Carla D-Great new adventures and an Amazing Life

[Baymule]

You have had a trial by fire. And yet, the fire is still burning out of control. You are doing your best and things just keep going wrong. It is time to take a step back and take a fresh look at things. If you need to cut back, do so.

I do think that you are close to things getting better. Their heads will heal up, they will be weaned off the bottle in a couple of weeks. When you are not going from crisis to crisis, you will be able to think clearer. At that time, it might be wise to either sell or take to slaughter some or most of them. keep a couple for pets.

I am truly sorry that you have had such a hard time with these guys. I know that you are giving it your all. You are here, asking questions and asking for advice. You have the desire to learn and I commend you for that.

 

[greybeard]

When it rains, sometimes it just keeps pouring.

As Larry McMurtry said
"It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times.”

 

[Carla D]

Yes, I have been doing some heavy thinking about my goat situation. I am stressed and frequently overwhelmed.i am giving some very real consideration about down sizing. So much thought that I have also figured out the three that I have every intention keeping. But, things are a bit too intense to make such a big knee jerk decision.

I am also inclined to believe that thinks can’t really get much worse either. There are a lot of things to figure out yet. Are we going to put a couple down as soon as possible? I need to keep in mind they have antibiotics in their system. Nothing productive can be done with them until the withdrawal time frame. I can’t risk a stupid person buying one then killing him for immediate human consumption. I don’t want one of these little guys being passed off onto several different people and being mistreated. I am going to be weaning them very shortly. In the meantime my husband and I are going to make a bucket some they all can nurse at the same time and discover their water. I really don’t think any of the goat are drinking it. If there is any water consumed in the goat area it is being consumed by our barn cats. But having this bucket will greatly reduce the amount of time I’ve been spending with the goats. I may gain 2-3 hours each day. That’s time I can catch up on things I’ve been neglecting.

I have also come to the conclusion that the calf manna NEEDS to go. I’ve been reminded they are wethers and need a balanced diet to prevent a particular tough condition from happening. The vet that was out yesterday had mentioned the local feed store has pellets almost identical to Purinas goat grower. They are significantly cheaper than the purina logo. Only about $8.00 for a 50 pound bag in place of the $25+ 50 pound bag of purina witch is between $15-20 if I remember correctly. He suggested I use only that pellet and hay to feed them. Very similar to what I’m getting advice on in here. Buy using a multiple nipple bucket system, weaning them as soon as feasible, ditching the calf manna and possibly the alfalfa pellets will save me a nice chunk of time daily and significantly reduce my monthly feed bill will likely free up time, critical thinking time, reduce stress and expenses. I can then do some much needed research about medical conditions, potential treatments, and possibly reduce my overwhelming sense of panic. It would reduce my stress if I knew a bit more than I do. I can’t find a good mentor for my goat experience and I think I’m annoying the local vets in my area. They are vets, not mentors. While I could gain a huge wealth of information from them when a situation arises.

There is also the facts that we don’t live on our little farm. That’s burning a whole boatload of gasoline and driving time. We also don’t have any WiFi or cellular service on the farm. So in order to call the vet or seek advice we need to hop in a vehicle and drive around or back home to do those things. That’s gas, wear and tear on vehicles, time, added stress and aggravation. Much less productive use of and means of doing daily tasks.

We have sunk a lot of time, money, effort into these little guys at this point. It might be more adventitious to wait out this storm a little bit longer. After all they are now dehorned, castrated, gaining weight, feeling much better also. With these few small changes my thoughts on getting rid of or doing something with them like eating them I may be able to shake the rain off, enjoy more time with them. They did have a very soothing and calming effect on me the first 3-4 weeks. If I get them past this little hump things will likely change greatly. They will be outside perminantly, not drinking formula, they will be able to graze a little, have room to stretch their legs and burn off steam. I may be at a better place to care for them, my family and myself. Sometimes change of scenery and a little time fixes things on their own. I will definitely not be getting anymore goats. Ultimately get the goat count to three goats and maintain that count.

I don’t wish to rush into any rash decisions which would likely lead to heartache or regret. Things are “starting to slow down” just a little. Each issue is getting less severe at this point. Another month of this is needed in order to have any reasonable options where they are concerned. Getting them off the formula and outside might be the cure all/most of. I’ve been panicking lately and floundering to find answers. I do know a bit more now than I did prior to getting the goats. Experience, that I need to think things through a bit better in my life as a whole, many laughs. Lots of stress, but no major meltdown or tears shed at this point. Lots and lots to think about. But I cannot make any major/drastic decisions this week. Maybe next week or a few down the road. I guess I rambled and worked out a couple thoughts with this message.

 

[Baymule]

You are getting a good grip on reality. Hang in there it will get better.

 

[Carla D]

Now is the time for me to take a big breath of fresh air. Regroup myself. Then figure out what the next step is going to be.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @Carla D,

I can't offer any advice raising farm animals, as that is something I have never done in all of my 66+ years. But maybe you might benefit from reading one or more books about raising goats. I have a book titled Natural Goat Care which I have yet to read. I got it along with a couple of other books from acresusa.com. Perhaps others can recommend other books as well. I strongly suspect that your feeling of being overwhelmed is partly caused by feeling of a lack of knowledge. Learn as much as you can, both from the folks on BYH and from good books on raising farm animals, and I bet that feeling of being overwhelmed will diminish. I have heard it said that a person's career goes through several phases: (1) panic -- "Oh, dear God, I don't know what I am doing!", (2) challenge -- "I can learn this!", (3) competence -- "I know this stuff", (4) boredom -- "I am so tired of the same old thing, I need something new!". You are in the panic phase right now. Gaining some knowledge will help you get to the challenge phase and help reduce the sense of being overwhelmed.

Best wishes on your challenge!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Carla D]

Miss @Carla D,

I can't offer any advice raising farm animals, as that is something I have never done in all of my 66+ years. But maybe you might benefit from reading one or more books about raising goats. I have a book titled Natural Goat Care which I have yet to read. I got it along with a couple of other books from acresusa.com. Perhaps others can recommend other books as well. I strongly suspect that your feeling of being overwhelmed is partly caused by feeling of a lack of knowledge. Learn as much as you can, both from the folks on BYH and from good books on raising farm animals, and I bet that feeling of being overwhelmed will diminish. I have heard it said that a person's career goes through several phases: (1) panic -- "Oh, dear God, I don't know what I am doing!", (2) challenge -- "I can learn this!", (3) competence -- "I know this stuff", (4) boredom -- "I am so tired of the same old thing, I need something new!". You are in the panic phase right now. Gaining some knowledge will help you get to the challenge phase and help reduce the sense of being overwhelmed.

Best wishes on your challenge!

Senile Texas Aggie

You are very smart STA. I think you are onto something. I bet 90-95% of my being over whelmed and panic is the because I do lack the knowledge and experience. I do have a medical background. I figured I’d be able to tread water until I had learned a few things. Being a good nurse doesn’t really have a whole lot of benefit. Goats and people are very different. There is essentially only a few things we have in common with goats. We both breathe and we both can bleed pretty profusely it injured in certain places. Both need food and water to live. Beyond that there is very little in common.

A couple of good goat books is a very good idea. It’s not that the information isn’t available on the internet. It is. But it’s way too easy to get distracted on the internet. Then because all of the information on the internet isn’t created by the same author. That’s only gives you snippets of information but not in complete logic or sense. A book usually has a more organized and complete thoughts and progression.

I think you are also correct about me being in the panic stage of a new career. Thank you for your kindness and support.

 

[Carla D]

This morning has been a really nice experience. We started out waking up 25 minutes late, but DD did manage to get on the bus. It was such a beautiful morning to go to the farm. There was a silvery look to the ground, a little haze which made trees pop because the buildings were kinda hidden. Very light snow flakes in the air. The sky is a bit on the grey side. But it was like a winter snow globe.

I made a stop to the local feed store while on my way to the farm. I took my vets advice and bought a bag of his recommended feed. I only had about two or three weeks of my goat pellet mixture left. Now was the time for me to buy the feed. I have just enough original feed left to be able to gradually switch the goats to their new feed. I am done buying pellets with the only exception of possibly Goat Treats. The new feed looks so appealing. It is about 85-90% small grains and the rest is very small pellets. I’m assuming that might be the medication, protein, and a bit of filler. I’ll try to take a picture of it when I go to the farm next time. I have three brand new bags of the milk replacer. That’s probably enough for for 3 months or so. For practicality, convenience, and nessecity I don’t plan on buying any more of that as well. I think these two changes alone will be saving me $150-200 each month. That is money we can either use to buy some nice quality grass hay and straw. Or, it’s available if needed elsewhere, or an emergency. That’s a good feeling.

When I went in to feed the boys there was no new blood scattered around, no goat was bleeding, they were all quite hungry and looked no worse for wear. That is such a nice thing see in the morning. I did some cleaning up from last nights blood bath. I want to organize and rearrange the barn a bit. Last night my husband and I whipped up a very basic goat stand. I need to find a home for that where it’s convenient yet out of the way. I also plan on cleaning up the huge indoor dog kennel and have it all set up and in “ready to use” condition. Tomorrow we are weaning the piglets and sending two of the mommas to pasture. With young goats and piglets abundant on the farm at the moment we need to be prepared for an emergency. A lot of big and exciting things are happening this week and the next few weeks as well on the farm. There is going to be quite a bit of transitioning animals into the next stage of growth. I am excited.

I did notice one thing while out there this morning. Billy is not Billy the Kid at this time. He’s become Billy the Brawler. That poor little guy. He moons so tough right now. All of that dried blood, flour, stop blood, and a dressing on his head. But, he still gave me a run for the money. Goofy goat.

 

[Mike CHS]

I couldn't tell for sure but are you combining some of the old food with some of the new? I think that's what you were writing but thought I would make sure.

 

[Carla D]

I couldn't tell for sure but are you combining some of the old food with some of the new? I think that's what you were writing but thought I would make sure.

Yes. I’m taking them off of the pellet combination I have been feeding them. They waste the medicated meat goat pellets, and it’s sunk in that the calf manna isn’t the best thing for them at this point. About every two or three meals I’ll decrease the old by a little bit and increase the new feed by a little bit. The new food costs less than half of what I’d been paying to this point. And the vet has recommended it to me twice now.