Hello again!
It has been a little while since I have posted, and a lot has happened here at the farm, including three new adorable additions… rescued goats!
A few months ago I read about a massive rescue through Lollypop Farm Human Society, where they took in 27 goats, 3 horses, and a llama from a cruelty case, you can read about this massive rescue here. Chris and I had been talking a bit about getting goats in the future and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to inquire about the rescues (except for hurting the bank a bit, lol). I submitted an application to Lollypop so that when they were ready we could come meet them and see if we would like to adopt a few. Well weeks had gone by and I had forgotten about the application I put in. I was surprised when I received a call from the Lollypop Farm Manager asking if we wanted to come meet the goats. We conveniently scheduled a visit for the next day. It just so happened that my mom and aunt were in town with us, so they were able to come meet the goats as well. We went to Lollypop Farm to visit the little guys and we all fell in love with their sweet and silly personalities. Many of the rescued goats at Lollypop were very timid, which is completely understandable knowing their background. While we were there we decided to adopt three goats: an 18 month old brown and white doe (female goat) with blue eyes, a 6 month old white doe, and her brother, a 6 month old white and grey wether (fixed, male goat).
After meeting the goats and deciding to go forward with the adoption, we (meaning Chris lol, cause let’s be honest, I’m no builder) started building our goat pen. We decided on a location conveniently located near the barn and water supply, neatly situated between the horse paddock and the chicken run. After reading about the many different ways goats can be escape artists, we wanted our new goat run to be as secure as possible. We decided on wooden 4”x4s” for the posts; we had a number of remaining 4”x4”s from the chicken run so we saved on costs here. We also chose to use 2”x4” welded wire, small enough openings so that the goats won’t get stuck in the wire, and strong enough to keep them in the run. The welded wire is 4’ high with wooden boards attached to the top and a line of electric tape to keep the goats from jumping the fence. Overall, it is probably about 4.5’ high. We also ran boards at the bottom of the fencing in order to keep the goats from trying to escape under the wire. With our secure fence built, the last step for Chris was building the gate, which he modeled after the chicken run door. He did a great job with all of this; we are super happy with how it all turned out.
For shelters we are currently using igloos (the ones that you often see used outdoors in dog runs), and an old tool shed we had laying around. The old shed has worked out really well, it is sturdy and big enough for all three of them, they seem to cozy up in there quite a bit.
All three of the goats have very unique personalities. The oldest, Willow (brown and white doe), is friendly, social, and very curious. She is loud and always wanting to know what is going on. The all white doe, Lydia, is the shiest of the three, but also the most innocent and docile. She is lowest in the hierarchy and Willow is often beating up on her. Remi is a sweet and sassy little guy. He seems to have the most energy, and despite being younger than Willow, he seems to be developing into the leader of the group. He often stands up to Willow in order to protect his sister, Lydia. Already, our three rescued goats have learned to trust us a lot more than they did initially. We have been able to feed them by hand and occasionally can pet them, especially Willow. We are looking forward to building a trusting relationship with them, and giving them a loving forever home where they never have to worry about getting the care they need to thrive.
What do you think of goats? Share your questions and experiences in the comment thread!
All my best,
Jenn
SUNSHINE FARM 
So excited about your latest addition! They sure are cute.
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