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It has been a few weeks since I wrote and since that time the winter weather has really set in.

One reads how goats are meant to withstand the cold and wet weather but they are definitely not referring to our mollycoddled ladies.

At the first drop of rain, they huddle together  and start their complaining bleats which get louder until attention is taken and they are led back inside.

They have shelter out in the field and if the rain is just a light shower I ignore their bleating crescendo and let them stand under the shed roof for the duration of the downfall.

Obviously this is not to their liking but they are goats and can withstand such weather - particularly as they can avoid the rain altogether just by taking a few steps to the side of the field where the dry shed awaits them.

Unfortunately the damp ground is not great for their feet so often they remain indoors until the grassland dries out.

In their separate pens they are quite happy and at the moment they are being entertained by the labrador puppies.

Having grown with rapid speed over the last 8 weeks, the pups are ensconced in their own area close to the goat pens. They are let out every day to run around and generally get up to mischief and the goats regard them as an amusing distraction.

As a significant part of their diet, particularly in the early days of weaning, was goats milk it seems appropriate that they repay the favour by entertaining their caprine colleagues.

On a crisp frosty morning, with bright winter sun, the goats are let out to enjoy the  weather. Unfortunately rain often arrives in the afternoon but at least they have some fun running around for a few hours.

It is lovely to see the sun shine on their different coloured coats and watch them spar with each other.

The animals don’t understand the word “recession” and when I watch them I can also ignore its existence for a while.

Feeding and Housing

I first became interested in goats at a young age. We lived on a farm in Northamptonshire and my mother decided to purchase two of these interesting animals.

One was a Saanen - white - her name escapes me at the moment. The other was an Anglo  Nubian named Becca.

The goats were handmilked and I remember that one of them hated the noise of the stainless steel bucket. Replacing it with a plastic one ensured that milking time was then much more harmonious.

Fast forward to the present day and I now live with my family in Ireland. We have eleven goats : two Anglo Nubians, two Toggenburgs, one Saanen and the remainder are Nubian crosses.

For the first two years the majority of the goats were kept outside. They had two communal sheds, both with a door that we would close after dark once they had settled in for the night.

Unfortunately the weather in Ireland is not the best, particularly the high level of rainfall. Our goats hate the rain and strong winds - a combination of the two left them huddled in the sheds, reluctant to venture out at all. From the looks on their faces, I knew they blamed us for the weather and expected us to sort it out.   

This we did by building a brick shed with individual pens. For the last 6 years, the goats have spent every night in their pens.

After milking in the mornings, they are let out into the field where freshly cut branches await them.

If the rain is falling, or it is extremely windy, they remain in their pens and the branches are brought to them. Admittedly if it is horrendous weather, they have to make do with hay as venturing out to get “browse” when it is “bucketing down” is not my  idea of fun.

Often the rain will stop at some point during the day and then I will go out armed with my branch cutters and bring them back some sycamore,ash or some other non-evergreen type of tree branch to keep them happy.

Goats are not efficient grass trimmers. They prefer food higher up in trees. They will gradually destroy hedges either by eating, leaning against them and pushing, or a combination of the two.  

Goats will quite happily devour brambles and to watch them carefully pick off a blackberry whilst avoiding the nearby thorns is a wonderful sight to see.

Our goats do not eat growing nettles, but if I cut them and allow them to dry to produce a sort of “nettle hay” they will consume them with pleasure.

Nettles are very nutritious so nettle hay is a healthy addition to their diet.

In Winter, and all year for the milking goats, we feed a dry coarse mix to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they require.

The mix can vary but will usually include maize, rolled oats and molasses.

Hay, and sometimes barley straw is available at all times for the goats to nibble. 

Lily, Lucy and Bella in their pens.