Farming

Kidding season is fast approaching. In about two weeks we will officially be on "goat watch." My favorite time of the farming year: baby season.

The delivery of goat kids ushers in milking time, which also means we get to look forward to raising bottle calves from all that rich milk. Jacob (on the left) is our main herd sire this year. He comes from Brenda's farm in Missouri.

Dreaming about lots more colorful kids like last February, except hoping for a girl year this time around. The little guy on the left is our second herd sire this year. Any locals looking for purebred Nubian goats let me know!

Having all that good goats milk also means more soap making. This crazy soap dream has exploded into an obsession and a small income to help keep the farm running. There are a couple of soap making classes scheduled in the next two months, plus craft fairs and expo's to prepare for, but no milk in my freezer. I've been adding to my wish list of scents, colors and designs plus am excited to try out some new soap recipes~ now I just need some milk. And talking about soap, this was a sweet encouragement: Backyard Farming Guide.

In other farms news: we are anxiously waiting for chicks to hatch, both from the incubator and from Cole's Silkie hens who have decided that the middle of January would be a great time to set on some eggs. There are also 150 little pullet peepers on their way from the hatchery for resale this spring. Baby season is almost upon us~ I can't wait!

Goat Kidding 2012

Goat kidding is about to begin on our little farm! We have five does due in the next couple of weeks, and then three more does due later in the spring. Lord willing~ pictures of sweet little kids will be posted soon!

My Little Bit of Goat Wisdom

Monday, September 13, 2010

As a fellow blogger I am sure you all know how fun it is to get comments. It always makes me smile for the entire day to receive comments from the regular readers who feel more like friends but to find out there are all those lurkers out there, too, tickles me pink. Recently Mali asked me a question about the goats and since I am never quite sure if my email reply goes through or not I thought I would post the answer here, too, in case anybody else is interested:

"Hi there! I'm a long-time lurker, rare commenter, but I've got some goat questions for you. We're thinking of getting some goats - primarily for clearing land. Do you have any luck getting yours to eat brush and weeds? How much barn space do you recommend? Do you have trouble with them escaping? Thanks!!!! "

My response with the little bit of wisdom I have learned while trying my hand at raising goats the last four years:

Yes, goats love brush and weeds. Goats like to eat up rather than eating off of the ground. They do eat grass and pasture but they prefer brush and especially leaves, etc., that they have to climb or reach for. It would be good to do a web search about plants that are poisonous for goats and check out your area to be cleared before you put them in there just to make sure.

The best goat fencing advice that I have heard is that if the fence will hold water it should hold goats! I never quite understood that until we got goats, but it's almost true! Goats do like to escape for some reason, and they are a herd animal, so where one goes they all go. Ideally a nice, high woven fence will hold them in. We did have ours in a fence that had a calf panel and 2 strands of barbless wire stretched across one side that they stayed in pretty good. If need be they could sneak through even that so ideally a 4 foot minimum fence and/or electric fence would be best. We have tried staking the goats out but they don't do well with ropes~ they are certainly little Houdini's.

Another thought to keep in mind is that goats are easy prey out in the wild. We have alot of coyotes and wolves in our area so our goats are kept pretty close to the barn unless we are out with them. In the future (when our goat pastures are complete) we will probably look at getting a full time guard dog to protect them.

Goats don't need alot of barn space. They do not like to be wet so they do need something to protect them from the elements, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. They handle winters fairly well but do need a shed that offers some protection. Goats are very susceptible to pneumonia and once you notice the signs of them being sick they are usually deathly sick. If allowed they are content to stay inside of a shed rather than venturing out into the open unless they can only eat outside.

As much as the belief is that goats will eat anything it just isn't true. They are actually a bit picky and unless their pasture is rotated they can easily get very sick with parasite infestations. Be sure to watch their body condition close to make sure they are getting enough of the right things to eat if they are only clearing brush and weeds. Plus make sure there a good loose mineral supplement available, one that includes Selenium especially during their pregnancy.

We love our goats! For most people there is no in between~ either you like goats or you don't. We mainly keep our goats for the pleasure of having them and also milk them to raise calves, make goats milk soap and some cheese, and the enjoyment and sales of the kids. Good luck on your goat adventure! Terri

Goodbye to the Kids (Goat Kids that Is)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

It's inevitable. It's farm life. The day finally came that we had to say goodbye to some of our goat kids from this spring. I know it's the reason we are raising them, because after all, the farm doesn't run for free. But it wasn't just the kids who were sad to see them go. Why, oh why, do I fall in love with them all? Good old Craigslist proved faithful once again as shortly after we listed them we received a couple of emails of interested parties. A nice gentleman and his family came out and were so tickled by the farm and the "cute" Nubians. Not only did they buy all three that we had for sale, but were interested in some of the others as well and would have even bought a pig or two if we had any left to sell. It's good to know that there definitely is a market for small time goat farmers. We said goodbye to our sweet little doeling Pixie. I could have been just as happy if she had not sold, but being she was bought as somebodies birthday present made me happy as well. Our little whether Elvis also went home with them. And lucky little Wild Fire has 5 new girlfriends to meet this fall. Our spotted little Asha, the last of the kids, will be staying on the farm. That still leaves me with 6 Nubian does to breed this fall, with only 1 being a first timer. And with this handsome guy as my herd sire I am hoping for lots of spotted babies next spring. Some of them will even have papers. Yippee!
That leaves me with 2 does to milk for the rest of summer. The other young does will be dried off. I have started feeding them heavy (flushing) in anticipation of breeding season coming up in a couple of short months. Our dream of raising a good quality line of registered, spotted, Nubian goats has really happened.

Galloping Goats

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

In theory it makes sense to stake out the goats so that they can eat all of the grass and weeds in the areas that are not fenced off. And, being their home is currently under construction and they do not have any access to pasture since I cut them off from going out with the steers and horses after they escaped for the umpteenth time, it is the next logical thing to do rather than pay for hay all summer again.

But any of you goat ladies out there know what the reality of it really is. It means chasing these little normally tame and cuddly critters over 40 some acres several times a day. Rather than calmly staying tied up and eating their full they plot and scheme until they have masterminded a way for every single one of them, or at least all but one of them so the appointed one can stand there and cry until somebody finally comes out to see what in the world could be wrong now and why is there only one cotton-pickin' goat tied up, to get loose and run around and eat where they are not supposed to eat. Like the grapes. Or the oat field.

If the name wasn't already taken I would change our farm name to Galloping Goats Farm , or better yet, Galloping Mom farm, or Get that Goat Farm. But dreaming of all those spots to come (not to mention the milk and the soaps and the cheeses) makes it worth every single time I have to chase them. And the way we're going again this reconstruction year those spotted babies are going to come sooner rather than later. Oh for the love of goats.

Milking Again

Friday, May 14, 2010

Yippee! We were able to start milking goats again this week! All of the sore mouth is officially cleared from both mommas and babies~ whew! Trent has been my faithful assistant/ goat wrestler and is becoming very good at milking goats. We have 5 does in milk right now, 3 of them first timers. Rather than being crazy like they were at the beginning of the milking season earlier this spring they actually were very pleasant and quiet to work with after their few weeks off. We have found that it works best for us to only milk in the morning. The moms are separated from their kids overnight, then we milk and return them to their babies for the day. Our milk production is not very high but I prefer to let the mommas raise their babies~ it makes everybody happy. The does usually even get a Sunday sabbath, and another bonus is that if I can't milk for some reason (work, vacation, etc.) I just leave them together at night and the babies take care of my morning milking. We have converted the old cow milking stanchions in the "nice" part of the barn into goat stanchions for the time-being. There are 2 chains which make cross ties to hold each doe along with hanging feeders for their grain. That is, unless some child needed my clips or feeders for some reason and forgot where they might have put them, which is the current situation. The does quickly learn how to come in and out to their spots for milking.
We measure our milk in ounces rather than pounds. Because we use our milk mostly for feeding calves at this point it is easier to record in ounces so we can feed it back. Our 2 older does had mastitis and udder damage when we purchased them, but the price was right and they are purebred Nubians therefor keepers. Dixie only has half of her udder functioning at this time and gives on average 25 ounces a day. Santana had only half of her udder functioning until this year when miraculously the bad side came back, not complete, but a very nice amount. She has averaged about 40 ounces per milking. We have 2 really nice first timers with amazing udders that will be staying in our herd. Susan is from a purebred Nubian line crossed with a Saanan. She has only been milked this week but gave about 30 ounces a day. Lucille is Dixie's daughter and also has an amazing first timer udder, she has been giving 40 ounces average as well. Posie will be one of our cull does later this summer as she has only averaged 10 ounces with a very teeny tiny udder. On average we have been getting about a gallon of milk a day. Now that the calves are weaned I am going to be stocking up my freezer for making soap then I have hopes of using milk for cooking and making cheese. It is nice to have these girls back to work earning their keep. I found I really have missed my mornings with them. One thing I am more than ready for, tho, is that goat barn to be built. Milking time is always exciting when the other goats are out and swarm the milking stalls! A nice secure barn and milking parlor~ just imagine~ goat proof and all.

Grazing Goats

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Because the goat fence and the goat barn are not even close to being built yet, and because we have accumulated such a large herd, and because I am tired of buying so much hay, we have started letting the goats out to graze on the fresh green grass. Now I don't know how much experience you have with goats, but let me tell you, it is a full time job for me and at least a couple of kids to watch these silly critters. Where one goes, they all go, all 12 of them.... at once. It doesn't matter for what reason one of them chooses to run, they all run. Luckily they are all easily led back with a nice branch of leaves again. Now, I don't care if they eat all the rogue Boxelder trees or all that lovely green grass.
But when they run towards the newly planted flowers or the apple trees, that's when there's trouble. Times 12.And this handsome little guy! I still feel like I am dreaming having him for our herd sire for this fall. His barn name has become Cadillac to keep up with the tradition of car names for our sires. He certainly is the Cadillac of our herd....... just look at all those spots!

I've Got Spots!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

WooHoo!! I am doing the happy dance early this morning on the farm!! Our first ever spotted baby goat was born!! And a little doe besides!! How much better could it be?? It's only something I have been hoping and dreaming and praying about since we started in goats and I have been playing around with different spotted bucks and spotted does. WooHoo!! And perfect timing again from God as I was in some desperate need of farm encouragement. "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good! He's so good to me!" Meet Susan, the proud new momma. She has purebred Nubians in her lineage along with a nice mix of Sanaan with a good milking line to boot. This was her first kidding. We have been eyeing her up suspiciously the last couple of months as she hadn't had her baby with the round of other goats in January and February. I knew she had come into a late heat, but was not sure just when she was due. Sound familiar?? It has been such of an off year for me to not have my dates down to the exact moment of conception, and I am more bound and determined now to have a high buck pen built this year. So..... we have been watching her for signs of impending birth and noticed this past week that she was bagging up a bit more. She started out with just barely any difference in her udder that we have been going back and forth if she was actually pregnant or not. She had a thickening in her belly, but not fat or round. She started getting very friendly and wanting out of the big goat pen so we put her in a stall by herself a couple of nights ago, still not really expecting her to deliver for a couple more weeks at least.Last night I noticed some young person left all the lights on in the barn so Trent and I went down to shut the lights off and shut the doors. I checked in on Susan and it appeared that she had hollowed out in the back and appeared to have lost her ligaments. She was still eating and not doing anything else suspicious tho so we decided to head to bed versus bringing our sleeping bags down to the barn. Now everybody heard me say for a month that Lucille had lost her ligaments and was going to have those babies any day now, so they all laughed at me last night when I again made my prediction for Susan. Trent and I headed back down late last night for one more check, and again not seeing anything too suspicious, we just gave her some more hay and went to bed. Well I was the one laughing this morning when I went down for an early morning check and found this sweet little baby! Just look at all those spots! Be still my heart! After checking everything out and seeing both momma and baby were fine I scooped her up into my arms and ran up to the house, me yelling for joy and the little baby screaming for her momma! Everybody was happy to wake up early and cuddle this new sweet little girl with spots.
Susan looks like she has taken this new mothering role very seriously and is taking good care of her baby. And just look at all those spots!! Have I mentioned how happy I am about all those spots?? I have decided to name her Asha. It is Hindi for Hope. I think it is very fitting and gives honor to God for restoring hope to me in the sad spring we had of losing 2 baby does, it is His hope for this farm to continue to glorify Him, and it honors the hope he has given us in our kiddos from India. Excuse me, I think I have to run down to the barn and just look at her again:)) Oh Happy Day!!

Goat Watch

Thursday, January 14, 2010

What a day! Besides cooking and cleaning and homeschooling and fair projects I've been on full-time goat watch. Lucille has been on the top of my goat list the last few weeks as she has been bagging up, but a couple of nights ago I began watching her pretty close as her milk started coming in. I put her up in the kidding stall with her momma Dixie for a night, then returned Dixie with the rest of the herd and put Lucille in the big kidding stall all by herself. This morning she started showing lots more signs that we probably will have a delivery sometime in the near future. Kidding is one of my favorite parts of farm life and I try to be with each one of my does at their deliveries if at all possible. Lucille was born on our farm last fall. She is the first purebred Nubian that was born here, so it is extra special to be expecting her first kid(s) now. I spent a lot of time out in the barn watching and loving on Lucille. She is one of the friendlier goats, so appreciated the rubbing and loving. She started having some small contractions and got mad at me, thinking I was hurting her stomach, and jumping and butting until they were done, then she would come back for some more loving. Poor girl, she can't quite figure out what's happening.

Trent loves to help with the goat deliveries. None of the goop or goo scare him too bad. He helped deliver Lucille, so he is hoping to be there to help deliver her kid (s), too. He knows just what to look for:)

Checking for the ligaments, which are nearly gone at this point. The ligaments can be felt by running your hand down the tail head (which a first time, very pregnant, sensitive goat does not much appreciate, nor does she like you to look under that tail at this point). The ligaments are about pencil thick, and disappear when labor is near.It is a bit hard to see under all that winter hair in this picture, but a side view with the change in the ligaments. She has really hollowed out, and the tail head has started to change position.

Compared to Santana's, which are pretty much still rounded.

All the other goats keep on checking on her to see what's going on. Nothing like a little moral support from your friends:)

Her udder has been swelling for the past few weeks, but in the past 2 days it has gotten considerably fuller, and is becoming shiny now as the milk is coming in. She is "hollowing out" under the spine, and her belly is sagging with the weight of the kid(s) as they take position. She has started loosing her mucus plug as well, and is very swollen up in the back end. It is hard to find any position to get comfortable at this point. Another funny thing our goats have done in labor is lots of yawning and mouth stretching. She can't seem to figure out what is happening in that big belly. She keeps talking, licking, and looking to see what is happening in there. She has begun stretching and arching her back, but no pawing and nesting yet.

Everything is looking like we will have a baby soon. Could be 2 hours or 2 weeks the way I guess, but things are looking good.

Merry Christmas To Me!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009


That wonderful man that I married went and outdid himself with my Christmas present this year. As if getting a new horse for my upcoming birthday wasn't enough, he bought me a registered Nubian Buck for my Christmas present. I could not be happier! Meet Lippert's Leonidas. Just look at all that color!

The best part about this story is that I had seen this little fellow a couple of weeks ago on Craigslist (ya know, you meet the nicest people through Craigslist). We have been working our way to a purebred registered Nubian herd. At the time being, we have 1 registered Nubian doe, 3 purebred Nubian does, and 2 Nubian cross does. We have used purebred Nubian bucks the last 2 years, but they were not registered. I have also been trying to get lots more color in our herd. So, when I saw this little guy I showed Rob and suggested, even though it would be a year before we could use him, that we should go ahead and purchase him. He seemed to not be very interested, so I let the issue drop. But then, over the weekend, he went and redeemed himself by asking me if I wanted to go get my Christmas present. It turns out he secretly e-mailed and purchased him for me:))) Merry Christmas to me!! He is more than I had hoped for at this point of our breeding program. He comes from a polled line besides, and is as friendly as can be. The family we purchased him from were so kind as to deliver him for us. They home school their children, too, and the goats are actually the sons responsibility. He was such a nice, respectable young man! He really took good care of his goats.Now I have to decide on a barn name for this handsome little guy. We have had a Ford, Chevy and Shelby for our bucks, so maybe Dodge??? But Leo is cute too. I'm open to suggestions!!

A Goats Life

On our farm we try to raise our animals as close to the way that God intended them to live. Our goats are raised on free access pasture, as well as daily rations of alfalfa hay and grain. They enjoy their time to run and play in the big pasture. They receive lot's of loving and interaction.

We are working on building up a Nubian herd, and have also included Sanaan bloodlines to improve milk quantity.

Our does are allowed to raise their own kids, which makes for happy mommas and babies.