Gettin N2 Goatin

I went to a goat workshop today in Little Mountain, South Carolina.  First of all let me say, Little Mountain is a cute little town about 20 miles outside of Columbia.  I had never been there before and didn't know what to expect.  I thought the workshop would be at the instructor's farm, but it was actually held in a gazebo in the middle of town.  The instructor, Vee, brought two mama goats, one youngster and two 5 day old kids. 

Now I've seen goats before and have probably petted one a time or two, but have not been up close and personal with goats so I was excited to learn all about them and actually get to milk a goat and hold the little ones.  One actually fell asleep in my arms!  So cute!!

The milking was something that I really wanted to try and it was fairly easy on the bigger goat but more difficult on the smaller breed goat.  Good to know.  Also she told us about keeping the bucks separate from the does unless they are breeding.  She told us how to castrate the small males (which I would probably call a vet to do) and to debud them (again, probably couldn't do that either)
but she does this all herself with the help of her husband.  She milks ten goats every day.  Oh, and we got to taste raw goat milk and eat fudge made from goat milk.  It was good!



I definitely want goats (I mean, how can you resist that face?!) but it is something that I need to be completely ready for.  I need a fence that will keep them in, an area for milking and where they can get out of bad weather, and all the supplements and medicines that I will need on hand.  It's not something I want to just run out and get, THEN figure out how to keep them.   I probably would have done that in the past, but heck, maybe I AM getting wiser the older I get.