breezy acres

Adventures with Francis

By CHELSEA GRASSE
Posted 12/8/21

Meet Francis! This furry guy is a 10-year-old half-Nigerian Dwarf and half-Boer-bred goat. Francis was brought to the farm in 2011 when he was one year old and became part of the family instantly. He …

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breezy acres

Adventures with Francis

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Meet Francis! This furry guy is a 10-year-old half-Nigerian Dwarf and half-Boer-bred goat. Francis was brought to the farm in 2011 when he was one year old and became part of the family instantly. He became best buds with Bucky the goat, ate lots of snacks and treats, and started playing with all the other animals more confidently.

During his first few months on the farm, he mastered escaping the pen, which was lined with electric wiring; it gives a short shock to anything touching it. It also keeps the goats and donkey in, and predators out.

Francis would run from the animals’ pen to the house, jump up the steps on the porch, and proceed to pound on the front door with his hooves, crying until the door was answered and he got petted. He loved to come inside, see everyone, and curiously checked out everything inside the house.

 At this time, Francis was still small and under two hundred pounds, so he could fit inside the Jeep I owned. He wanted to take rides with me. Because he got used to escaping the pen and going for car rides, there were even a few times that Francis chased the mail carrier and tried to get inside the vehicle to go for a ride with him.

Francis does not fit in the car or run up to the house anymore, but to this day he does escape the pen and run to the barn, where he knows there is hay and grain. Francis’ favorite things are hay, grain, carrots, pumpkins, chicken feed, salt licks, being brushed and petted, and running through the field in the summer. He does not like Milo the dog and tries to head-butt or charge at him when they are together, but he is too big and slow to catch Milo. Milo usually runs circles around Francis. He also does not like getting his hooves trimmed or when he must be dewormed and ingest liquid medicine. Overall, Francis has been able to live his best life at the farm with all his furry friends and family.

Francis, goat, farm life

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