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Little goat is home, Meet Oliver.

The little guy came home today, he's settling in just fine. We made a outside pen for him for the day time and we have him in the barn tucked away safe and sound for the night. I will keep him away from my other two for a while. This guy is small. After all this he might not be staying with me long. I have a few people very interested in him. We'll see. This time it's all about finding the right home for him, if I can't well then I guess I have another goat. 10603997289?profile=original

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Little goat coming home

So I've decided to take in the unwanted Nigerian Dwarf goat that a co-workers daughter bought because she thought it  was cute, had if for a week and decided she didn't want it, so off to another co-workers home because she thought her son would like it, well it's been about another week and she doesn't want it. So I'm taking it. I get very frustrated with some peoples thinking. This poor little guy hasn't seen a vet yet has been moved around like old furniture.

I'm picking him up on Saturday, he has his first appointment at the vet on May 10th, OMG how hard was that. Sorry for venting.

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I Didn't Wait Long

Zoe kidded about two weeks after I noticed her udder. Her kids were smaller than the other five born here in the last three weeks. She was in with the buck to keep him company until I noticed her udder and did not get a whole lot of grain since I didn't know she was even pregnant!  So..I think I have been feeding my pregnant goats too much and thats why the first five were bigger. 

All of the kids are growing and doing well.10603994462?profile=original

Kidding season is over for now. I am thankful.

Here's Whit, born yesterday.10603994281?profile=original

And here's his sister Kali.10603995253?profile=original

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Why do I always work at places that close?

This is the 4th job I have had where I have been laid off due to closure. And right now is the absolute worst time too! Monday will be my last day since I was scheduled off  Tuesday and Wednesday and 9-5 Thursday but they decided to close at 11AM Thursday and I just don't see the point of rushing to get there at 9 and leaving after only two hours. I'll get those two hours before Monday since I am almost always on register and have to take time at the end of my shift to count down anyway.

I found 5 jobs in the paper that I plan to apply for , plus Walmart, Sams, and Target. Its a little far but  I might try the tractor supply they just opened. It would be pretty neat to get a job in a feed store or a vets or something like that. Or a job actually using my degree in Business. The only thing is I will do just about anything to stay on this side of Lake Pontchartrain.  I really don't want to drive the hour plus each way to New Orleans every day unless they pay teacher salary at the least.

 

I guess this means I really have to get those boys sold. If any one might be interested in either of them please let me know. I won't refuse a reasonable offer.

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Buckwheat is 6 weeks old now!

Buckwheat is doing really well.  He went to the vet about a week ago, and got his CDT shot, got wormed, had his hooves trimmed and the boil lanced on his cheek.  He's on antibiotics for that now, but it's almost completely gone.  :)  The vet did check him over and said he is malnourished but assured me that I am doing all the right things and he should start to thrive very soon.  He only weighs 6.6 lbs!! My rat terrier weighs more than that!  He's now eating little bits of hay and a raisin here and there...he's also chewing his cud, so that's a good sign.  The vet looked at his ears and told me that the tips of his ears had frostbite and that he may lose the tips.  Sadly, yesterday, he did lose a tiny piece on his left ear.  He didn't get frostbite here, because he sleeps in a pack and play inside our house...he must've gotten it from his previous home. :(  He does go outside during the day when it's nice out and hangs out with our baby bunnies in their pen.  He just loves jumping around and standing up on the stump I put in there for him...he's a crazy boy and we just love him.   He's somewhat of a celebrity at the grain store.  When we walk in, everybody yells, "HI BUCKWHEAT!!!"  I love it.  The said he's the only goat who comes in there.  I take him with me every time, although I must say, he is not that fond of the car! Anyways...just wanted to post that he is doing great, and we are currently looking for a buddy or two for him to play with.  For now, he thinks he's a dog!
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An Udder

I wrote last June 30 about my goat Zoe who was bought bred but really wasn't.  I put her in several times after that with the buck and she kept coming back into heat. Well, when I bought a new buck on Oct 21st I put her with him to keep him company.  I checked on her udder occasionally but figured she was going to get pregnant again.  Today I noticed she had an udder!  Now I have NO idea when she will kid.  Go figure.

This buck is good. He's the father of the quints I lost and the triplets we just had. I have another due in the next couple of days. Could she be due that soon?

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RIP Care A Lot's Pecial

Bad day, Bad day, Bad day....

We only go out of town two weeks a year. One at Christmas and one in the summer. I am planning now for that trip by trying to find a sitter who can milk the goats etc. So I had a homeschooling  mother and daughter over this morning to help with the morning chores. I was up at 5:30 and swept the porch which is now my milking parlor. I'd say it took about an hour and a half to finish with the does, and as we were walking back to the buck pen I noticed a white lump... as I got closer I noticed the position he was in and sure enough he was dead. I was so embarrassed that someone came over to see the farm and how everything works and they met a dead Pecial, and a confused Boudreaux. 

 

I just wormed him Friday. David did the chores last night because I had to close at work. He said Pecial was being his normal docile self...ate his grain and chewed his cud. So he died sometime between 7 and 7, and I want to say that I didn't miss him by much because he was still somewhat warm and flexible. I  took him to the vet and they said it would be about 5-7 days before they got the results back from the lab. I hope they talk to me and not David, because if he finds out the tests were expensive ( they haven't told us how much yet) he will be really upset. 

 

Pecial was an older buck but not THAT old.... but he was really nice looking and I was looking forward to breeding him with Isabel to give her some width. I was excited about getting good traits and blue eyes, but I guess I will have to wait on the blue eyes some more.

My mentor, whom Pecial came from said, that she would give me another buck to replace Pecial. One I have had my eye on for a while, and has some good width, so would make a good mate for Isabel still.   I am on my way to get him tomorrow. Boudreaux should be happy again tomorrow evening when I get back...for now he's screaming his head off. I can hear him in here...

 

If Oviedo doesn't grow out more in about a month I think I will keep him as a weather in case something like this ever happens again I'll have an insta-buddy.

 

I guess I picked a heck of a year to start with goats....seems like everyone has it rough.

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Super excited!

Madison, the littlest goat born @ Pink Roses Farm this year is doing much better! She's still eating around 2 oz at each bottle feeding. When she eats less at one feeding tends to make it up at the next one. This evening she ate 2.5 oz. She is also not shaking anymore, and doing better every day in terms of walking and getting up. She is outside all day now except for feedings and is starting to play more with her sister and half brothers.

I have been milking her mom twice a day Since they were born to get milk for Madison, and to freeze some for an emergency next year. The first few days I did not get much, but she is improving every day! By the 5th day she gave 6 oz 6th day 14 and today 21 oz!! I seriously cannot wait for next week when I start putting babies up at night and milking in the morning!

Everything around here takes forever and a day to get done! So I am really excited that tomorrow I am getting the boys cattle panel pens and they will be arriving with my mentor whenever she comes. I have been waiting for someone with a truck who could help for weeks and weeks!

Also I am off for a couple days and we can get the cutting tools to make the milk stand we already marked pieces for...been asking for that since early summer!!

Getting a new roof on our house!! Needed that for more than a year...now we can keep our homeowners insurance that they have been trying to cancel since before Christmas.

It's almost my birthday, and I gave my mom a list of stuff I wanted...I hope she picks the cheese making kit or the step stool tool box!Any of the other stuff would be fine too!

Stuff is finally getting done, and I like it!

 

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False Pregnancy in Goats

I was checking out this site because I have two "forever pregnant" girls and I had them tested to make sure they were pregnant and there weren't any problems.   I found this interesting article on False Pregnancy in Goats.  It's copyright protected so I can't actually post the article itself on this blog.  However, since Biotracking is a large company, I'm sure they secured the copyright before putting it on their website...if you go there you can read it...here's the link..just click on the article to bring it up

http://www.biotracking.com/?q=goats/biopryn/works

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Blizzard in the Midwest

The blizzard that hit the midwest last Tuesday certainly brought some challenges...like getting to the barn without slipping on all that ice.  I don't know how you folks up north do it!  Luckily the power stayed on, 10603993285?profile=originalthe heatlamps all worked and everyone worked together to stay warm.

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Had to dehorn my young buck

Poor Nappy!  His grandfather was polled, his father was polled, his sister was polled ... he was disbudded TWICE and his horns came back again last fall.  Unfortunately, one of them was growing so wildly it was headed towards an eye so we had our vet surgically remove both.  She says this should solve the problem, but there is always that very small chance that they will come back again.  For those of you who haven't had to do this, I posted a picture of my sweetie with his head wrapped.  It leaves gaping holes where the horns are removed and Nappy is in his third week of wrapping and doing great.  To avoid any injury while he's healing, he's confined in a pen in the barn where he can at least see the other goats.  Since it's so cold (we're expecting snow tonight) we don't have to worry about flies, but we have a heat lamp in there to keep him warm. 
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First Deep Snow

We have had snow here on and off for quite a while but it hadn't hung around nor was it very deep. The goats didn't seem to go out too far in it and hung in the doorway a lot.
Well! The big snow came all day Monday about 1 to 2 inches an hour and I kept them inside with the door closed because the wind was brutal and swirling snow in every direction. I didn't want snow in to pens. Tuesday when I opened the door they all rushed out and stayed outside most of the day. The snow was 16.4 inches deep! They scampered about belly deep and didn't care at all.
I am glad since it looks like the snow will continue to come.
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Change

We are reconfiguring the herd after 5 months to better met my needs for ease of manageability. Thursday we added a 2 year old milker with Rosasharn background and a dehorned buck. The buck with horns was moved on.
I was never move excited to be able to walk the buck to the doe pen and to walk in there with him NOT threatening to butt me! The small two year old is giving more milk than my other milker and is much easier to milk. She also stood for the buck before I got her, during the ride home and when she got home. I am hoping for a good outcome.

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Hello all! After a summer of giving away lots of delicious chevre and cajeta (goat milk caramel that is from heaven) I am dreaming of saving for a small dairy operation I can get certified by the state. I don't think there is any business that requires such a huge commitment up front as cheesemaking/dairy, so while I found so much information online about how to get going with my 6 goats for farm and friend use, I can find almost nothing about next steps. I sent for all the State of Maine information and read it. The dairy inspector will come once I have a more specific plan and some questions, so now I am searching for these things: Are there any profitability studies for a Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Operation? I want to work it just with my family and am a teacher, so I have some flexible time. Have any of you experimented with the perfect number of goats a family operation can handle where it becomes at least a break even proposition? (I feel like I read 20 somewhere) I am thinking a small shop for local friends, sales at school and seasonal farmers markets.

The other think I'm looking for is plans/blueprints for the smallest possible legal milking parlor and cheese kitchen. I have a space for it, but would love to see some plans for designs that have worked for people. I know so many of these questions can only be answered with it depends...but I am looking for some experienced suggestions to help guide my dreaming. Thanks for any input you have!


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Goats in heat?

Is there any way you be SURE that your doe is in heat? My girls tend to tease the boys all the time by waggling their tails at them and rubbing up against the fences (one even sticks out her tongue at them!).

I've always had the luxury (with my angoras before and my nigies now) to have the space to just separate out the doe(s) and buck I wanted them bred to and just leave them together in the pen for about a month. This year I'm using a friends buck to add new bloodlines to my herd and I want to be sure these two does are in heat (and not just teasing!) before I haul them over to be serviced. Any clues?
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Hi Folks! I love reading your posts and appreciate the advice so far on my journey to responsible goat ownership. I have 2 little sweeties, 5 month old does. I would like to breed these two when they are mature enough. They are registered.
At what age do you start breeding? and what else do I need to know? I'll be researching the subject but first hand advice is always better.
Also, They came to me VERY skittish, never being handled. I have spent the past 3 months, hand feeding them, playing with them and just trying to earn their trust. One has come around beautifully (practically crawls in my lap) the other is still very afraid. I'd love to hear your ideas.
Thank-you!
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DOE UPDATE...and to whether or not to whether?

Both does have come into heat and been bread. Now we are waiting to see if they come back into heat in 5-7 days. If so they will breed again. Looks like we will be having kids at the end of January!

I just finished 7 days in a row at work. I feel like it just whirled by. Sam is getting friendlier.. which is good. I could be wrong but it seems like he waits to get petted after Stanley, who always runs up first.

When I bought these boys I did not distinguish between registries, I thought registered is registered, so when I bought my does, it became apparent that this was not the case, which is why they are at my mentors house being bread to one of her bucks who has the same registrations.

So I thought, no big deal, we can just whether them, and we will have a couple of companions. David on the other hand would rather sell them and try to get the $200( for the pair) back that we paid for them, then buy a cheaper whether before the new buck comes early next year. I see where he's coming from, but at the same time, I like them, and wouldn't mind keeping them as whethers. If you were in this position, what would you do?
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Exciting news in my world of goats!

I am getting TWO DOES!!!! YAY Hill Country's Indiana and Pine Shadows Isabel. Since my bucks are only NDGA registered I have decided to weather them. My mentor has agreed to breed the does for me, So they won't be here for another month or so. But the great news is we should have some very nice kids in January/February. AND I will also be buying a different buck for my girls from my mentor around kidding time. I will then have a weather to put with the new buck and a weather to put in with my does. YAY!!
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