Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[babsbag]

So remind me who Cherry is?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

She is the mama goat we bought for DS3 (with her baby). Speedwagon is his 4H market goat and mama (Cherry) is possibly going to show in the breeding meat goat class. Not sure what he wants to do with her after her baby sells....The guy offered us a free breeding back to his black spotted buckling this summer, he could sell her, or if he likes her enough, he could keep her. But she is not registered and isn't as big as Bailey and Rigatoni . But she has the best personality, sweet, loves people, great mama too. (This is the DS that also wants to name Baileys solid kid with the dark spot Nicolette Cage... so that one might be his too...)

 

[babsbag]

Black spotted Boers were my dream. Maybe he will let you breed Bellini or her sister to his buck; that could be interesting. Bailey is just a very long goat, still can't believe we stuffed her in your truck that day.

Is his buck registered?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

No registrations on anyone as he said it never helped him get any more money on a sale. Around here, I believe it. Alot of average looking boer goats for sale and everyone wants them cheap. But his herd (all his animals) looked clean and well kept. He said that Speedy was a roan??? I don't think he knows what roan is, but Speedy has a few dark spots under the red. He said that his black and white doe was a nigerian (she looks like my neighbors 'nigerian' that we know is a mix), maybe she is big goat mixed with one anyways. His big buck (supposed to be a boer) looked very Kiko to me (Speedys dad) but I was totally fine with that as kikos are a great cross for meat. His black spotted buck is very stocky for a young guy. Beautiful animal, very boer! I would love to see some kids out of him.... or I could wait a year or 2 and try to find one to buy. If I keep any of Rockys kids, I will another registered buck anyways.

Bailey is really long and I LOVE her back legs! Her bone and structure is just awesome. A lot of boers have very shortened or posty back legs, but not her! Her little girls look like they have nice curvy back legs too!

All three goats fit perfectly in my little girly truck last time! I need to make plans to go visit my grandma in sacramento again ...buying goats from you for the last couple of years, means she expects me to come around mothers day. I can't let her down, so I gotta plan for it. DH asked (in a possibly frightened voice???) if I was picking up any goats this time?.... I had to laugh and remind him that I already have all the rest of your boers! He said that if I am nice to him, he might let me use his car (as long as no animals are going or coming home of course!) One year, my mini van broke right before the county fair so without a vehicle to tow my little trailer, Bambi, DS's full sized nubian and ALL the chickens, rabbits, everything that was going to fair went in his little Altima!That is why he is concerned!

 

[babsbag]

I think you should raise mini Alpines and then I can bring you some for Mother's Day.

When are your Nigis due to kid? Maybe you can bring me one...oops, then DH won't let you use his car.

Boers were raised to be terminal animals so they don't taste any different when registered and yet people will pay more them with papers. At least some people will. What is most important to my friends that raise Boers is the average daily gain and the ability for the does to be able to raise at least twins. My friend has sent some really expensive does to auction for the inability to raise their young.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I agree that I don't eat papers... Heck, at this time I have yet to even eat goat!

However, one of the benefits of papers and pedigrees, is being able to see genetics and examples of who is behind your animal. Plus it is really good to know if they are related to animals you already own.... Andys pedigree having some names in common with the goats I got from you is a perfect example. He isn't papered, but without knowing his sire, the papers on the new goats or your honesty (and memory) as a seller, I might never have known. I could still use him, but if issues come up, I might have a better guess that it is from breeding more closely than if they were not related.

StinkerBelle/Casanova is due April 5, and Reese/Armani is due May 28. Have to see what we get. Nigi kids could fit in a pocket or a backpack, so he would never need to know.....

I think you should raise mini Alpines and then I can bring you some for Mother's Day.

I already bred one of my nubians for minis... if I were to accidentally keep one or more of those, I will be at 4 breeds already!

 

[babsbag]

Well, I am at Alpine, Lamancha, and now maybe minis. If I do minis I might do both breeds but at least I only need one buck to do that.

I need more land and a caretaker. I am working on the land part.

Keep me posted on the kids, pictures are a must anyways, regardless of what I end up doing.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Pics will be on as soon as we have kids of course!

Speaking of kids...Rigatonis tail was down this morning, loosening ligaments. Hopefully we will have some St Pattys day babies! Brie (nubian) looks the same as yesterday, her belly is nice and round. She was one of 4 but I doubt she has that many in there.

Spellbound and StinkerBelle (due April 5) are getting round and Reese (due May 28) looks pregers too. Bellini (April 30) looks fuller, but I don't think she will have very many as she is pretty small. Bellini was bred to Armani for mini boers.

 

[babsbag]

OK, mini Boers. Now there is a different twist. Could certainly get some good "eye candy" from that breeding but not sure about the usefulness other than cute pets. But mini anything sells so maybe it is a good idea.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I was going for eye candy... I wanted to breed Bellini, but she (and Cosmo) are still much closer to large nigerian size, so rather than waste another year dry, I bred her to one of my nigerian bucks. I don't have any medium sized buck options between Andy/Rocky or the nigerians..... I tried to introduce Cosmo too, but she was too scared being on the leash and out of the pen, that she wasn't really receptive to the whole dating scene.