June at Bootsy Garden: Goat Shows, Clipping Chaos, and the Pollen Plague
Whew. June was a lot. Not bad, just busy, and maybe a little humbling in the goat department. Between prepping for our first show (spoiler alert: we didn’t go), wrangling vet visits, battling goat hair explosions, and squeezing in milking around real-life events, it was one of those months where everything happened all at once.
We Almost Went to Our First ADGA Show
In early June, I thought we’d be heading off to our first dairy goat show. There weren’t junior classes at this one, so it would’ve just been Butter and Demi. I bathed them, started clipping, and wow. I knew clipping goats would be a thing, but I did not know it would be this much of a thing. It’s no joke. Like… why did no one tell me goat hair gets everywhere?
I made the rookie mistake of clipping Demi inside the milk parlor. Big nope. The hair clouded the air, coated the floor, and settled into every crevice of my life. If you’re reading this and thinking of doing the same: just don’t. Drag your stand outside. You will thank yourself later.
If you're in the market for a good set of goat clippers, I highly recommend the Andis Pulse ZR II Cordless Clippers. These are the ones I used on Demi and they were a game changer. They're powerful, quiet, and completely cordless, which made clipping way easier since I ended up dragging the stand outside midway through the job (lesson learned). The battery lasted through a full session and I love that they come with detachable blades so you can switch them out easily. They're definitely an investment but worth every penny if you're showing goats or just want a solid clip for summer.
Between the grooming mess, not having all the show supplies I wanted, and realizing I wouldn’t be where I wanted to be prep-wise for that mid-June show, I decided to wait. It honestly felt like the right call. I want to feel ready and confident, not rushed and chaotic.
But I’m super excited to be planning for two shows in July. I even booked an appointment with a local groomer who’s familiar with animals and is down to help me clip the girls. I think having someone experienced will make a huge difference and save my sanity.
The horrible weedeater job of clipping I did on Demi! Haha
That One Time I Milked at 9 PM…
June was packed with personal events, which meant I had to adjust my milking schedule around life. On one particularly chaotic day, I didn’t get to milk until 9 PM. Yep, a 16-hour fill. That’s only happened once or twice since I started milking, but man, it’s stressful.
Thankfully, the girls were totally fine. Butter and Demi didn’t complain, but they did give me some serious side-eye for being that late. Honestly, fair.
Our First Vet Trip
Another big milestone! Our first vet visit. I wanted to establish a relationship with a local vet, so I scheduled an exam and brought all the goats in. The vet was great, super helpful, and the goats did awesome… well, mostly. Demi was absolutely not in the mood to get back in the car after her exam. It took a little extra convincing (and maybe some heavy lifting on my part).
Our two junior does had a mild cough going on, which the vet said was probably just a reaction to the ridiculous levels of pollen we had earlier this month. She prescribed a little anti-inflammatory, and they’re doing great now. No more coughs, and way fewer yellow clouds floating through the air.
Around the Farm: Progress & Projects
We’re starting to find a rhythm around here. Not a perfect one, but something that resembles routine. That said, the to-do list? Still long.
Here’s what’s up next:
Finish the chicken run
Split the dry lot into two sections with proper fencing
Build the second goat shelter
Putting in the flooring and covering the walls in the milking room
Paint all the outbuildings (coops, barn, workshop, everything) to match the house, and finally make things look cohesive
And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got family coming to visit in early August, so July is shaping up to be a mad dash to get it all done. Will we finish everything? Honestly, probably not. But we’re going to give it our best shot.
Thanks for following along!
