Hi from Beaverdam, VA

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @Oakknollfarms,

There is one other person I forgot to mention yesterday when I named a bunch of people on the forum. Mr @Bruce is in NW Vermont. He has chickens and alpacas. But another reason for visiting his journal is that he, along with Miss @Baymule and Miss @B&B Happy goats, has a really keen wit, If you need a good chuckle and not my kind of humor (mine is more The Three Stooges type), then visit their journals and postings.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @Oakknollfarms,

I keep looking for your journal in "Members 'BackYardHerds' Journals" and have yet to find it. I hope you start one soon.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Oakknollfarms]

Miss @Oakknollfarms,

I keep looking for your journal in "Members 'BackYardHerds' Journals" and have yet to find it. I hope you start one soon.

Senile Texas Aggie

Journal??? I didn’t know I could do that?

 

[Mini Horses]

Welcome from another VA goat lover! They are such special animals that some people just don't appreciate. Probably the "old goat smell" is a huge reason. They are super smart and have unbelievable memory! And are known escape artists.

I raise the full sized dairy. Milking them is quite rewarding both emotionally & supply wise. A LOT of milk here. I do make soaps, which I love (used to sell at festivals and may start again). Plus, butter, cheeses, yogurts. Drink a lot of it also. Love my girls!

As to the bucks...yes, they must be taught to give you your space when young. You can snuggle when very young but, at about a month or so, they need to become trained to not jump on you and leash training is helpful. Pet them on the neck or sides, mostly not on the forehead...where they butt. Teach them to give you space, not crowd. My only buck (at this time) is a couple hundred pounds of well mannered Nubian. He knows "over" when he walks too close and will follow or lead without issue for me. He was trained early on. It is time well spent.

Also, you say you are buying doelings. Know that these goats are fertile at a young age. You do not want a 3-4 month old doe bred. So, either buy matured doelings 8-10 months+ or plan to keep any younger separated from any bucklings. Otherwise you stunt the growth of the doe bred too young, plus risk loss of her &/or kid at birthing.

Glad to have you on board. As others have said, it's a nice "family" here. Oh -- not only do we love pics, we are enablers!
Mention buying and we will cheer you on!!

You're a couple hrs from me. I'm just south of Suffolk.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Journal??? I didn’t know I could do that?

You have to!! That’s how we all get to know each other and know about each other’s farm and give help to one another on a regular basis!! It’s great! Mine is called..C&DFarming...oh what a life... pretty many of us have one....

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Was thinking for pets and milk too. I’ve a friend who makes her own goats milk soap for her son with a skin disorder. Figured between pets and the milk, I could eventually have the herd cover it’s own expenses. I don’t use much milk myself, only half & half for my coffee. Anyway..... my little pipe dream for my creatures. ❣

I milk my goats now, just started in Jan, after they kidded...it’s a learning process, but I am now enjoying it. Gives you a great bond with the goat. We make cheese and ice cream!! I love the milk, drinking it right now!!

 

[NicelyMeadows]

I used to come through Beaverdam on trains! I worked for the BB (Buckingham Branch for 11 years 2005-2016) ran quite a few rock trains and locals through there over the years! Always liked passing the old train station. Even went down to Trevillians to that store that has everything under the sun and bought landscape bricks when I lived in Waynesboro, VA

 

[Oakknollfarms]

You have to!! That’s how we all get to know each other and know about each other’s farm and give help to one another on a regular basis!! It’s great! Mine is called..C&DFarming...oh what a life... pretty many of us have one....

I’ve been looking and can’t seem to find where to do that? Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[Oakknollfarms]

Welcome from another VA goat lover! They are such special animals that some people just don't appreciate. Probably the "old goat smell" is a huge reason. They are super smart and have unbelievable memory! And are known escape artists.

I raise the full sized dairy. Milking them is quite rewarding both emotionally & supply wise. A LOT of milk here. I do make soaps, which I love (used to sell at festivals and may start again). Plus, butter, cheeses, yogurts. Drink a lot of it also. Love my girls!

As to the bucks...yes, they must be taught to give you your space when young. You can snuggle when very young but, at about a month or so, they need to become trained to not jump on you and leash training is helpful. Pet them on the neck or sides, mostly not on the forehead...where they butt. Teach them to give you space, not crowd. My only buck (at this time) is a couple hundred pounds of well mannered Nubian. He knows "over" when he walks too close and will follow or lead without issue for me. He was trained early on. It is time well spent.

Also, you say you are buying doelings. Know that these goats are fertile at a young age. You do not want a 3-4 month old doe bred. So, either buy matured doelings 8-10 months+ or plan to keep any younger separated from any bucklings. Otherwise you stunt the growth of the doe bred too young, plus risk loss of her &/or kid at birthing.

Glad to have you on board. As others have said, it's a nice "family" here. Oh -- not only do we love pics, we are enablers!
Mention buying and we will cheer you on!!

You're a couple hrs from me. I'm just south of Suffolk.

Awesome! Nice to meet you all!
I will start in the next week or two with leash training for sure. Thank you for the advice! For the next week he gets extra snuggles though. I woke this morning to find him very sick..... a case of pneumonia from residual lung damage from his birth and milk aspiration before I got him. This apparently also cause sepsis that settled into his joints. He was running and romping and jumping last night. It came on so fast!!!! I’ve got a great vet in speed dial, though, and she’s helping me get him fixed up. Then we will start training.
Any advice on getting this guy to start on pellets and hay? He nibbles, it doesn’t actually eat any of it.

 

[Mike CHS]

Here you go

Member's "BackYardHerds" Journals

Your Journal MUST start with your username. For example: "Nifty - Here's my journal about my goats and cows!"

www.backyardherds.com

You click on the Forums tab at the top of the screen. The forum for journals is almost at the bottom of the forum titles.