Hmmm. . .

How I wish there was some interesting news to share, but alas, there is none. :P My cousin, Aubri decided to sell her last three does and two are still available. One is likely bred so if you're looking for nice bloodlines at a great price, check out the Sales page of my website. She also has a buckling and doeling available. . . .

Aha! Remembered something interesting to share. . . My Pygmy doe, Rosie had her babies a couple of weeks ago. She had triplet bucks (bummer) but it was a fairly easy delivery and her boys are happy and healthy, so that's good enough for me. :) The first kid came out without a problem (I actually missed it and reached her after she started cleaning him up). Say hello to little Thaddeus:


He is the smallest of the three boys and is turning out to be a real sweetheart.

Next, came two little rear feet. I assisted slightly as you want the baby out fast when they are born rear feet first. When the umbilical cord is broken it triggers the kid to take a breath (not good when you're still surrounded by fluids). Here is Matthew (aka: the loud mouth ;)


He is the kid in the background of these photos.

And last but not least and certainly the biggest is Bartholomew. He needed the most assistance entering this world. After Matthew was born, I "bounced" Rosie and knew there was another kid in there but she was kind of slow about delivering him so I washed up and "went in" finding a head presenting with no feet, so I gently felt around in there until I found one hoof, cupping my hand around it I carefully moved it up towards the nose and helped Rosie deliver him. With some assistance, a doe can typically deliver a kid in this position without bringing both feet forward.


Bartholomew, aka: the "gentle giant". He is very big, especially in comparison to Thaddeus. Rosie is doing really good so far feeding them all. I've not needed to supplement yet. She's been a very good mother and is very protective of her little ones, even when it's just me around. These are her last babies before retirement and she seems to be enjoying them.

That's all for now!

Urban Goat-Keeping Part 4

I am having a bit of trouble thinking of more information on Urban Goat-Keeping (could that be because it's 11pm and I've been awake since 6? ;) Anyways, for now here are some photos of our set-up. I'll take a few more in the next day or so since a couple things have changed. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will address them in this blog! :)

Super cheap and easy to construct hay feeder:

I took a small piece of "hog panel" and covered with kennel wire (to lessen hay waste) and fixed to our doe's cross-fencing using (don't laugh) bungee cords. :) Hey, I'm a girl and it works! ;) What I like about this feeder is that it allows feeding from both sides of the fence. Our Pygmy does are on one side and the Nigerian girls on the other, they both have access to the hay. This cost next to nothing since I used scrap fencing.

Feed Storage:
It's important to keep grain and other feeds in sealed bins. This is one of the main concerns with goat-keeping in the city (and country). You do not want rodent problems. When obtaining a permit, they will be very concerned about feed storage.


Cleaning:
I "spot-clean" the goat pen once a day and thoroughly clean once a week. Photos below show the "weekly cleaning". After cleaning up wasted and soiled hay, I spread out a generous amount of baking soda or agricultural dolamite (dehydrated lime) and sometimes follow with cedar-tow shavings. I have been slacking a bit on the cedar shavings lately since they are rather expensive and not completely necessary (but they do smell very nice).


Compost:
Now that we've cleaned the goat pen, what to do with all that poop?! Put it on the compost pile and let nature take over! Easiest part of goat-keeping. :) Honestly, I do absolutely nothing with our compost pile, besides add more goat manure to it. Sometimes my dad will buy some worms to put in but other than that, we just let it sit and break down. Usually one month is all it takes for that hay and manure to turn into rich, black soil.

The photo to your right is our home-made composting pen. We took four pieces of "hog panel" (that stuff is handy!) and bent the pieces to make a somewhat rounded pen with opening gate (so the chickens can go in and out for scratching around).

Well, that's all the photos I have for now. Time for bed! :0

Goats For Sale

These two handsome bucks are the only goats available after a big herd reduction.

Squaw*Mountain BlueSummerStorm - Mature, blue-eyed buck with gorgeous kids on the ground (mainly doe kids!) All of his babies have been very correct and that's no surprise since he is also. :) While he is a pale gold and white, he has been throwing quite a few red gold kids and many with his blue eyes. Registered with ADGA. Asking $250 - SOLD


Capriola RRH Arrow - A handsome, heavily moon spotted buckling who was reserved almost immediately after birth but unfortunately I cannot get in touch with the buyer. Arrow is very correct in just about every way and has all that "flash" as an extra bonus. ADGA/AGS registration applications included in sale. Asking $300 - SOLD


If you are interested in these boys, let me know by email or phone. I am fairly motivated to find them good homes quickly and prices could be flexible. :)

Sweet Poem

Pescadero

The little goats like my mouth and fingers,
and one stands up against the wire fence, and taps on the fence board a hoof made blacker by the dirt of the field, pushes her mouth forward to my mouth,
so that I can see the smallish squared seeds of her teeth,
and the bristle-whiskers,
and then she kisses me, though I know it doesn't mean "kiss,"
then leans her head way back, arcing her spine, goat yoga,
all pleasure and greeting and then good-natured indifference: she loves me,
she likes me a lot, she takes interest in me, she doesn't know me at all or need to, having thus acknowledged me. Though I am all happiness,
since I have been welcomed by the field's small envoy, and the splayed hoof,
fragrant with soil, has rested on the fence board beside my hand. ~ Mark Doty