Riverview-Ranch Goats- then and now
by: Pam Peterson
The following is something I wrote in 1993 when I was 10 years old.
Goats
I got my goat at the Chicken Swap April 24, 1993. I named her Saratoga (Sara for short). She is half Angora and half Saanen. Saanen goats are good milkers. Angora goats are used for wool.
I feed my goat a bottle twice a day. In the morning about 8:00 and between 6 & 7:00 at night. I also feed my goat hay, grain, & water. Goats must have fresh, clean, water all the time. Goats will die before they drink water with dirt in it.
Goats love to climb. I put a bale of hay in my goat's pen. They also like to nibble wood & climb
logs.
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Saratoga was my first goat. Sara's twin sister, Daisy, was my sister's goat. Sara & Daisy were two weeks old when we got them. My sister & my mom were the ones who wanted goats when we moved to the farm. I wanted horses. But I saw that adorable, 2-week-old baby goat that drank a bottle and was wearing a little collar and decided I did want a goat. The rest is history. I now have a herd of 5 goats, 4 Alpines, and a pregnant, Pygmy, rescue doe that was added yesterday (February 13). All of them are about as spoiled as Sara and Daisy were. After Sara and Daisy we had a couple Pygmies, and then I got into the Alpines. My sister doesn't have a major interest in goats now, although she's thinking about keeping a kid for a pet this year. She wants to teach it tricks and do agility with it, like she does with her dogs. As far as my interest in the goats go, it's mostly because I just plain like them, and also enjoy milking and bottle feeding. I do occasionally take them to a show, mostly to see the people. I have learned so many things since I got Sara, thanks to many people. One of the things I've learned is goats will drink dirty water. At least some goats will (I have one doe who wants clean water if the dog so much as looks at the bucket). Another thing I've learned is the the hair from Angoras is usually referred to as Mohair, and not wool.
What I wrote above is the very short version of my life with goats. My life has changed since I've owned goats (or the goats have owned me, depending upon how you look at it) and will never be the same. Owning goats has given me opportunities to do many things I probably never would have gotten involved in if it weren't for the goats. In the six years I've had goats I've learned many things about them, and will never stop learning about them. Goats are great!
Last updated August 24, 1999
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