Farm Tales: One kid leads to another

By Jennifer Ashawasegai

My four kids happened by accident. By this, I mean, I didn’t intend on having a small herd of goats or a flock of chickens.
It’s been just over three years since my husband and I bought a home with an acreage in the French River area. We planned on building greenhouses and growing vegetables galore along with our apple trees. My husband didn’t want animals, at all.
A year and a half ago, Ken built a garden shed, in which we were to keep our tools. But last spring, the garden shed was converted into a chicken coop. And last fall, our garage was converted into a barn to winter our goats.
So, our accidental hobby farm happened something like this: There was a notice on the bulletin board at the local Co-op, advertising for a miniature goat. Long story short, we brought Billy home. Once home, I realized we had nothing for a goat. No infrastructure. No fenced pasture, no little goat house, no barn, no feeder. Nothing.
Poor Billy was stuck being tied to a tree in the back yard and housed in the garage in a large dog kennel overnight.  The poor kid, three months old at the time, bleated a lot. He was lonely you see. After much research, I learned goats need other goats because they’re herd animals. Plus I had to learn about different types of hay (more about this another time) and also not to feed my goat too much grain or he would get bloat which can be lethal.
Needless to say, we brought home a doeling from a farm where we were buying goat products. Willow was meant to be company for Billy, our whethered (castrated) friend.
Soon after, I got it in my head that I would like to breed her, so that I can milk her and make soaps and cheeses. That was an impossibility with Billy, since he’s a whether. That meant I would have to either leave Willow at someone else’s farm, or rent a stud, or get another goat. Guess what I did? Yes, I brought home another goat – Buddy.
During the time I was acquiring goats, I picked up 10 Bantam chicks, which stayed in a guinea pig cage in my bathroom until they were big enough to put into the coop, a.ka. garden shed. The hens will soon be one year old and during warm weather lay anywhere from seven to 10 eggs a day.
Around Christmas time, I acquired one more goat – Lily. She was to be a friend for Willow.  I thought Willow would be excited to have another doeling to play with. Was I wrong. The scenario didn’t work out quite the way I planned it. Willow was very unimpressed and had nothing to do with me for seven weeks. I didn’t realize a goat can hold a grudge!
In a nutshell, this is how my hobby farm started. I’m considering angora goats for their fibre, in which I would like to spin and weave. I’m also looking for beehives, to harvest honey. I’m also trying to convince the hubby to get a donkey because they’re herd protectors.
I look forward to sharing my adventures with you every month. I’m sure there will be many foibles to report as I make many mistakes as I learn and grow my hobby farm!

Jennifer Ashawsegai is an Anishinabek citizen of Henvey Inlet First Nation. She works for her community in lands and communications and is also a freelance journalist and calls the French River area home.