Willow and Aspen

A few weeks ago, I was perusing Craigslist when I came across a listing for a sweet Nigerian Dwarf mama and baby duo from a farm nearby. The mama was a bit over-conditioned, as was outlined in the listing, but I felt hopeful she would do well here at our farm. Plus, both she and her baby were listed as registered ADGA purebreds with solid milking lines, so Matt and I jumped at the chance to bring them home with us.

It’s a funny thing, when Matt and I first decided we wanted goats, we weren’t at all concerned with their registration status. In fact, I’d read about how folks often get lucky with unregistered goats, and find nice animals of good quality without the steep price tag. This very much appealed to me. Besides, we figured the ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) was something we could always explore in the future, but we had a long road ahead of us before we even had to think about breeding our animals, much less daily milking and everything that’s involved with that. So when we purchased our first two Nigerian dwarf goats (Fig and Fern) last year as 3-month-old doelings, the seller told us their mamas were good milkers, and that was good enough for us. After all, our primary concern back then was blackberry bramble control.

Let me be clear, I don’t regret bringing home Fern and Fig. I’m very fond of them, but the fact of the matter is they aren’t registered and could never be. And as for whether or not they will be good milkers with sound, healthy bodies? It remains to be seen.

What I do know is the closer we get to breeding our own animals, the more I can see the value in investing our time and energy wisely, doing justice to the animal, and getting back what we put in. I’m a practical person, and although I don’t just think of our animals here as commodities, I do find myself making calculations in my head about which things are worth my time, because for me this lifestyle is less about money and more about enriching our experiences together as a family. What we consume, where it comes from, how we spend our time together…

All of this to say, I think we’ll be sticking to ADGA registered goats from here on out. Not just because we want good milkers, but because I can see us diving deep into the world of goats, and it’s all happening a lot sooner than I thought it would.

Would you like to meet Willow and Aspen? If so, check out the video below:

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One Thing Leads to Another