Addie's Herd Includes Humans

Pets come in all sorts but even in lamb territory, a goat is still a little unusual. Meet AddieMae, the black, fluffy-furred friend out at the Curry Ranch. AddieMae is a Nigerian Dwarf Goat, bred for dairy products and who will soon be able to supply up to a gallon of milk per day although that is not why she was brought into the Curry family.

According to 11-year-old Riley, one of two sons of John and Tacy Curry, the goat was a gift, and one hard-earned one as well. It seems Riley's big brother, Spencer, saw the baby goat while working on a ranch for a friend and supplied two full days of labor to earn her. Spencer wanted to give her to Riley because he knew his little brother "would just love her" for his birthday.

"When I first got her, she'd always cry out and I bottle fed her," said Riley.

"We gave her little chicken friends so she wouldn't be lonely," said his mother. "Now she thinks chickens are her herd."

Riley thinks he's lucky to have a pet different from his friends.

"They're all jealous," he said as he fed the goat alfalfa hay and grain. "When I first got her, we'd run around the whole ranch and she stayed up with me."

Riley said she doesn't bark and she can walk on two legs. She also likes to play butting heads with things and seems happy with her 'herd.'  Tacy, who is also a 4-H leader said that goats like to be in herds but since AddieMae has been raised around a lot of other animals, she acts if they are all her herd.

"She can do tricks and she can jump up on stuff — she's like a super goat!" Riley said. His mom explained that goats are a little more difficult to contain but that she thought the goat was a good idea when Spencer asked about getting Addie May for Riley.

"It teaches responsibility and that there are different types of breeds so they are learning specialized care," she said giving credit to fellow 4-H leaders, Gina White and Jeanne Kluge, for their help on projects like AddieMae. Although Riley doesn't see AddieMae as a project; She is his pet.

"Large livestock are animals, too, and the kids can become very bonded to them," Tacy said. "It's a learning process but I know this gives them a deeper understanding of our food system and that it's not as simple as going to the grocery store. Most people don't realize that there is someone who has a job to process meat or dairy."

The family plans to breed the one year old goat this coming spring so she'll produce milk which can be anywhere from eight ounces to a full gallon per day and Riley is looking forward to showing her at the Solano County Fair. In the meantime, they'll keep busy tending the rest of their 'family' that includes 30 chickens, 12 rabbits, 3 ducks, two cats, a dog and two tortoises.