Fall heralds the season of love on the farm. While farmers are busy pouring over their livestock’s pedigrees in order to plan for the best possible outcomes for the next generation, the animals aren’t so discriminating.
The goats are especially vocal in their intentions. Females goats, or does, bleat with full-throated high-pitched “BAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA’s”. This love song punctuated by their tails standing straight up at attention and flicking back and forth act as superfluous exclamation points definitively announcing their estrus has begun! Their voices carry across hills and valleys, in a desperate desire to attract a mate, fueled by hormones and the signature single-mindedness of a goat in heat.
This annual event used to lead us on several road trips an hour south to another farm in Athens, Ohio where the males goats, or bucks, live. Early on we chose not to house a buck finding it’s worth the minimal breeding fee to have another farmer keep a selection of purebred bucks in top shape for us to choose from. We saved on space, feed, and seasonal olfactory fireworks the bucks are renowned for producing during their annual period of rut. It’s been a win-win! But this year is different, this year we have Nicholas and if things go well (from our observations things have been going very well) we'll be rewarded with kids in March. Stay tuned!
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