Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Latestarter]

Just back in from forced bottle top offs for the "thin looking" babies. Not a one of them has the slightest interest in taking a bottle. None have any interest in Bang's right teat either... She's engorged on one side and damned near empty on the other. I keep pulling the kids off the empty side to try and get them over to the full side. But, they are goats... right up there with mules for stubborn. In addition to regular goat chores, I milked Dot almost all the way out and got 3 quarts. I'm certain I could have had a gallon had I completely drained her. Gonna be 2-a-days for her from here on out. It doesn't seem that she's nursing any kids. & Bangs littlest is not getting enough I don't think... Gonna have to keep a real close eye on her. Dot's boys have no issues at all pulling up under Bang's milk bar. Both of CB's kids have nursed off her I believe. She's being a really good mother.

In other news, my fat goat April, who I believed would go next, seems to be nesting and constantly grunting and groaning. I don't expect her to wait too much longer either. I won't be surprised, to be surprised with April kids tomorrow morning. How exciting that they're all getting this over with back to back. She's gotta be carrying twins at least.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I was hoping Snowflake would get it over with during this “kidding storm” but NO she had to pull the doe code card! Lol

Anyway, are you waiting to see what you get before you decide who to keep or do you have an idea in mind already?

 

[Mike CHS]

It kind of looks like individual stalls might be the way to go with these gals?

 

[Latestarter]

All girls will be kept, at least through 1 kidding cycle. The boys, I'll advertise as for sale as pure bred, high dairy quality, backyard, unregistered, breeding bucks about the time they're due for weaning. Or, for sale as wethers for those who need a companion animal, or for meat. I'm really interested in what April will give me because she's 1/2 meat goat. If she gives me a buck, I'll most likely raise it for my freezer. Especially if it has a meat goat frame/build. Still have to figure out breeding buck for next fall. I can use RJ again on the existing does. I can, but prob don't want to breed him to his daughters. Prob want some new lineage added to the mix. we'll see. If I get a new PB buck, I may just let RJ cool his jets next fall and use the new guy for all of them. That way in year 3, I'll have a good selection of does for each to take care of.

Sorry you're still waiting on Snowflake... Thankfully my girls seem to be straight shooters.

Separate stalls would be wonderful! Anyone got say 20 grand laying around so I can build a legit barn? You know, with at least a few individual stalls? It's in the plans... just not right this second.

Just got in from checking on them all. All kids are in the shelter. CB is in there with her 2, the other 4 are on their own. Bang did come visit them while I was there and a couple took drinks. Maybe I'm over thinking this or worrying needlessly, I just can't live in the pen with them to watch and see to make sure everyone has nursed soon after birth. Seems like they're pretty tired and just rest for the first hour or 2 after popping out.

April hasn't popped yet, but she's laying down in one spot and hasn't moved much all day from that spot. And, she stays right there and lets me pat her, on the head and neck even, which is NOT something she normally does.

Dot follows me around talking to me and trying to "clean " my face and hair any time I bend down for any reason. Since I milk her, I think she thinks I'm her kid... It's kinda special when she turns to lick me and talk to me while I'm milking her. She's a sweet goat.

 

[Bruce]

Two more! 3/3 is great! Now you need a pig to help drink all that milk. LOL The little black doeling is so cute!

I think he needs @Devonviolet to teach him how to make butter and cheese.

 

[Mini Horses]

Soft cheeses are the easy part. Hard cheese & butter require some additional equipment if you want to be able to make those frequently & easily.

I'm pretty sure Mel would love some cheese. Sure uses up the milk for you. Of course, pigs love the milk also. There are options. Somehow, I don't think LS wants to milk ALL those does. It's actually a real job & commitment. Not 5 minutes to do either.

For me it is like this -- if I ONLY want to let them kid & raise babies, meat goats is way to go. Otherwise, dairy is to be used to milk and have fresh milk, cream, cheese -- delish. There are sales for does to those wanting to milk them, at some point....especially if in milk & trained! Bucks pretty much go to meat, occasionally a breeder or wethered pet.

 

[Latestarter]

I absolutely do NOT want to milk all those does! I also do NOT want to bottle raise all those kids! I go down multiple times a day and hold all the kids so they'll be more friendly (I hope). I'm quite content just milking one, Dot, for my own use. She's what, 2 days into lactation as a second freshening and I milked her out this morning for almost 3 quarts. I got that last night as well, so that puts her right now at a gallon and 1/2 a day By this weekend, I should be through the colostrum and be at drinkable milk, and still more than I can possibly use by myself. Mel loves the milk as well. He's also a big fan of most anything dairy, so cheese is always a great treat for him.

After the past couple of days, I think I've earned a nice lunch, so I'm going to go eat a wood fired pepperoni pizza up town, then do some supply shopping. I need to get a few 1/2 gallon mason jars and a new "washing bowl" to put my udder wash in. The one I was using was plastic and I dropped it over and outside the pen fence today after milking and it cracked in 1/2. Cheap plastic... you'd expect something that takes a millennium to decompose in a landfill to last more than a couple of decades in use... Yeah, it was pretty old. Now it can have the rest of the/a millennium in the landfill...

 

[farmerjan]

Talk about all or nothing. I sure don't want 3 of my dairy cows calving within 2 days of each other....Kinda like which kids are going on which does, I can just see me trying to get 3 calves each established on 3 different cows when they are all trying to eat grain and make sure "their own baby" is right there. Yep, recipe for disaster. Guess there are some definite advantages on having something that weighs 100 lbs +/- than 1000 lbs +/-....

Good for you to wanting to do it all at once. Or maybe that wasn't exactly the plan?
I have just had my oldest nurse cow calve and have gotten 2 more on her so she will raise 3 right now. The next one isn't due for about a month. Still have to preg check one that might be due around the same time. She just hasn't been where it was convenient for preg check when the vet was at the other barn. Will check her myself, as if she is bred to her AI breeding she will have a big calf in her due early May also. If not bred to that then it will be about a 4 month fetus and I won't have to worry about calving her until fall. Then I have another due in late June/early july. She was bred twice AI then turned with the cleanup bull so I will have to wait until she calves to be sure. It will either be a dairy breed calf (she was bred guernsey) or a half beef from the angus cleanup bull.

But spacing them out a bit makes it easier to get calves established before the next one needs to be in the barn too. I do have 3 separate "pens" that they can be separated into, but once the calves get established, they will go find "their own mothers" when the cows come in for their grain. And of course, I can milk anyone that doesn't have a calf, or enough calves to keep them milked out.

 

[Latestarter]

I didn't really expect Dot and Bang to go the same day. Dot got bred the day/evening RJ arrived. He went after her as soon as he was released into the pen. I never saw him chase Bang or CB, so didn't know when he had gotten them. But based on the kidding, all three must have happened within the first 48 hours of him being here. I remember him chasing April, but that was maybe a week later. I did expect him to get each as they came into heat so figured a max window of about 18-24 days for all kidding to be complete. I guess goat girls "synch" up their estrus cycles kinda like human females... It's no biggie and they are all getting along. No major issues yet. Hopefully there won't be any.

 

[greybeard]

Just tell 'em Joe. Don't start no crap there won't be no crap.....I'm sure they'll listen..