bethh Life on the Funny Farm

[bethh]

Ready to be a broody already!!

 

[bethh]

 

[bethh]

 

[bethh]

Oh my goodness!!! How adorable those babies are Congrats
I keep tossing around the idea of breeding Fancy my oldest Doe but I stop myself because I don't need more goats.

Thanks. It’s so hard. I have 3 different people who want my babies. I’ve finally started telling them that I’ll make a decision once everyone has kidded.

 

[Longhornbreeder101]

View attachment 82791

I love how the little boy was poking him/her with a stick

 

[chickens really]

Those pictures with the children are so cute..I bet they love the babies I'm sure you will make the right decision. I'm sure the people are very nice and would look after the kids if you decide to sell them.

 

[bethh]

Those pictures with the children are so cute..I bet they love the babies I'm sure you will make the right decision. I'm sure the people are very nice and would look after the kids if you decide to sell them.

2 legged or 4 legged

 

[bethh]

I love how the little boy was poking him/her with a stick

That one is a mess. He’s 3. I’ll have to find the pics of him watching me milking Dixie. They are a hoot.

 

[Baymule]

Bottom line on babies is this: You can't keep them all.

Even when you keep some, further culling may be necessary. If you are breeding for the improvement and betterment of the breed, there will always be individuals that don't measure up and will need to be sold.

Then there are the boys. You don't need a bunch of boys. Sadly, boys are expendable. They are sold as herd sires in their own right or neutered and sold as pets or meat. This is one of the truths that people wrestle with, but it is fact and must be faced.

I used to castrate all my boys and name them Dinner. They went to slaughter and I had a decent business of selling the lamb meat for $10 per pound. Then along came Covid and getting a slaughter date jumped to a year away. Last year we took some to auction and were pleased with the results. So now I skip the castration and we will take them to the auction as rams and the ewe lambs that I don't keep also go.

We had 2 bottle lambs this year a ram and a ewe lamb. The ram lamb will be banded and kept as a wether as company for the ram and the ewe lamb will join the flock. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can't let them ALL go! LOL LOL

I am selling 6 of my ewes after I wean lambs. These are ewes that I raised, they have names and are pets. It will be hard but to move forward with my flock, I have to let them go. I am keeping 6 ewe lambs from better ewes and may further cull them as they grow out and/or lamb with their own babies. I want to buy registered ewes so I can keep a registered ram from my ram. I don't want to let his bloodlines get away from me. So I will probably wind up with a registered flock and a commercial flock. LOL Sheep math!

So this is the part of raising sheep and goats that nobody wants to talk about. Sorry to have to slap you up the side of the head with reality, but if you breed your goats, the offspring has to go somewhere. The babies are adorable and it is heart wrenching to let them go, but unless you have LOTS of room and LOTS of money to feed them, you have to let them go. Love them, hold them, cuddle them and find them homes.

 

[bethh]

Hey All,
I've worried about our little white doe since birth. I thought there was something going on. we came down this morning and found her lethargic and cold. We tried warming her, feeding her but she passed. I'm so upset. But, more importantly, I want to find out what happened. I will take her for a necropsy. If there is a problem, I want to resolve it. Many of you will remember all the issues we had last year during kidding season. I want answers as quickly as possible as I still have 2 doelings and 2 does left to kid. This isn't for the weak of heart. I'll post a picture of her from my phone. Wish you were closer.