Bryce Culbertson rubs the head of his goat named Moon on Thursday morning, shortly after checking his animal into the Allen County Fair. His goat, which weighed in at 75 pounds, is playful and excited being around all the other competitors.
I named her Moon because when I got her she had a perfect crescent moon on the top of her head, said 10-year-old Bryce, who will be in fifth grade at Humboldt Elementary this fall. Its still there, it is just harder to make it out now.
Moons roommate is Star and belongs to Bryces 8-year-old sister, Kara.
She just named her Star because I named mine Moon, Bryce says, shaking his head in disapproval.
Star is always on the prowl for food and on the lookout for Kara.
My favorite thing about Star is every time I am outside and she sees me, she makes a loud sound, telling me get over here, I want you, Kara said. She loves me. When we got her she was a bottle baby. She was 28 pounds when we got her and now she is 72, which is more than we expected her to be.
The brother and sister say that a lot of work goes into caring for their goats. They feed and water them constantly, but the biggest obstacle is walking them, getting them ready to show.
It seems pretty simple, but they dont really want to walk, so basically youre just dragging them around. I pretty much just dragged him around for a month, but he walks pretty good now, Bryce said.
Bryce, who shows his goat in the Intermediate Division, said his goat Dipstick took second place last year, but he is hoping to do better with Moon.
Last year I must have done pretty good, because I made more money off of boosters than I did my goat, he said. Most of the money I make comes from 4-H. Other than that its either my birthday or Christmas.
Bryce and Kara belong to Square B 4-H club. Kara will be competing in the Beginner Division. She will also be showing a bug project, consisting of many different beetles she has collected.
Bryce is thinking about branching out and getting a sheep next year, but says he really likes the personalities that goats have.
The thing I like most about goats is their personalities. It just depends on what youre trying to do with Moon. She is really strong and will fight you if you are trying to walk her for the first time. She likes to nibble on other goats ears and nibble on your fingers, Bryce said. Star here, she likes to eat your clothes. Star is always jumping on us looking for food, even if we dont have any.
