on the farm. Goats need plenty of clean, fresh water, and they may drink more when temperatures climb. Buckets that were fine in mild weather can get warm, dirty, or low much faster when the heat index starts acting personally offensive.

That is why, during these brutal Georgia summer days, we bring out cold water with electrolytes at lunchtime. It is basically the farm version of a sports drink, except the athletes have four legs and spend most of their day relaxing in a shaded barn with a barn fan. Strike that. They really are not athletes at all. They are professionals at eating, resting and nagging us for cookies.

Hottie is pictured here waiting patiently for the beverage service to begin.

WEIRDNESS:

For Weirdness this week, we are going completely off the farm and into the world of fruit.

Bananas are berries. Strawberries are not. Yes, we think we researched that correctly. Botanically speaking, bananas qualify as berries because of how they develop from a single flower with a single ovary. Strawberries, despite having “berry” right there in the name, are actually considered an aggregate fruit because the fleshy part comes from multiple ovaries.

Somewhere along the way, some scientist in ancient times looked at a banana and said, “Yes, berry". Then he looked at a strawberry and said, “Actually, nope".

Nobody asked for this information here on the farm page, but, well, you're welcome?

So in summary:

- Goats need extra attention during extreme heat.
- Hottie would like the electrolyte service maintained.
- Humans invented sports drinks but goats still prefer the bucket version.
- Bananas are berries, strawberries are not and everyone has learned a little biology today.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is Hissy Fit standing on fresh pine shavings in the barn, also known around here as “clean sheets". She appears to be looking at the camera with one very important question: Are we ready for the heat coming later this week? With temperatures near 100 and humidity in the 70s and 80s, that is a fair question.

GOAT GOLD:

In hot weather, water becomes one of the most important chores on the farm. Goats need constant access to clean, fresh water, and they may drink more when temperatures climb. Buckets that were fine in mild weather can get warm, dirty, or low much faster when the heat index starts acting personally offensive.

So when summer turns ugly, we spend a lot of time checking water, topping off buckets, cleaning containers, and making sure nobody has decided the perfect place to put hay, feet, or *ahem*, "other things" is directly in the drinking water.

Hissy Fit may be standing on clean pine shavings, but her face says she is more interested in whether the beverage service will be maintained.

WEIRDNESS:

And speaking of surviving the heat, humans are unusually sweaty animals.

That may not sound impressive, but it is one of the things our bodies do extremely well. Sweating helps us cool down as moisture evaporates from our skin, which is useful in hot weather, assuming the air is not already so humid that it feels like trying to cool off inside a sauna.

Nature gave some animals thick hides, some animals cooling ears and humans the ability to become slightly damp and very stinky in public. Which is unsettling, but also fairly accurate.

So this week, while we are checking water buckets, freshening bedding, checking the solar powered barn fans and trying to keep everyone comfortable, Hissy Fit will be monitoring the situation from her clean sheets. She may be small, but she appears to understand the forecast.

So in summary:

- Goats need clean, fresh water, especially during extreme heat.
- Humidity makes hot weather feel even worse.
- Humans are weirdly good at sweating.
- Hissy Fit would like the barn staff to remain focused, hydrated, and available for beverage service.