Winter is on the way!

And, so it goes….

As is often the case in Colorado, we go from summer days to a breath of fall and then full-on winter. That has certainly been the case at GGF. We’ve had to ensure our sweet goats have plenty of bedding in their sleeping area, which they appreciated I am sure as the temperatures swung from the upper 60’s to the teens in just a few days. I was thinking perhaps the milk would be pre-chilled at milking time! Just kidding. And not the goat kind.

We have cut back milking to just once a day now. We want our girls to have plenty of energy to stay warm and producing milk takes energy! And we have plenty. Like a freezer full. I am ready to start giving it away to folks. Animals love it! Our dog, Owyn, has the expectation every time I milk that he gets his little bowl of it. The feral cats also look forward to the treat of warm milk in the evening. We noticed a new kitten, clearly one of the adult cats had a litter or at least one. Life is hard on critters such as wild cats. I can make it a little more pleasant by providing some milk every day.

This is Owyn’s first winter. He is nine months old and now weighs 70 pounds. It is a sight to behold watching him race around in the snow. We’ve taken to calling him Owyn Snowbeard. He would rather lie in the yard on a snowy patch than be inside. He makes us laugh every day! He has also decided to be “Owyn the backhoe” as he has dug up a small garden area in our yard. The upside is that I won’t have to dig up nearly as much for spring planting! The downside is he becomes a mud monster. A cute one, but the mud is now everywhere he has been.

We are excited about the direction for GGF. We’ve enrolled in permaculture courses and have partners helping us to map out the future of our amazing land. Our land has so many areas that are conducive to putting in greenhouses, planting trees and other plants that will give back to our earth. We are completely new to this process as we were completely new to goat ownership. The good news is, in my experience, an old dog (me) can be taught new tricks! We are embarking on becoming a nonprofit business. This will afford us access to grants and other funding and donations from folks who want to help support the magic at Giggling Goat Farm.

Stay tuned! More adventures are on the horizon!