Wednesday, April 4

*meet Rudy, our sire

We have been searching for a Nubian buck for a few months now. Unfortunately the lady we bought our doe's from did not stand good on her offer to us for a buck, so we started our search for a good match for our girls and look what we found in Alabama...



Rudy is only 5 months old and although he is sexually mature, he is not tall enough for mating just yet. We had hoped to have at least one of them bred by now, but we are trusting God's timing, not our desires. When we arrived to pick Rudy up, (Rudy is the name he was given by his previous owners) he was in a grazing yard with two other Nubians. One of them his brother, and the other a doe. All of them were very friendly, following us up and down the fence line and allowing us to pet them with no end. However, when we started to leave with Rudy, his brother bleating for him so that I almost started to cry. Seriously. Since bringing him into his new home here, he has been loud as well. I know he misses his familiar surroundings terribly. Wouldn't you?

He and Boudica are now living together in a stall together, as she will be our first doe to kid. They are both very vociferous goats and have wore themselves out. Bodie is bleating for her two girl friends, Neffie and Cleo who are in the stall next to her while Rudy is bleating for his familiar surroundings in Alabama. I am sure time will heal their hurts and help them turn towards each other. Soon enough they will be in love and will provide our family with milk for which we will make cheese, sour cream, and butter.


We are unsure of Rudy's fate at this point. Initially we had thought we would buy a buck, have him mate with one of our does then butcher him for a source of meat for our family. But now we are giving strong consideration to keeping him at a remote location on our property so we do not have to buy a buck every time we are ready to mate our does. He is a beautiful buck, his markings are really quite nice and since we have the land, we will likely have him become part of our great big family here.

Nubian goats are an excellent dairy goat because their milk is high in butterfat content which gives it a most delicious taste. Because of their build, they are also considered a dual purpose goat which puts them in the category of meat goat as well. Our Nubians are part of our homesteading endeavors and although they have not really produced anything for us yet, other than nanny berries, we get so much enjoyment from them.  I am looking forward to the days of milking and learning how to make cheeses of all sorts! (remind me later that I said that!)

4 comments:

  1. A big welcome to Rudy! Hopefully he will adjust quickly. I'm secretly happy that he will be able to remain a part of the farm family!

    One day, I hope to have goats. I still need to do a lot of research and when God's time is right we'll be ready for them. Thanks for the explanation on Nubians. I was considering that breed or Nigerian but like I said, I need to do my homework before deciding since I know nothing right now.

    BTW, would you happen to have any instructions on how you made the tote bag out of feed bags? I've been saving my feed bags and would love to make some of those tote bags you made but I have no idea how and where to start! I know you're busy so only if you have some time to fill me in I'd appreciate it.

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    1. Me too, happy about his stay! Yes, make sure you do a bunch of research so you can find the goat breed for your needs. We love our mouthy Nubians. I can hardly wait for that kidding day!

      As far as the bags.. I am going to make another one soon and I will make pics and do a tutorial. Sound good?! Look for it in a few weeks.

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  2. Rudy is adorable. I hope you do get to keep him for breeding. I've been looking around here for Nubian bucks and they're pricey. I can't imagine having to buy one for every mating season. I am so looking forward to your cheese making posts just as soon as your girls are in milk... Congratulations on your growing homestead Lynnie.

    Heidi

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    1. Thanks Heidi! Yes, in our area here on the Gulf Coast of Florida and in lower Alabama the doe's go for a hefty sum, and the bucks are easier to come by. Still a nice price, but not quite as much as the does. His markings are really nice so I am glad we are keeping him, he has a nice lineage as well, so he will make a good sire for our herd.

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