Bleats, Bosses, and Beauty Queens

People often ask about our animals’ personalities and usually find it hilarious that we can tell whose bleat we’re hearing from across the pasture without ever laying eyes on them. But honestly, they’re like children. You’ve got the responsible ones, the jokesters, the tattletales, the ones who make life easy, the ones always up to no good, the jocks, the prissy ones. It’s truly a hoot.

So I thought I’d introduce you to our crew so you can get to know the characters of Van Acres a little better.

Luke – The OG

It might surprise you, but we actually started with sheep before goats. Luke was our first bottle baby, along with his sister Leia, who sadly passed before she turned one. Luke is often mistaken for a ram and sometimes misjudged as mean because of his horns. In reality, he’s the alpha and undisputed leader of the flock.

Nobody messes with Luke. Everyone respects him, and if someone tries to challenge him, he puts them in their place quickly. Usually only once. Nothing scares him. He walks straight up to barking dogs, stomps his feet to warn others to back off, and carries himself with a smooth, cool-guy confidence. The flock feels safe when Luke is around.

He’s incredibly strong, though thankfully he’s never shown us his full power. He’s cautious around strangers and, being a sheep, he’s not one to walk up and ask for love. He’ll stand back and observe. But if someone crosses his comfort zone, he’ll absolutely protect himself.

Stripe & Red

Stripe and Red are our other two sheep and true to classic sheep behavior. They keep their distance unless you’re holding cookies and always follow Luke’s lead.

Stripe came to us as a four-day-old bottle baby and was fostered by Wooly Green Grazers so he could learn how to use a bottle bucket alongside lambs his own age. For such a cute sheep, he has the deepest “baaa” you’ve ever heard. It makes me laugh every single time because the sound never matches the face.

Red bonded with Stripe almost immediately when he arrived and they’ve been best buds ever since. They’re total introverts and usually hang out off by themselves, which I suspect is their way of avoiding the goat chaos altogether.

Lady & Little Girl

Lady and Little Girl were the first female goats on our farm and came together.

Lady is bossy, bold, and unapologetically rude. She’ll headbutt animals twice her size and never backs down. It’s actually pretty entertaining. Her name used to be Karen, which honestly explains a lot. She gave birth to triplets (Axl, Sue, and Brick) and was an excellent mother. I don’t know how she handled three at once, but she nailed it. I’m never worried about Lady. She starts most of the fights and always holds her own.

Little Girl has uniquely shaped horns that people often notice and ask about. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her. They suit her perfectly, and I barely even see them as different anymore. She had Baby Van first, then twins Lois and Clark (Clark passed around a year and a half old). She was a wonderful mom both times. Little Girl is the sweetest and shortest goat we have, with just enough sass sprinkled in, likely thanks to Lady’s influence.

Baby Van

Baby Van was the first kid born on our farm, hence the name. Even though he’s over two now, he’ll always be my Baby Van.

His bleat is hilarious. It starts like a scream and turns into a screech. He absolutely hates being walked on a halter and leaps around like a Lipizzaner horse. He’s the perfect blend of his mom and dad Zeus (who passed from a health issue). He lets me love on him and has the cutest little horns.

Lois

Lois was extremely bonded to her twin brother Clark. He wouldn’t go anywhere without her and would scream until he found her if they were separated.

At first, Lois wanted nothing to do with humans. She was fearful and kept her distance, so we worked patiently with her. One day something clicked and she became a total love bug. Now she walks great on a lead, comes up for pets, and is incredibly sweet. She’s kind but will stand her ground and occasionally picks on goats she knows she can boss around, though never for long.

Axl, Sue & Brick

Triplets, yet wildly different personalities.

Axl is the only one with horns and is tall and very “goat-looking.” He doesn’t want to be loved on but likes being near us. He still hangs out with his mom and tends to be more of a loner, except for his sister Sue.

Sue is the shortest and has little waddles on her jawline. She’s not interested in human attention at all and keeps to herself, usually with Axl.

Brick came out of the womb loving humans. He cannot get enough attention. He looks just like his mom and has different coloring than his siblings. The first time I tried to halter him, he flopped onto his side and refused to move. He grunts when he wants other goats to back off and will absolutely assert himself when food or attention is involved.

Aries

Aries (along with Zeus) came to us as a buck and fulfilled his dad duties very successfully. After our second round of surprise babies, Aries was castrated and has since mellowed out, though he’s still mischievous.

He’s the only goat who consistently challenges Luke. They’ll square off until Aries eventually decides his head hurts too much to keep trying for the alpha spot. If you’re sitting in the pasture and feel something nibbling on you, it’s probably Aries.

Jimi, Frank & Elvis

These were our first goats, along with Buddy who recently passed.

Jimi is huge, goofy, and very dog-like. I’m convinced he’s related to the Ice Age sloth. Same ears. Same eyes. When he runs, his head bobs side to side and his ears flop wildly. He always looks like he’s smiling and insists on being in the middle of everything. He has no mean bone in his body.

Elvis and Frank are twins and nearly identical. I tell them apart by checking one front leg. One is white, one is black. They started off cautious and suspicious but turned into total love bugs over time. They’re also our resident food lovers. Always a little chunky. Always a little lazy. Best buddies forever.

Penny, Pippy & Peeps

This trio joined us last summer and we’re still learning their personalities.

Penny is sweet and still very motherly. Pippy is tiny, gentle, and sticks close to her mom and brother. Peeps is a tough little bruiser who holds his own but also enjoys a little drama. He’ll sometimes hold his foot up pretending to be injured until he realizes I’m not falling for it.

Snowy & Ginger

These girls are pure princess energy. Dainty, feminine, and absolutely aware of their beauty. They follow us everywhere and love attention. They sometimes get picked on but have learned which goats to avoid. Total little beauty queens.

Ross, Chandler & Phoebe

The newest additions and possibly the biggest personalities.

They initially came off as tough guys but were quickly put in their place by the herd. Ross and Chandler love grabbing my clothes and trying to pull me in different directions. No outfit is safe around them. They’re curious, playful, and love hanging out with people.

Ross might be the coolest-looking goat I’ve ever seen. Chandler and Phoebe are siblings but couldn’t be more different. Phoebe loves attention and walks beautifully on a leash. Chandler prefers affection strictly on his terms and occasionally tries to guide my hand with his horns. We’re working on that.

Now that you’ve met the herd, take a moment to check out their photos. And if you ever book us for grazing, parties, or stop by the farm, you’ll already know a little about the personalities that make Van Acres such a fun and lively place.