October 2002: Milestone Moment!
October 2002 Today was very exciting for us because we officially became a satellite farm for the Plimoth Plantation's Rare Breeds Department. They brought over Arapawa Island Goats and a Wiltshire Ewe. All of the animals are about a year old. (We cannot breed the does until they are at least two years old. It is important that they are old enough when they are first bred. Breeding too soon can result in a lot of potential problems with both the does and the future kids.)They all seem a little nervous but I am sure that once they get settled, they will be fine. We pride ourselves on the fact that all the animals on our farm are considered family and are as spoiled as can be!I am pleasantly surprised at how docile the buck, Pembrook, seems to be. He has really big horns and could be quite a handful. He has never been with other bucks; the plantation purposely kept him out of the buck pen because they knew that he was coming to our farm. The rule of thumb is that bucklings should not be put into a buck pen before they are at least a year old. The risk of them getting hurt or even killed is higher when they are young and more vulnerable. Because Pembrook was just completing his first year this past May, and because he was slated to come to our farm, they kept him with other young animals. I am glad because he really is a sweetie.Pembrook is a handsome, mostly black, longhaired buck with some brown and white colorings mixed in. Initially he struck me as a tough customer. One, I felt, would be very difficult to deal with. But as the days go by, Pembrook proves to be a very gentle and friendly buck.The girls are quite skittish but I also expect with time, they too will adjust. They are a feral goat so they will never have the temperament of a domesticated goat but I think that they will be manageable. It is always very exciting to welcome new life to our farm, especially since we are looking to expand the family.Over the years we have raised many different kinds of animals, but none compare to these Arapawa Island goats. This is our first time experiencing, a feral (wild) goat breed, and there are some differences I have to get used to. They are so beautiful. Kit and Kat are our two does and they are sisters. Understandably, they are very nervous and not very trusting of their new owners. Cheryl is already in sitting with them, letting them know that their space is also Cheryl's space. I think she has already started to make an impact on them. Kit, the smaller of the two, seems to be the more curious. I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with them yet, but I intend to win them both over very soon.Update 2016: We are beginning to migrate old farm journal entries from our first website to the current one. Doing so is a bittersweet activity because so much has changed over the last year. We'd like to take a moment to honor Kit and Kat, who passed away this last year as very old ladies. It's amazing to think they spent 14 years being loved and cherished at Dalby Farm. We miss them very much, but feel blessed to have had the chance to give them a wonderful home and so many friends/visitors over the years. We look forward to bringing new life to the farm in their honor in the years to come.