Hiking with Goats (and advocating for animal welfare)

Malik leading the group...

 I love, Love LOVE the article that Aislinn Sarnacki of Bangor Daily News wrote about our hiking adventures. READ IT HERE. I think the article and video shows the best parts of what we do here on the homestead. Hiking with our goats is certainly one of the most fun for both us and our goats. But, in the interest of advocating for the best care of animals, I wanted to take just a minute to clarify two points.

"Goats are just like dogs or cats." This sentiment was voiced by several of our hikers and I knew what they meant. But, I want to make sure that you all do, too. While there are some similarities; they both are smart and can be friendly, are both mammals, and have wagging tails- caring for goats is vastly different than having a dog. Goats do not make good house pets, for one thing since they are very happy to eliminate their body waste (in all its forms) wherever they are at the time. They are herd animals and NEED a herd of at least one other, and preferably two other goat companions. I could go on and on, but my main point is- goats make lovely companion animals when they have their needs met with appropriate shelter, herd mates, nutrition and care. Please, do not purchase goat kids on a whim because they are cute. They are but they grow and you may find that the "cuteness" wears off. Do not purchase a goat to be a house-goat. It is not what is best for that goat. Caring for an animal is a commitment. If you are not in a situation that is right for getting goats, visit farms that have goats and get your goaty fix there. :)

This is another clarification I feel we need to add: we select the goats for each hike based on factors that will ensure that all parties enjoy the hike; goats and guests alike. Some goats prefer other goats to people and would rather stay with their herd; we respect that. Some mothers would get stressed to find their kid missing for a few hours; we consider that. A goat may be feeling unwell or recovering from an injury; we won't add stress to their life for a recreational activity. This being the case, your hike may include goats of various ages, not just goat kids. It may not include goat kids at all. You may hike with yearlings or older goats who need the extra attention and would benefit from the exercise. The group hike featured in this article included two sets of twins, all bottle kids. As the first hike of the season, we were unsure of the trail conditions. It was important that we selected kids who we knew would stay with us and be easy to handle should we need to make adjustments. Carter and Benton will probably go on our next hike again, but Malik developed a touch of pneumonia this week. Though his treatments are finished and he is back to his bouncy self, we won't bring him along this week. He will do better resting at the homestead, so we'll select another goat (or two) for the hikes on Saturday. Our goats' health and well-being are the MOST important concern for us. Always.

Carter and Alana resting at the top

Lastly, we do not host birthday parties or any kind of gathering, really, at the homestead. We're not set up for hosting large groups and having too many people at once would stress us all out- me included. :) We do host up to 6 people for private hikes a couple of times each month. We hope you will choose to visit us and enjoy the experience of hiking with our goats. Currently, we have two times still available. They are:
May 5 2-5 pm RESERVE TICKETS HERE
May 30 10 am-1 pm RESERVE TICKETS HERE

If you would like to hike at a different time, please contact us at 207-323-4982 and we will see what we can do to schedule your preferred date.

You can enter to WIN a Goat Hike sponsored by Tiller & Rye in Brewer, Maine. This two week event will support Bangor Area Food Cupboards to assist those with a need in our community. To enter the drawing, simply bring in a non-perishable food item to Tiller & Rye from now until April 30th. Put your name in the drawing. You can enter once each day in store. Or, if you're not local, but still want to participate, follow this link and make an online donation. It's easy! Just click on tickets and decide how much you want to donate. We'll use your donation to purchase organic non-perishables and give you an entry for every dollar you donate. You can do that here: DONATION

We are excited for a new season to begin on the homestead and are looking forward to meeting many of you in person.

Thanks for visiting with us today.
Sean and Sonja

A Visit with Lumiwa Farm

Sean explaining proper looking hooves to Lucy 

After the hard start to the weekend, Sean and I needed a day to spend together. We decided to spend part of Sunday visiting the good folks of Lumiwa Farm in Milbridge. Lucy and Mitja adopted our Miss Haddie, MacKenzie and Bryce and little Moses in the beginning of March. They are doing so well in their new home. It gives me a happy glow to see goats we've delivered, raised and loved settling into a new home and family.

Our visit had a purpose. Haddie's hooves needed to be trimmed. Sean demonstrated how to trim all the goats' hooves. We also checked eye lids for anemia from spring time parasites and talked through the benefits of deworming the herd. And, everyone except Moses provided us with a fecal to get tested. MacKenzie seems to have a case of mites that will be handled with injections of Ivomectin. Overall, the herd is looking fantastic. Sean and I just couldn't be happier or more thankful for the good care they are receiving.

Throwing an extra bale encourages the girls to venture into the pasture and onto the play gear. 

On Monday evening, Sean and I took advantage of the seasonable evening to spend some time in the pasture with our own herd. Earlier in the day, I cut branches of spruce and pine for a treat. When Sean joined us, he distributed an extra bale of hay along the play equipment in the main pasture. Since it was the first time we would have Benny, Captain, and Frankincense in the pasture, we hoped keeping the big girls busy munching on hay would be advantageous. For the most part, it kept them busy. My soul needs the weather to finally change over into Spring. Spending time with the herd, watching their antics, gives me such a profound feeling of inner peace. As the weather tempers, we'll spend more time outside.

I captured some footage of the day for you to enjoy with us. A side note: Becca is doing very well. She has milk because she gave birth. We will not be milking her this season, but to help wean her milk supply, we let other kids nurse from her a little bit, from time to time. It has the benefit of lessening some of the discomfort of an engorged udder, but she is not being nursed regularly, so her milk supply should peter out quickly.

In typical Maine fashion, it snowed 3 inches overnight on Tuesday so the ground is coated with a blanket of cold, wet snow again. I am so very done with that! It shouldn't be much longer until warmth returns to our lives. The days are lengthening daily. Unmistakable signs are all around us. The hens are giving us around 2 dozen eggs each day. Miss Jordan (turkey yearling) is sitting on her first nest in the secondary doe stall's auxiliary hay manger inside the barn. She is not picky about which eggs she'll sit upon; we have to remove hen's eggs daily from her clutch. A broody hen has made a nest in an empty goat stall and is sitting on a mixture of 10 eggs donated from an assortment of hens willing to generously give to her cause. It is earlier than I would plan for chicks or poults to hatch, but they seem so intent, I haven't the heart to stop them. We'll see what comes of it.
Our chives are visible in the herb garden. I can't wait to be able to harvest some to season our chevre. Life is renewing.

Thanks for visiting with us today, friends.
Sean and Sonja ♥

After the Blizzard

 It was a real "rip snorter". The forecast got it right for our region: 40 hours of snow with gusting winds of up to 55 MPH causing dangerous white outs and the accumulation of upwards of 2 feet of snow. Check. Check. Checkity-Check. Safe inside home and barn, we weathered the storm with nary a hitch. We were prepared for losing power, but surprisingly, that didn't happen. Not even a blip. The worst part for us (read that Sean) was braving the cold to bring food and water to the critters in the barn and coop. For our family, the Blizzard of '15 was a day spent laughing, relaxing, and eating homemade french onion soap.

The turkeys we worried over awoke confused about their new surroundings, but then in laid-back turkey-style accepted it and set about checking out their new digs. They will be housed in the barn for the remainder of the winter. It makes caring for them easier and for that reason alone, it makes sense. What they will lose in fresh air and yard to roam, they will make up for in dry, secure, warm shelter. Sean captured this image for us. It is a great shot showing the lovely iridescent feathers of Aquila, our Red Breasted Bronze tom next to the more muted tones of Priscilla, his hen. Lazarus is the big tom on the left. His hen, Martha, is facing away from the camera, looking around their new home.

"What did You do?" the bucklings seem to ask. 

It is easy to see that the bucklings were not pleased with the howling winds; tails tucked and eyes wide. Poor lads!

In extreme weather, such as that which we were having, we keep the barn doors closed tight and latched. We go in as little as possible because every time we open the door, heat escapes and a freezing blast of air and snow blow in. Despite the wind pummeling the building and against the metal roof, the goats, Jasmine, Ebony, barn guineas and chicks all rode it out well. I imagine they are going to be a little stir crazy by the time we get the doors to the pasture shoveled out and clear to open, but we'll bring them extra yummy treats to placate them in the meantime.

Sean took this image of Molly. I love her nose and head covered in snow. :) Silly puppy! 

Molly, in contrast, was just loving the new development of snow. That silly puppy whined at the door to go outside repeatedly. She was the image of pure joy, swimming through snow drifts and making a complete mess of herself. We let her play as long as we thought it prudent and then, called for her to come back inside, but she couldn't hear us over the wind- or more likely, ignored our calls in favor of running through another mound of snow. Wet, cold, and shivering Molly raced inside to plop down in front of the fire or onto the unsuspecting lap of whoever was sitting most conveniently accessible to her. With a mighty shake, snow was dislodged and strewn across the room followed by shrieks of "Molly!" An hour's rest and Molly was back at the door to be let outside again.

So how much snow was there really?

3 pm Sean shoveled off the steps to make checking barn less hazardous. 

3 pm Snow drifts up to my waist in spots. Sean shoveled a path to the barn.

4:30 am. Still snowing, but it was time for Sean and I to shovel out the van so
our working people could get to their jobs. An hour and a half later, we finished. 

Some perspective. 

We have a path to the outside water supply, but the front steps will have to
wait a bit longer. I am thinking, Spring thaw. ;)

When the wind died down, the morning snow was sort of pretty floating from the sky. 

The chicken yard was one huge snow drift, but the path shoveled to remained
semi-clear for the most part. 

By noon, the snow had stopped. We certainly have our work cut out in
shoveling off the front steps. 

Sean came home of lunch and we decided to open the door for the geese and ducks. Our coop and it's attached ell has plenty of room for the chickens to roost, but so many birds in close quarters makes for unhappy, grumpy birds. The chickens chose to stay near the door. The geese and ducks eagerly swam through the snow in a flurry of quacks and honks and played until the sun began to set.

With another smaller storm expected to hit on Friday into Saturday, it seems that winter is finally here. We really can't complain, we are at the end of January already. Realistically, it has been a fairly mild winter. Still, I am hoping for an early spring. :)

Thanks for checking in with us today, friends. I am glad you came.

~Sean and Sonja ♥

January Thaw

The feeling of needing to get some spring cleaning done hit early this year. More and more, I feel the need to simplify the "things" around me. It started with cleaning out the studio and kitchen areas upon returning from our shop adventure. This week, I tackled the family room. Poor Sean. Every time he leaves, his house changes before he returns.

Before the changes...

Besides being in dire need of a thorough cleaning, my biggest challenges in the family room are the large picture window placement, the lack of room for the recliner that Meaghan dearly loves, and the need to keep the twin bed/day bed available. Sunlight streams through the window, which should be good in theory. Unfortunately, it puts a glare on the family room television, so watching programs for much of the day is inconvenient to impossible. I have lovely, decorative curtains hung, but they do not close all the way, so are of little use.

Acadia and Roamer basking in the sun before I move their warm and comfy perch.  

My solution? I switched the daybed and the television console and stands. Using "stitch witch", which I love, I hemmed a couple curtain panels I already owned to fit the window and can close to remove the problems of glare and privacy.

I am not completely in love with the other side of the room, which now hosts the love seat and Meaghan's recliner, but I can live with it- for the moment and maybe it will grow on me. I think I will be on the lookout for a second recliner and find a new home for the love seat in the near future. But, for now, our family room is clean and cozy.

The temperature stayed in the high 20's-mid 30's for several days. We took full advantage of the warm snap, spending extra time with the animals. It was a nice change to be able to visit without fear of freezing fingers falling off! Since Sean has been in charge of all the animal care on his own for quite a while, I reintroduced myself with treats- these in the form of oranges, pumpkins, and acorn squash for the goats. I have never been above using sweets to gain the affection of animals or small children. Go with what works, right?

Judah is one of our 2 year old bucklings. He was born to Jedi and Leah in 2013. He takes after his Mom's smaller stature and sweet nature. He was very interested in seeing what treats I had with me. 

Keren Happuch is looking healthy and well. At nearly 2 years of age, this is her first breeding season. She hasn't come back into heat, so we are hopeful that she is bred. Keren has been reserved by a friend wanting to begin keeping goats. Keren and her kid(s) and one of this year's bucks, Jesse, will be leaving the farm together this spring to begin their own herd.  

The fencing between the two goat pastures was no impediment to sharing some squash pieces with family. Rachel ate from one side with the help of her youngest daughter, Keziah. While her oldest daughter, Keren ate squash pieces from the other side of the gate. 

Cassie, Jemimah, and Ellie are often together. They eat their hay and grain together and sleep near one another. Off to one side, they had their own squash pieces to eat in peace. They made short work of them! 

Salome (left) and Haddassah (right) were less taken with their treat. They gave them a solid sniff-about and picked at the flesh delicately.  These gentle sisters are the last of our does turning 2 years old this spring. We hope that they are both bred with Asher's kids and that their first kidding goes without a hitch. :)

Our wandering chickens were quite interested in the treats being offered in the goat pastures. This pretty girl sat patiently until an opportune moment and then, swooped in for her share.

We do not feed citrus fruits to the birds because I have read stories suggesting that citrus fruits can lead to them laying less frequently. At this time of the year, when our girls are naturally laying less, it is better to be canny. Whether that is true or not, doesn't matter. Better to be safe, than sorry. We do feed other treats. Today, all the birds enjoyed their share of whole, raw pumpkin and acorn squash. Happy does not begin to describe their enthusiasm. Warning: this video is LOUD! :)




The weather was warm enough that the flooded area of our lawn, thawed into a mini-pond about 6 inches deep. While it was not deep enough to afford a real bath, it did allow for some splash-time for our geese. Justin, our male, was very concerned where his mate, Caitlin was until Sean retrieved her, too. Then, they were quite pleased to splash about and preen for about a half an hour.

Both the geese and duck populations will be moved to live in this area full-time this year. They will be happy to be able to make things as wet and messy as they like. I am sure the chickens will appreciate the change, too.

The last task accomplished this week was creating 15 new pieces of mosaic eggshell jewelry. I planned on trying to make more than that, but other people, pets, and things took up some of my time. Still, I am very pleased with this week's creations. Here are some of my favorites. You can view the entire assortment in my "For Sale" album on our FACEBOOK PAGE, Full description and prices are listed there.

 In response to some requests for bracelets, I have begun creating some new designs. I plan to work on the designs through the rest of the winter, but I am really pleased with the initial creations. These thistles are particular favorites. I love the soft green backdrop next to the deeper emerald green of the thistle itself combined with the violet of the thistle and Swarovski crystal elements. Sterling silver findngs.

My heart is definitely set on spring's arrival. From the flowing blossoms on the tree on the left to the budding birch on the right, it all seems to be pointing to the coming of new life. These pendants are suspended from a sterling silver rope style chain and are pictured without an ornate bale. I am not sure yet whether I will add that or leave them simple. I do love how they turned out. I promise you, the images do not do justice to the colors captured in the backgrounds, nor in the details of the subjects in the foreground. Excuse the conceit, but I really do love them and am very pleased with the results.

So that is what is going on in our little world. I hope this post finds you happy and healthy in yours. Thank you for visiting with us today, friends. We're glad you came.

~Sonja ♥

Summer Days

Barn Envy! :)

Adventure Day!

Jemima (in front) and
Ethan (in back)

Sean and I were so pleased with the does, Delilah and Cassie that we purchased from our friend, Carla Hamilton of Udderly Blessed Goat Dairy and Homestead in Littleton, Maine. We knew that we wanted to add a registered Lamancha buck to our herd this year from them. We were thrilled when we contacted them and learned that they had the perfect one born this spring for us. A five hour drive (round trip) to pick up a couple goats may seem excessive to some, but Sean and I enjoyed the time together and these goat kids were well worth the added time and effort.

True to their naturally curious nature, Ethan and Jem's help building the additional garden beds (planned to accommodate and add to this year's CSA shares), was under-appreciated by Sean. I admit, I took a little delight in watching the building process in the midst of goat noses knocking over Sean's screws, tools, and materials. Eventually, I took pity on Sean and helped corral our new babies and the rest of the herd into the back yard where they could graze to their hearts' content and get better acquainted with everyone.

Our lad, Amos, is growing slower than the rest of the kids from this spring, but he is making progress and eats his weight in feed each day. Born to Haddie (a year earlier than we would have liked to breed her thanks to Asher), he was our smallest kid.

We've had to treat him for worms several times this summer, which has been a slow and steady process to try to get them under control. It looks like we're gaining ground, but worms have hit us HARD this year and our "go-to" wormer, Ivemectin, is not having its usual results. We've heard from neighbors that they, too, been hit extra hard with worms this year. It scares me that perhaps the worms have adapted and we'll need to switch to another worming choice. As part of our protocol, we're diligent in cleaning stalls regularly and opened new woodlands for them to graze. Moving them entirely to another piece of land for a couple years would be best, but that is not an option for us at this point.

New woodlands mean new trees to browse. Everyone knows the
BEST leaves are the ones highest up!

Opening up new fields and woods has led to lots of interest and speculation for the goats. Everyone is eager to see what is in store for them. I love this image. Please note that the goats are IN a new pasture area with tall grasses and ripe leafy trees. Satisfied? Nope. All the nosy does care about is what their humans are doing to expand their fencing in their old field. The grass may be fresher and taller in their new field, but it seems their old one looks greener to them. Silly goaties!

I enjoyed playing with my camera to take some close ups of the creatures I saw in the field while taking a break from watching Sean and his Dad setting posts for the new fencing.

It is such a treat to have Daddy Dale here for the summer and, as always, he is a tremendous help around the farm. This year, the focus has been on clearing out the alders and cutting down any hardwood trees that we worry won't make it through the winter. If we are to lose the tree, better to cut it and use the firewood to heat our home and the leaves to supplement feed for the goats than to have it rot and waste the wood. This has been a bit of a balancing act. We cut enough for the goats to strip in a day and remove the smaller twig like branches for the bonfire before cutting and stacking the trunks and larger branches to dry. Nothing goes to waste on the farm. Not even leaves. Alders are fantastic trees for us and we are blessed with an abundance of them. Cutting them down exposes the land to more light which encourages thicker grasses to take root while the Alders recover and grow back. And, they do grow back with a vengeance. If done in balance, this cutting, using and regrowth cycle augments our wood supply and our goat's diet nicely.

We leave the hardwoods and pines alone so long as they are healthy. They provide shade and add visual interest to the fields. Clearing the land in this manner gives us an added incentive: predator control. With fox, coyotes, fishers and other predators in the woods our free ranging animals and even the goats can become prey. It is not uncommon for predators to stalk within tall grasses and dense forests where they can hide easily and creep close, unnoticed by their target. Exposure, along with scent marking from other predatory animals (Sean, the dogs, and cats) is an added deterrent to their unwanted visits to our property. 

Not all visitors are unwelcome. We enjoyed a lovely few weeks visiting with Sean's brother, Ryan and his family. One day, this little guy came to spend a few minutes with us.

This Eastern Newt was in its terrestrial, juvenile stage. It was almost completely orange and red. At this stage, it is called a Red Eft. Miss Abigail got her turn to hold this one for a couple minutes before we returned it to it's home in the woods- out the sight of wandering chickens and other fowl.

Abby's Mom, Kimmy got to spend her own day at the homestead. The goats liked her attention fine, especially Jem. Sweet Girl folds up for easy carrying and loved the boost to reach the sweet tender leaves, taller than she could reach on her own. Jem is heavier than she looks and after a few minutes of extra special attention, she was back on her own hooves to browse at will.

Asher. Born to us April 1, 2012 of Ellie. 

I am convinced that goats can teleport. Much of this summer was spent attempting to keep Asher inside the buck stall and fields. Despite our best efforts to contain him, Asher wanders at will. He spends most days trying to accost our vegetable garden or even better, gain access into the does' stall. One day this summer, Asher got out and entered the does' pasture just before Sean had to leave for work. Without the time to discover his latest escape route, Sean tethered him inside an empty, locked, 10x10 stall. Not ideal, but with enough room to stand, move a short distance, or lay down and with fresh water and food available to reach, it would do for a couple hours until Sean's return at lunch. At lunch, Sean walked directly to the stall to see what needed doing. A moment later, our front door opened with a whoosh to Sean's excited exclamation of "Sonja, you have to see this!" I followed Sean to the barn to marvel that Asher had succeeded in- not only unlatching himself from the clip attached to his collar and escaping into the doe field, but tethered in his place was little Jem looking bewildered as to how and why she was attached to the stall. Teleportation, I say. Since this incident, staunching Asher's escape attempts has become a fairly regular game. The image above was captured Monday from my front porch. Instead of being contained, Asher spent the morning eating from the duckweed in the front yard. It is going to be interesting when the does start to go "into season".

Remember this??? Miss Molly has lost all her sweet puppy looks and is growing into a smart and lovely addition to our homestead. At nine months, she has years of training ahead of her, but already knows these commands: sit, stay, lay down, come, off, up, down, touch, crawl, roll over, get it, tug, find it and leave it. With a treat in hand, she is nearly 100% accurate. Without one??? Well... that's a bit harder to judge. If she is in the mood, she'll obey immediately. If she is distracted by new people, insects, random thoughts, her mood or whim, she will look at you and consider what's in it for her. As I said, a work in progress, but give her some more time and attention and we'll have just the dog we want and will have earned. ♥

There have been other additions to the homestead and a couple hard losses, too. We enjoyed the best garden we've ever cared for. So much more to relate to you. I need to leave those for another day. For now, I am so glad that you are all still there with us. I enjoy writing about our adventures here and sharing snippets on our facebook page. Thanks so much for the company, friends. We're very glad you are here.

~Sean & Sonja ♥