rachels.haven's Journal

[Ridgetop]

Never buy sheep or goats from the local auction. It is where most people send their culls. Anything at the local auction can be suspect. I also don't take back anything I have sold since you don't know what the buyer exposed them to. If I guarantee an animal, I will replace it but the one that left the prmises goes to auction.

I'll probably test at least once a year forever, but we'll probably not have to cull very much once we stop the best defensebringing in does and we get like a year or two behind us. (We're done with that now) Even buying from "clean tested" herds doesn't mean the goats are actually going to test clean. It just means they claim to have a recent all negative test.

Even with pasturizing and bottle raising the kids, testing once a year is the best and cheapest defense. Although you are not showing, if you send a doe out for breeding she can pick it up. This happened to us. And like you say, until you do the bloodwork yourself any new animal can bring it into the herd, evenfro reputable breeders.

Sorry about the test results on that ND. Just tell the breeder which ND is positive so she has that information to help her eradicate any other positive animals.

 

[rachels.haven]

It makes me rethink buying from the local auction, too.

Yeah, auction is buyer beware. You could totally get lucky. I know some people that have and that was their start. Buying directly from a breeder isn't flawless either, but auction is where I'm probably going to send my doe when the ice ends if nobody wants a cheap or free meat doe. That's typically what people do with the culls they don't process. It's mostly meat buyers buying there because it's usually cheap and centralized and if this doe goes that way I can rest fairly well assured she'll probably wind up in some meat market's display within the week.

 

[rachels.haven]

The breeder says retest her and she'll buy her back if she's positive and she can live in a positive pen with a wether. She's also going to test the 2024 kids she kept but isn't sure how contamination could have happened. I guess I'll wait until after the big hard freeze breaks and ship more blood. It'll probably be next weekend.

 

[SageHill]

The breeder says retest her and she'll buy her back if she's positive and she can live in a positive pen with a wether. She's also going to test the 2024 kids she kept but isn't sure how contamination could have happened. I guess I'll wait until after the big hard freeze breaks and ship more blood. It'll probably be next weekend.

Wow. Now that, to me, is the mark of a responsible breeder. Sorry that she and everyone connected have to go through this.

 

[rachels.haven]

I still really wish it's a false positive, even though it's probably not.
It's snowing outside so it's time for split pea soup with quinoa (because the grain is 2 years past best by date and I need to use it up) and goat chops because that's what we have. Sounds really fancy, but I don't raise chickens yet or cows.
Goat is not lean meat-at least not here. Maxi pan fresh from the oven.

 

[murphysranch]

I've never had goat meat. I'm sure I'd love it!!

 

[rachels.haven]

I've never had goat meat. I'm sure I'd love it!!

I bet you would. It's milder than lamb but gameier than cow. It's like lamb beef.