Ladies and Gentlemen - Elvis!

Please help us welcome our newest citizen here at High Antler: Elvis. Elvis is a Pygmy buck. He is about a year and a half old (the people we got him from weren't fanatical record-keepers.) He has had no shots or worming treatments. More welcome news is that he had been on the farm by himself his entire life. The odds that he is carrying any goat diseases is pretty remote.

Elvis came to us due to our sudden realization that our window of opportunity to breed Amanda and Bridgette was about to slam shut. It seems it was only just summer and now we're coming hard up against the end of breeding season. Since KimLee has assured me that Amanda and Bridgette have both whispered in her ear their desire to have little baby goats, the search was on. Ryan, our 15 year old major domo and feeder of the critters, found a Greensheet listing for a Pygmy buck for $50. After KimLee made a call and was assured it was a healthy buck, off we trekked to Lancaster, Texas for closer look.


Elvis was tied to a tree with aircraft cable, but long before we saw him, we smelled him. KimLee assures me that she objects not so much to the odor, as to the burning in her eyes. Sadly, a strong goatly odor must be endured if one wishes to bring little baby goats into the world. After chatting briefly with the owners we were led to Elvis. His gums looked pink and healthy, his eyes were clear (and piercing.) I reached below and subjected Elvis to a mild indignity and determined that he was indeed a buck. KimLee gave me the nod and the next thing he knew, Elvis was being led to the back of our pickup - on a leash. Yes, Elvis is a friendly goat, not your stereotypical Hee-Haw rounder, but a gentle - even loveable - goat.


How did we get Elvis home over about seventy miles of road, most of it freeway, at an average speed of about 60 mph? I'm so proud of our solution to this, I'll devote an entire post to our Goat Transportation System (GTS) - later.

Since Elvis is about to meet Amanda and Bridgette, you should too. Here they are surveying their domain. Amanda and Bridgette are sisters and about 10 months old. With luck they'll have a thing for older goats.

Elvis arrived and was removed from the GTS. He was then treated to a brief walking tour of High Antler and got to greet numerous dogs, cats and chickens. He then entered the goat pen.

Now I'd like to tell you how Elvis suavely greeted the ladies. How he smoothly moved up to the girls, tenderly nuzzled them, and led them into the goat house for some quality goat time. That's what I would like to tell you, but the sad truth is that goat romance is considerably less pleasant and does not involve candlelight dinners at all. Elvis's first romantic overture was to stick out his tongue and snort loudly. Then, apparently having decided that his goat aroma was waning, he did the goat equivalent of applying after-shave. This is done exactly the way men apply aftershave except: (1) the aftershave is applied with a much more personal body part, and (2) the word aftershave should be replaced with the word urine.

There is little more to say that won't have me in trouble with People For Goat Decency. Suffice to say we granted them some privacy and we'll see what develops.