As I write this, the Pacific
Northwest is in the middle of a very warm January while the rest of
the country appears to still be in winter’s icy grip. Never before
do I remember a January such as this, where the temperatures have
been hovering around 60 degrees during the day! My goodness, but it
has been downright spring-like which has caused buds to swell and
birds to sing. It is just not normal to not be battling mud up to
our knees in the heavily trafficked areas around the barns.
The goats have been far too warm in their heavy fleeces and any
exertion causes them to pant. This is normally the time I begin to
shear them, but where I normally worry about their ability to cope
with cold temperatures, this time I’m not worried in the least! As
their heavy fleeces are sheared off, each goat gets a close
examination for any lice or skin problems and is treated
accordingly. As each sheared goat re-enters the barnyard, the other
goats rush over to inspect it as the newly shorn are viewed as “new”
goats, even though they still smell the same. Goats are visual
creatures and readily recognize their herd mates and their
caretakers, so a freshly shorn goat is viewed as an interloper and
must run the “gauntlet” before being accepted once again. Luckily,
it takes far less time to be accepted than a truly new member
joining their ranks for the first time.
Kidding season is almost upon us and soon the barns will be filled
with new life. For me, it is always a humbling experience to watch a
mother deliver and then tend to her newborn kids. This experience
continues to awe and amaze me and I doubt that I will ever be ho-hum
about it, and I do the best that I can to provide a safe and clean
environment for the mothers and their little ones. Although the
chores at this time of year can be many, they are truly a labor of
love. Over the years I have found that tending to my animals renews
my spirit and keeps me aware of the natural order of things. For me,
it offsets my often-frustrating business life where things must be
plugged in and booted up!
You don’t have to be a breeder of Pygoras to appreciate this time of
year. Those of you who maintain a spinner’s flock of Pygoras are
anticipating your harvest of fiber, too. Even those of you who keep
Pygoras as pets can enjoy this time of year. As the sun comes out
more frequently, you’ll find your goats taking their siestas in the
sun, eyes half closed as they relax and chew their cud. Pygoras are
playful creatures and will readily play on any structure you might
build them. For an inexpensive play structure, put out bales of
straw on which the goats can play “king-of-the-hill”. They’ll use
them as scratching posts as well or as sleeping platforms. Goats
love to be up on top of things and giving them something to climb on
will give them much needed exercise after a winter of being cooped
up in the barn during bad weather.
PBA has been blessed with some very talented people and it has been
an exciting time as more people are coming forward to get involved
in the various committees and groups. Elsewhere in this newsletter
are announcements naming the folks who have volunteered their time
and talents to serve on the education committee, the fiber
committee, the advertising committee and the youth committee. The
board of directors is thrilled to have such quality folks on board
and we look forward to their new ideas and input into how to make
PBA a better organization.
The board of directors would
like to thank everyone who completed and sent in their ballots at
the end of 2004. The board of directors was pleased to note that
there was a record number of returned ballots. As a result we have
new bylaws that we believe will carry us into the future quite well
and an important update to our breed standards for goats with Type A
fleece. So, a big THANK YOU to all who voted!!!
Remember that there will soon be opportunities for members in good
standing to run for open board of directors positions. Watch for
information on this opportunity in a future newsletter.
Susan Prechtl
Hidden Meadow Farm
pygora@clatskanie.com
