Today I'm going to talk about goats instead of sheep.  Well, mostly about goats.  

To be specific, I'm going to talk about THESE goats:

In case you're wondering, the guy on the floor is a cat, not a goat.  His name is Hobbes and he one of the barn cats.  Though a barn cat, he ends up in the house on a regular basis and we are bros.  Although he keeps sneezing and rubbing his nose on me.  And clawing up my leg, demanding love when I am trying to finish my coffee before work.  

Overall, Hobbes is not a goat.  The dudes sticking their heads through the fence are goats.  They are actually young goats (kids) and are being kept in the feeder.  A feeder is an inside pen where a selection of young ruminants are kept.  There are multiple reasons for their isolation:

• To keep them from drinking their tired mother's milk 
• To build up their strength on hay and corn, which has more fat and protein than grass
• To keep them from getting worms
• To prevent the male goats from impregnating their mothers (does)

Think of the feeder as a control room, allowing the goat farmer to organize the goats for the best results.  Also for the good of the goats, actually, as worms and inbreeding and continuous milk demands on mothers are not good for the herd.  

These specific kids are a mix of oberhasli and boer breeds.  Oberhasli are Swiss milking goats, while boer are South African meat goats.  Boer goats have some of the most muscle in the current goat market, according to Anne.  The mix allows for brownish coats with a white stripe.  The white ones are  more boerish, the brown ones more oberhasli.  Or such is my understanding.  

Anne is my employers daughter and my landlord/host.  I live at her house and work for her dad, Bill.  These goats are raised at Anne's, then shipped to Bill who will eventually take them to the slaughter house.  

Which is sort of sad, these goats are beautiful.  

WARNING: THIS NEXT SECTION CONTAINS MATERIAL NOT SUITED FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES

Goats, however, are assholes.  This is the exact word from not one, but two farmers (plus Anne's son, who is not a farmer at the moment).  They are headstrong and unruly.  Some of the mothers won't let their kids drink their udders, so get really big, swollen udders.  Just because they are assholes.  

Aight.  That was it for questionable content.  

For some reason, of the animals I've been in contact with over the past few weeks, these goats are my favorite.  They are curious and playful and gorgeous.

So next time you are eating sausage, think of these young goats.  Shed a tear.  Remember that they were once fine specimens of boer and oberhasli and refused to stand still for the photograph below.