So I went to volunteer...and...Foster Goats!

The title really says it all. I went out for my usual one day weekend in Valparaiso, expecting to meet some of the faces that have joined and typically visit/work on days when I am not there. We were having a seed library meeting and I was pretty excited. I was excited enough that I burned my vegetarian 12 bean soup with organic turnips and onions (I ran around getting things together in the morning and laid down to take a power nap which went through the alarm from the stove-Ooops). So I arrived with an armload of books on soil, gardening, garden design, and a pineapple. About mid-meeting my buddy Ken, who's home takes the beating of 3-20 people at a time some weekends when things are getting organized, looks at me smiling and says, "We might be getting goats in a few hours." I laughed and we went back to the serious subjects at hand of how we will handle the economics of interacting outside of our little community, how we were organizing and funding the seed bank/library system, and how the systems would be organized and by whom. It takes a lot of work just to get things discussed, identified, organized, and simplified when an effort is made to come to a community census. If you're curious as to how we keep up and share ideas check out the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NWI-Society-for-Sustainable-Living/485822301463576  

I waxed garden gnome and got everyone fired up about the plantings and ideas for upcoming community gardens and the chaos ensued. A few hours later, a box truck pulled into the driveway and I heard Ken say from the kitchen, "Oh are the animals here?" Oddly enough we had been discussing the possibility of chickens for a while. I have my own chicken fortress with two different rare breeds and have encouraged the NWISSL to look into taking on a small chicken project if nothing else for the eggs-perience. See what I did there? As Ken was heading for the door to check out the situation I told him that he needed to purchase 15 chickens if he was aiming for an eventual total of around 25 and that I and another member that has chickens would incubate the rest gradually to bring numbers up to our target.

Well wasn't it a surprise when the box truck outside turned out to be holding 4 goats and 15 chickens!!! Some friends of other members had an abrupt move from their farm of many years in Illinois and needed some space to save their lovely beasts. As we met and greeted them and showed them around it became apparent that the boys would need to be separate from the girls, or the Bucks separate from the Does (or the Billies from the Nannies, whichever gender names you prefer). This is to breed them at specific times when it is healthier, easier, on the mothers and to maintain a certain amount of milk production. Oh yes, these goats are for milking! I also happen to have an 80 year old barn left over from an old cattle operation when the property was much larger and also am a member of an organic grass fed dairy near the house...so eyes began to turn my way...

Meet Zoey and Luna, my new friends, and Foster goats. Zoey is the mother and Luna is her daughter! As soon as their chaperones are settled into their new spot in North Carolina and have some pastures prepared I will have to say goodbye. But in the meantime...

 ...we installed feed and water buckets in their "sleeping pen."

 We also patched in a milking stand in the pen next to their bedroom. A feed bucket goes in the back behind the board there to give Zoey (momma goat) her breakfast to distract her a bit, and the board gently (I promise it's really quite easy on her) keeps her head in place while you milk. If she really wants to she can get her head out with a little twist and shake maneuver, but when food is involved she seems completely disinclined.

But she sure does like to climb. My friend Ricky came with one of the owners that we are fostering for and using some old tires and lumber built a couple different playgrounds inside the barn for the girls to play on. I'll have pictures up and more info. on how the goat fostering is going later this week!