Meet Sassafras. She is the first member of our goat herd. Sassy is a 7 year old doe who is very social and very gentle. She's a sweetheart! Her previous owners treated her very well and it shows. She's a welcome addition to our family.
We picked her up this morning. By this afternoon, we'd built a temporary electric fence around a corral for her. The fence isn't working properly, so we also have her staked as a backup. She seems reasonably happy. She bleats when she's left alone (except at night, thank goodness!). She's met both dogs and was willing to play with Maggie. When Maggie got too close, Sassy butted her and that freaked Maggie out a little. Sass and Charlie aren't 100% sure about each other yet. I think there are some 'dominance' issues going on there. We'll see how that pans out over time!
This evening, I milked a goat for the first time. We started out with me holding her (and her ration) while H tried and he wasn't having any luck. We switched postions and I gave it a go. After a few little adjustments, I was able to make it work!! We milked about a quart and a half from her and it was tasty! I'm straining it using a coffee filter and a funnel, but we have ordered the bigger milk funnel and filters from a supply place. I also need to get a stainless milking pail. Right now, I'm using a stainless bowl, which works, but is a bit precarious.
Tomorrow the plans are to build Sass some shelter and a milking stand.
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