The contents of this page for The Y Chromosomes will be a work in progress. (I like to be different, everyone has "The Boys" or "Meet our Bucks" or such....so that is why it is called "The Y Chromosomes".)

The first four cuties are our first wethered Working Goats here in NW SD. (We had to sell our working boys when we moved from N WI). It will take a couple of years before these boys are ready for much real work, but until then we will make them feel like every little advance in training is the biggest deal we have ever seen. 2010 will be the year they will start pulling and packing with light loads. They will need to learn about trails and trees (since we have no trees for miles and miles where we live) hand about being with goats outside their own herd.

The photo on the left is of Deron with Micah and Noah (right) was taken the second day we had them. They were easy to teach to walk on the leash and we started looking for other things for them to learn. Learning to learn is what these babies need to do. The photo on the right is of Joesph. He is/will be our first Moon Spotted Nubian Goat.

It is hard to find goats for sale, within a reasonable driving distance, here in NW SD. I had not found any that were weathered, and dehoned. And because of the Rodeo Market (don't get me started on that) goats are not cheap in this area either.

I was thrilled to find a telephone number in a Farm Store in Sturgis, SD. However it was an old add by the time I called and I was sure that all the goats would be gone. But I called anyway! Thank Goodness! Yes, she had goats, yes, she had several to choice from...however she was about 150 miles from us. DANG!! Then she added, "Are you anywhere near Belle Fourche? I go there for church and to pick up supplies." Oh My Goodness! Was I happy to hear this. So here they are, the three I picked out from photos sent by email, PLUS the breeder threw in an extra with a beautiful face!! How could I say no?

So finally, I have new boys to start training. Three to work and one, well? He is going to love his job too, Esau will remain a buck and service our does.

I have high hopes and dreams for Noah. Noah will be the star player, or that is the plan. I am planning to teach Noah to pull a wagon, to drive, carry a pack and to do a few tricks. I am also planning on teaching Noah to run an Agility Course as well as a few other tasks around the farm.

I love Noah's markings and yes, I will admit, he was my first pick. Does he look mischievous or what!?

Is he a doll or what!? Micah is the only little buckling that has wattles (the "hanging down things" on the under side of their neck). I once heard someone say the "God made goats with all the left over parts, then gave them a sense of humor to match their looks." I think that is very true. A goat is a goat is a goat! And I happen to love goats.

It will be fun to watch this one grow and see how the colors set. He is a beautiful thing! I love the light tan on his legs and face. This boy seems to smile when petted and spoken to.

We are planning to teach Micah to drive. I am sure he will be carrying a goat sawbuck when he is old enough as well as do some tricks as well as enjoy and Agility Course. I am hoping that Micah will be performing advanced tricks someday. He is such a pretty sight to see.....and I love that smile!

Esau was given the name because I had an absolutely nice conformational, personality, and coloring buck named Jacob when we lived in WI. I miss that buck much. So Esau, some of you will get right away, was Jacob's opposite twin and the only two sons of Issac if you read Genesis in the Holy Bible. No, I do not want Esau to be Jacob the goat's opposite, but I also do not want to compare the two unjustly. LOL Easu was also described in the Bible as having the hair on his body of a goat. So the name just works well.

I really gave this much thought, him being the herd buck. I love his color and does this boy have a cute face. I had really thought about him on the trail and doing tricks. But then I thought about my does and their backgrounds and thought this boy would compliment them well.

While Esau is young, he too, I plan, will learn to pack a day pack, pull a wagon and do a couple of tricks. Handling bucks and teaching bucks to learn can come in quite handy when they are older and especially when they are in rut.

Well as I said before, Amos was a bonus. So before loading him in the Pick Up Truck, I did not plan on him for anything, but now, after thinking about it, I have big plans But the funny thing was, when I first looked at the photos I did look at this boy. The only reason I decided against him and for the others was that he is marked like three of my does and I wanted something different.

The breeder unloaded the other three boys first. Then I heard a little bleaping (goat noise) and I asked about it, of course I was thinking he had a home with someone else. I guess the breeder had me figured out cause she handed him to me and probably knew I would not hand him back. I told some folks that I thought she (the breeder) was some sort of angel.

With a pretty face like his, how on Earth could I resist? My husband laughs at me because even when picking out a stuffed animal I look at the faces for "face conformation and cuteness". LOL This photo does not show Amos' face to the full extent.

So Amos too will learn to pack, meaning I can take more "stuff" with us out on the trail. We will teach him to pull a wagon and perhaps I will have a three goat trick troupe.

We of course started handling the kids right away. Picking them up, picking up and holding their feet (for later trimming needs), touching them all over, and walking them on a leash with a collar.

We have even started them doing some fun and easy stuff on bigger then necessary equipment.

You know? Goats are just smart! Yesterday we started two of our baby boys on leashes, that went well. So I have this fat stump I put on it's end and we started teaching them "Pedestal". That of course went very well and they loved it. So this morning I added a 2" x 4" x approx 4' long on the 4" side up set on a couple of boards, maybe 4" off the ground and we taught them "walk it"...and of course that is great fun for them. So this time out (we have been getting them out three times a day for a short section) I added a dog agility Bar Jump, short of course, but great fun and they love it. So now I have it all lined up, the pedestal, the balance beam then the little 8" Bar Jump. THEY LOVE IT, POP, POP, POP, really cute. So I took Noah off leash and sure enough along he went, so Deron of course tried Micha off leash and POP POP POP they love their little course and tomorrow I might, might not, add another something to it.

It was the face that sold me! This is a close up of Amos' face. Amos was a little less mature, probably younger and for sure more Nubian traits, then the other boys were when we started training and it took Amos a little longer to figure things out...but when the light bulb came on, he just took off and is having a ball learning.

This is Micah learning how to stand on the pedestal. Deron has been working with Micah and Micah has learned faaaaaast! That is Rena's butt in the photo, I think she might have been a bit put out that she was not going to get all the treats that Dad had in his pocket.

Noah loves to learn and be with us. This is him on the Balance Beam we are starting them on. Noah has shown that he is willing and able to do anything I have asked...Pedestal, Balance Beam, Jump, Hoop Jump and the Weave Polls. I am just careful not to ask too much too fast.

I had Esau out today and among working on what he learned the last couple of days, I added the Hoop Jump....HE LOVED IT!! Deron came out and took some photos. We were laughing looking at the photos because Esau would still be out there jumping back and forth...he was so cute! He was having such fun!!

Noah learning the Weave Polls. He is learning fast and much. This is his fourth time at the Weave Polls and notice he is off leash.

I started with my hand at his eye level with treats in it and he followed my hand, after the second time I just pointed to the area or side to go on.

This little bitty guy, Octavivian (pronounced Oc-TAY-vee-an) was born here 8/20/09 to a Pygmy Doe I named Atia (pronounced At-TEA-a) that I bought pregnant, after years of looking for a nice little, correct, friendly Pygmy Goat.

Octavian was voted "Goat Mascot" by the goat herd and goat keepers here on Grasshopper Ranch/Marna's Menagerie. The harness he is wearing is just for fun, he will not be pulling anything for quite some time.

We have high hopes that this little boy and his mom will pull a wagon, possibly together as well as wear little packs for fun. Atia, who was over a year old when we bought her, has already started manner and trick training.

To be honest, I had not herd them called "moon spots" before. I had seen them, thought it was pretty on the goats, but had no idea what I was looking at. Then when talking to a friend about purchasing new blood and registered Nubians and that I want spotted she said, "Oh, you should get some with Moon Spots." "Moon Spots?", I asked. So she educated me a bit and then I did a little on line research. Amazingly the next day a lady I had bought goats from last year sent me the photo you see here and asked if I would like to have this boy. My first thought was YES! and his name would have to be Joseph, son of Jacob that owned the coat of many colors. So, of course I asked if she had more marked like him.

A moon spot, also called moonspot, is a usually, but not always, a round or circle spot that comes in several colors, although not true white or true black. Moon Spots are not symmetrical and are often superimposed over other colors and even over other true spots. Moon spots are not only randomly placed within the coat of the goat but the amount of moonspots vary from goat to goat. They are genetic and run in lines of goats.

Moon spots are not at all unusual in Nubian Goats. While seen in all goat breeds Nubian Dairy Goats, Fainting or Myotonic Goats as well as Nigerian Dwarf and Boer Goats do seem to have a higher percentage of occurrences of moonspots.

more moonspots