- Thread starter
- #1,211
Southern by choice
Herd Master
Yes, it is a very specific goat.
You see Bruce, whenever you reduce your numbers it means you can bring in one.
SBC/GW's Journal- Spring shows DONE! & Update
- Thread starter Southern by choice
- Start date
Yes, it is a very specific goat.
You see Bruce, whenever you reduce your numbers it means you can bring in one.
Bruce
Herd Master
And if you send a 40# goat off the farm, you can replace it with ten 4# kids. It is the goat law of physics: Conservation of herd weight, must be kept constant.
- Thread starter
- #1,213
Southern by choice
Herd Master
sounds reasonable
Goat Whisperer
Herd Master
I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Snapped this pic off the barn camera the other night. I love this group of kids!
They just make me happy. Something special about these kids! They’re nibbling on pellets here. They don’t stop eating LOL
I may have found the perfect home for Foxy!
I am considering re-homing one of my does, Leah. Having a hard time with the idea though. I just don’t know. It has to be the right place and she’d need to be retired. She has quads and quints, I don’t want someone getting her, breeding her, and then something bad happens because they weren’t their for the birth. She’s a good doe, but would do better in a smaller herd.
I just don’t know. She’s a good girl.
I may or may not have been looking at local AKC shows… several working breed shows are coming up in the spring…
It’s far out but I’m excited and can’t wait.
Snapped this pic off the barn camera the other night. I love this group of kids!
They just make me happy. Something special about these kids! They’re nibbling on pellets here. They don’t stop eating LOL
I may have found the perfect home for Foxy!
I am considering re-homing one of my does, Leah. Having a hard time with the idea though. I just don’t know. It has to be the right place and she’d need to be retired. She has quads and quints, I don’t want someone getting her, breeding her, and then something bad happens because they weren’t their for the birth. She’s a good doe, but would do better in a smaller herd.
I just don’t know. She’s a good girl.
I may or may not have been looking at local AKC shows… several working breed shows are coming up in the spring…
It’s far out but I’m excited and can’t wait.
- Thread starter
- #1,215
Southern by choice
Herd Master
So... years ago we had shelf like benches for our goats. There was a hierarchy as to who went where- above or below.
The goats love them. Eventually we removed them for a variety of reasons.
Yesterday DH went and got a whole bunch of lumber and some pvc. GW is working on feeders with the pvc.
The lumber- we are moving a bunch of juniors and want to partially close in a building.
We will be making benches for the goats. I know they will be happy about this.
Kind of cool too because recently I was thinking how we need to put benches back in and then a week ago I came across an article and in it were benches and the article was talking about management etc.
I just smiled.
It brought me back to what I'd been thinking and how our old buildings had benches and this just felt like confirmation.
Hopefully over the next few days we can start on our benches.
We need to partially wall off the one shelter. It is 3 sided with a 16 ft opening in the front. We are going to cover 8 ft of it. Need to do this fast because we have to move these goats asap. Heavy rains/thunderstorms are coming in!
Meanwhile Amy, LGD, ended up getting matted on her back and around her rear. I think the rutting bucks just did a number on her coat as well as the sap from the pines that fell and the goats are chewing on. She also has a foot injury. How we don't know.
We had to bring her up and cut off a bunch of hair on top of her back. It was weighing- hmmm it is cold and she needs her coat yet it is matted up and it must bother her because she was chewing on it. Maybe the sap? IDK. No fleas or ticks so must be something about the matting/sap.
Trimmed her dewclaws, trimmed up the bad areas, cleaned ears... so I brought her in the house!
I love my Mimi.
She didn't want to stay in though.
Worried about her getting cold we looked for a x large sweater... nothing big enough to fit her. So we put her in the comfy warm front stall and have a heat lamp in there. The day she wants to be out side, at night we put her up. She doesn't go under the lamp but at least it is there if she starts to get chilly. Probably better that she doesn't want to stay in because the coat will grow faster if she is out. She has great body fat so I guess that is why she is not cold. Temps have been mild in the day anyway. She still has a lot of coat.
Rita has cut the bottom of her foot. I don't know what she cut it on. So she is being treated as well. She is a house dog so she is playing it up like every spoiled house dog. We play along.
"Rita, baby, what happened?"
Big brown eyes looking and now she climbs in lap because it is just so traumatic.
"Let me see baby"
Rita tries to run off when you touch her foot
"Hey, come here baby"
Rita comes
Grab collar- stern voice
"Hey, stay, I am looking at your foot"
Wriggles
"Knock it off and be still"
She gets sad eyes and stays still
"eww that needs treated and wrapped"
Rolls over to get maximum sympathy.
The goats love them. Eventually we removed them for a variety of reasons.
Yesterday DH went and got a whole bunch of lumber and some pvc. GW is working on feeders with the pvc.
The lumber- we are moving a bunch of juniors and want to partially close in a building.
We will be making benches for the goats.
I know they will be happy about this.Kind of cool too because recently I was thinking how we need to put benches back in and then a week ago I came across an article and in it were benches and the article was talking about management etc.
I just smiled.
It brought me back to what I'd been thinking and how our old buildings had benches and this just felt like confirmation.
Hopefully over the next few days we can start on our benches.
We need to partially wall off the one shelter. It is 3 sided with a 16 ft opening in the front. We are going to cover 8 ft of it. Need to do this fast because we have to move these goats asap. Heavy rains/thunderstorms are coming in!
Meanwhile Amy, LGD, ended up getting matted on her back and around her rear.
I think the rutting bucks just did a number on her coat as well as the sap from the pines that fell and the goats are chewing on. She also has a foot injury. How we don't know.We had to bring her up and cut off a bunch of hair on top of her back. It was weighing- hmmm it is cold and she needs her coat yet it is matted up and it must bother her because she was chewing on it. Maybe the sap? IDK. No fleas or ticks so must be something about the matting/sap.
Trimmed her dewclaws, trimmed up the bad areas, cleaned ears... so I brought her in the house!
I love my Mimi.
She didn't want to stay in though.
Worried about her getting cold we looked for a x large sweater... nothing big enough to fit her. So we put her in the comfy warm front stall and have a heat lamp in there. The day she wants to be out side, at night we put her up. She doesn't go under the lamp but at least it is there if she starts to get chilly. Probably better that she doesn't want to stay in because the coat will grow faster if she is out. She has great body fat so I guess that is why she is not cold. Temps have been mild in the day anyway. She still has a lot of coat.
Rita has cut the bottom of her foot. I don't know what she cut it on. So she is being treated as well. She is a house dog so she is playing it up like every spoiled house dog.
We play along. "Rita, baby, what happened?"
Big brown eyes looking and now she climbs in lap because it is just so traumatic.
"Let me see baby"
Rita tries to run off when you touch her foot
"Hey, come here baby"
Rita comes
Grab collar- stern voice
"Hey, stay, I am looking at your foot"
Wriggles
"Knock it off and be still"
She gets sad eyes and stays still
"eww that needs treated and wrapped"
Rolls over to get maximum sympathy.
- Thread starter
- #1,216
Southern by choice
Herd Master
One Fine Acre mentioned the rainfall numbers. It just went up again.
Torrential downpours throughout the day on Friday.
My county has 62.44 officially.... living here. I think their full of it. I think more than that has fallen! We are livin' it.
Got a call last night from someone south and east of us. One of their goats is sick. They had called their vet but called to see what we thought too (their reg vet wasn't the one who took the call and doesn't know goats well) ... we were talking about how much of this could be related to weather. I think their reg vet is coming out today. They have a really good vet. They were hit hard during the first hurricane. Completely under water. Amazing their goats lived. I really think the rain is wreaking havoc on herds all over. I really am beside myself. You know it's bad when you ask yourself do I need to sell my herd off? It has affected hay, water, living conditions, milking. Many of us are building more shelters, shifting fencing... finding hay is difficult. Everything is affected.
GW is handling this all way better then I am.
Goats are tired of being in so much. They get grouchy with each other. It makes it near impossible to clean the buildings because they are in constantly.
We can't even get bedding hay or straw from anyone here because of the toxins, bacteria from the hurricanes that took and ruined the last of the fields. Right now we throw shavings down.
Torrential downpours throughout the day on Friday.
My county has 62.44 officially.... living here. I think their full of it. I think more than that has fallen! We are livin' it.
Got a call last night from someone south and east of us. One of their goats is sick. They had called their vet but called to see what we thought too (their reg vet wasn't the one who took the call and doesn't know goats well) ... we were talking about how much of this could be related to weather. I think their reg vet is coming out today. They have a really good vet. They were hit hard during the first hurricane. Completely under water. Amazing their goats lived. I really think the rain is wreaking havoc on herds all over. I really am beside myself. You know it's bad when you ask yourself do I need to sell my herd off? It has affected hay, water, living conditions, milking. Many of us are building more shelters, shifting fencing... finding hay is difficult. Everything is affected.
GW is handling this all way better then I am.
Goats are tired of being in so much. They get grouchy with each other. It makes it near impossible to clean the buildings because they are in constantly.
We can't even get bedding hay or straw from anyone here because of the toxins, bacteria from the hurricanes that took and ruined the last of the fields. Right now we throw shavings down.
Hens and Roos
Herd Master
you guys sure have been hit hard with rain!
B&B Happy goats
Herd Master
Im sorry, that really makes things hard. I have seen several times on CL tractor ttailer loads of hay from out of our state for delivery...if I see any more I will let you know or maby you already have looked....either way i will check.
- Thread starter
- #1,219
Southern by choice
Herd Master
Thank you. All our hay already comes from up North. The issue for us is finding bedding- cuz you know they will still try to eat anything we lay down. Some places the mud will suck the boot right off your foot. I avoid those areas LOL No fun trying to stand and hop on one foot while trying to get your foot back in. (Not a pretty site)
Baymule
Herd Master
I just checked rainfall for our area and we are at 68" for the year, average is 45" it all seems to come at once. During the summer, nobody could cut hay for lack of rain, then somebody turned the tap on and it hasn't quit. Hang in there, the rain will slow down, eventually.
Are bags of dried beet shreds available in your area? I am feeding them to Pearl, our starved mare and she is gaining weight and not eating as much hay. She is getting the roughage she needs from the beet shreds. I soak them in water for about 15 minutes before I give them to her.
A bag is $13.50 at the feed store an hour away where we buy our horse feed, $16.50 at one that is in the next town closer to us. I don't use them as a total hay substitute, but they certainly cut down on the hay bill for Pearl. Square bales are $9.75 to $13.00 and she was eating one every 3 days. Now she goes through a bale a week.
I don't know how beet shreds would do for your goats, maybe a little each day would help with the hay bill.
https://www.ruralking.com/beet-pulp...MIm_qOsJ3F3wIVhMVkCh2pBQK6EAQYAiABEgJt_vD_BwE
Are bags of dried beet shreds available in your area? I am feeding them to Pearl, our starved mare and she is gaining weight and not eating as much hay. She is getting the roughage she needs from the beet shreds. I soak them in water for about 15 minutes before I give them to her.
A bag is $13.50 at the feed store an hour away where we buy our horse feed, $16.50 at one that is in the next town closer to us. I don't use them as a total hay substitute, but they certainly cut down on the hay bill for Pearl. Square bales are $9.75 to $13.00 and she was eating one every 3 days. Now she goes through a bale a week.
I don't know how beet shreds would do for your goats, maybe a little each day would help with the hay bill.
https://www.ruralking.com/beet-pulp...MIm_qOsJ3F3wIVhMVkCh2pBQK6EAQYAiABEgJt_vD_BwE
