Meet Rumble

Early Sunday morning.....in a daze (as usual). Phone rings. "Neil, it's Audrey. The storms last night have knocked my buck's house down and I need to move him on. Can you take him for me please?"

Who is Audrey? She owns Eaglemead Goat Farm out on the other side of Yeovil. She and her husband were the first people ot bring the Boer goat into the UK and breed them. After her husband died a few years back the farm has started to look a bit neglected. Slowly she has let her goats go and last time we met she had her buck, "Rumble," and 3 does. She is old and Rumble was getting to much for her even then.

Usually I have loads of thoughts going through my head but for some reason I just said "yes". Then it was a mad dash to eat, bomb it to Homebase to buy a shed, go get Rumble and come back home to set up the shed and settle him in for the night. We had 6 hours - easy peasy my brother and I thought.

The shed was easy - got it into the van but then realised there was no room for the goat. So we had to go from B back to A and then from A to C to get the goat. Time was running out.....

Now all this time I was thinking, "Oh how nice; we can have a goat. He can be a pet. The boys can stroke him. How idyllic". Then we arrive at the farm and walk into his housing. My face dropped. He was MASSIVE!!!! He was stood up on his hind legs looking down at us with these friggin' great bit gigantic horns. I looked at my brother and he seemed to be in a state of shock too. Too late to pull out now....

The owner's friend then went into the pen to bring him out to walk him to the van and even he looked nervous. "What have I done?" I was thinking - "this is going to be a mad mad mad burden on me." Anyway, I just bit my tongue, stuck him on the van and away we went!

When we got home this was my first time at handling a goat...so I was a bit scared to say the least. I got up on the van took his horns and then basically wrestled the bugger off the van and tied him to the tree. Now the real fun starts - the shed!

Now if anyone thinks putting up a shed is easy then think again; it is difficult and having gale force winds and an encroaching sunset really does not do your stress levels much good. We managed to put the flooring together; when doing the side panels we had just got the screws in when this massive gust smashed it apart! We gave up in true English national cricket-team style.

After a few minutes of panicking I decided the only option I had was to clear out the shed and leave him in there. The first night he bleeted a lot but he has settled in well now. He has had to be thethered as I can't let him roam loose, but today I received a calf-shed I am going to use for him.

Just having him these past four days have been great. I was thinking of giving him away but he has grown on me so much I could not bear to do that. Instead I am getting him his own little harem (2 does). By doing this he gets some company, he can sow his seeds plus I get some meat every year from the offspring. It was never part of my plan to have or keep goats but Allah is the best of planners so I will go with the flow.

Apart from permanently stinking of goat's cheese now (his glands give off an almighty whiff which sticks to you) I also have to get up extra early now to walk him around the field so he gets some exercise. Once I have managed to build a fenced off area for him he should be able to be left to it with his female friends which will be a lot easier for me.

Once I get the does in I'll put up some pics......wish me luck!