Hadley’s Herd
Granddaughter Hadley has had a special place in her heart for goats since she was about 2 years old. She got her first goat at age 3, and since she was at Disneyworld at the time he was born, she named him Mickey. Mickey’s sire was gold and his dam was black but Hadley was positive that Mickey would be white. Imagine my surprise when Onyx produced one large white buckling. On the downside, it soon became apparent the Mickey did not like people but he especially would go ballistic if children would enter his pen. Hadley has always accepted the fact that Mickey has anxiety issues and loves him anyway, albeit from afar.
Granddaughter Hadley has had a special place in her heart for goats since she was about 2 years old. She got her first goat at age 3, and since she was at Disneyworld at the time he was born, she named him Mickey. Mickey’s sire was gold and his dam was black but Hadley was positive that Mickey would be white. Imagine my surprise when Onyx produced one large white buckling. On the downside, it soon became apparent the Mickey did not like people but he especially would go ballistic if children would enter his pen. Hadley has always accepted the fact that Mickey has anxiety issues and loves him anyway, albeit from afar.
When Hadley was 5 she was allowed to choose from a litter of 3 doelings out of Gypsy Moos ES Zabaione. She selected Zoe, a flashy blue-eyed buckskin to be her first doe. Zoe became a first freshener at the age of 2 and so began Hadley’s showring career in the fall of 2020 beginning with showmanship. Zoe is a very strong doe both in mind and in temperament but Hadley gamely held on and made it through her classes. Zoe’s first kids were sired by Wood Bridge Farm Invigorated *B. We ended up retaining the 2 doelings which Hadley named Mix Up and Ziggy Zollum. Hadley also showed Ziggy as a jr. kid in the one show we attended that year, the majority of which were cancelled due to Covid.
Hadley (who was then 7) selected StraightWay Farm Deputy D as the match for Mix Up’s first litter born in 2022. We did not breed Ziggy due to a pelvic injury and Zoe incurred a show-ending leg injury. Mix Up freshened with gorgeous buck/doe twins as well as a very respectable first freshening udder. We ended up retaining both the doeling named Lil’ Legend and the buckling named Captain Hook. These were Hadley’s 3rd generation goats which she has had fun showing in 2023. Captain earned Hadley her first yellow and black ribbon, earning Reserve Champion Buck at the Mitten Madness show in 2023. We have retained him as a junior herd sire. Legend was bred to Agape’s Prize Nutty Buddy, again Hadley’s choice. She produced buck/doe twins, Riptide and Into The Mystic which are Hadley’s 4th generation of goats. Legend has an extremely promising udder; where Mix Up’s udder is good, Legend’s is a big improvement in attachment and teat placement. Meanwhile Mix Up had triplets also sired by Nutty Buddy ; we have kept the 2 doelings, U-See-It and Surfer Girl. We have retained Mystic (who is stunning) and also Riptide who will be bred to a few does for 2024 kids. Hadley is especially interested in genetics and is seeing first hand the process of selection and improvement. She has also become my right hand man in the show ring.
For Hadley’s 10th birthday I wanted to give her something special to add outside genetics to her growing herd and to hopefully become a very nice show goat. We headed down to KY to Agape’s Prize Hilltop Farm. Hadley got to meet her new doeling whom she dubbed Pyrite (registered as Agape’s Prize Witchcraft). Hadley was able to spend time here on the farm over spring break when she helped me with kidding several litters. She also got to come stay at the farm this summer so she could present her goats to the LA appraiser and learn more about that process. Hadley shares the MeadowMist herd name with me and perhaps will take over the herd one day. I am very proud of her accomplishments and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Hadley and her little herd.
For 2024, Hadley is expecting kids from Mix Up, Legend, Mysic and Pyrite.
Side note- we have a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This can make us get dislocations and other injuries quite easily and is especially tough on growing children whose joints are rather loose anyway. So you may see Hadley in a walking boot, cast or splint but she does not let that stop her from showing or working with the goats.