I Google goat housing and found many images. So many choices and ideas to pick from. The light bulb in my head went crazy!! I just want something practical, not fancy. I am going to have fun with the goat area!
Anyone here might be interested in doing some goat packing or hiking with your goats?
We have decided to get couple boer this summer! I will be training them for packing or at least day hikes. This next couple months I'll be really busy with the goat pen/shelter. Today we just got our goat panels. Tomorrow we'll head over to Murdock and pick up some wire cattle panels and 2x4s.... I am so excited!!!
I'm new around here as well I also live up in Coal Creek Canyon (foothills south of Nederland) am planning on getting nubians next year. Right now we are learning the ropes of milking 1x/wk at a friend's homestead which is great fun! Chickens are coming in a couple of weeks so we are busy getting the coop up.
Does anyone have any breeder recommendations for a LGD - specifically a Great Pyrenees? We need a protector of the animals and I haven't found too many listings. Thanks!
We are still waiting for the last babies to be born. They have only had one girl and 3 boys so far! We want two milkers...so it's been a much longer wait than anticipated. The first gal was born early January and should have been home with us by now.
In the meantime, we've been getting ready for them and while we wait we've added a couple of ducks along with more chicks and just got an LDG from a friend who breeds them. This boy was a relocation, he's a little more than a year old and we've got some work ahead of us with him. He came from a family who bought him as a pup and had him in the city, they realized that he really needed space and wasn't meant to live in the city. So they asked the breeder to find him a home where he can do what he's meant to do. We were the lucky ones to have him join us! He's settled into his role really easily.
I am crossing my fingers that there will be at least one more girl born. The dam was due last week and I haven't heard anything, hoping that's because the kids haven't been born yet, not because it was more boys!
It's so hard to be patient! But they will be worth waiting for.
How about you? Settling in?
@Sinistershelly Welcome to the Colorado thread - it's quiet around here, but with a bunch of newbies maybe we'll liven it up a bit.
My friend's shelters are very similar for their goats. It seems to be a good easy option to start with around here. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
@Evergreen160 Welcome also! About the LGDs: While it's not quite what you are looking for you could check out Colorado Mountain Dogs - the current litter is sold, but they are getting ready to breed another group, I think. They are Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix - although, they have recently gotten certification or whatever it's called for pedigrees. Not sure what all that means, but we know several families that have these dogs and they have been wonderful LGDs. www.coloradomountaindog.com I think that's the right site address.
Trish, Is your breeder in Parker? Samhouri Sunrise Fara? They have a doeling DOB 1/18/12 for sale and are expecting three more litters in April....
We are almost done with the goat shelter/pen. I can totally relate to you on waiting.... We are expecting our wethers in 3-4 weeks. We picked them out couple weeks ago. They are from Lyons. It is just not fun waiting....
Congrats on your LGD. They are hard to come by...it seems. I know Evergreen160 is looking. She is my neighbor! What a small world.... We'll be learning about goat keeping. While I will have my goats before she does, she has more experience in handling and caring for them. She's given me more info on dairy goats and I am open to the idea maybe someday getting one. I would like to get couple geese but...let's see how I handle goats first.
We are settling in nicely surviving our first heavy winter here! I am ready for more snow and I look forward to this weekend storm!
I will keep you posted on our new goats. Eliza
Welcome to all the newbies in Colorado! What a gorgeous spring we are having... although we could certainly use more moisture.
I'm on kid watch right now... waiting for my Nubian girl to give me some adorable babies. Then, in a couple weeks I have three Nigerians due. I love spring time with babies on the farm.
Thought I would stop by and say Hi to my fellow Coloradians I am on kid watch here too, but I still have 30 more days to wait. I have 2 nubians that are bred to a nigerian dwarf. So I will have first generation mini nubians. I don't plan on keeping any of the kids, unless there is one that is too cute. I think the babies will turn out to be medium sized and should be good milkers, that is if I am lucky and have doelings. So if anyone is looking, I just might have some available in June as bottle babies or later if the mom's raise them. I also have a nigerian momma due in June. I can't wait!
Hello All ~
It's been a busy Spring around here and I'm finally checking in.
Our goats are ready and waiting for us to pick them up! I can't wait...although, we aren't ready for them. I thought I had another couple of months. The last babies were born last week. In the meantime, though, she offered us older babies - the oldest is over a year - so we've decided to take them instead. That way I can breed them sooner and get milk for my children sooner.
So, we are quickly getting a shelter up. Chicken coop isn't finished, but at least works and our fence is up, but needs a little more work - elk came through and tore it down the other night So I'm hoping in the next week or two we can bring our new babies home!!!! YIPEE!
Anyone recommend a good Alpine buck for breeding? The goats we are getting are pure breed, registered, from good lines (not sure all the details yet, but I know the one's papa is a champion buck) so I'm looking to continue with good lines. The Alpine's next heat is early June. The second is a Nubian...she won't be ready to breed until the fall, so I'll be on the look out sometime later for her.
We just picked up our two boer wethers this past Friday. They were shy and skittish at first but had come around a lot. Yesterday they would come up and eat from my hands. Today they would follow me as I walked around their pen. They still don't like to be petted but I think in time they'll beg for attention. Wasn't the weather crazy? I brought the kids home while it snowed. The past couple days was foggy and rainy. The sun did come out finally and today it's beautiful!