Sustainable, natural, organic, herbal, etc, and goat husbandry

[Iceblink]

Ok, this isn't particularly health related, but on another thread I think Free had mentioned gathering and feeding acorns, so I tried it, and at first my sheep liked them, then after a day or so, they wouldn't touch them. I have read that vineyard owners have sucessfully trained sheep to eat only the weeds in the vineyard by spraying the vines with something that makes the sheep nauseous, and after that they don't touch the vines, and only graze on the weeds. I am concerned that something like that might have happened with the acorns. I only gave them very small amounts, and they are fine, but it made me wonder....

Too bad because I have (actually, thanks to the squirrels, had) lots and lots of acorns and it would have been a nice way to supplement their food.

I was reading Jared Diamond's book about how although oaks should be domesticated, considering what a valuble food source acorns are, they aren't and why, it was very interesting.

 

[freemotion]

I haven't fed any acorns yet, but I have some to feed to my poultry this winter. I didn't get many because I was out of town most of the time they were falling this year. I'm not so sure I would feed them to my goats, but pigs and poultry, yes, at about 15% of the total ration.

You will do better with acorns from white oaks rather than red oaks. White oaks have rounded leaves with no points and red oak leaves are pointy or have little thorn-like projections on the lobes. There is a lot more tannin in acorns from red oaks, making them very bitter. You can remove the tannins by coarsely grinding them and soaking them in a few changes of hot water. Seems like a lot of work, but worth experimenting with. You can also eat acorns yourself this way, once the masa is no longer bitter, you can put it into breads, muffins, pancakes, etc.

My plan is to put the acorns in a sack and run them over a few times with my car to crush them. Keeping the squirrels out is the challenge! If this winter's experiment makes it seem worthwhile, I will pick up and store much more next year.

Oh, and the more tannin, the longer they keep, so it may be worthwhile storing both types and using the white ones first.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

jlbpooh - thanks for the book recommendation! i'm checking itout

Free - thanks for starting a thread like this. we like to do things as naturally as possible - which is a view that i think many of us share. what works for us is common sense and using whatcha got.

we use the 'get out there and free range, cuz its free' approach. in fact our mini's didnt get any bagged feed for most of the summer. i started feeding per the bag instructions to our mini mancha and with in a month she got huge! i talked to the local breeder and she said if she doesnt need it, dont feed it.

we dont have a huge pasture so we've tried to use it wisely. earlier in the summer we fenced off a section with the intention of letting it grow out. as we got into fall we took down that fence as the yard got pretty much eaten down - the goats went to town on it! its or mini-version of rotated pasturing.

while we were clearing the property we had a lot of weeds - but for many reasons we couldnt just turn the goaties loose. so instead of just brush hogging it down we used the weed wacker to cut it, then took it into the goat yard. they loved it and saved us $$ for hay. i kept waiting for our dairy gals' milk production to go down or for the milk to be 'off' b/c we werent feeding them just pricey hay.... but i didnt have a big enough bucket for all that milk and it was never bad! sure it was more work for us - but in the end it really worked out. next year we are doing this from day one.

we also like a 'stacked' barnyard - everyone is out there in a big heap. the hens share the yard with the goaties; and the ducks come and go. the goats cant get to the chicken feed, but the hens clean up what the goats dont eat...including all that wasted hay. goats feed the hens milk, hens keep the bugs down, ducks keep the flies down, everyone eats at their 'level' and it all has been working out very nicely.

i was really nervous about getting goats - especially dairy goats. all you ever hear about is how difficult they are to keep in the fence, parasites, and how they could die at any minute. throw in all the 'rules' about a strict milking schedule, expensive feed, living in terror of 'bloat' blah blah blah. so i talked to an old timer and wow she really set me straight.

the best lesson i learned was that even tho there area million ways a goat could die - most likely they wont. that was the shove i needed. so instead of buying into all the hype i started looking around at others who were raising naturally and used their suggestions. maybe i'm lucky but i'm sticking with the 'old' ways. it works for us.

and it took forever to dry that darn goat out. next year i'm totally throwing that 'must milk every 12 hrs' right out the window. we'll be on a schedule but sheesh! i'm not missing Wheel of Fortune again!

 

[big brown horse]

We have a stacked barnyard too. Didn't know it had a name.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

dontcha just love the term??? hee hee hee

when i first heard it i thought the hens should ride around on the ducks shoulders... who were standing on the goats!

hee hee!

see!?!? this IS fun in farming!

 

[FarmerChick]

isn't it amazing that literally "the family farm" is being rediscovered.

people lived like this. a few chickens, some geese or such, some hogs, some cattle, a milk cow or 2, some goats etc. etc. All balancing each other mostly. The small sustainable garden and herb garden and the larger fields of crops to sell to pay that mortgage....lol...or have cash for life.

It was a balance. A balance to survival.

So far gone that is.....


Pasture rotation is key for me. After worming all animals get routed into a 15 acre pasture to "unload"---LOL---then into another pasture after that for grazing, then into kidding pastures right before their time. Then I have pastures for does and kids. Yea alot of fencing but so worth it. Having land I am lucky to be about to do true pasture rotation with ALOT of goats and cattle.

What is the saying---40 acres and a mule and I can live and feed my family and survive!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

what i would love to see is, instead of all the corporate farm bashing and trying to stop all that mess....

why dont we PROMOTE little farming ventures? i love the notion of the 'victory garden' and a couple of hens in each yard.

we got alot of teasing from our friends when we started out.. now its.. hey can i have some eggs and will you dress a turkey for us? some of the older folks are church march up to us and say 'can i have a chicken?" i just love that. i'm taking some lard to some of the ladies for their holiday baking.

the old timers have a lot of institutional knowledge that is being lost. i learned a while ago to ASK. they love to talk about it and i get the benefit of 70-odd years of life and bits of knowledge you cant read anywhere.

 

[BDial]

When I finish up my conventional dewormer I am trying this http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3397&cat=82&page=1 . It smells like licorice. I have two more doses of the old stuff. A friend of mine uses it and hasn't had as much of an issue with worms. Hopefully it works for me.

 

[big brown horse]

Anyone else curious how goats(mainly, but other farm type animals) are raised in all the third world countries? Where people devote little labor, capital or vet care yet the buggers still survive.

 

[FarmerChick]

yea Ohio you are so right.

those "ways of living on the farm" and people and critters surviving WITHOUT current technology. Oh my, how did they survive..lol


I do the same. I have alot of old timers here that I know. Being a farmer I chat with old farmers all the time. Their knowledge to vet critters when needed and tricks to help the small farm survive are absolutely priceless.

and to think YOU and me will be those people eventually...HA HA HA
well, alot of years to go for us!!



Big corps are needed for people to eat. I am not a fan, but people will not do for themselves. Just the direction society has headed. such a global world now. olden days you would be lucky to get into town once a month or 2-----now you can go global overnight..LOL