Meet our Goats

Goats have a LOT of personality. They are basically big dogs– and just as smart. I learned the hard way: Never teach a goat something you don’t really want them to do. Like jumping on things. :/ 

Lessons learned aside, these girls in particular all have unique personalities, and watching them grow up has been quite the experience.

All three girls came from a dairy in Western Colorado and were specifically bred for milk production. They were 4 months old when we picked them up, and still cute as kid goats typically are. None of the now adult females have horns, as they were disbudded prior to coming to the Tiny Ranch, however, I do not disbud kids born on the property, as I think goats with horns are WAY cuter. :)

All the goats here on the Tiny Ranch are Swiss breeds that do well in the cold and produce high-fat milk for long after they give birth–therefore reducing the need to constantly rebreed. 

Presenting…

  • Gertrude (Gerty)

    Gerty is an Oberhasli goat and is our best milk producer. She outproduces the next goat 2:1. She is also our troublemaker. She’s figured out how to open all the gates and break into the feed bins. To her credit, she was also the goat who figured out how to jump on the milk stand first (because there were yummy treats waiting there for her).

    Gerty is always the first up and at the gate to see what you’re up to. If given the chance, she’ll involve herself in any chores being done around the barn–even if she’s making things worse.

    Currently, Gerty weighs about 80 pounds and is about ⅔ her full weight of 120 pounds. Her favorite food is corn husks and carrot peels, but she doesn’t turn down any kind of vegetable snack.

  • Rhonda

    Rhonda is a Saanen/Alpine mix, both Swiss breeds as well. I picked her because she was the color of tomato bisque soup– so is her son <3. They lose their color as they age and become white. Fun fact: Saanen’s with coloring (patches or full coats) are called Sable goats. She is super sassy, and takes the BEST pictures of all the goats on the Tiny Ranch. She has such a diva personality, and loves to be around the people.

    Rhonda is the most well behaved on the milk stand–no kicking the bucket, always offering a tail wag–and was the fastest to figure out the milking routine and order. She patiently waits her turn to hop on the stand. :)

    While Rhonda is super smart and seemingly very matronly, she is still very playful with the babies. She’s still out in the field jumping and side kicking– I call it the goat zoomies.

    Rhonda was our first to birth this year, also happened to be a brand new mom but did an amazing job all on her own. She is by far the best mom in our group.

    Saanen’s can reach up to 135 pounds, and because she’s mixed with Alpine, she may get bigger! Rhonda is a typical goat in that her favorite snack is bark and leaves. She would pass up pretty much anything to sit under a cottonwood and eat the leaves falling off the branches all day. It’s the simple things in life 🙂

  • Nibbler

    Nibbler was aptly named due to her chewing on our clothes, zippers, and boots when we picked her up at the dairy. She was the smallest in the pen but stayed right next to us the whole time, and I just couldn’t leave her.

    Nibbler is our smallest goat on the Tiny Ranch and while she’s tiny she’s also MIGHTY! Nobody and nothing messes with Nibbler or her kid.

    She is Oberhalsi but appears to be mixed with a dwarf perhaps. With that in mind, Nibbler won’t be bred unless a smaller buck is used in the future, but will be kept at the tiny ranch to keep the weaning babies company– and because she’s really cute.

    Nibbler doesn’t particularly have a favorite food: She likes it ALL! Watermelon, corn husks, carrots, lettuce, strawberries, leaves, and bark– her list of preferred snacks is never-ending.