He was brought to our farm to be a companion for Tilly, our rescue lamb. Tilly, being a pack animal, was incredibly depressed because she was alone without a herd. She tried to bond with the chickens, she slept in the coop with them and followed them around the farm but the chickens were not interested in that, and Archie wasn’t much of a companion because he didn’t sleep outside. She was beginning to lose her hair from stress and was visibly anxious. She cried constantly. It really bummed us out to see her that way.
Tilly followed the chickens under the house…then got stuck!
Poncho came from a very small farm in Monroe, Wisconsin. He was in danger of becoming someone’s meal when we met him. His owners loved him and cared for him but were unable to keep him anymore, so we bought him for $50 before someone else could. He’s a Nigerian Dwarf goat so he easily fit into Archie’s car carrier, so we loaded him up in our truck and took him home that day.
Poncho & Tilly.
Tilly was so happy to see him. They became fast friends. He’s a great guy. Friendly, playful, social and a real joy to have around. He’s now the leader of our little pack of goats and we’re so happy to have him.
It has been a very busy couple of months on Archie’s Acres. We’ve begun working farmer’s markets and we’ve adopted/rescued a few new residents. We’re so happy to be able to give them happy homes. Also, sadly, we had to say goodbye to our head rooster, Nacho, who died last week.
Nacho was the head rooster on this farm. RIP
Nacho was a huge loss. Our hens have been staying close to the coop ever since; however, we’re hopeful that one of Nacho’s two sons will step up to protect the flock.
Farm life is an emotional roller coaster most weeks.
Meet Poncho!
He is our new 2-3 year old Nigerian Dwarf goat rescue. He’s a nice, friendly and well behaved guy. We adopted him from a couple in Monroe, WI who had too many wethered males in their herd. (By the way, wethered means fixed.) He was their favorite and didn’t want to see him become someone’s food. So we were happy to take him! He will join Tilly as a landscape specialist.
Poncho.
He and Tilly became fast friends, Tilly was sooo happy not to be an only child. She hated being in the pasture alone so she hung out with the chickens, and for a time, thought she was a chicken. She even went under the house to cool off on hot days, like a chicken….
Tilly thinks she’s a chicken.
Meet Betty White
Betty White came from our neighbor ( a few miles away) who is a goat farmer. She didn’t become a mom this past season so he informed us that the herd would see her as a drain on the herd and would most likely beat her to death this winter, so we gladly took her. We named her Betty White because she’s a feisty old broad who doesn’t take any lip from anyone. She’ll be an excellent addition to our tiny herd.
Betty White
These 2 goats have joined Tilly in the our 3.5 acre fenced pasture and will work as landscape specialists. I think we’re all very excited about this!
We are excited to announce that we could be at a farmer’s market near you!!
Our farmer’s market booth!
Currently we are participating in the Rockford City Market every 2nd and 4th Friday of each month. And this Sunday, July 2nd, we will be doing the Glenwood Sunday Market on the North side of Chicago in Rogers Park. We’ve enjoyed the process of having a booth at a farmer’s market. It has been fun and we’re very excited to be a part of these wonderful events. Being able to provide people with organic produce and tasty eggs is extremely rewarding. Stay tuned for more farmers market announcements! We’ll try to keep our calendar in the “Shop” tab of the website up to date so keep checking.
We’ll also announce our market schedules on Instagram @archiesacres and Facebook @archiesacres
