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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 - Apr 23 2013 : 04:58:31 AM
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Well, I did it! Zarah stayed up front all night and her kids stayed out back all night. And first thing this morning, I milked her! She didn't like it and she kicked the hose off a few times. But we did it! Got about a quart. The thing is, after about 6 pulls on the hand milker, it quit. And there was still milk in there. She may have just held it for the kids. So, I think that's a plan til these kids are gone.
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4267 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4267 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2013 : 1:01:11 PM
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All those goat pics are sure cute! Have fun with them.
Done calving here now. The last two were small little girls, just like they all should of been! Phew so glad to be done. Will get some pics soon. Plan on banding the last bull calf and tagging the girls tonight. They can stay in the barn yard one more night. Rain/snow tonight, and then heading towards 60's! OH it has been a long long winter. We had 5 inches of snow the other day. Took sap buckets down, and hoping to finish cooking tomorrow. Nicer weather sure does help the mood!
michele |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2013 : 4:54:39 PM
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Michele, I'm so glad you're done and these last 3 are healthy and good. I bet you're breathing easier now.
I just castrated the 3 ram lambs tonight. I gave them all Banamine shots first. It took awhile to get the testicles to get back in the sack so I could band them. Shoot, that was not fun. But I did it!. They are 2 months old now. They seem to be doing good so far. I made sure I didn't go too far up like I did once on a buck and he almost died. And I sprayed them with that antibiotic spray.So I hope, with the cooler weather right now, that they won't be bothered by flies. Please say a prayer for them.
Still no kids from Sandy. It's a full moon so maybe in the next few days. I don't know how she's still walking. She's as big as a cow.
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2013 : 05:44:56 AM
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Michele glad your done and the last 3 were small girls!!! Now you can relax a bit and know your done. Are you bees still hanging in there I hope?
Kris we did have a full moon last night. I didn't get to see it until almost 10:00 last night because we had heavy rain and storms yesterday and the clouds finally cleared at that time. Then the temps dropped last night and we were at 29 degrees with frost and a thin layer of ice on the buckets this morning. This weather is so crazy.
Getting ready to dehorn 2 girls this morning....yuck for me and them. After them I will have 2 boys left to do. Believe it or not those boys were so big they were born with horn nubs already. So they will probably get done earlier than usual. I usually like to dehorn around 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. With those 2 boys I will not be able to wait that long. Hope everyone has a great day. Well I think my iron is hot.
Take care.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2013 : 08:40:22 AM
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Our last goat had her kid this morning! We are done for 2013.
We had all singles this year which has never happened. We usually get twins with an occasional single.
They were all healthy which I am happy about. You forget how cute kids are! :)
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2013 : 08:46:55 AM
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Sweetie goat had twins when I went out to feed this morning!! They are so cute! Just what I needed to brighten my spirits :)
I go pick up the Guernsey's this weekend and will soon have calves as well!
I'll get pictures soon :)
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2013 : 11:07:14 AM
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I've been reading about how you experienced goat keepers have trouble with your "stubborn or stupid boy kids". Wow! I experienced that this morning!!
Twin bucklings, I knew they hadn't nursed yet.
Sweetie has a huge (I'm sure blown ligaments) pendulous udder. Teats are only 3 or 4 inches from the ground, if that. Perhaps that is why the previous owners gave her away?
Took me about 2 hours to get 1. her to stand still so they could nurse and 2. the boys to cooperate and find the teats! Full bellies now, but I may run to town and grab some baby bottles..
Can't find the good camera, grabbed a cell pic. I'll see how well that turns out on the computer. :)
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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wincrestnubians
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Jennifer
Ohio
USA
76 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2013 : 03:55:24 AM
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The dark doeling is the little one I am fostering for Linda, and the lighter on is my doeling, Creamy, at 12 weeks of age. I did a partial clip on them for some pics. Look how dark and lovely the one of Lindas is. Wow, did not know she would be that dark under all that hair!
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2013 : 04:14:37 AM
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Sandra, I'm so glad all your kids are nice and healthy. But strange they were all singles. How many does did you get? Do you keep them or sell them all? And are you milking them now?
My little LaMancha kids look like newborns compared to these Nubians. Wow, they are gorgeous!
I have given up on Sandy ever having kids. I don't even check on her any more. I think she is just the fattest goat on earth. Or else has a huge tumor in her belly. Darn goat. Every time I go out to milk and don't see her, I get all excited. Then she sticks her darn head out the door and here she comes. Still all fat and round. I just give up.
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2013 : 05:17:29 AM
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Kristin,
Our goats usually have twins. I thought maybe with the drought and the less quality hay played a factor but we had a higher twinning rate with our ewes who were fed the same.
We have one Oberahasli doe we are keeping.
I usually wait about two weeks to milk. But I am milking now because the singles can't keep up with milk. I am not using the milk yet due to dewormer withdrawal time. I have some Hoeggers Natural Dewormer that I am going to start them on. I like to clip the goats before I start using the milk. Hopefully will start milking next week. Right now the cats are getting it or it is being dumped.
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2013 : 10:04:16 AM
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Sandra,
If you are dumping milk, try dumping it on your lawn/flowers/garden/trees. I read about the raw milk being great for the soil (adding microbes and all the good stuff back to the soil), so I did that all fall that I had to pump and dump Cinnamon's milk.
WOW! You can definitely tell this spring where I dumped that milk! I don't use fertilizers on the grass due to the chickens and using it for cow grazing, and those areas are greener, lusher, thicker, and overall better looking.
Now when I rinse a jar from milk, or my milking bucket, I dump my rinse water on a plant of some sort! The tulips are looking great this year too!
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2013 : 1:59:48 PM
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I forgot to add...that when I dumped the milk I then ran the hose there for a minute, to sort of dilute it. I didn't want the dogs or some other critters getting into it, or having it curdle/stink or make some other sort of mess.
That's another reason I use the rinse water in the pail on the plants..already diluted, but still has the good stuff :)
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4267 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4267 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2013 : 12:52:55 PM
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I had seen some talk about putting the milk in a hudson sprayer diluting with water and spraying. Never tired it but it does sound promising.
Michele |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2013 : 4:34:27 PM
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I have always taken my milk bottle or buckets and rinsed them with water and poured that on my outside plants. And when I had old milk I would throw it out on the gardens. But right now, pigs get all the milk I have extra!
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4267 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4267 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2013 : 04:31:49 AM
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We got dumped on thursday. 12 inches of snow. Yippee. Today is rain/sleet. Next week they are talking 70's again. Farmers almanac says a wet spring, dry summer, wet fall. So far they are spot on. Enjoy those cute goats. Hope milking is going well for everyone.
Michele |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2013 : 07:02:21 AM
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good morning to you all, michelle i would be sooo bummed if it snowed here now. we are freezing at night but days are hot. grass is just now growing. all you farmgirls have been busy. i love coming here and reading about your journeys. kris, we need pics of your booth and table at farmers market. if i was close to you i would help you. there is a milk customer here who is turning into being a fine friend. rarely do i need to run from her smells. most folks smell way to good. she is totally fragrance free. it is so nice to hug some one with out scent on. i am sooo missing my goats. especially ginger. she is my la mancha. they are down the road the farm is not the same with goats gone. goats are so alive, bouncy, happy critters. for now it is about cows. they are bringing in the most regular cash. our milk sells fast. the new cow is so small she is settling in now. i have her dragging the rope off a halter she learns fast. her name is sweetie. she is due may 16 with heifer semen. well i need to get to doing chores. alicia how are your jerseys doing? i am thinking it is you? well happy days to you all. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2013 : 07:14:29 AM
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Morning ladies! Off to baseball games soon, and delivering a piano. I traded a horse for hay and a piano, but got the piano here and it wouldn't fit where I was thinking. Plus, hubby wasn't too keen on figuring out how to get it in the house. So I sold it.
Sherrye, yes it's me with the Jerseys. Well, just dependable solid Sunny and her yearling heifer April. I picked up the Guernseys I was talking about. Ruthie is due to calve soon, Belle around the end of the month. Ruthie and Belle are coming along nicely with their halter training, as my milking room is about a hundred yards from the pasture, so a haltered walk is in order.
And Roryn the bull is a good guy. Of course, I've got my eye on him anytime I'm out getting girls, but he is very respectable of personal space. And I take my old heeler out with me to help watch.
OK, off to base ball! Have a great weekend gals!
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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wincrestnubians
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Jennifer
Ohio
USA
76 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2013 : 3:04:03 PM
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It has turned into a sad day for us today... We lost Big Mac today. He was one of my daughters 4-H whethers, the best one actually. Needless to say, my daughter is heartbroken. Having a market animal to sell at the end of the season and knowing where it is going to go, is different from loosing one this young. In the span of two hours, from getting loven on and playing with everyone else, and when we went out to gather eggs and feed chickens he was down. Got him out of the stall and he was to far gone, ice cold mouth, so bloated it stopped his breathing. I have no idea what caused him to bloat so badly either. Nothing new was given at all. Same pen, same grass, same tree, same feed, and hay. Just goes to show that with animals, big or small, you just never know what is going to happen, when or where. So now comes the disposale..
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2013 : 3:39:48 PM
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Oh, Jennifer, I'm soo sorry.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2013 : 8:20:22 PM
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Sorry my friend.....Hugs to you both.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2013 : 11:21:58 AM
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Here is "Auntie" April being the "rock" for the kids to climb on. They are hilarious to watch and she is soooo good with them.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2013 : 11:26:35 AM
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I have to add this one too!! I could watch the kids all day :)
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Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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Barnyard Buddies: All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep) |
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All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)
