Meet Our Goats and Their Furry Friends .
 With their regular day to day nibbling, Billy and Annie have eaten all the lower branches.
During his Farm Family Adventure, Trent pulls the branches down so they can nibble a little more. We started with one goat. Annie, a Nubian doeling, was rescued by friends when she was wondering along side a busy northwest Houston road. Within a few months, she grew too big and had developed too sophisticated climbing skills to continue living in their backyard with the dogs. So, we adopted her. That was in July 2003, the beginning of non-feathered chicken yard friends.. But, in Ron's sense of balance in the natural world, one of anything is out of balance. Within a few days, Billy, a baby Pygmy goat, became Annie's adopted brother. Billy, a whether (neutered male), was just the perfect companion. The two were both just a few months old and very quickly became unseparable. Then, in 2007, we were delivering our 2008 My Chicken Calendars to Wabash Feed & Antiques, another goat captured my heart. Someone had left Celeste, a Boer doeling at the store's doorstep during the night. Quickly our calendar profits were traded to adopt sweet little Celest.
We waited and watched for several months, and long last we had baby goats.
Born to Celeste, Boer doe, late in the afternoon on April 13, 2008, her babies Thomas (brown) and Jefferson (mostly white) are the cutest things we ever saw!! Now we're a happy family of FIVE goats!
Here are some of the congratulations and comments we received from our family and friends and, of course, more pictures of Tom and Jeff.
(BTW It is humorous and purely coincidental that the names Ron chose, Tom and Jeff are names of past sweethearts of Suzanne's. hmmm Whatever could he have been thinking?! December 2008 Goat Update Having 5 goats has become more than we can keep up with! Celeste and her boys seem to get through every fence and gate we put up, plus they don't seem to be dissuaded by any of the same reprimands that worked in training Billy and Annie. It's a difficult decision, but like Dr. Suess's character Marvin K. Moony, Celeste, Thomas and Jefferson will you please go NOW! We found a good home for Celeste with Farmer Brown of Minimoo Cows Farm. There she will be able to have more kids next year. She is an excellent mom and does very much enjoy her babies, so this is a very good home for her. Thomas and Jefferson have found a new home on a 140 acre ranch that needs their help in eating poison ivy. They will be appreciated there, plus have PLENTY of land on which to play and run free. And, life for us will return to normal - a peaceful life with Annie and Billy and our fine feathered flock. 
Boer Doe and proud mother, Celeste, with her
newborn sons, Thomas (brown) and Jefferson (white)
Do you know what popular drink was discovered by goats in the 9th century?
Test your knowledge this and of other goat trivia in our new You Got My Goat quiz. While we don't milk our does (female goats), goat's milk is a very healthy food. Did you know that 70% of the world drinks goat milk? Some experts believe it is a better choice because it is alkaline. Cow's milk, on the other hand, is acidic. When the body system becomes to acidic, it can provide a breeding grown for diseases and cancers. The alkaline properties in goat milk can neutralize some of the effects of an acidic diet.
A Capricorny message to start your New Year. Young bucklings Thomas (left) and Jefferson say, "Give a grin for 2010!" Full of new year curiosity and mischief, our goats are an important part of our larger farm family. They're cute and lovable. They willingly share their food with the chickens. And, they love to eat any poison ivy that sprouts up in the chicken yard.
I love teamwork! As I was combing Annie, our Nubian Doe, removing some of her winter coat, Billy, our Pygmy buck started rubbing my lower back (he's too short to rub any higher). I rewarded him with a good combing, too. mmmm I love morning back rubs and so do Annie and Billy.  |  | | While learning about chickens,
young McKenna makes quick friends with Billy, a Pygmy buck and Hank, a Transylvanian Naked Neck rooster. | Goats generally eat leaves and branches, plants and corn. For a treat, Annie loves carrots, while Billy prefers breakfast egg & cheese sandwich. | Accompanying students from Hartman Middle School for a Chicken Yard Tour, Mrs. Hilliard found a friend when Annie came to snuggle. |  |  |  | | One afternoon while I was resting in the chicken yard, Billy and Annie came to rest with me. When my hat landed on Billy's head, he left it. What a sport! | Addie finds a wonderful friend when she offers corn scratch to Annie, a Nubian Doe, and Billy, a Pygmy Whether. They are sure not to tell Addie that they usually don't receive such a generous portion. | When corn accidentally lands on Billy, a Pymgy goat's back, his feathery sister, Amajee, a Light Brahma hen, quite willingly lends her helping claws. She eagerly hops onto Billy's back and starts scratching and pecking. |
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No Kidding, These are great! |
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Breakfast in the chicken yard is a time for appreciating the interdependent web of life in which we all play a part - armed, winged, pawed and hoofed alike . We're reminded that December is a time of sacred moments treasured by many and celebrated in countless ways. May lovingkindness for all live in our hearts and guide us through the year ahead. amen
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A newcomer to the farm, Sunshine, a Cornish Rock pullet, has a big task ahead: During the coming months, she'll grow from just a couple ounces to her adult weight of twelve pounds. Chatting with Bekah, the resident 11 year old Lhasa apso/cocker spaniel mix canine, Bekah shares that she lives in and near the house and that chickens are supposed to live in the chicken yard. In reply, Sunshine quite effectively states that she intends to live wherever the food is most plentiful. 
When I tossed the chicken scratch (food), some landed in Billy's fur. Nagi Nagi, a Bourbon Red turkey hen, gladly came over and pecked it our for him. Billy waited patiently until she finished. He actually seemed to enjoy Nagi pecking his skin. Another variation of, You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
.  Young Norah has a great time exploring the chicken yard with her Mom, Megan, close at hand. Billy the Goat is very gentle as she checks him out. So many new adventures in a day on the farm.
vvv.  Having befriended Lenny and mastered the fine art of feeding him his apple one bite at a time, Liam teaches his best friends, Elliot and Ezra how it's done. They found Liam's newfound talents quite impressive. Learn more about our farm adventures for kids. . 
"Lenny seemed especially glad to see us this evening, even found his brush. Our stay on the farm comes to a close tomorrow morning when we start our journey home. We have had an "eggcelent" time! Thanks for allowing us to care for your farm family! :-D" ..............
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