Thursday, October 7, 2010

Newest addition(s) to the funny farm....

Okay, so the main reason for going to the exotic animal auction in Perham, MN, is to visit my bestie Garrett Ramsay and catch up. Even though I've been ill as of late, I figured most of what I'll be doing is sitting anyway, so what harm could be done? All I do at home is sit also. lol. So we're looking through the barns...the Adam's are oohing and ahhing at all the nifty critters. Garrett and I are doing our usual "Oh you need that!" "Oh, I think that needs to go home with you..." and we walk over to the goat pen, and low and behold, there's a goat out! With very little effort, my Adam nabs the little bugger and opens up a pen and tosses him in. No biggy. I notice he was kinda cute, but a HE, so not really a second thought about that. So we finish in the barn, and head out back to see what kind of cattle are out there. Check out the horses, make sure Ricky isn't tearing the place down (We brought one of our mini studs), and head over to the highlander cattle. We're hmming and hawing over them (Garretts always wanted some, and I think they're darned cute), and I turn around and...What?! There's that darn goat again, standing behind Adam and I! Okay, this is fate. I figure he's gotta be someones pet. This goat likes us! He found us through TWO doors and around a few corners....and I'm still heart broke over loosing our bottle baby, and I can tell Adam is already attached to him. This little guy is some kind of crossbreed I figure, but he's really soft, maybe I can use his fiber? Okay, put him back and go find our seats...

Fast forward a little bit, I come to find out he is a bottle baby from a friend of mine! And she had him at the chicken swap I missed! Crazy small world, huh? He's a "Nygora", Nigerian X Angora cross. Shirley had had his mother for 7 years and she'd never bred. Last year she was around 14 or 15 years old, jumped the fence and finally decided to settle with the Nigerian buck. Then this spring, she dropped poor Buddy goat in a snowbank as Shirley was on her way to a funeral, so she dried him off, tubed him some cholostrum, set him on a heating pad and left for the day. Came home to find him doing just fine. And now he's a fine addition to the Frigon Funny Farm...lol. He is the biggest baby, has an awful scream when you leave him alone. He loves to follow us around the yard, and the little turd has figured out how to get out of his pen multiple times. He fits in great!


Nummy soft fleece :)




And for those who now my mothers boyfriend Garys odd sense of things, he also purchased two highlander heifers and a pot bellied pig. I guess at the auction the pig was biting everyone, attacking peoples boots and everything. I think she may have been smacked around a lot, but she's coming along great. She'll take food out of my hand nicely, and tolerate some scratching. She's not tiny, but she'll do a good job rooting up the pens that need cleaning :)

AND, like my mom doesn't have enough dogs, also brought home this Chinese crested hairless male! Rufus dufus just got neutered today, so it's not SUCH a big deal, and he's kinda cool...lol
And we have a rouge goat...She escaped when they brought her and a couple other does home, and has been living with the cattle ever since. They push her around, but she's safe as long as she stays by them, as the coyotes have been TERRIBLE lately. Adam tried catching her the other day, but shes' REALLY fast. Plus ya gotta watch out for the bull in the pasture right now, but he's a pretty calm bull, didn't bother Adam at all. Please "biggify" to see her....lol


Next: evaluations! Only two ewe lambs for sale, so far 2 rams have made the cut. All the lambs this year were at least 31% UK, so it really improved my fleeces. I also have quite a few adult ewes and rams for sale, so if you're looking and someone catches your eye, don't be afraid to ask! :)