part of This was on my SKigerian site, I will be revising it for 2024 – 2025. Some of it is mumbo jumbo, or is repetitive; because I am still organizing and rewriting it.
In high school, back in 1993… I designed for my science and social studies class; a prototype, environmentally self sufficient house. After high school, my first wife and I wanted to make that a reality; but it never happened. I got into herbology and aromatherapy in the later 90’s; in the 2000’s, I got into other things like how to grow the things I had been studying prior. After 9-11-2001, I started waking up and started becoming a Prepper/survivalist. III%
In 2012, after my third marriage had failed; I decided to go OffGrid. At that time, I was also getting into foraging for wild edible, aka wild crafting; and started to pursue sustainable community type living. In 2013; a friend came down from the Kansas City area with his goats, chickens and geese. Cleopatra aka Houdini Jr was the first goat he brought down, “the sacrificial goat”… 10 years later, she is the last goat left of that herd. It’s funny; he used her as a guinea pig to see if the other guys dogs would kill the goats, the goat he hated most, lived the longest. He had Nigerian Dwarfs, Nigerians are milk goats; but my friend never milked them. I think he milked them maybe once or twice in the past ten years… People keep asking us why we have them; and to be honest, I am not sure. They were more or less POCM’s (Pet Organic Composting Machines).
That first sustainable community project I joined, turned out to be a scam. So my friend and I were forced to regroup and find something else or make something of our own. In 2015; I started owner financing my own land, and we proceeded to start our own sustainable community. Se7en years later, that was a bust. They say that 80-90% of intentional communities fail, I now know why.
Now, I am a goat whisperer; I’ve been told.
I was a city slicker; I never saw myself growing up to be a farmer, let alone a goat farmer. I grew up in the military; my mothers side of the family were mostly truckers and farmers, my dad’s side of the family were more white collar. I was studying alternative energy, architecture, & building and trades in high school. After high school; I had my own business, as a contractor. I was planning to eventually be an architect, but I wanted hands on ground work experience first. After my divorce in the late 90’s and child support got the best of me, I became a trucker for survival; free room and board.
In 2017, I started becoming an Arborist. Now I am a Trucker/Farmer/Tree Trimmer/IT Guy/ Aromatherapist/ Handy Man. I don’t really consider myself a carpenter, though I use to be; but I can do most things myself.
My friend knew a lot about goats, presumably; but he wasn’t all that attentive to them. I ended up having to take over goat care and maintenance around 2019/2020, after we lost most the herd to worms… and neglect. I didn’t know much about goats at that time, but it was time to start learning. To be honest, I only learned enough to barely get me by. I formulated an herbal anti parasite blend I have been adding to their feed since 2020/2021, and they have been pretty much parasite free ever since.
In 2021, I found a goat trader. He encouraged me to raise Kiko/Spanish cross goats, for meat; for that is what he prefers to buy and sale. Before that; an associate was encouraging me to go meat goat, since we weren’t milking the Nigerians. She is a smart business woman, whom I admire. A friend of a friend had Kiko/Bore goats; and my so-called friend kept talking about getting Kiko’s to bread in with the Nigerians, but he never did.
I found out in 2022; that we should have been trimming their hooves all this time. We/he hadn’t trimmed any of their hooves in the past 10 years. He should have known better. So that’s when I decided to start looking for a new partner in crime or farm hand, who knew and/or cares about goats/animals in general; and I am now going double time myself on goat research. I hadn’t lost a single teenage or adult goat till 2022, when I introduced the Kikos to the flock. I understood the risk, so I kept a close eye on them while I was home. While I was on the road however, they didn’t have supervision. I came home to find four sick goats, three dead, and two missing goats. He said he checked on them, but he didn’t; if he did, than he just let them suffer and die. Needless to say… he and I are no longer friends anymore. They got pink eye; I thought the got it from the new goats, but an associates goats got pink eye too at the same time and they were a few miles away. So it must have just been something in the air. Since my so-called friend was basically neglecting his responsibilities to both our animals, sabotaging me and our efforts, stabbing me in the back, gaslighting me and then started a smear champagne against me and about my goat trader; I was pretty much done with him. He found someone else to monkey branch to, and moved on to mooch off of them. Later he went on to say he knew one of the Kikos had chlamydia, as to say it was my fault the Nigerians got pink eye; and to blame my goat trader for selling me sick goats. So he knew, and did nothing.
Skigerian Goats
Originally, when starting this new adventure; I was going to replace the Nigerians with the Kiko/Spanish goats. After buying the Kiko cross goats, I was planning to sell the Nigerians; but they are not as easy to sell. (.) So that is when I came up with this idea. Nigerian nannies are easier to sale then the bucks, and it is said that Nigerian meat is one of the best; so I shall keep some of the bucks to breed with the Kiko/Spanish nannies. I will sale the Skigerian bucks for meat; keep the daughters, and sale the granddaughter. I will only keep a few Nigerian nannies, to produce more Nigerian bucks; I will sale the rest.
I still own 10% of the land from that other community I joined in 2012. Since it too was a bust, I will soon start buying out the other members. I will focus the meat goats over there when I get full ownership of the 20 acres or a new partner helps me buy out all the previous owners. I will focus the Skigerians on the 15 acres I have now.
Like I said; I never thought I would end up being a goat guy, but over the last decade, I kind of fell in love with them. When I am home, I spend maybe half my time with them. TriG, our three legged goat; is now my favorite and my mascot. She is a real trooper! If my project proves to be something people want, like the French Rove Goat and the Sirohi Goat of India; I will then hire someone to help me stay organized and start doing register breeds. But, I don’t see it going that far. Maybe someone else is doing this, maybe not. If anyone wants to join in, let me know. CainO’
I originally had Nigerian Dwarfs, because my former friend had Nigerians. People kept asking why we had milk goats, if we never milked them; I often wandered the same. I think my friend only milked them once.
So in the spring of 2022; I started going in the way of meat goats, but I wanted them to have milking quality as well. I started out buying Kiko Spanish cross nannies, and was going to breed them with my Nigerian bucks; and start a new breed called the Skigerian. Then someone asked me why not breed something that’s already existing, instead of trying to make your own.
I had four Kiko/Spanish nannies, which birthed six new baby bucks. I had five Nigerian bucks, and five Nigerian nannies. This year was the year of the bucks; before we were lucky, and had mostly female’s. Two of my Nigerian Bucks were registered, the rest the herd was not. Unfortunately, I lost all my registered Nigerians. I put their fate in the hands of someone I shouldn’t have, but I trusted him at the time. Now they are in goat heaven.
Ultimately I ended up having to sell them all at the sale barn. Didn’t get much for them, but they were better off there then dead by the hands of my so-called friend. My goat trader came and bought the Kiko/Spanish goats back from me and sold them to Doc. Crammer.
Summer of 2022. When my so-called friend and I had a falling out; I ended up having to sell the balance of my herd, whatever was left that is. What I couldn’t sell; was the wether, and the three legged goat.
I ended up selling the rest of my herd, so my so called friend wouldn’t kills anymore. I’m an over the road midwest regional truck driver, and I’m only home on the weekends. So I’ll try again once I have more reliable help, or I’m no longer an over the road trucker.I
When he left; he stole the rest of my goats (among other things), with the exception of the wether. He took TriG, the three legged goat and her baby; and left the wether behind… alone. I tried getting them back, with no luck. He ended killing her, and her baby from neglect; like he did with most my animals before I finally got rid of him.
TriG
Fall of 2022. Paul, the wether; started getting depressed after a couple months… (goats aren’t supposed to be left alone; they will get depressed, and could potentially die.) Thay are pack animals. He was laying in the cold, in one spot, and wouldn’t move. I was afraid he was going to die. So I bought four nannies goats to keep him company through the winter, till I decided what new direction I wanted to go. He was so happy to have new friends, I have never seen a goat so happy… ever.
I knew I wanted a meat milk goat, but wasn’t sure what kind. March 2023, I decided to buy a two month old Mini Nubian buck to breed with these ladies, and produce Medium Nubians.
Unfortunately; the guy I bought the “Nubians” nannies from lied to me, three of the goats weren’t pure nubians. I kind of knew that going in, but I also wasn’t planning to keep them either. So I did get a good deal on them. After doing some research; I determined that three of the goats were part Pyrenean, which is a dual purpose goat. They may have Nubian and Nigrian in them as well, but it’s hard to tell.
Either way; crossed with the miniNubian, so far, they have made nice babies.
January 2024, I had my 1st baby girl miniNubian born.
February 2024; my 1st two male miniNubians brothers were born,
& a 2nd baby miniNubian girl was born.
I just discovered RanchWork.com in 2024; I wish I’d known about it sooner, maybe that will come in handy in the future.
You can contact me at (816) 518-8804 and the goat trader at (870) 654-3201 his name is Kelby Howerton
CainO’