SimplyNewt ~ Newts Walk With The Goats

[Roll farms]

It's a pain to have to seperate one to feed it, but you're going to probably have to eventually....she 'needs' more inputs than those other 2 do, being a dairy goat. They'd probably do fine on hay alone.
I dunno if you plan to breed her or if they're purely for pets, but if you're going to train her to milk, go ahead and build a stand and let her get on it daily to eat. It doesn't take a doe long to eat a pan of feed (1-1.5 cup 2x a day should suffice, alf. pellets and goat feed combined). You can cut back if she starts to get pudgy, but during the growth stage, if you want her to reach her potential, she'll need good input.

I feel your pain, I truly do. I have a herd of FAT boer goats b/c they insist they need to eat like my dairy goats do.
I eventually had to set up 'fat chick' and 'skinny girl' pens and feed seperately. The fatties get hay only, the skinnies get all the good stuff.

I can't tie 40 or so goats seperately and feed them. Only at feeding time, well...and hoof trimming time....do I regret having so many.

I'm sorry if all this advice is buggering up your plan of sharing your walk. We're really only trying to help....sometimes we want to help too much...

 

[Queen Mum]

I got some trailer ties at the feed store. They are about 4 feet long with a snap hook on each end. They are used for horses tied in a trailer and they are great for naughty goats who refuse to share at feeding time. Just hook them to the collar and it stops a heck of a lot of fights. Of course, when you have 40 goats it's a lot harder to use that method, but Newt only has the three. The have a lot of other great uses too. They make great leads for driveway dates with the bucks because they are very thick and sturdy and can be very quickly clipped to a fence and just as quickly unclipped. (I have breeder bucks.) They are short enough for easy control.

 

[simplynewt]

I haven't considered tying them up (the pygs) while the nubie eats but it seems like it might work. Problem is that I let them out in the morning before I go to work and all of them come out together and I dont have time to seperate them, feed them and then let them go about their buisness.

I do appreciate all the input though as it gives me more insight on how to deal with them during feeding time.

 

[simplynewt]

OK, time to start knocking off some of the questions on the list...

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?

I live in Central Alabama. I am not from here but a transplant. I moved here from Illinois where I lived for 6 years. God tired of the cold there and decided to move to Alabama where I have some relatives. I am originally from South Florida but as of late, I have come to find out that it is now a nice place to visit but would not want to live there anymore.

The climate here in Bama is pretty easy if you will. It does not get too cold in the winter but temps can drop down to the teens on good days. We do get alittle snow from time to time. Last year we had a White Christmas which was awesome as it was the first one for me in quite some time.

The summers here can be really hot. We had a pretty mild summer here this year so I am expecting a terrible winter. It usually happens like that.

2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?

I am currently married (Sorry Ladies) and have been for 11 years. We have no children together but I do have a daughter that lives in Illinois and a son that lives in South Carolina. To exoplain the latter would take way to long and I dont have that much time. At the house I have 1 wife, 2 pygmys, 1 Nubian, 4 Dominiques, 1 RIR, 2 Dogs (1 Golden), & Cockitiel who can whistle the Andy Griffin Song.

 

[Queen Mum]

I live in Texas. It's hot and dry most of the year and cold and dry the rest of the year.

It's just me. I have two son's. One is married in PA with two children. (a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter.) Sounds like they are not going to be married much longer. He's in the Navy and is a master diesel mechanic.
My other son is single and a Marine. He's an Air Control Electronics something or other. (He works with Air traffic control equipment.) He lives in Virginia.
I have a daughter who lives Washington State. She has three children. A 13 year old son, an eight year old daughter and a 6 year old son. I miss all my kids. So as surrogates I have 5 goats. (two does and 3 bucks.) I also foster a little tiny buck and a Rhodesian Ridgeback rescue.

I'm poor as the dirt here, and believe me there isn't much of that on this farm. I live in one room, on a farm that is 320 feet by 1.5 miles as a tenant/helper. My landlords have about 70 goats, 10 dogs and 9 cats. He is a bit of a curmudgeon landlord and she is a very kind wife.

My philosophy is "If you work your behind off. You may not get anywhere but at least you won't get any lower than you were to begin with. And you will always remain pretty strong and fairly happy. The animals always come first. I am their shepard."

My name is Sara.

 

[simplynewt]

Well thanks you Sara for sharing that. I also believe in hard work, have been doing it for alot of my 47 years. What I dislike greatly is people who always want something for doing nothing. People who think they can skate through life without lifting a finger and think that the world owes them everything. I dont have much myself but what I have, I have worked very hard for. I currently go to school in the evening as I have for the past 4 years. I go to work full time and then attend college at night. I am in my last class of my last semester and it has me at school four nights a week. The semester ends in December and I will graduate with a degree in Industrial Maintenance Technology.

I have been blessed with getting the goats and the hens as they keep me busy when I am not at school or at work. I used to be one who frequented bars at night and somewhat of a partyer but those days are long gone and I have found solitude in enjoying the fruits of my labor. Just this summer, I built an 8' x 40' deck on the back of my home that overlooks the creek that runs behind my house. I have built a goat pen complete with a house for them and purchased said goats and have cared for them. I have built a chicken coop complete with a run and have purchased hens to fill the coop. I have built fencing around the area that we park out vehicles in so the goats wont get ran over by soimeone coming or going onto our property. And just this past weekend, I cut down a 90' tree by myself and cut it up for firewood because I refuse to pay $190.00 for a cord of wood when I have a chainsaw and 100 acres of unused trees next to my place.

All of the above tasks that I have completed was the first time I have ever done these so it has been and always will be a learning experience for me and I would not want to have it any other way. When I rest my head at night, I can be rest assured that I have done a full days work and did it to the best of my ability without complaining about it or looking to someone else to do it for me.

Heres a pic of the coop and run I have built...

And here is a more recent pic of my four legged girls...

I have a funnt feeling I will be posting more pics as soon as I am finished with school. Time to get off the soapbox.

Thanks everyone for an ear and thanks again Sara for sharing your world.

 

[Queen Mum]

Wow! Nice job on the chicken coop. You could probably keep 50 pound chickens IN that coop. It looks pretty sturdy. it will sure keep the critters out. And the goats look in GREAT shape, including the Nubian. She's really looking pretty darned good! Congratulations in advance on your degree. Would you like an obnoxious Boer goat? She's up for grabs!

 

[Livinwright Farm]

They all look beautifully conditioned! congrats on nursing them back to proper health

Sara- Don't tell MrsDieselEngineer!

 

[Roll farms]

When you get a minute, make me one of those chicken runs, pls. n thx.

Love that nub doe.

 

[simplynewt]

Sry Roll, the run was made with wood I aquired from work. They have alot of steel that comes in on wooden pallets that are 8' long and around 5' wide and I can get some from timeto time. I had to purchase some 2" x 4" for like the door but my purchases were minimal for the construction of it. I dont think it turned out to bad considering I have never built one before. Did you notice the cross I made into the door of the run?

Well now the cat is out of the bag. Yes I am a practicing Christian. I have been truely blessed to have what I have and to ennjoy the fruits of my labor.

The coop is only 4' x 4' and it houses 5 hens. Alittle to small if you ask someone who has raised chickens for a while but it is what it is and the feathered girls dont seem to mind too much. I do plan on expanding the run some but that will be a project for the Spring. I should start seeing some fresh eggs sometime in March. I cant wait.