It was time. After Maybelle’s attack well over a year ago, (you can read about it here), she’s fully recovered. At first, she needed time alone to heal but after a year of this I could tell she wanted her own companionship.
Enter, Chauncey.
Chauncey is a polled (naturally doesn’t have horns) Nigerian Dwarf buck. He instantly made Maybelle happy, even though she scared the bejeezus out of him with her size and strong desire to play.
Over the past months Maybelle and Chauncey became attached to one another and the little buck reached sexual maturity…which was fine the first few weeks. Then Maybelle was over his constant advances. She loved him still but his behavior was exhausting. As with all aspects of farm life I had to figure out a solution. What to do?
I’d been wanting to rebuild my herd for some time. With Maybelle healed and considering her easy acceptance of Chauncey I wondered if it was time to bring in another girl. Maybelle has always been a notorious bitch to other female goats. It drove me nuts in the past. And the new girl I was looking for would also be a Nigerian Dwarf – a much smaller breed than my big doe. I didn’t want my older doe to hurt a much smaller one.
My search ended quickly when I found an ad for two bottle-fed doelings, both black, tan and white with the electric blue eyes I’ve always coveted. Bottle fed babies tend to be ultra sweet (and always under foot). They had been posted for over a week so surely they wouldn’t still be available…but you already know…they were!!
A week later I was in the car driving 2.5 hours away to pick up TWO precious little girls. But what would Maybelle do? I was getting more concerned with each passing mile.
The family selling the doelings greeted me warmly. They explained they were going thru financial issues and needed to downsize their farm. When the little goats came running around their barn to check me out I could see they were well cared for. That’s always a concern when you try to buy animals online. Fortunately, even their stray barn cats seemed well-fed. After a little small talk we loaded the girls into my car.
Yes, I put them in the back of my Volvo. 
No, I didn’t think that out very well.
Upon arrival to their new home the little ones (now called Hattie & Hazel) were hesitant to get out of the car. I didn’t want to force anything so I waited and watched. Chauncey and Maybelle were sitting on the porch about 40 feet away. They seemed to sense I was up to something until the doelings both let out a shill cry…one that could pierce your eardrums.
Chauncey was first on the scene to welcome the girls. Maybelle quickly followed and….immediately showed everyone who’s still the empress around here! Ugh. She still hated girls! Crap, crap, crap! I run a tight ship in regards to animals getting along. Even though Maybelle was being brutal at the moment I had a feeling it may not last long. She was my first goat ever and we had been thru hell together. It was always her choice as to what animal stayed or had to be rehomed. Animals are so similar to people in regards personalities. I can never predict an outcome of who will like each other. Years ago I rehomed a sweet doe that Maybelle had been relentlessly abusing. When the bullied doe arrived to her new herd she was instantly the queen. So sometimes relocation really can change a life, even an animal’s life, for the better.
Update: Its been almost a month now and Hattie and Hazel have settled into their new home with their new man and their mean older sister. It took Maybelle a couple weeks to stop trying to pummel the new girls but now, unless there’s food or treats, everyone seems to be settling into herd life nicely.
I’m so happy to have a small herd again, even if it means I simply added more destructive toddlers to the farm. Oh well, one day I’ll have a properly fenced homestead where I can have both goats AND flowers…and a porch that isn’t ransacked. That just sounds dreamy.
I’ve loved every minute with these super sweet girls. Since Hattie and Hazel were bottle babies they are extremely affectionate yet have no respect for personal space.
But man, I can’t get enough of their cuddles. Happy to be herding again! xo
