# SustainableAg's Just Gettin' Started Journal



## SustainableAg (Mar 22, 2022)

Hello Everyone!

I have had an account here for several years, but have never been very active on this forum. With exciting new developments in my life, I finally have enough going on to contribute to this forum myself.

First and foremost, my name is Becca. I am 27, married to my hubby who I will call "C", and just had my first child last year - a son I will call "J". We live in Northeast PA.

As far as animals, currently we have chickens (Mostly Black Australorps and some various blue-green-cream egg layers), a Roman Tufted Goose who guards the chickens (his name is Gordon - like Gordon Ramsay because he yells a lot 😂), and a female German Shepherd named Liberty.

I am a horsewoman. I have been around horses for most of my life. I am truly not familiar with any other farm animal.

This Spring, my DH and I decided to build a small barn. The plan is to get a horse or two, and possibly a dairy animal (goats??). I gave away my first horse a year ago to my MIL when I found out I was pregnant. He needed work and I didn't feel comfortable around him while I was pregnant. So now on to my next horse adventure, with hopefully some better luck and a more honest person selling their horse. 🙄

I have been reading these forums trying to learn everything I can about goats. We are building a perimeter fence with 4 strands of High Tensile, so I will use a mobile fence for the goats to graze. I don't know what breed of goat we will decide on, or if we will decide to get them this year (or at all). But I am so excited for all of the possibilities!

My DH is familiar with horses, but leaves the horsey things to me. His mom is a proper equestrian, so he has always been around horses, but has no interest in riding. Horses are my happy place. But he always helps when asked. I have a great partner.

I look forward to taking you all along on our journey to work the land, work with animals, and enjoy the peace that only homesteading can bring to your soul. This is the way I always envisioned raising my children. I am excited to finally get started, and among all of the ups and downs, watch our dreams come to fruition.


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 22, 2022)

Welcome!


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## Baymule (Mar 23, 2022)

Hello from Texas! Welcome to the forum and I hope to hear more about your adventures!


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## SustainableAg (Mar 24, 2022)

We have decided to forge ahead and buy goats! There are two breeders that I am considering purchasing from. They both have 2nd and 3rd freshener does available (trained to the milking stand and hand milking for families) as well as several doelings. Since this is my first experience with goats, I wanted to get older, proven does so at least one of us knows what we are doing! Ha.

I already have an established relationship with a large animal vet - thanks to my (previous) horse - and she is also experienced with goats. So I have a good team behind me as a goat newbie.

Now I am just trying to decide between registered Mini Nubians, and registered Nigerian Dwarfs. I love the looks of the Mini Nubians, but the breeder is 3 ½ hours away. The Nigerian Dwarfs are much closer to my location, about 50 minutes. The decision might come down to the logistics of getting the goats here.

Either way, I am very excited!


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## Baymule (Mar 25, 2022)

Get the closest goats. Then you have back up not too far away. Congratulations on finding such nice goats so close!


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## Mini Horses (Mar 25, 2022)

Ya know, either of those breeds can travel in an SUV.  😁

I suggest you go milk one of the NDs...taste their milk (seller will have some chilled).  Be sure you like both behavior and milk, since that's why you're buying.  Consider ones you want from there.....go to further farm and repeat.  If further farm your choice be prepared to buy right then.  If not, well, NDs are only an hour away.

Of course, first trip to NDs may be perfect and you buy there.  🤣. Just be sure to buy TWO, they like friends.  Let us know what you get.

Oh, we want pictures!!!! 🤗.  Goats are an exiting adventure.  I have 16 adults...babies increasing daily right now😂


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## Baymule (Mar 25, 2022)

That's excellent advice!


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## SustainableAg (Mar 30, 2022)

The beginning of our goat journey! With a bit more waiting and some research, I found someone closer who has registered Mini Nubians. They have a great website that shows all of their Does and Bucks, lists their Dams/Sires, and their kids that are currently for sale. They also list their current negative test results for CAE/CL/Johnes/Brucellosis. 

I have been talking to the owner for several days, and she is very supportive of my newbie status! I feel very welcomed by her, and I am definitely comfortable buying doelings from her. I picked out the two doelings that I want, and she also offered me a proven doe that she was thinking about selling because they are not getting the milk output from her that they want. We are not looking to push for production, so she will be coming home with us as well. She will also be transporting the goats for us. She is a Saint!

The Nigerian Dwarf breeder I had been talking to was discouraged by my beginner status, and didn't want to sell her goats to me. Understandable, I suppose. But in the meantime I absolutely fell in love with the Mini Nubians, and found this other breeder. Must have been fate!

The doelings are F6 Mini Nubians, born 1/26/2022 and 2/7/2022. The older doe is also F6, born 2019. I will post pictures as soon as she gives me her info for a deposit. I don't like to count my chick's before they hatch. The younger doeling will be ready to go 4/18/22, so all three goats will be transported to us after that date.

We are so very excited! I never thought I would own goats - but these Mini Nubians completely stole my heart. We have a prefabricated barn being delivered in late Spring - and apparently I am determined to fill it already. 😂 Thank God my DH is an animal lover too!


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## SustainableAg (Mar 30, 2022)

Oh! I forgot the most important part. Now we have to think of names for these doelings! Naming is always the hardest part for me - it feels like such a commitment! 
As soon as I post pics of the doelings you will all have to give suggestions! I have a list of names, but none have jumped out at me yet.


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## SustainableAg (Mar 31, 2022)

I have been talking to someone about their buckling as a herd sire for my does. I was just informed that his upper lip is swollen. The vet exam showed nothing else unusual. He is a happy, healthy buckling with a swollen upper lip. This Buckling is well bred, and it is unfortunate to have to pass on him. The vet treated with a round of antibiotics and steroids, but there was no change to his swollen lip. The Vet admitted that she doesn't know what the problem might be, since it did not respond to treatment. Orf was ruled out.

It is not known if he was born like this. The owner noticed it when he was 1 day old.

This is very disappointing. But I don't want a herd sire with an unknown ailment.

Anyone have any ideas what this might be?


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## SustainableAg (Mar 31, 2022)

Here's a picture of the poor little guy.


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## Baymule (Mar 31, 2022)

How exciting! I’m SO happy that you have found a very supportive breeder that will mentor you along the way. I’m sure the journey into goats will be made much better by these mini Nubians. Just awesome!


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## SustainableAg (Apr 1, 2022)

I have an exciting update! The does are officially mine! Delivery is after Easter.


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## Baymule (Apr 2, 2022)

This is great! Congratulations on the start of a long journey filled with hard work, lots of love and lots of surprises. This will be fabulous for you!


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## SustainableAg (Apr 2, 2022)

Thank you @Baymule I am very excited.


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## SustainableAg (Apr 8, 2022)

Well, I bought another goat. 😂 
The same breeder that I am buying my does from has several bucklings available. All of the goats are related, so I am buying a buckling - soon to be wethered. He is the twin brother of the light brown doeling.

I also have a deposit on a well bred buckling. He is coming home with us in May. The young wether will be the companion for that buckling. The buckling will be our herd sire in a year and a half/two years when the doelings are old enough to be bred. In the meantime, the boys will have an awesome bachelor pad, and the does will be able to make funny faces at them from across the pasture.


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## SustainableAg (Apr 8, 2022)

It is time for a picture and name reveal! Helen comes with her name. But she is too pretty not to include in the lineup!


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## Baymule (Apr 12, 2022)

Lovely goats with lovely names!


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## SustainableAg (Apr 13, 2022)

Thank you @Baymule  we are having so much fun watching it all come together. But I will be relieved once everyone is settled in and all the big projects are done.


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## Baymule (Apr 13, 2022)

It’s real nice when you can finally enter that “maintenance mode”.  LOL


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## SustainableAg (Apr 16, 2022)

It seems like whenever there are a bunch of things going on, something pops up that requires your undivided attention. On Sunday, our dishwasher in our walk out basement caused our basement to flood. We have a septic pump in the basement that pumps up and out to the tank. There was a blockage in the pump, which caused the water to overflow into our basement. It also caused the water to back up into the basement bathroom, and overflow the sink and toilet. According to the shop vac that DH used to clean up the water, we had at least 30 gallons of water on the floor. I was lucky to catch the backup when I did, and turn the dishwasher and washing machine off in mid-cycle. It could have been so much worse. We spent several days this week cleaning up, and making a pile of things that are damaged and need to be thrown away in a dumpster. We bought two large dehumidifiers that have been running all week, and have so far needed to be emptied every other day. Just keeping us on our toes! 😆

Fortunately for us, my FIL is a general contractor, so he helped DH diagnose the problem over the phone. Once all of that was settled, we had our septic tank pumped just as a precaution. The septic tank and the rest of the house is fine, but the basement pump is dead. We will be replacing that, and all should be well.

Everything is ready for the goats to arrive. I spent two days this week moving corral panels to make a temporary play yard for the goats until the barn arrives. Then I have electric netting that I will be using to rotate the does in the pasture, and goat corral panels for the buck and his friend. I picked up hay on Friday, and got it all stacked just before the rain moved in.

4 of the goats are being delivered on Monday the 18th, the buckling is being delivered some day next week, and another we are picking up the first week of May. 

Did you notice my goat math? Initially there were 3 goats coming....now there are 6! 😂 My friend and her teenage daughter are coming next week to meet the goats. They also volunteered to help me put down all of the stall mats in the barn once it arrives. Yay!


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## SustainableAg (Apr 16, 2022)

I spent most of the day yesterday baking for Easter. We are just having a small get together with DH's Mom and Stepdad. Baking is a great stress reliever for me, and I went a little overboard with the baking. I planned to bring cookies to my friends at the barn where I used to board my horse, and it quickly spiraled into two different types of cookies, mini lemon pound cakes, and a big lemon pound cake. I don't know who I thought I was feeding! I am so used to having a bunch of people over for the holidays, I guess it was just muscle memory! 😂

I drove to the barn yesterday at 6pm when everyone was there bringing horses inside for the night, and gave everyone their plate of cookies and a mini lemon pound cake. It was great to see everyone again.

And since there is never a dull moment on a farm, two of the horses had come in with a shoe missing. And one of them had also blown a toe. I helped my friend's teenage daughter hose the mud off of their legs and pack/bandage their hooves until the farrier can get there and replace the shoes.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 16, 2022)




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## Baymule (Apr 16, 2022)

Horses have an uncanny talent for doing things to themselves. Then they act all innocent like they don’t know what happened, but fix it please! LOL

So sorry about the flooded  basement. No basements in east Texas, water table is too high. What a mess to clean up. Good thing you caught it when you did!


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