Goats make lovely companions they have adorable personalities, are affectionate, funny and mischievous. We treat our goats as pets and bond with them like they are part of our family
Milly and Lily
We have two goats called Milly and Lily. Lily is the naughtiest, she always knows when we need to trim her toe nails and she won’t let us near her. Yet she is the most loving, she loves being stroked and petted. Milly is the goat in charge and the greediest, she is easier to handle than Lily and she also enjoys being made a fuss of.
Their mother died a couple of years ago and they really haven’t been the same since. They were off their food and really down in the dumps. We put them in with the sheep for a while which cheered them up, but Lily kept on bullying them so we had to separate them. We have been giving them much more attention but they still aren’t like their old playful selves.
We need to purchase more goats as companions to Milly and Lily and because we have plenty of space, they will help with the hedge trimming and grass mowing, although they’re not that good with the grass mowing.
Pygmy Goats
Pygmy goats are very small (miniature) growing to around 50cm. they have short legs, fat bellies and come in a variety of colours. They are originally from West Africa and are very adaptable to different climates.
We have decided on pygmy goats because they are smaller and easier to handle and have a perfect temperament for our environment. We have to buy all our animals as young as possible so they get used to all the different people that come to the farm
Goats used as therapy
For people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems interactions with animals has a lot of mutual benefits. Another blog on this subject is coming soon.
Milly and Lily are brilliant with people with autism, they don’t mind if they want to jump around, shout and flap their arms they are used to it and most of the time they help those people by being a calming influence on them.
Milly and Lily both love and need grooming which is a very relaxing activity, it particularly helps people with depression and anxiety issues as it distracts them from their problems.
Goats need quite a lot of looking after, so our trainees learn how to do this and develop a wide range of skills.
How to look after goats
- Goats are sociable animals so you must always have at least two.
- Goats don’t like getting wet, so they need a shelter from the rain.
- They are great escape artists so need a fence to keep them in. We have to check our fencing regularly to fix the holes and loose posts where they are trying to make a run for it.
- Goats are picky eaters and will not eat food that has got muddy or fallen on the floor, we feed our goats an organic compound feed daily, they have access to hedgerows and they also enjoy the tree and shrub prunings. In the winter we give them hay.
- They don’t drink very much but we make sure they have fresh clean water every day and we break the ice off it in the winter.
- We groom the goats at least once a week during spring and summer
- They need their nails trimming every 6 – 10 weeks
For more information on keeping goats the RSPCA have a great booklet, you can download it here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/farm/farmanimals/goats
How we are raising the money
We have set up a Just Giving page where people can donate money which will go directly to the purchase of the goats and suitable housing. https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/pygmygoats
We raise funding for the farm throughout the year with Nyasha’s walk for difference https://vanatrust.org.uk/walk-4-difference/ and other events such as our open days please keep an eye on our webpage to upcoming events.
We have a new sponsor a farm animal page on our website, which is helping tremendously with covering our animal feed and vet costs. https://vanatrust.org.uk/sponsor-a-farm-animal/
Fun Fact: A baby goat is called a kid and a goat giving birth is said to be “kidding”
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