Maximilian All Boy - Oh Boy!!

For those who might not remember this is the sweet little boy born 4/8/11 from Goat Mother Mishka and who I had to raise by bottle since Mishka decided she was far too busy still wanting to be my baby then taking care of her baby....


It is difficult to walk that fine line when raising boys because unlike the girls you have to be concerned that when they are full grown they will get confused as to who they are and who you are.

There are more horror stories out there of the things that happen when a bottle boy grows up wrong but I can say I have perfected this dance over the past 15 years. I have had many bottle boys - more then I can count in all the types of animals we raised (Sheep, Llama, Alpaca and Goat) and none have NEVER gotten confused or turned on me or those two legged folks who care for them now. In some cases especially with male bottle llama's they have even killed their owner because their play and breeding dance can and has lead to some horrify results - it is call Berserk Male Syndrome. We have also heard stories of a ram one day being your best buddy and the next turning and plowing it's owner over and over into a gate or side of the barn until bones are broken or even worse. The line is to remember you are their Mom but you treat them like a four legged Mom would do not a two legged one.

I admit it can get hard at times after you have spent weeks getting this sweet faced baby up and surviving but in order to have the right outcome in the long run it is my responsibility not to blur those lines. Now don't get me wrong Max comes running when he sees me, he wants all my attention just as any baby does but there is no pushing of any kind, never are they allowed to jumping on me, no head butting or body leaning is allowed. He is a gentlemen all the way even when he feels it is challenging to share my attention with the other bottle girls or the 80 other goats on this farm. He loves to snuggle and sit in my lap but only when I give permission. He wants nose kisses all the time but again not if he is being pushy or if I have work to be done. He allows the two bottle girl kids to eat with him without charging or guarding the food but I still allow him to be his own man. He follows me like a dog and comes to his name but I never touch him unless we both agree, I do not force him to my will unless the need arises. One mistake humans make is just because they can pick him up they do so, a goat mommy never picks up their kid. Humans spend too much time talking to them instead of giving complete eye contact in silence. Humans also forget they are a goat, not a dog, or play toy - they are counting on us filling the role of their absent Goat mother not fill our needs for something to cuddle or even worse dress up. My other bottle males who are every inch True Blue Goat Males still maintain their kind, well behaved nature while being the studs they are to born to be - some of my bottle men are breeding men which is the real test to my methods - even when they are in the throws of breeding they never challenge me, bully me or get confused as to if I am the head of the farm or girl friend. I have seen other farms struggle with this and many a boy has been killed because of the behavior they learned at the bottle. It is a thin line we walk while trying our best to care and love for our males. Also remember, they are animals first and so no matter what we as humans need to keep our eyes open and our wits about us. In my case many of them out weigh me, are way much faster then I was in my teen years which was long ago and they carry horns longer then my arms and if they ever get confused could kill me without even much effort...

So WHAT do you think of Larkspur Funny Farms Maximilian??? A Real Heart Throb!