The one thing about farming is that fencing is never, ever done. Especially when you keep adding new animals 🙂
We have had some time to work with the existing facilities and the new ones we have built specifically for the Pygmy Goats and figure out what works well – and what we would like to change or add in the future. One of the things we realised is that moving the adult does from the fox proof kid paddock out into the big goat paddock was likely going to prove a bit of a challenge as it would mean driving them all the way around the chicken pen and past the great big Lily Pilly hedge that would likely prove too much temptation for them.
The area in between the kid paddock and the chicken pen has been my vegetable garden area for five or so years, but thanks to last years drought that followed a low rainfall year, I havn’t grown any vegies for a couple of years so only had some fruit trees and strawberry plants in tubs and buckets plus three big garden beds worth of super fertile soil that has taken years to develop.
The vegie garden area shares a fence with the big goat paddock, so the most logical (and back breaking) option was to relocate the vegetable garden raised beds and all that beautiful black soil so the area can become the pen and shed for the adult goats where they can be locked in safely at night and let out through a new gate straight into their paddock in the morning.
It was a huge effort from everyone, but the new night pen and shed shelter are all set up and we are very excited to have welcomed five adult Pygmy Goat does to Eagleburra a few days ago.
Mia (75%), Dixie (83.59%) and Rose (79.69%) have all recently weaned their kids from this year, beautiful Maisie (83.6%) is a maiden and will be bred to Presley soon, and the oldest and largest girl Abbey (43.75%) looks like she is already in kid with around 6-8 weeks to go until she freshens.
We can’t wait to see what these girls produce in 2025.
