Badass Mama Goat

A group of us had the chance today to visit a local organic farm. I had photographed it years ago in its building phase for a feature story, so I was looking forward do seeing its progress.

In addition to a rare English shire draft horse, and dozens of chickens and chicks, two nanny pygmy goats also call this farm home. One of the nannies is due to deliver any day, but the other had given birth to her kids only three days ago.

One of the owners told us she had come out two mornings ago and saw that the mama goat had bloody scratches all over her face and that the door to her little pen had been opened. She thought at first that the mama had tried to get out of her pen and scratched her face. Then she noticed a handful of owl feathers in the pen with the kids (who were completely unharmed).

So the next night (last night) the owner put a chicken wire net over the goat pen, and then went out to the barn in the late evening. Sure enough, there was a great horned owl sitting up in the rafters eying the baby goats. The owner opened a door in the hayloft and chased the owl out, and the kids were safe for the night.

We were amazed that a great horned owl, big as it is, would still attempt to take a 2-3 lb baby goat. But their diet is varied, and it's not unheard of for an owl to prey on porcupines, skunks, and domestic cats.

I was also awestruck by the idea of a little pygmy goat fighting off an owl to defend her babies. Then again, as a mama myself, I completely get it.