Lisa, our son Rowan, and I are living on a third of an acre near Porltand, Maine. We have been implementing our permaculture design for 5 years or so. We teach permaculture, reskilling, and relocalization in an ever growing community. We have access to farm land directly abutting our property and we're slowing expanding onto it and our neighbors' back lawns! We plan to add about 4 goats in the spring of next year. We think a buck and three does (not sure of all the lingo yet!). So, I'm here to learn and eventually to share! We currently have 28 Muscovy ducks for meat, eggs, and for sale as ducklings up through breeding stock (still novices but we've ben at it over a year now). I just spoke with the farmer today about goats and he's all for it. We're taking down 10 trees in the wooded buffer to set up a shelter and put up fencing. I'm building a mini barn and plan to have the fence begin and end there. It'll be big enough to house my wintered over breedign ducks (about 8 of them), my flock of 8 to 12 layer chickens (yet to be aquired) and my 4 goats during the couple of months of coldest winter. It'll also have my milking parlor. Not sure how small it'll end up being! Looking forward to discussing things with many of you. Thanks for this forum!
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I am also from Maine//south of Portland and was thrilled to hear of somebody else in the area w/ Muscovy ducks!! I acquired 3 of them all orphans from a lady in New Hampshire!! She had quite the flock n these 3 were from different mothers who took off or got killed..and another duck played mommy to them. I got them real young and man have they changed color!! Ive got a chocolate one...a black,green w/ white and the yellow one who turned white is now grey and white! They are just now getting their curuncles and I have no idea age/or sex?? I absoulutly LOVE them!! Their sounds and tail wags are the best!! They are MESSY compaired to my chickens but live well together!! I definatly see more in my future!
We just got 2 girl Nigerians who are 4 months old! They have settled in nicely and our learning to trust us! I am still in the process of gathering everything I should know and have just stumbled upon this website! Im sure you will find much info hereto help you! Goat are very addicting..Im allready looking at getting somemore..lol
Goats will make a great addition to your permaculture system. Our garden went from blah to spectacular, using only the composted barn muck as fertilizer. Most people talk about goats wasting hay, but once I learned that composted alfalfa is really nutrient-rich, I stopped sweating it. You're in for a fun time!