Small Farmer - the East Friesian Ewe Fund: goats

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Goodbye Arthur

Arthur moved out this morning. Mum Helen is still a bit upset - she can't understand why he'd choose AnLamb over her home cooking. Arthur has gone to live about half an hour North of the farm, with a large family (four small children, a Nubian goat and a horse to keep him company). He will have his very own wendy house to live in, and hopes to win lots of ribbons in the local school's calf club competition. As a parting gift, Arthur left us $80 for the East Friesian Ewe Fund, which means we now have enough for just under half an East Friesian Ewe.

PHOTO: Arthur, modeling the latest trend in bread-bag raincoats, in the good old days before he left home.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Trevor

Today Trevor moved out to live with his new girlfriend, who he met over the internet after receiving marching orders from Mr Farmer. It wasn't his fault - Katie and Helen were the ones who waged war on the pittosporums when they discovered the electric fence was off (they have also been given eviction notices, but haven't yet found a new home). Trevor left in a miniature horse float. He wasn't overly emotional - think he was more apprehensive about meeting his new woman for the first time. I expect that Katie will miss him (he fathered her twins Rogan and Josh, after all), but Helen never really seemed to like him that much.

With Trevor gone, I am now four and a half percent closer to the East Friesian Ewe Fund target.

Photos: Handsome buck Trevor posing for some photos before he left.

The East Friesian Ewe Fund - how it all began.

Despite the brilliant milk-producing efforts of Helen and Katie the Saanen does, and my equally brilliant cheese-making efforts, when our electric fence broke and the garden became too tempting for the goats, Mr Farmer put his foot down. The goats had to go, he said. We needed to stick to sheep, since sheep don't demolish fences to demolish vegetable gardens (something of an over-exaggeration; Katie and Helen were just curious, and Trevor the buck had to follow them, because no goat wants to be left alone). After my offers to exchange the goats for a donkey or a pony were rejected, I discovered that sheep milk has a higher milk-solid content than goat milk, and it is traditionally used to make feta, roquefort and pecorino romano. Dairy sheep seemed like an excellent compromise. The best dairy sheep are apparently East Friesians - but these are rare in New Zealand, and cost upwards of $NZ 280 (including GST) each. We need four East Friesian ewes for our cheese-making venture - and so, the East Friesian Ewe Fund was started.