Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Mini Horses]

WOW that water is bad. It would sure make me think "move".

LS...I trimmed the hair on mine before they were dehorned, also. Well, next year, no disbudding and I regret it for the does I have with horns! THIS year, will have disbudding iron and I need a box. Yeah, you can hold them but box is sooo much better. Pick up iron Wed. First kids born this AM before dawn.
BOTH doelings!! I'm thrilled. Another doe due today.

Like you, I feel the hair is the stinkier part of the process. Also feel it's faster surer with hair gone. Oh well, I'm no pro as I have never personally done one. But watched several and feel just a little bit anxious. Can't be worse than lancing a boil and cleaning it out -- Right? Yeah, I'm pretty "hands on".

Hope you get your coyote issues dead -- uhhhh under control. No doubt the goats will LOVE YOU when the fence is done & they can indulge in that grass. So will your wallet. Cuts the hay bill way down.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Congrats on all the new kids!!

 

[Latestarter]

Grats on 2 new doelings Mini! Hope you get at least one more from the next one due. The coyotes were at 11pm and down in the woods, I couldn't see them, but they were close. I just fired in their direction to shut them up and get them moving along. When they hear a gun shot close by, they run like greased lightening. They know all to well what that sound means. Mel barked a couple more times over night and all my goats were present and accounted for this morning, so I'm happy.

Disbudding isn't (IMHO) as bad as a lot of folks make it out to be. Yeah, the kids scream bloody murder for the first couple of seconds, then they pretty much just go limp. I think the biggest issues folks have is that they don't hold the iron on long enough to kill the entire bud (they are afraid they're hurting the goat?), and hence end up with scurs. I mean even if you ARE hurting the goat, you've already started, why not go the full time and make sure it's done so you DON'T have to do it again later? I had that happen last year and had to re-burn when the kids were so big I had to force them into the box. They were too big/strong at that point for me to just hold them and do it. Although the second time around they were so big, they couldn't move at all in the box, so that was nice. But the 2nd time, I got them all and none of the kids I did have scurs. Hope I get it right this year Don't want a second go round this year.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I much prefer our disbudded goats over the Boers that we had with them. We have a few with scurs that have knocked them loose over the last couple days and it’s another pain to deal with.

 

[Bruce]

Hope I get it right this year Don't want a second go round this year.

Always easier once you've learned from the first time (in this case, first year).

 

[greybeard]

How I feel lately.....

 

[Alaskan]

like a submarine?

 

[Baymule]

Is that the North Koreans spying on you?

 

[Wehner Homestead]

On a more serious note, I will say that GB has a wealth of knowledge and may be considered essential to them!

 

[farmerjan]

After last year, I was so hoping that you would have a "normal" year or even a little on the dry side. I cannot imagine you going through this all over again.... My sympathies although they aren't worth spit in your circumstances....