Dusty Boot Ranch

[DustyBoot]

Ha! There you go.

Last night I forgot to go herd them all inside the coop before dark. I was resigned to finding the guineas roosting in trees -- but all the birds were in the coop. Guess they can figure it out if they have to!

 

[DustyBoot]

Long overdue for an update here. Right after Thanksgiving we added three rabbits to the homestead. Shortly after Christmas, one of our does had a litter of 8. They're growing beautifully!

This was day 10. Eight little Rex babies. Our other doe is due later this month, and we're planning to get a few litters in before breaking for the heat of the summer.

Yesterday we added another resident, sort of on impulse. I've been wanting a dairy goat and have done a lot of research but didn't have a concrete plan for when it would happen. Someone in the next town over was selling their LaManchas and the price was right because they needed them gone ASAP (about to go on the road in an RV). I took one doe, the one who follows people around everywhere and supposedly take on foster babies. She's 3 years old, bred to a LaMancha buck and due in March or April. Our Kikos are due in early April, so that works out well enough. And it means I have some time to get my act together before I'm milking.

It seems to me that she could afford to put on some weight before kidding, so we'll be working on that. Right now she's in a pen separated from the rest of our herd, and we'll try putting her in with them after a good observation period. I plan to build a milking stand soon and start feeding her and grooming her on that just to let us get a bit of a routine going.

 

[animalmom]

Pretty doe! I agree it looks like she could use a little more groceries. What's her name?

 

[DustyBoot]

They were calling her Thelma, so that may stick, but we're waiting to see if something else jumps out at us before we make it official.

Looked like she was being kept in a pretty bare pen on goat feed and hay. Where we have her right now has more to nibble on than where she was (although still not much), and once she's cleared from quarantine she'll be able to go forage with the rest of the goats. The kikos are doing well on what's out there, but I expect to continue offering supplemental feed for her. I have hay out there for her now, and I got a bag of goat feed and I'm adding a bit of calf manna on top of it to help with weight gain. My first experience with a dairy animal, so hopefully I'm doing it right!

 

[Bruce]

I was thinking about putting their coop area outside the fence, so when they fly over they will be inside the fence already and have an acces hatch cut into the fence back to inside tbeir coop.....

I'm not sure you can outsmart a bird that is, by all accounts, pretty stupid But hey it is worth a try.

 

[Latestarter]

Nice looking doe there DB. Hope she turns out to be a really good milker for you. At peak, my milker Lamancha was giving about 3/4 of a gallon to a full gallon a day w/2 milkings. Real serious milkers give even more than that. I was happy with it since I'm by myself. IMHO dairy goats are always too "skinny" for my liking/to my eye... just seems to be how they're built... Meat goats build... meat, dairy goats put it all into milk production... (even when not milking?!)

 

[Baymule]

Beautiful bunnies! I love spotted bunnies. Your new goat is a nice girl. At least she knows the ropes and I'm sure she will be glad to teach you all she knows about milking!