Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[Devonviolet]

YES! Absolutely GORGEOUS dapples!

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Thanks! It is probably the hippie blood in me that loves the tie-dye colored animals! I love all kinds of colors, but variety in my animals coats with so many colors, makes me downright giddy.

I got an email from the young lady that bought the red doe that had been in the breeding pen earlier than preferred due to Beautiful Beast taking down his containment system. She would be just over a year now and kidded with triplets, giving the young lady a doe and 2 buck kids. Apparently the buck kids have some color. One has dark spots but one is a dark, almost black all over with solid black undercarriage! Her show team has called dibs on them already, so I hope they bring her a fair amount of change. I had offered the doe as exposed, and I was able to register her, so for the price of a commercial doe, she ended up with a registered percentage doe, ability to register the doe kid and the sale of the boys should more than cover all her expenses for her project. People online were being jerks about me offering a younger doe exposed, even though she wasn't unreasonably young. I don't usually prefer to breed any of my does that young, but it was a stressful situation of not having enough pens/fences and not wanting to butcher a fine young doe. I would say it turned out just fine and I have the promise of further updates on how the kids do if they make it to competition.

 

[Bruce]

People online were being jerks about me offering a younger doe exposed, even though she wasn't unreasonably young.

They can just

 

[ragdollcatlady]

@Latestarter ,

Today was a hard day for me. I am sad about selling a couple of my best nigerians, I deliver them this sunday. Calico Pony is my chocolate buckskin with moonspots out of my favorite doe (Spellbound) and she finally freshened this last year, with the best udder in my herd. Her teats are bigger, attachments are very much an improvement over her dams and she was very easy to milk. Her only fault is that she is on the bigger size. Manny is my new blue eyed buck with moonspots and a pedigree full of stars and letters. I have been working on my nigerians for about 10 years now, I think, and the difference between Jane, my first goat, and these goats, is huge. I know you would be proud of the work I have done. I also know you would support my decision to let them go. And I know you understand the hard part about it all.

I am worried about other stuff too, things I cant really change, but it is hard not to worry. So I made you a cake. I know you aren't here to enjoy it, so i'll share it with my coworkers tomorrow. Baking takes my mind off my worries, or maybe it just gives me time to think a little more slowly, process and sort things out while my hands are busy. I just wanted to let you know I was missing you today. Peace my friend.

 

[babsbag]

Beautiful cake. I bet it taste good too.

Manny's first kids will be here in a few weeks and I am really looking forward to seeing them. Did his other horn fall of? If so I may try this on my nigi buck Flash. I would really like his scurs to go away. The mini Alpine does that I have from Flash are very nice and easy to milk and good producers too so I admire the work you put in own your nigis. Thank you for sharing them with me.

Which was the first doe you got from me, Rigatoni or Ravi?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Mannys other horn did come off, some blood and oozing for a couple of weeks, nothing too bad. It looks great now. The bad part was traumatizing him to get the grooves started and put the bands on. They must've been pretty uncomfortable while it was working. I definitely prefer to sedate and burn, then bandage. Less trauma to the animal and I feel less pain, despite the bandage changes.

RavioliAnna was the first doe I got from you. She was a great goat. I let her go to a good guy that bought several of my boers a couple times, because she was making my chores way too hard. She would shove me out of the to get through the gate and let all the Nigerians out, every time I had to go out. But i loved her and letting her go was hard.

 

[babsbag]

I have sold a few goats due to attitude. I get it.

Flash has knocked his scurs off a few times so the vet might be able to remove them easily. I worry during rut that he might get the scur caught in a collar when the boys go head to head; they are about 5" long and stick straight up. I need the collars though to control them when I bring them out for breeding. He is a feisty little guy and would be a real challenge to get those bands on. Burning is tough too since during the winter (prime time) he is in rut and during the summer there are flies. Decisions.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

The worst part of selling Ravi, is that her getting out of the gate wasn't the problem. Her shoving me wasn't the problem either, she was simply a big girl. When she got out, I just walked back up to her and lead her back in. Bottle baby. Easy peasy. The problem was that she made it possible for all the dairy goats to get out. Nigerians learned to slip out under her and around her while she was busy shoving me and they were not very cooperative about going back to the pen once they were out.

 

[babsbag]

The other goats were paying her to clear the way for them. I sold one the other day that knew how to open the door into the milk parlor. She would get her grain and get milked and leave. And then open the door and try to come back in the "out" door to get more grain. Sounds like no big deal...until every other goat follows her back in. Gets old fast.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Today I made a big decision. I offered my whole flock of gorgeous silkies to a longtime goat friend. She had posted a little bit ago on facebook, looking for sexed girls. Silkies can be notoriously hard to sex until they are several months old as both sexes are fluffy all over. I am afraid that trying to move too many animals without housing ready for them, will just be too much for me to handle in an environment like Alaska. In California, no problem... situate a few pens in a garage and figure it out from there. But I am not going to have my own place and wont be able to take such liberties. I am very afraid that if I let go of my silkies and Faverolles, I wont be able to find the same quality birds as those I have now once I am ready for them. I made the mistake of letting go of our cochins years ago and when I felt like we missed them too much and really wanted another start in them, there were no quality cochins to be found anywhere. I have spent hundreds over the years acquiring and breeding the silkies, favs and ameraucanas that I have now. Several silkies, some of these and some that were babies from our flock, have won awards in our local fairs. My first start of nice silkies came from a breeder in Ohio. I have added from a couple of other breeders and the quality shows. I have some unusual colors like a splash salmon colored rooster and lavender and buff hens along with a few blue, splash hens and a black rooster. Faverolles are my favorite of the large breed birds, I have acquired a couple of different lines, but it took me years. I haven't committed to relinquishing the big birds yet. They should be ok in colder weather... but these old guys and gals are California babies.... Anyway, my friend is thrilled to be getting my silkies and has promised that I can buy a few back (or maybe some offspring ) when I am ready in a few years. I cant believe I offered them, but I couldn't pass up the chance of getting them into a family that will love them, appreciate the quality, and understands the sacrifice. Her little dude has farm in his blood. One of my favorite pics, is him (around 2 years old) holding his favorite silkie hen. Takes me back to my own kids loving on their birds.

Just FYI, The empty metal water container is just one of 3 in there, the other 2 still have plenty of water.... just so Y'all aren't worried. I had snapped the pics before I had a chance to clean up their pen and refill all the waterers this afternoon.