Message From Mystic Family's Little Herd: 'We Goat This'

MYSTIC, CT — Stacy Zujus has a thing for long, floppy ears. On her Miniature Nubian goats, that is.

In 2016, the Mystic mom of two adult sons, whose day job is dispatcher for SEAT buses, was gifted on her birthday with Flying Jenny by her husband Greg. Though she'd owned goats before, back then, she was a newbie with a lot to learn.

This time around, Stacy has this down.

"We had Tennessee Fainting Goats back in 2005, and they were a lot of fun, but we were new then and didn't know how to take care of goats," she said. "And there were not many goat vets around here, surprisingly."

She now has a "dedicated" veterinarian she loves, BC Large Animal Clinic's Dr. Alice Ennis, "is wonderful."

Bramble Barn Farm

At the Zujus home on North Stonignton Road, a small red barn is set back from the roadway, with a herd of Miniature Nubian goats, roaming, and frolicking contentedly. On a recent drive by, a reporter slowed down, and so did another car, to get a glimpse of the four-legged residents at Bramble Barn Farm.

"This time around we chose a dairy goat breed but didn't want a large animal, so we settled on the Miniature Nubian, we have 6 total now 1 buck and 5 does," Stacy said. "I love the long floppy ears."

Stacy said the goats are a "fairly new breed and all are registered with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association."

The Zujus' have travelled to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to but their most of their herd, "and even kept a couple that have been born at Bramble Barn."

"I don't know why but I've always had an affinity for goats," she said. "Over the years we have had sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, bees and even peacocks."

But it's more than just fun and games with Stacy's goats, they're so productive!

"After they have kids, and the kids are eating on their own, we milk the does and I use the milk to make soap," Stacy said, and her husband has made cheese, and, "This year he tried yogurt. Goat's milk has a much creamier taste than cow's milk."

When asked about what her goats munch on in the farm-yard, she said, "Goats will eat a lot of things, but not necessarily what is good for them, some landscaping plants can be toxic for them. Our goats have their own pasture they can graze, and they get food and hay every night."

Stacy said folks often stop to visit her Bramble Barn Farm goats.

"My goats are super friendly, but some like attention more than others," she explained, and bonded to her. "Jack is always at my side when I'm in the pen."

Stacy said that she and her husband mostly tend to the herd: "I have one son that is allergic to the goats and the other son is allergic to hay so...that leaves them out."

One morning, in the early days of the pandemic, her son Nick Zujus serenaded the herd.

Soap from goats you know

"I would call us a hobby farm since we don't depend on it for income. I did just start selling soap from the house, I've made beer soap and sold that at Beer'd Brewing for three years now," she said.

Bramble Barn Farm handmade goats-milk soap is for sale outside the little farm. On the honor system.

"We have people that stop daily to see the goats," she said, "So I figured that maybe people would like to use a soap from the goats they know."

Hanging out with all her 'kids 'during a pandemic

Stacy works a tough gig helping to make sure SEAT buses run smoothly all over New London County. And though the pandemic, she took inspiration from her herd of kids.