| Author |
Barnyard Buddies:  All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)  |
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 03 2011 : 11:21:34 AM
|
Thanks Sherrye for the offer that is sweet of you.
Kristin I was milking 2 does but am letting the Clovers doe kid nurse her full time now. The other doe Bean... I am milking just once a day now and her doe kid is with her the rest of the time. I am not getting much milk but its enough for house use . Sounds like you are getting the animals organized and your wethers sold. Its good to get the farm in order. I hope your sheep tame down more so you can pet them.
Its been very hot here and humid. I weeded some in the garden this morning one handed of course and by 10:00 I was soaking wet and called it quits and ran for the shower. My tomatoes have a blight so I am trying to removed the leaves every couple of days that have signs on them. I have been getting this the past 3 years and not getting much of a crop because of it. I grow my own plants now but brought it in a few years ago when I purchsed a few from the greenhouse. I have tried burning the diseased plants and spraying them for it but nothing seems to work. I may just have to stop growing tomatoes for a few years and see if I can break the cycle.
The sweet Italian and ceyanne peppers are doing great. I see my first teeny tiny greenbeans just forming. I can't wait to be able to pick and eat some. I have eggs coming out my ears. I just gave somemore away to make room in the fridge. I think I have to many chickens.
Hubby and my son are on their way home from Wisconsin. It will take them 12 hours to get home. I am looking forward to seeing them tonight. I am tired of eating and being alone all the time. Tomorrow I think we will grill out for the 4th. I am looking forward to that.
Well everyone have a good 4th.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
 |
|
|
windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4261 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4261 Posts |
Posted - Jul 05 2011 : 04:44:03 AM
|
Linda hope you get your hand fixed up. Make some angel food cakes, to use up some eggs. Too bad you don't have more customers to buy them. Sounds like everyone is keeping busy.
Trying to catch up on gardens here. Got haying done.
Michele |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 05 2011 : 07:02:29 AM
|
Now that's another thing I have got to think about getting. Some hay. I will have 4 goats and 4 sheep and a cow and calf to feed hay to. I had only 2 goats and a cow last year and bought 80 bales. I gave Mazie some but then started buying round bales. I forgot I had Roxie the heifer too. So 2 cows. They went through a round bale about every 10-12 days. Lots of waste with round bales. I have 15 bales left still from last year that I can use. So how many square bales do y'all think I'll need this winter? And the girl I was getting hay from doesn't want to let anyone store it in their old barn anymore. I can get about 50 bales in the shed out back behind the house. And about 20 on the front porch of the little house.
We had another little thunder storm yesterday evening. Lots of good sideways rain. SOme of the corn was over a little bit. Not too bad. I am amazed how different sheep and goats are. A little drop of rain and the goats high tail it to the barn. I looked for the sheep in the barn out back and they weren't in it. They were still out in the pasture eating. So different. They don't mind getting wet at all. I am getting a little bit closer every day to the ewes. I touched Lealah's nose yesterday! They are so sweet. They will sit up under the cedar trees most of the day then go out and eat all night. The flies are horrible and really bother them. I try to spray them when I can.
Linda, I hope you got your MRI by now. I went out a few days ago and picked some beans. Not enough to can yet. So they went in the fridge. I just got back from picking a 5 gallon bucket so I should have enough to can and some to eat today! Then if I could get enough tomatoes to make sauce I will. But I have been giving most of them to my mom and Dd and Mrs. T. And my hubby takes some with him in his truck too. And I am eating them like crazy. They are so good. So the garden is doing great so far. This rain is really good for it. We actually were told to not use any more water than we have to here. Kind of scary.
I am taking my little turkey babies and game chicks to their new home tomorrow! Then I will have a new batch of chicks Friday and some a few days later. I will use this money to buy hay with.
Y'all have a great day!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 05 2011 : 07:34:55 AM
|
howdy kris, i hope all is well for you today. i think the hay thing goes by pounds. my beefers eat 30 percent of their body weight a day for maintenance. my milk cows can eat about 60 percent. i know we are stocking up each week now. we buy the big bales although i dont like them. hard to peal a flake. hard to move. they are way cheaper here than small bales. i am going for at least a ton to a ton and a half for each feeding month. it scares me to think about the cost. we still have a zero income. due to unemployment challenge. any way we have 10 head cows and a LOT of goats.LOL hopefully the goat population will go down by snowfall. so if maizie and chuck )right?) weighed together weighed 1200 pounds then you would feed a little over 30 pounds a day. then divide that into the weighed hay bales. if i am wrong some one correct me. but i think this is the right feed conversion table. hope this helps you kris. i will double check in KFC book tonight. need to go sort the produce. i bet your glad to get the chickies gone and new ones coming. free money from the gagies is so great. hope you have a fine day. so we have a wild fire this a.m probably from a campfire or sparkler. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
|
|
|
|
homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Jul 05 2011 : 09:06:17 AM
|
Ok ladies what age were your bucklings when you banded?? I have 2 that are about 4 weeks old on a bottle so no weaning from mom anyway. I got them from a lady that couldnt get them to take a bottle. They are doing great and growing fast. They are going to be butchered too if that makes any difference. I would like to do them asap but i have never had little bucklings to band so dont know when a good time is.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 05 2011 : 7:24:42 PM
|
I just did band my 3 bucks last week. They are almost 3 months old. The last few years though, we cut and pulled when we disbudded at about 2 weeks. The vet that disbudded thses this year said she always castrates at 3 months when the penis starts to come out, but she said it better than that. I just can't remember. Anyway, I guess when they start to act "bucky". And sometimes ya just do it when ya can.
I called a friend who has a castrating tool that I can't recall the name of. It's for my bull calf. Since he is almost 4 months old and has not been banded or cut yet, this tool crushes the cords or whatever they are to the testicles. I thought this might be a better way since he is getting on up there. Anyway, he asked me if I still had goats and did I want 3 more. He has 3 Lamancha does and a few bucks that he needs a place to keep them for a long time. He said they were not in milk now but could possibly be bred already. So I went to look at them before coming home. They are all pretty and friendly. One looks a little like an Oberhasli-Lamancha. The otrher 2 are Lamancha. One looks like she could kid in a few months. The other had very uneven udders. And the other looked like she had never had kids yet. I think I will take them. But not the bucks. I do need more to help keep all the weeds and grass down. I need to go ahead and get the little wethers out of here first though. This will bring my herd up to 7 goats. I will talk to him about hay too for the winter.
Thanks, Sherrye. I will start buying hay soon. I need to stock up. At my firend's barn there was a hornets nest about half way to the top of the barn. At first I thought that was a good thing. Then remembered that that means the snow will get that high this winter. Oh my goodness, that's at least 15' high! I better gets lotf of wood and hay then. I have a feeling it's going to be a really cold winter. With all the storms we've had that have dropped so many trees for firewood, it's gotta be cold.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4261 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4261 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 05:40:31 AM
|
How much hay? I figure about 7 round bales per animal for the entire winter feeding season. November thru April. That gives me plenty, don't have to scrimp, and actually have some left over. Using a bale feeder ring helps on waste.
Michele |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 06:43:36 AM
|
I usually band my boys when they are around 4 to 6 weeks old. Kristin the tool you are talking about that crushes the cords is called a burdizzio (not sure of the spelling) but I have seen them in the livestock magazines. None of them are painless unfortunately.
I have not had an MRI yet. The doctor wants me to wait another week or so. I think its a waste of time but I guess I will wait and maybe a miracle will happen. I am sure not ready to put the money out for a MRI yet. I do the best I can with my hand and ice it...thats about all I can do at this point and try to keep up with what I can on the farm. I'm glad I have one good hand thats for sure.
I have never been good about caculating hay. I go through quite a bit though. I went through over 300 bales last year and a couple of big square bales. I went through the winter with 15 goats last year. But with the really early snow and ice that came in December it really mashed the winter pasture down early. My does didn't have the usual picking and grazing like they usually do. We had quite a bit of snow and rain last winter and had a really super wet spring here and I mean wet. The pasture was growing well in the spring but the rain kept the goats in. I went through alot of hay for sure.
Kristin are you just going to keep these goats for awhile or are they going to end up being yours eventually? Make sure they are good and healthy before you bring them into your herd.
well off to do some more work outside before its to blazing hot. You all have a great day.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 07:17:37 AM
|
good morning farmgirls, i hope this finds you all well and happy today. we finished our banding. we banded 3 more. now i am done. i am keeping one buck for breeding. i will breed his mama to a la mancha. so far so good. 2 were older. my neighbor did them i just helped. then yesterday we moved my neighbors calf to our pasture. she is too young to get bred. their bull was pushing fences and hot wire and panels to get to her. they traded us a breeding with their A-2 bull. he is jasmines dad. now he is crying at the fenceline toward our field. we are starting the breeding now. first will be hippo. she will go see jasper when he is done with their girls.
I agree feeding in a feeder saves a lot of money for hay. it always ends up being how much the bales weigh. here they can weigh 75 pounds up to 125 pounds for a small bale. the big bales here weigh 800 to 1100 pounds each. we pay 90.00 a bale right now for a 1000 pounder. so depending on how many pounds eaten a day per head. this determines how many ton you need. we are super frugil. so i do the math and figure a cost then break it up into these summer months. i then use my egg and farm money to stock hay. well you all know i am a sucker for a la mancha. what fun for you to have new girls coming. i am finding their are folks like that out there. remember hazel belongs to darcy my friend. we never met till she wanted milk. she bought the cow hazel that i milk. she then bought me a new machine pump motor and side can. now we are looking for another cow. so taking in the goats i think is wonderful, i am hoping to find another cow to share here. for now belle is in pasture and drying up. i am sad. it is like drug withdrawl to not bring her in and milk her. she stands in pasture and looks up at the hill where i stand and moos and moos and moos and moos. so sad. but she calves in sept. so this has to be. i seperated all the baby goats last night except esthers. so gotta go feed the kids. crying will be the sound today here. well happy days to all of you. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
|
|
|
|
homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 07:22:40 AM
|
thanks ladies, these are not the breed of goats i want to keep so dont want them bucks getting to my does..lol.so i think i will get them done asap. They are 4 weeks now. they are gonna be freezer camp goats.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 08:28:16 AM
|
Has anyone made sausage with goat meat? No one here wants to eat goat so I thought when I have one of my wethers butchered, I'd have it all made into sausage. Just wondering.
He said it would be for about a year or so that I could keep them here. I could do whatever with the milk when they kid. He does not know alot about goats. He has had them about a month. ANd with a huge Boer buck. He said they would have kids in the spring. Ha! He doesn't know they just go 5 months and that kids would come in fall. Or sooner with the one doe. They look healthy to me but probably need wormed. And the pregnant looking doe, I guess she can have Safegaurd if she is pregnant?
Linda, how are you doing all your farmwork with just one hand? That is not easy at all.
Sherrye, that's alot of hay. People are haying around here already again. It's been a good year so far for hay.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 8:13:34 PM
|
Why didn't they give you sausage when you asked for it? maybe they just can't do it? I did try to make some after a friend butchered a buck at his house. It was really stringy and I had a hard time getting the meat through the meat grinder. Maybe that's the reason. I will ask anyway. These guys will be lots younger.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2011 : 3:56:32 PM
|
So then I guess you'd have to keep them in a small area and feed them some kind of feed to make them gain weight to get the fat you'd need. And that seems kind of expensive and alot like a pig. Hmm... I'll have to think on this some more. Seems like my goats are on the lean side too.
It's so hot that poor Abby sits around most of the day panting. Well, today was not as hot. But I think the flies are so bad it's bothering her. I cannot step out the door without letting a million in the house. Then I spend all day trying to kill them. We can't even go out the kitchen door. I keep the steps clean too. I have no idea what they are after. There's nothing there. I even pour fly spray full strength out there.
SO I just went out with some DE and put on all the animals I could get near. The poor sheep are just miserable but I can't get close enough to help them. SO I put it down where they lay so it might get the flies away for awhlie. I just hate it for them. Mazie and Chuck are always covered in flies too. I am spraying them but it does not seem to help at all right now.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
kimswhimsy
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Kim
Rutherfordton
NC
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 07:57:56 AM
|
Hi, I'm Kim, and I'm a newbie goat owner. I have two Nubians- one doe named Delilah and one wether named Isaac. They are twins born in March. Delilah has blue eyes, showing the little bit of Nigerian from their father. They are not registered and are my pets. The woman I bought them from has a herd of less than 20 and uses their milk for soaps and lotions. Her goats are wonderfully friendly because she was out with them all the time.
I plan to walk my goats in the goat parade next year at the Goat Festival here in my county. I would love to have a cart for Isaac (I don't think Delilah will be big enough).
Nice to meet y'all.
Kim, in the foothills of western North Carolina
|
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 5:09:46 PM
|
Hi Kim. Welcome to the forum and to the goat farm! Are you going to be milking Delilah when she has kids? I am milking a Nubian and a Lamancha right now. That would be fun to teach a goat to pull a cart. It would help out around here for sure. I hope yours is able to do it.
Candy, I will check out the fly predators. I have to do something. I think I am going to let all the chickens out of the coops too. They were good to spread manure around and compost it up for me. I think that's one reason the flies are so bad. No chicken action around here. And maybe they might eat some of them too.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2011 : 2:47:57 PM
|
I am so tired of these noisy kids! I wonder what the neighbors think in the morning. It is so noisy here. Then after I put the does back in with the kids and I bottle feed the lamb and throw feed to the turkeys, it gets SO quiet. Then I can enjoy going outside. I am going to talk to the guy up the road tonight at the community meeting dinner and see when he wants these guys. I am ready for them to go. And I know Abby is. Sandy maybe not so much. Tehn I can go get my little doelong, Penelope Jane.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 07:14:11 AM
|
good morning farmgirls, those babies sure can scream loud. i am giving them their mom and then not. they seem a little quieter this way. so our kids are all banded and soon weaned. isabelle is drying off nicely. she will calve in sept. i only milk hazel right now. we are still hoping maddie will. we butchered the buck yesterday. he was an intact male goat of about 1 1/2 yrs old. we shot him skinned him and cleaned him. for a test we threw some in a skillet right away. it was sweet mild and we could chew it. so it is wrapped in cotton tea towels cooling in the fridge. we cut him into quarters/ wed we will cut him up. i am grinding some for burger. we think he hung around 75 to 100 pounds. the folks who had borrowed him fed grain. he does have a fat layer. its thin so i may add some pork or beef fat to the burger. it will help keep it moist for cooking. it went like clock work. it took us about 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours to be done and cleaned up. it was the team work too that made it go so easy. today we are doing batches of soap. hopefully 3 batches today. we took pics so when i can i will post some. well gotta go do chores now. hope you all have a fine farmgirl day. hoping lindas hand is better. hoping kris is staying dry and warm. also welcome to our new folks here. always room for more. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
|
|
|
|
Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
|
|
sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2011 : 10:27:03 PM
|
i agree candy, and i have customers too. well i tried to do the soap with out pomace olive oil. i did not do a saponification value so the soap was a flop. tomorrow we will do it right. i have a question on my kid buck banding. he is a little swollen above the band toward his body. the sacks are drying up flat, only there is some puffiness above the band. this is only on him. wondering what you gals have experienced? so belle is still carrying around some milk. as long as i take her, her evening goodies (bananas apples oranges) she is happy in pasture. she has stopped crying at the gate. she has a deep long sad sounding moo. it just truly made me cry. she would see me on the hill bringing in hazel. she would look up here 8 acres away and mooooo and moooo. i am so glad she stopped that.we have 11 head on pasture. lush green grass. so i have been doing some temple grandin stuff. now if i have food i honk. all 11 run like a gun was shot. all the way across the fields. the milk cows bags are swinging as is the rhythm of their bellies swinging side to side. so fun to see how excited they get. the young ones kick side ways and run lickety split. a girl has to smile at the joy they feel knowing FOOD IS HERE. LOL well gotta sleep. happy days to you all. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
|
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2011 : 09:42:51 AM
|
Sherrye, when I banded my 3 bucks, I tried to get as high as I could without going past the little nipples. But when I see Sandy's kids kneeling down nursing, it looks like lil' Red has some puffiness at the top of his too. But he looks fine and they are not infected at all. And dried up too. I had to do it all by myself so it was kinf of hard when I am half way upside down and the goats are too. Quite funny I guess. But all 3 look good so far. I am going to go ahead and take them all up the road and let them out in my friend's pasture. His son said to go ahead and just do it. All your cows and goats sound happy out there. And have you tried the goat meat yet? You'll have to post some good recipes for goat meat when you get a chance. I was thinking about maybe adding some pork fat to the meat to make sausage fattier.
Candy, I went by this morning to check on seeing about getting Penelope this week but they weren't there. I would like to get here after I take the boys off so Zarah won't be alone.
I also went to the last dairy out here to see about getting a calf. I want a little heifer but they don't sell them. I'll have to settle for a little steer. And he said to check back in a few days as he has a few cows ready to calve any day now. He keeps them together 3 days for them to get the colostrum they need. Good guy! And I asked if they know anyone who would castrate a 4 month old bull and they will do it! The younger guy said it's a bit too hot right now but it can be done. So yippee! There is still hope.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
|
|
|
Barnyard Buddies: All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep) |
|
All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)
