Once upon a time there lived two urban peasants, in Hulbert St, Fremantle, "the best street in Australia". On a tiny 200sq m block surrounded by vegetable gardens and tolerant neighbours, they decided to take their quest for sustainable living further, and add two goats to the suburban "farm".
Meet Tim and Shani, a couple of very inspiring and dedicated people whom I met because of goats, and I am very pleased that I did. Tim and Shani are quite possibly the world's best goatkeepers, and are quite unconventional in how they do it.
When I met Tim and Shani, they were living in Hulbert St, Fremantle - known as "The Sustainable Street", they were central to the theme of sustainable community living, and I had never experienced anything like it. Community pizza nights, street movie nights, verge gardening, composting. Everywhere I looked there were veggie/herb gardens inviting people to help themselves, chickens in the backyard, a community library/book swap in an old outdoor dunny, solar power, and of course The Painted Fish, a renowned model for sustainable accomodation.
Tim and Shani first started in goats as a means of consuming dairy products without plastic packaging: you can read their wonderful blog about their experience as first time goat owners here http://thepaintedfish.com.au/i-never-wanted-to-have-kids-%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6/ Tim contacted me to ask some goatkeeping advice, housing, feeding and how to encourage milk production. After a few chats and a picture we established that their "saanen doe" Spice wasn't a saanen at all! She looked to be a Boer cross, possibly cashmere, with maybe a little bit of saanen in her, but that explains why her milk production wasn't very good!
Fast forward a few months, Spice had been rehomed to a large farm, and Tim and Shani had bought a new milking goat, Kirsh. A "proper" saanen this time! This is when I first met them in person, having previously only emailed, and I had no idea what to expect when I followed the Navman directions to Hulbert Street, just in time for the regular afternoon goat walk up to the bush area at the end of the street. What I found was a situation which as a goat breeder, I could never recommend, but I found two people who absolutely adore their goats, and two of the happiest goats I've ever seen.
As a goat breeder, I generally recommend people have at least half an acre to keep their goats, but an acre or more is infinitely better. I generally like to know my goats are able to roam freely across large pastures to graze and explore, and the more room the better. I dont generally recommend goats as backyard pets, however I cannot deny that Tim and Shani have some of the happiest goats in the world, and all in a small pen in a backyard. They have a smorgasbord of food - hay, grain, branches, vegetables, a safe enclosed pen and shelter from the rain, and a daily walk to explore and graze. I think I can safely say that if you are dedicated enough, you can definitely make suburban goats "work" - and Tim and Shani are proof of that.
Tim and Shani have since moved from Hulbert St to a new property only just around the corner. During the shift, Kirsh and Sunday came to live with me, and it was a bit of an adjustment period for them, not only living in a 12 acre paddock but also living in a herd of other goats. I am happy to say though, that Ecoburbia is up and running again. With slightly more space at this property, they have opted to keep two saanen does rather than a saanen and a mini companion. After a rather unsuccessful search for a good quality saanen companion for Kirsh, I made the decision to sell them Primrose, my yearling saanen doe. Primrose is a very special little goat, she is the first registered saanen doe that I have bred and thus the first to carry the Serendipity prefix. She is also my only daughter from my very special girl, Violet. She did exceptionally well as a youngster in the show ring, winning Supreme Exhibit in the Kid Parade at Perth Royal Show 2012 and a number of other Champion Kid awards at local shows. Unfortunately, Primrose ate the wild lupins growing in the paddock, which gave her a condition called photosensitivity, which damaged her ears and ended her show career. Ecoburbia goats need to be friendly and easy to handle, happy to meet lots of new people and children, and happy to go for walks on a collar and lead. Primrose is great for this, as she went to so many shows as a kid (including the Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta at only 4 weeks old!) so she is used to it, she is very friendly and outgoing. Shani hopes to do milking demonstrations with her when she kids for the first time next year, and I think she will be great at this, as her mother Violet used to be my "PR goat" giving milking demonstrations and letting strangers have a go at milking her, before she lost half her udder to mastitis. I think Primrose will make a very good suburban goat, and I cannot thank Tim and Shani enough for providing a very special home for my very special goat. I honestly cannot think of a better home for her.
I often get people enquiring about whether they can have goats in the backyard. My first response is always "check with your council". Tim and Shani have recieved a "license" to have two goats on their property. Council restrictions differ so make sure you check. Then check with your neighbour. Finally, it takes the right type of person and the right type of goat to make this unusual situation work. Saanens have traditionally been kept in small lots, backyards, and stables in England, so they do well in confinement and are usually my recommended breed for small holdings.
If you would like to follow the news from Ecoburbia including the goats, you can find them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ecoburbia/331119163598830?ref=br_tf and for a great read, check out this blog post from when Kirsh weaned the triplets and one of the challenges in keeping goats in suburbia http://thepaintedfish.com.au/sleepless-nights-when-the-kids-leave-home/
Here are a few photos of Ecoburbia and the lucky goats who live there.
Meet Tim and Shani, a couple of very inspiring and dedicated people whom I met because of goats, and I am very pleased that I did. Tim and Shani are quite possibly the world's best goatkeepers, and are quite unconventional in how they do it.
When I met Tim and Shani, they were living in Hulbert St, Fremantle - known as "The Sustainable Street", they were central to the theme of sustainable community living, and I had never experienced anything like it. Community pizza nights, street movie nights, verge gardening, composting. Everywhere I looked there were veggie/herb gardens inviting people to help themselves, chickens in the backyard, a community library/book swap in an old outdoor dunny, solar power, and of course The Painted Fish, a renowned model for sustainable accomodation.
Tim and Shani first started in goats as a means of consuming dairy products without plastic packaging: you can read their wonderful blog about their experience as first time goat owners here http://thepaintedfish.com.au/i-never-wanted-to-have-kids-%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6/ Tim contacted me to ask some goatkeeping advice, housing, feeding and how to encourage milk production. After a few chats and a picture we established that their "saanen doe" Spice wasn't a saanen at all! She looked to be a Boer cross, possibly cashmere, with maybe a little bit of saanen in her, but that explains why her milk production wasn't very good!
Fast forward a few months, Spice had been rehomed to a large farm, and Tim and Shani had bought a new milking goat, Kirsh. A "proper" saanen this time! This is when I first met them in person, having previously only emailed, and I had no idea what to expect when I followed the Navman directions to Hulbert Street, just in time for the regular afternoon goat walk up to the bush area at the end of the street. What I found was a situation which as a goat breeder, I could never recommend, but I found two people who absolutely adore their goats, and two of the happiest goats I've ever seen.
As a goat breeder, I generally recommend people have at least half an acre to keep their goats, but an acre or more is infinitely better. I generally like to know my goats are able to roam freely across large pastures to graze and explore, and the more room the better. I dont generally recommend goats as backyard pets, however I cannot deny that Tim and Shani have some of the happiest goats in the world, and all in a small pen in a backyard. They have a smorgasbord of food - hay, grain, branches, vegetables, a safe enclosed pen and shelter from the rain, and a daily walk to explore and graze. I think I can safely say that if you are dedicated enough, you can definitely make suburban goats "work" - and Tim and Shani are proof of that.
Tim and Shani have since moved from Hulbert St to a new property only just around the corner. During the shift, Kirsh and Sunday came to live with me, and it was a bit of an adjustment period for them, not only living in a 12 acre paddock but also living in a herd of other goats. I am happy to say though, that Ecoburbia is up and running again. With slightly more space at this property, they have opted to keep two saanen does rather than a saanen and a mini companion. After a rather unsuccessful search for a good quality saanen companion for Kirsh, I made the decision to sell them Primrose, my yearling saanen doe. Primrose is a very special little goat, she is the first registered saanen doe that I have bred and thus the first to carry the Serendipity prefix. She is also my only daughter from my very special girl, Violet. She did exceptionally well as a youngster in the show ring, winning Supreme Exhibit in the Kid Parade at Perth Royal Show 2012 and a number of other Champion Kid awards at local shows. Unfortunately, Primrose ate the wild lupins growing in the paddock, which gave her a condition called photosensitivity, which damaged her ears and ended her show career. Ecoburbia goats need to be friendly and easy to handle, happy to meet lots of new people and children, and happy to go for walks on a collar and lead. Primrose is great for this, as she went to so many shows as a kid (including the Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta at only 4 weeks old!) so she is used to it, she is very friendly and outgoing. Shani hopes to do milking demonstrations with her when she kids for the first time next year, and I think she will be great at this, as her mother Violet used to be my "PR goat" giving milking demonstrations and letting strangers have a go at milking her, before she lost half her udder to mastitis. I think Primrose will make a very good suburban goat, and I cannot thank Tim and Shani enough for providing a very special home for my very special goat. I honestly cannot think of a better home for her.
I often get people enquiring about whether they can have goats in the backyard. My first response is always "check with your council". Tim and Shani have recieved a "license" to have two goats on their property. Council restrictions differ so make sure you check. Then check with your neighbour. Finally, it takes the right type of person and the right type of goat to make this unusual situation work. Saanens have traditionally been kept in small lots, backyards, and stables in England, so they do well in confinement and are usually my recommended breed for small holdings.
If you would like to follow the news from Ecoburbia including the goats, you can find them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ecoburbia/331119163598830?ref=br_tf and for a great read, check out this blog post from when Kirsh weaned the triplets and one of the challenges in keeping goats in suburbia http://thepaintedfish.com.au/sleepless-nights-when-the-kids-leave-home/
Here are a few photos of Ecoburbia and the lucky goats who live there.