Our farm has it's first overwintering
stock: a mother dairy goat and her daughter.
Sooty and little Willow
arrived in early July.
Sooty has been giving us about a litre of milk
every day; taken together that is almost 150L so far.
It has been
wonderful to have.
The price paid is the time and
tremendous effort spent creating a suitable home for them.
I am so thankful for all of the farm
helpers who shared this workload with us!
We built our first log building, a snug
little barn that opens into a sunny yard.
Nearby we put up a hay shed and filled
it with hay.
The forest we had logged for timber is
now enclosed in fenced pastures.
Here we can let the goats free to
browse in the summer months.
This summer we let the goats free to
forage the wild salad of their choice every day.
We walk together at the pace of a
nibbling goat, in a connect-the-dots pattern from plant to plant.
Before goats,
I thought that this old growth boreal forest had not much nutrition to offer
except to squirrels and spruce grouse.
I thought that this old growth boreal forest had not much nutrition to offer
except to squirrels and spruce grouse.
But Sooty and Willow showed me
otherwise.
They found dozens of species that they relished, and they chose new favourites as the seasons turned.
They found dozens of species that they relished, and they chose new favourites as the seasons turned.
Even with pastures, I am sure we will
continue to wander after our goats into the woods.
