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Barnyard Buddies:  All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)  |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 22 2010 : 10:07:08 AM
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Thanks you Sara for all that great information. I like sheep cheese too.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2010 : 07:59:39 AM
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so i have to say i am so very tired today. no power at all. out of gas. to pooped to pop. lisa is in ca. papa has been in wash. holding down the fort so to speak alone is hard. mt hat goes off to you gals that do this alone. my sprung ribcage is not helping but is getting better. with bell across the road i am more at ease. the goats are easier. may i say we must be going to have multiple kids born soon. the goats are wide. i have been selling pond lilys and trap door snail from my pond. it helps pay the bills this time of year. i have 3 different folks coming today. we are getting stalls ready for baby goats and 3 calves. papa is home and i am so glad. so we are going to butcher a goat and make jerky out of all but prime cuts. so busy on the farm and happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2010 : 4:09:39 PM
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Hey Sherry. I have missed you. I hope you are feeling better soon. It is hard doing all this on your own. I do too. Sounds like you have so much to do there. Take your time and be careful.
We borrowed my friend's double horse trailor to go get Mazie. We tried last night but she would have none of it. I brought apples for her. She got halfway in but she wouldn't get all the way in. And hubby was no help at all. We are no cattle wranglers. So we will have to go back with help. She has to come home. I miss her. And so does poor Roxie. I think she was in heat yesterday. 11 months old. She bellowed all day. She's not today. I have to fill up the water trough a few times a day. It's so hot she's drinking lots. And the flies are awful. I am spraying her with a pyrethrin spray. The are all over her if I don't. Mazie was covered too. I told her I'd spray her if she came home.
I hope everyone's critters are staying cool.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 07:41:30 AM
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good morning all, things are getting a little easier with papa home. now unemployed one more time. such as it is. we fixed fence yesterday and dug lilys . when its 100 the pond feels pretty dog gone good. every move i make hurts. i should have enough brain to rest but. we have a saying here... we can rest when we get old. so the only time we are down is when we can not get back up. i am so glad the sun is out the sky is blue the hummingbirds are here the honeysuckle blooms are their favorite. i love my golf cart. it is the ONLY way i could be such an active farm girl. my papa surprised me yesterday. he is so sweet and good to me. he made a shelf that hangs off the golf cart hitch. it is flat like a trailer. i can haul hay and feed now. before it had to ride inside with me. now it is in back. i will have to remember i am longer now.
Kris i do know about rodeo round up days. wwhen we load cows we bring alfalfa or a goodie they LOVE. we then WALK them into a ring where the trailer is backed into. for our cows we have to drive them forward. then in ring. then we stand around away from the ring and cow. we try to get them to load into trailer for the treat that is inside. we are ut of sight. we then push trailer door shut from behind. trying to be sneaky. otherwise we have to give them only one option go in trailer. if they can run off or choose a different run they sure wil. we have one trailer that we can open side door on. when cow looks in it looks like they can run right through. then when in we shut both doors. i wish you lots a luck. it is easier with more people if they are quiet and move slow. we find if we get them worked up we might as well stop. just a thought thanks for asking about me and how i am doing kris. i am healing and better now each day. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 2:59:01 PM
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Sherry, don't ya just love when the hubbys do something sweet like that for us? Just out of the blue without us even asking? I think that is so sweet of him. Just makes your life so much easier. I'm so sorry you are hurting so much. It would be nice to be able to rest a bit. But when there's so much to do it's hard. This too shall pass and you will be back to normal again.
Well, we tried agian today. We had our DD's and a boyfriend here and they said they'd help. SO we all loaded up and went down there. We got her almost in the trailor but she'd just back out again. She ran away a few times. So we gave up. She followed us to the fence. I should just walk her home. I am a little frustrated. The man who helped get her down there is busy with his wife. She had a pretty bad wreck last Sunday and had surgery on her neck. She's starting PT tomorrow. So I don't want to bother him right now. He did say Mazie could just stay down there but I don't want her to become wild. I want her back home. So we will have to get real cattle people to get her in. We might have to get a bigger trailor too.
And it's too stinkin' hot out there to do anything right now!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2010 : 07:14:57 AM
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kris i do love it when papa makes me something. i did rest yesterday after lisa took the 2 big pigs to her place. i have a big week again. i am making hay while the sun shines so to speak.i go to blood doctor today. so maybe i will get the pain thing better figure out. i know how hard it is to move a cow that does not want to. we set up portable panels into a run. then pick up the panels and move it in closer. the objective is to move her forward with the panel up to the trailer. sometimes you can then squish them forward and into rig. just a thought. i hate fighting the cows when they wont load. sorry you have to do it in the heat too. i have no power when its hot. i hope it works for you today. how far is it. maybe you could take part of the fence down by your place and drive her on foot across the road.just trying to help. wish i was there. to help. we need lisa she could get it done. let us know how it is. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 6:41:33 PM
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ok kris i am dying to know if roxie is home yet? how are ya girl. i been chasing cows too. i still have one out in pasture.i cant get her. dang. the pasture is just to big. she will not go in the ring. she knows its a trap. i pray she does not leave tonight. her herd is gone. she has a couple goats is all. so NEXT now what. tomorrow is another day. hope all you farm girls are having awesome days happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 8:12:28 PM
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Sherry, it's Mazie that's gone. Roxie is the 11 month old. I know, I am the same way. Can't keep all these names straight. You should see me trying to get my grand kids names right. Try saying Chloe, Coryn and Kansas. I told their mother today I wish she had not named them all with the same sounding letter. It's hard! I wonder what it will be like when I am older.
Anyway, we need to wait til out SIL can come help get her. He works all the time. He told heather he could get that cow in tha trailor. And he can. So we will wait til he can come out and help us. We don't need to return the trailor for a few weeks.
I hope you get your cow home soon. It is very frustrating for sure. Especially when they know what we want them to do. I wish you luck!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 06:09:13 AM
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Welcome Sara! I am excited to learn about your sheep. They sound great.
You ladies are so busy. I have been canning and getting a lot from the garden. My milking doe seems to be giving less and less. Is this normal or from my DD not getting all she can from her? How long should I be able to milk? Is there a way I can get her production back up?
Well lots to do... got to go.
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 08:10:06 AM
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hi angie, sorry to hear your doe is cutting back on milk. is she bred? how long has she been in milk? do you share milk with a kid? what does she eat? does she have minerals also? just the typical questions to know where she is in her cycles etc. would help. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 11:21:32 AM
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Sherrye- she is feed around a lb. a day of dairy feed, all the clean hay they will finish, grass pasture for 10-11 hrs. a day and yes they have minerals. She is not bred, she had her babies in April and has not feed them since like June.
Did I answer all of it?
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 1:00:09 PM
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wow angie she otta give more. maybe one of the other gals has an idea. i do give sunflower seeds. they just love them. we feed no grain.i wish i knew how to help.
CALLED THE KILL TRUCK>>>>that one cow we had her in the corral and she got out. now she is near the highway and out of control. so MORE beef. man i will be sick to death if there is a calf in there. we can not get near her. even quietly. she was born in pasture. she was never handled when younger. only vacs. etc. we bought her since she was hard to breed back. well she does not seem to be able to get preg. oh i hope we do not find a calf. such is life. we thought the bull had her to where she should have calved at the latest july 18.we had a our bull in with her for 4 months after we thought she was bred. so gads who knows what the out come will be today. whats done is done. whew thanks for listening. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 3:43:41 PM
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Angie, I am milking 3 does for us and I was getting 1 1/2 gallons. I am now getting a gallon and a little over a quart. I think it's the heat. It's nearly 100 every day now. I only feed mine grain when I milk them and that's just OAD now. They have pasture and that's all. It rained a few days ago for a long time and they were in the barn so I gave them a few flakes of hay. I only do that if it rains. And in winter. So I think it's the heat myself.
Sherry, I sure hope you get it all worked out. And more beef! It sounds like you have a few rouge cows out there. Be careful!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2010 : 9:41:17 PM
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m always looking for an adventure.lol some of my dear friends call me lucy . it makes my life very fun to me. well we shot her. she was so fat. embarressing for sure. no baby at all. fat lazy cow. 6 months not bred with a bull in with her. so she had faulty works. she hung at 483 pounds. there will be lots of fat for soap. i hope her meat tastes good. fat heifer. so now i sleep. i was not involved today. i had folks to help out so papa and lisa went to be there when they killed her. i love my papa and lisa for sure. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 08:47:08 AM
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Sherry, I hope you got a good nights sleep. Sounds like you need it. I need to know how to do the beef fat to make tallow. I am saving the fat when I get my dog food meat from the slaughterhouse. I have a gallon bag so far.
I guess we are going to have to havve a darn rodeo out here to get Mazie in a trailor. We jsut tried AGAIN! With a bigger trailor. She won't get near it now. And there's just too much room for her to get through. They said there's a corral back up farther in the pasture at the bottom. So we'll wait again and get the SIL to come help. This is very frustrating.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 1:32:56 PM
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Well, I sold Faith and Sadie today. It's kind of wierd already with just 2 goats now. Sandy is not liking this. I will hardly have any milk now.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2010 : 5:41:43 PM
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boy i hear you kris, rodeo round up. so maize is being difficult. we have found if you leave the trailer and put food in it. sometimes they get used to going in to get hay. then you sneak up and shut the door. but if there are other cows they go in to. we even had portable panels and big trailer. well she was a big bad cow. if we could have left her to go in the trailer we may have gotten her. since she was the only cow left in the field she wanted to leave and find her herd. she was soooo fat and barren. she was not fat when we put her in thinking she was bred back. i fed her too good this winter. i sure hope it gets easier for you to catch her up. i have a halter with a chin chain on isabel the jersey. she hooks to a lead and goes right along. disposition of livestock MATTERS to me more than looks. my ginger la mancha is one in a million. buttercup was the same. i say come on and she just says ok. let us know when you are trying again. corrals are key to forcing them in. i also have a electric cattle prod only used it once last year. worked like a charm on a big bull loading. he went straight forward. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2010 : 01:23:48 AM
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Kris- Loading cattle is always easier with panles. That and feed. I had a big bull here we could load him with feed and a couple panels.
Sherrye- I am sorry that heifer could not breed. But now you have a good a amount of meat! Such is truly life, especially on a farm.
Kris & Sherrye- I was wondering if it was the heat. Our temps. have been 85-98 with heat indexes in the high 90s and low 100s for a good two weeks now. I will keep up with her and do all I can to get her production up.
Stay cool all of you!
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2010 : 05:36:55 AM
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Angie, Mazie is just grass fed. SO no grain for her. We use apples. She loves them. The thing about that is there an apple tree where she is. So all the apples she wants right now. We'll just have to use a dog and the corral with the loading shute. And my SIL.
Well, it sure was strange just milking 2 goats this morning. It took about 5 minutes. That's it. No fighting or bad manners at all. Just both jumped right up on their stanchions and started eating. Really strange for me. I got nearly a gallon. Then a quart goes to making kefir. So I think I will still have plenty for me and hubby and the grands too. I will be thinking about another Nubian soon. And hubby is on antibiotics right now and it says no dairy. So he's no help at the moment to brink all this milk. I still have 3 gallons in the fridge. A half gallon goes to a friend today. I need to make cheese. But now I will be worried about not having enough. I am so used to having 5 gallons or more in the fridge. But I will have lots more room in there now!
Yep, Angie, I think it's the heat. Or they are IN heat. My 2 cents woth.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2010 : 06:45:32 AM
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Sherrye,
so glad the cow ordeal is over and you will have some super good beef to enjoy. We use to have cows a few years back and sometimes those heifers can be more than a handful .
I have been keeping my kefer going so far. When I strain it now I have about half a cup of kefer grains. They are bigger and even have some ribbon like structures coming off of some of them. They pretty much look like the ones I saw in the video.
I had a lady come over yesterday to look at some of my goats. She bought 3 but will not be able to pick them up for a few weeks. I will miss them. I know I have to many but I get so attached to them. So I have to give some of them up because my small barn is just too crowded. I have 16 does and 2 mature bucks and one baby buck...which is 19 goats. So 3 less will help. I hope to sell 2 more. I have another lady coming over Sunday to look.
I have been putting peaches up in the freezer. I got them from a lady that goes to South Carolina and brings them back to sell. They are such good peaches. I think today I am going to take the ones my husband picked up yesterday and make them into peach preserves and peach BBQ sauce. Lisa told me there was a recipe in the farm kitchen posted. So I am off to find the recipes.
take care
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2010 : 10:34:48 AM
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Linda, I'm so glad your kefir is doing better. Mine has grown like crazy. I had to give some of the grains to the dog this morning. Since I won't have as much milk now I can't make so much kefir. I am only going to make a quart at a time. This morning I was getting ready to pour the kefir into a jar to put in the fridge and I spilled it all. I was so mad! I scooped it all into a bowl and gave it to the chickens. So it wasn't wasted.
I know how it is to see your babies go. I have had Faith and Sadie for 3 years. It all happened so fast. They came, they saw and they took them. I just had an email from the lady. She said they are doing great. They had gotten 2 other does a few weeks ago and they still have kids on them. She milked mine last night and got nearly a gallon with her 2 also. And they have 5 children. So I am happy with where they are now. I did tell her that if for any reason she needed to sell them to call me. I will take them back.
I need to find some peaches to put up. The S. Carolina peaches are here now. I love them. And in the fall I want to find some pears. I will hopefully get some from my own 3 trees next year.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2010 : 6:23:59 PM
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linda you are so right about those heifers. sounds like you are a busy farm girl. kris i bet your glad you can slow down a little. i am gearing up for milking isabel. and also weaning calves. we had thunderstorms wind rain. so fun and refreshing. folks at the fair i bet are glad. it dropped our temp. about 35 degress. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2010 : 12:15:37 PM
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so howdy girls, heres the question... can goats eat forsythia? need to prune it. also how small is too small to butcher? i have some wild pasture bred born lived. wild ones. need to butcher soon. they are 80 pounds or so. what do you think? i want to smoke some and jerk some. thanks girls happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kofarmgirl
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Kandra
Hedley
Texas
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2010 : 12:29:16 PM
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| Thank you so much ladies for this forum. I recently moved to the panhandle in Texas from West Texas and sold most of my nubians. I did keep one and am so glad I did having just taken a cheese making class. I am going to go back and read all your posts! Thank you again |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2010 : 6:33:45 PM
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I know mine have eaten it before. I think its okay as long as they don't eat to much but I would go on the internet and type it in to make sure. I know wild cherry trees, mountain laurel,nightshade, and rhodadendrums are bad.Do a search and be sure Sherrye its not worth them getting sick.
I think anytime after 80 lbs is good from what I have read. I have never eaten one of are goats yet ( been 18 years now) but my friend has them butchered once they reach 80 lbs or more. She usually likes them about 100 lbs to 110 lbs but she has Nubians and they can get reach weight if they are boys before they hit a year old.
Well I'm off to take another shower this makes the 2nd one today. I wormed my 2 stinky bucks tonight. They are definatly in rut.... they smell horrible and so do I. Several weeks ago they were not that bad. I would love to spray them with fabreeze if I thought it would help....lol. Take care.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Aug 04 2010 2:51:45 PM |
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Barnyard Buddies: All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep) |
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All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)
