Memories of a 50% Boer doe, Jar-Jar

Before I started establishing my Oberhasli herd a 50% boer doe came into my life. We named her Jar-Jar and she was really beautiful. She was red and white with white legs from the knees down. She reminded me of a majorette with white boots on, I loved that.

The reason she came to me was funny. She got into her previous owner's pocket and ate his cash, over $50! So she was worth more than $50 right off the bat! Can't you just visualize that! Jar-jar running off with his cash, eating it as she ran and him running after her trying to get it back, yelling and screaming and cussing. I assume he didn't have a gun handy.

When she kidded with two big old vigorous buck kids there was plenty of milk and after the bucks were sold, what the heck. I went down and dug my old milk stand out of dad's barn and set it up in the corner of the pen. About that same time I got my wonderful Cherokee aka Grandma, the heaviest unofficial milker in Ohio, and I started milking both of them.

Jar-jar drove me crazy. She had her head in Grandma's feed when I was milking and no amount of hitting, kicking or yelling would deter her. Then when she got her turn she would eat another scoop of feed, finish that and then look at me from the side of her eye and stomp her feet demanding more feed. That goat could both eat and milk! She stopped her pick pocketing but made up for it with her voracious appetite.

Milking Jar-jar was an experience. She had very small teats, four of them. The extra two were small, about an inch long, at the base of her normal teats and didn't seem to function so they weren't any problem at all. Her udder was so soft and supple, it was heaven and milked down to nothing, what you wish would happen with your dairy goats. The teats were so small that I had to milk her udder. That is, I would grab above the teats and work down to the teats. It was a different technique but worked just fine. Now I have automatic milkers and it wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

If you find yourself with a Jar-jar, just appreciate her for what she is. Like men, goats don't change.