FOR THE LOVE OF GOATS
Goat Fanciers club being formed in West Prince; registration meeting set for Thursday
Goat Fanciers club being formed in West Prince; registration meeting set for Thursday
“It seems like people came out of the woodwork who had goats; people I didn’t know had goats.” Kerry Kearnes
Kerry Kearnes calls her baby goat Daisy, for short — Oopsie Daisy for dramatic effect.
You see, Daisy was a surprise. Kearnes had planned to start raising miniature goats by the spring of 2018, but her husband, Jeff, surprised her with two does at Christmastime. Unbeknownst to the Kearnes, one of their goats was pregnant and that led to Kerry’s second surprise on April 10, when she visited her goat shed and discovered her herd had increased by 50 per cent.
It was a pleasant surprise, though, as the Piusville couple was hoping to add to the herd or trip, tribe, drove or flock — other common terms for a group of goats.
So, the Kearnes are on a goat trip of sorts. And, according to Mary Gallant of Bloomfield, so is about every third or fourth household in West Prince.
Her estimate might be on the high side, but Gallant is suggesting an explosion in the goat population, and she is in on it.
Gallant became a miniature goat farmer in April and, like the Kearnes, now has three goats, Spencer, Cory and Vincent van Goat, Vinnie for short. She, too, intends to add to her numbers.
They’re also hoping to get organized. Gallant and the Kearnes, along with Dyan and Gregory
Barnett from Alma, are the founding members of Goat Fanciers of West Prince.
They are holding a public information and registration meeting on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Tired Iron Tractor Club in Carleton, Lot 6.
Goat fanciers, Gallant explains, is just a fancy term for goat lovers. The new club is open to people who have goats, had goats, want goats or just want to have fun with other people’s goats.
Owners of all types and sizes of goats are welcome.
The group is open to adults and children.
There’s power and support in numbers, Kearnes suggests.
“There’s support, resources and perhaps some buying power, and everything that a co-op can get you, when you get a group of people with a common interest together,” she said.
Still relatively new to P.E.I., Kerry is finding the shared interest in goats has been a great way to meet people and make new friends.
“It seems like people came out of the woodwork who had goats; people I didn’t know had goats.”
Kearnes and Gallant agree goats are easy to raise and make great pets.
Although she admits other members will have their own vision, Gallant indicates her vision for the club includes working with children to help them clicker-train their goats and to work on goat agility training.
“They’re very smart animals and they’re very easy to train,” she said.