In 2022, I fell in love with a little wether from my kid crop and I just couldn't bring myself to send him to the sale barn, so I decided this was the year to finally start learning about pack goats and get out on the trail! Cocoa took his first overnight outing in the mountains in 2023 and he loved it!
I will use this page to document my pack goat wether herd, post pictures, and other info about my herd and how they relate to packing. All of my wethers come from the breeding stock that is shown on my Bucks and Does page (all my kids are dam raised, not bottle raised). I will be adding information about heights and weights when I get a little more time. Also, I have registered all of these wethers with ADGA so that their birthdates, lineage, current ownership, tattoos (and eventually microchips) will be on official record.
I have purchased saddles and other gear from Packgoats.com and I very satisfied with the quality I have received. I highly recommend checking out their website it you're looking to purchased gear.
I will use this page to document my pack goat wether herd, post pictures, and other info about my herd and how they relate to packing. All of my wethers come from the breeding stock that is shown on my Bucks and Does page (all my kids are dam raised, not bottle raised). I will be adding information about heights and weights when I get a little more time. Also, I have registered all of these wethers with ADGA so that their birthdates, lineage, current ownership, tattoos (and eventually microchips) will be on official record.
I have purchased saddles and other gear from Packgoats.com and I very satisfied with the quality I have received. I highly recommend checking out their website it you're looking to purchased gear.
Seven Winds Farm Resident Pack Goats
Cocoa (Seven Winds AQ Cocoa)
DOB: April 7, 2022
Color: Chocolate Horns Sire: Kastdemur's Aquatic Dam: J & R Lamanchas Ooolala Cocoa was the teeny tiny runt in a litter of 3 kids. His dam is the largest doe I have (she is HUGE, especially for a doe) and his sire comes from large genetics, too. He was about 1/2 the size of his siblings and I wasn't even sure he would thrive. But the little tyke was healthy and kept up with his siblings just fine, he was just smaller. At 6 weeks old, his dam got sick and, to reduce stress on her and let her recover, I made the decision to pull her buck kids off early. Both buck kids refused bottles, so at 6 weeks old they were just on grain, grass, and hay. The did fine, but definitely didn't have the nice fat dam-raised look of other herdmates the same age. Cocoa was the sweetest kid of the year since Day 1 and couldn't help but just fall in love with him. My wethers were all going to the sale barn that year, but when came time to load the wethers, Cocoa was the first to follow me straight in the trailer while I was opening gates. He followed me back out of the trailer, just walking along and looking up at me if I stopped. After I got everybody loaded and was closing the door, Cocoa tried sticking his head out to see me...I just couldn't do it. I opened the trailer and let him hop out, put him in the pen with his sire, and decided he was going to be my first pack goat, even if he's just a little runt. Starting in late spring 2023, Cocoa is finally starting to come into himself and get a growth spurt (to be fair, his sire didn't really start adding size until late his yearling year, either. And now he just keeps growing!). I retained Cocoa's littermate sister for my show herd and she is significantly bigger than him, as is his paternal 1/2 sister who was born around the the same time. But I think he's going to finish out a decent size to be a packer and he most certainly has the disposition for it! |
Cocoa's Hike Log:
|
Timber & Kirby (Seven Winds AQ Timber and Seven Winds AQ Kirby)
DOB: May 7, 2023
Color: Timber: Chocolate Sundgau; Kirby: Tan with black and light points
Horns on both
Sire: Kastdemur's Aquatic
Dam: Seven Winds JJ Sassafras
I was hoping to keep two wethers from the 2023 kid crop for future packers. These twin brothers were my only wethers born, so it made my decision easy! They are named after creeks in the Highwoods Mountains. Sections along Kirby Creek and Timber Creek were two favorite places that we would make stops at during hunting camp each year when I was young. I thought it made fitting names for future pack goat wethers.
Their dam is a little standoffish, but their sire's personality is coming through and these boys are friendly and love scratches. They were the last kids born, but they are definitely holding their own in size. These guys won't be doing much for hiking this year other than a few trips this fall close to the house. I look forward to getting them out with Cocoa next year. It will be fun to see if there are notable differences between their personalities and Cocoa's as they have the same sire (who is big puppy dog) but different dam's. Cocoa's dam is a super mellow, confident doe and Timber/Kirby's dam is a bit more dramatic and insecure about being alone (as is her dam). I love seeing how nature vs nurture might play into the outcome of an animal's personality and disposition.
Color: Timber: Chocolate Sundgau; Kirby: Tan with black and light points
Horns on both
Sire: Kastdemur's Aquatic
Dam: Seven Winds JJ Sassafras
I was hoping to keep two wethers from the 2023 kid crop for future packers. These twin brothers were my only wethers born, so it made my decision easy! They are named after creeks in the Highwoods Mountains. Sections along Kirby Creek and Timber Creek were two favorite places that we would make stops at during hunting camp each year when I was young. I thought it made fitting names for future pack goat wethers.
Their dam is a little standoffish, but their sire's personality is coming through and these boys are friendly and love scratches. They were the last kids born, but they are definitely holding their own in size. These guys won't be doing much for hiking this year other than a few trips this fall close to the house. I look forward to getting them out with Cocoa next year. It will be fun to see if there are notable differences between their personalities and Cocoa's as they have the same sire (who is big puppy dog) but different dam's. Cocoa's dam is a super mellow, confident doe and Timber/Kirby's dam is a bit more dramatic and insecure about being alone (as is her dam). I love seeing how nature vs nurture might play into the outcome of an animal's personality and disposition.