Old Dallas Mountain Farms - Nigerian Dwarf Goats

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is Bobbi in front, with Lady peeking out from behind her. Both of them look curious, which is pretty normal around here.

GOAT GOLD:

Curiosity is one of the ways goats learn about their world. Young goats explore constantly, watching what other goats do, checking out new objects, testing boundaries and figuring out what is safe, interesting, edible or worth avoiding. That curiosity can be sweet. It can also be a little inconvenient when the thing they are learning about is a gate latch, a feed scoop, a zipper or the exact limits of human patience.

Bobbi and Lady both look curious in this picture, which is very normal goat behavior. Around here, “just checking” is usually the first step toward a full investigation.

WEIRDNESS:

Speaking of investigations, this week’s Weirdness takes us to Goldsboro, North Carolina. In 1961, a B-52 carrying two nuclear bombs broke apart over North Carolina and both bombs fell near Goldsboro. One of them reportedly came dangerously close to detonating, with a safety switch preventing what could have been an unimaginable disaster.

That is not a sentence anyone enjoys reading.

Years later, Barney actually lived in Goldsboro for a short time, which means he spent part of his life in a town best known for barbecue, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and almost becoming a chapter in a history book no one wanted to read.

So in summary:

- Goats are curious little investigators.
- Bobbi and Lady appear to be checking on the situation.
- Goldsboro, North Carolina once had one of the most terrifying “almost” moments in American history.
- Farm life is weird, but at least no one has dropped a nuclear bomb in the goat barn.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is a throwback to baby Mini back when we were just getting started with goats and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Even then, we could tell Mini was going to be special. We did not know she would eventually become our farm mascot, Tonya’s baby, and one of the most spoiled little personalities on the ranch. But looking back at this picture, the signs were probably there.

GOAT GOLD:

Goats have distinct personalities and some stand out early. Some are bold, some are sweet, some are curious and some are dramatic. Every once in a while, one looks out from the middle of the herd and somehow makes it clear she is going to matter around the farm. Mini was one of those goats.

WEIRDNESS:

Ancient Egyptians loved cats so much that when a family cat died, some people shaved off their eyebrows in mourning. Apparently, humans assigning enormous emotional importance to one specific animal is not new. We did not invent this problem. We simply met Mini and joined the cause.

So in summary:

- Some goats are just special from the beginning.
- Ancient Egyptians mourned cats with questionable eyebrow-fashion statements.
- Mini became the farm mascot before any of us fully understood what we were even doing here on the farm.

SUNDAY SWEETNESS

Meet Boo Boo.

As many of you know, we recently found Bobo abandoned on the side of the road near the farm. Bobo is doing well, but after some thought, we decided it probably was not wise for him to eventually patrol the barn by himself. So naturally, we drove one hour to Resaca to get him a friend. That is not a sentence we expected to write but here we are.

Boo Boo came from a very nice lady who was giving away kittens and we brought him home so Bobo would have a buddy, a backup, and someone to help him make questionable future barn-cat decisions. We are not even cat people. Or at least, we were not cat people. At this point, the evidence is becoming difficult to dispute.

Boo Boo is settling in nicely and will eventually join Bobo in a very important future career here on the farm. Their duties may include mouse patrol, hay inspection, feed room supervision, sunbeam management and silently staring at us from places we did not know cats could reach.

For now, Boo Boo is safe, fed, warm, and officially part of the farm story. Welcome to Old Dallas Mountain Farms, Boo Boo.

Apparently, we are cat people now.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is Missy and Mischief, standing together and looking very much like they are asking, “What do we do now?”

Missy and Mischief are true sisters out of MOON STATION SS LILY, one of our best-looking does. These two girls were our last kids of the season. They may look innocent here, but this is clearly a two-goat committee deciding whether to behave or start a small (or significant, perhaps) situation.

GOAT GOLD:

Goat kids often form close little buddy pairs, especially with siblings or kids they grow up beside. Having a familiar companion helps them feel more confident as they explore, learn routines, and figure out where they fit in the herd. It is sweet, useful, and occasionally dangerous when both parties agree on a bad idea. Our two girls have been inseparable since birth and we have very high hopes for them.

WEIRDNESS:

Sea otters sometimes hold hands while resting so they do not drift apart. They float on their backs, link up with another otter, and basically form a tiny floating friendship contract.

Which is adorable.

It is also probably safer than leaving Missy and Mischief alone with a plan.

So in summary:

- Sisters tend to stick together.
- Sea otters hold hands so they do not float away.
- Missy and Mischief appear to be deciding whether today calls for teamwork or a misdemeanor.

GOAT GOLD AND WEIRDNESS WEDNESDAY

Today’s picture is LIL MISCHIEF MANAGED, also known as Mischief, conducting a very serious investigation into an empty bottle.

Mischief is in the process of being weaned, which means her milk schedule has started changing. Apparently, Tonya did not provide what Mischief considered an acceptable amount of milk today, so Mischief found an empty bottle and decided the matter required further review. The bottle said it was empty. Mischief disagreed.

GOAT GOLD:

Goats are natural problem-solvers. They are curious, persistent, and very good at noticing patterns, especially patterns involving gates, feed buckets, people, snacks, and anything they have been told not to touch.

Bottle babies learn routines quickly. They know what the bottle means, who usually brings it, and what should be inside. During weaning, the routine starts changing before their opinion of the routine changes, which can lead to some dramatic misunderstandings.

Mischief has learned the bottle means milk. She has not yet accepted the advanced concept of empty.

So instead of walking away, she decided to keep working the problem. There may be milk left. There may actually be hope. There may be a clerical error. Either way, Mischief would like it noted, for the record, she is not satisfied with the current level of service.

WEIRDNESS:

For Weirdness this week, we are going with kea parrots, which we actually learned about years ago when we visited New Zealand.

Kea parrots are incredibly smart, curious, and destructive. One of our tour guides warned us these birds have been known to pull trim, molding, and even rubber off parked cars (as in TIRE rubber). They are basically feathered problem-solvers with beaks, determination, and no apparent concern for anyone's insurance deductible.

Which brings us back to Mischief.

A kea parrot may look at a parked car and think, “I wonder what happens if I remove part of this.” Mischief looked at an empty bottle and thought, “I wonder what happens if I simply refuse to accept this.”

Different species. Same energy.

So in summary:

- Goats are persistent little problem-solvers.
- Bottle babies learn routines quickly and may object when those routines change.
- Kea parrots can apparently dismantle parts of parked cars because nature enjoys chaos.
- Mischief would like someone from the complaint department to review her account immediately.

SUNDAY SWEETNESS

Meet Bobo.

Bobo was found abandoned on the side of the road, most likely dumped off in the woods near us by someone who decided he was no longer their responsibility. So, of course, he is now our responsibility. That seems to be how these things work around here.

Bobo has already taken over the basement while we get him healthy, vaccinated, cleaned up, de-wormed, de-flead, de-mited, and generally introduced to the idea of regular meals and people who do not leave kittens on the side of the road. He is still little (weighing in at 19 ounces), still scruffy and still has some catching up to do, but he is safe now and pretty much living the good life.

The current plan is for Bobo to eventually become one of our barn cats, which means he has a very important future career ahead of him. For now, though, he is enjoying the basement life while we fatten him up and help him get ready for the next chapter. Based on this picture, he appears to have already accepted his role as supervisor of whatever situation he happens to be sitting in. He did not have the easiest start, but he landed in the right place.

Welcome to the farm, Bobo. Your official job title is still pending, but "basement supervisor" appears to be going well.