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Panda is the undisputed Herd Queen at Live a Little Farm. She carries herself
with pride and an unmistakable air of superiority. She is ALWAYS the first one in line to be milked, and all visitors
to the farm will be subjected to her scrutiny, since she will be the first goat at the gate to investigate who is there.
Panda was the first doe I ever took to a show and from her first step into the show ring, it was evident
that Panda hated everything about showing. I suspect she considers it undiginifed for a doe of her standing.
Whatever the reason, she certainly made that first show an experience I will never forget. She took one look at
the judge, snorted loudly, planted both front feet firmly in front of her ... and flatly refused to budge.
What should have been a graceful walk around the show ring became a contest of wills between doe and handler - a very messy
game of push and drag every step of the way. Then when I attempted to set her up to show off her many good attributes,
she defiantly arched her back and tucked her rear legs way under in a very inelegant crouching position. Needless to
say, the judge had very few kind comments for Panda that day and placed her second last. Sigh!
One place
where Panda does perform beautifully is on the milk stand. Boy, can she milk! As a first-freshener she consistently
produced four pounds of milk each day. She is a pleasure to milk with nice-sized, plumb teats that express
easily. Panda also has that "will-to-milk" that is so desirable in a dairy goat. She will happily continue
to milk ad infinitum. In 2012, two months prior to kidding, she was still producing almost 2 pounds per day (after 48
months in milk and being milked once per day for the last six months) and I had to work hard to force her to
dry off so she could have a break prior to kidding. LOVE this doe!!!
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