The 12 Goats of Christmas - Pressed for Time
Worth ittttt
Pressed for Time - maybe the best name for a goat ever - is the boy in our lives. I had him shipped here from the Pacific Northwest.
One of the problems with breeding a relatively niche type of goat is that without shipping, it's easy to end up with an inbred herd. Not many people in Colorado have mini-LaManchads, so a single man-goat can quickly overwhelm a herd with his genetics.
Because a single female goat can only have between 10 and 30 kids in her lifetime, but a male can have hundreds, it's critical to select great genetics when picking bucks. Both Pres' parents have great lineages, and he is sweet and gentle. We couldn't have asked for a better boy.
Shipping a goat is no small feat. There are goat transporters - I am not making this up; this is a thing - to whom you can pay hundreds of dollars to drive your goat across multiple states. When goats themselves are only a few hundred dollars, the cost of travel can easily match or eclipse the price of the transportee.
Goat transporters can sometimes be somewhat fly-by-night operations. I've seen people try to underwrite the cost of gas for a cross-country road trip by tossing a goat in the back of their mini-van. Seriously. By the way, there's a crazy documentary in there somewhere.
Do you want a legit transporter with a stock trailer and insurance that follows the laws? That's more money.
I was lucky to find one for Pres. But then both parties of said goat sale need to be available when a transporter travels through town.
So, to get a goat from elsewhere, you need the genetics you want for your herd, from someone willing to sell, who is available to send a goat you want on transport, at a price you're ready to pay, at a time you can be on the other end for pickup. Not to mention there are often laws that govern the transport of livestock across state lines, vet and health testing to complete, and vitamins, minerals, and food to strengthen them for the journey. Long and short - it's a freaking mess.
Luckily for Pres, he did a great job with Kiara and eve wooing Lemony Moon Pie from her frigid hold-out.
Pres is still pretty new, but I can't wait to see his first kids. He'll develop over the next year or two, and I hope his kids are half the goat he is.
Merry Christmas from Pres - the latest baby daddy.