Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[ragdollcatlady]

DS3 and REO Speedwagon

Speedy and Cherry

Cosmo ( I needed some good recent pics for my website)

Bellini

 

[babsbag]

Goats look great and I am still impressed with the ADG numbers. My friends up here would be so jealous. Good job on whatever you are feeding those dams. Is there a top weight for REO and the fair or is it all done by DOB and they don't care how big he gets?

If you do breed Bellini and Cosmo next year to a Boer I would use Rocky since they were already from a line breeding. I know Andy is related so having some new blood in there would be my choice. I think that there size is a result of my herd being extremely selenium deficient at the time and I bet they would grow up some nice kids. The genetics are there hiding somewhere.

I didn't realize that Cosmo was so much darker than her sis. Nice pretty coats on them; much better than when I had her. What minerals do you feed?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

For the fair, they should ideally be 60-90 lbs, 105 is the payweight. Anything over 105 and you only get paid for 105. He hasn't been actively pushed to exercise yet so that is coming soon.

Bailey is doing all the work herself. She is getting alfalfa hay 2 times a day and alfalfa pellets mixed with goat pellets once a day. She puts everything into her milk. I plan on having her out to browse after work now that it is lighter out later in the evenings.

I think even Rocky might be too big to safely breed Bellini and Cosmo. He is almost as big as Andy already.

I use Sweetlix minerals, either the magnum milk or meatmaker based on whether I am giving grain or not. With Baileys history ( I think you mentioned it was an iodine deficiency), I add kelp to the minerals sometimes (for everyone) and they mostly take it OK. I can't leave minerals out over the fog and winter season, so I try and feed at least once a week, as much as they eat either when I am out offering it by hand or with a little left in a bowl for a day or so until it gets wet, knocked over or eaten. Summer is a little easier, but then someone inevitably poops in it. Cosmo finally lost the fine winter coat just a few weeks ago. She had the same super soft undercoat that she came to me with for almost a year, all through last summer even. Maybe we are finally getting her copper and selenium up to where they need to be? Peach Bellini looks like a pastel colored goat. Most of the pics I got of her during her photo shoot were with her rump high in the air, rolling in the weeds. For some reason she was being a little monkey and didn't want to cooperate! She is usually very easy to work with.

 

[babsbag]

I have been using the sweetlix too, my goats seem to really like them and look pretty good. The kids this year are growing like weeds compared to last year's so I think it makes a big difference. I have some pretty little kids out there that decided to breed themselves to my LaMancha buckling so I am hoping that goes well. I am more and more thinking about converting my herd to minis. If I can get the milk production that @Southern by choice is getting from her minis it makes a lot of sense. I am right now trying to decide which standard does to cull to make way for the minis I might keep this year.

I need more land and a partner; and probably a buck so I am waiting for your nigis to freshen

So glad I don't have your fog in the winter, that tule fog is just depressing.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Well..... I do have a gorgeous blue eyed mini nubian buckling that will be for sale here soon... in case you were thinking about adding mini nubians...

StinkerBelle might give us April fools day nigerian kids! She is due on the 5th. She had 3 last year as a FF and has a very nice udder in case you want a Casanova buckling.

 

[Ferguson K]

Im still drooling over your boers.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Thank you! Most of my boers came from my friend @babsbag! She was kind enough to pass them to me when she decided to focus on her dairy goats!

 

[babsbag]

They look better at your place

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I burned the little nubian bucklings horn buds last night. He barely struggled, stopped complaining right away, and still likes us... I think I am in love! He is soooo mellow! I found they don't struggle as much when I hold them between my legs to restrain them, but they still usually struggle more than this. DS1 hates helping with this chore ( I hate doing it) but it has to be done. As we were loving on him and his sister (who does not have buds big enough to find yet) Someone was thinking he wanted to name the little guy Kenny McCormick (from SouthPark I think). But then he was thinking out loud that he would lose the "privilege" of complaining about having to help with the goats since if you name it, it is yours, and if it is yours, then you gotta help take care of it. House rules. This was the kid that traveled and worked in different states this last year. I mentioned that a pack goat could be a good companion that would be willing to walk/travel everywhere with him......

I am still thinking of names for my little girl nubian.

I started milking Brie in the evenings. She hollers (loudly) at her kids while she eats her dinner! I figured she was uncomfortable and wanted them to come eat too. I got 3 1/2 cups of colostrum the other day and 2 1/2 today. It is nice to milk the larger teats! And for a FF she was really pretty good.

StinkerBelle and Spelly all look about to pop.... but we should have another week for these 2.
Reese looks almost as big as those 2 ...but she still has until the end of MAY!!! (She had 5 last time!!!) I need a fingernail chewing emoji!!!!

Rigs bag is fuller.... Taking her sweet time. Day 152 today from the time I saw her flirting with Rocky.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

On Easter, the neighbor across the street stopped in to tell us one of our rabbits was near the road...apparently she was assisting the Easter Bunny, at least that was her story. No idea if she is telling the truth or fibbing to avoid being in trouble, as we didn't see the Easter bunny and he must have been asleep since he didn't answer the phone to verify that he had actually needed her help. Both Cheech and Chong had escaped their play yard and were playing 'hide and catch me' in the weeds in the driveway. That was our easter morning round up game.

I think I am going with Madeleine ... a french butter cookie, for my little nubian. She has chocolate moonspots that remind me of a cookie so I wanted a cookie name, her mom is Brie (a french cheese) so a french name is good, and my kid wanted to name her Butters.... so how about a french butter cookie name!

Still no kids from Rigatoni yet. She was actually pen bred, I just wrote down the days I saw flirty behavior.

StinkerBelle and Spelly are about to pop any minute... I hope they wait just a few more days (friday would be good), but Thursday would be day 145 soooooo.....