Quirky Goat Farm

My funny goats

2012-02-06T05:21:00.001-08:00

Due to the new bucklings, I'm spending more quality time with the goats. This morning, I just sat near their nesting area and let them hop, crawl, and climb on me. From where I was sitting, I could watch the rest of the goats eating breakfast.

Snowbelle, who REFUSED a gingersnap on the milk stand (where she goes for her drench and skin treatments), snatched up the one I'd hidden in the feed and ate it *quickly* so no other goat could get it. Competition is a funny thing. She's also acting like she's wanting to move up in the pecking order. She's head banging a LOT.

Orange is back on the top of the pecking order. She'd given it up for months, and Lemon was rising. Not any more.

It's funny to watch the big goats' reactions to the bucklings. Lily and Aster look at them like they are small alien creatures. They get all bug eyed and have their ears on alert when they watch them intently. Orange just does the head threat maneuver whenever they get close. Cassie and Abbey ignore them. Snowbelle hammered Hi-Ho Silver, but he started it. He did the head threat gesture toward her. This is a mistake when you weigh about five pounds.

I have been putting a couple of tablespoons of the horse supplement in Snowbelle's stand feed. It's got rice bran and vitamins and other yummy stuff in it. Smells GOOD.

I didn't put it in this morning, and I was milking Cassie while Snowbelle ate. She TOLD me that I left it out. The container is near the headgate on her milkstand, and she kept POINTING to it with her nose. She even stomped her front feet. Her body language clearly states, "YO! WOMAN! YOU LEFT OUT THE GOOD STUFF!!"

When I got her a little scoop of it, she calmed down.

Who's in charge? Not me.

Snowbelle's funny behavior

2012-02-02T06:35:00.001-08:00

Snowbelle is a LARGE Saanen/LaMancha cross. Both she and her mother never climbed, never jumped up on things, never ever were light on their feet. Snowbelle is also still recovering from a Black Widow Spider bite that had reduced her activity level for quite a while.

Until yesterday. When I buy feed, I load it in the van so that if we actually get rain or a heavy due before I can transport the sacks to the barn, they stay dry. If they were in the bed of the truck, they'd get wet, and the feed could be ruined. Dan helped me unload the sacks, and the van was momentarily unattended as we emptied feed sacks into the large trash containers I use for mouse proof storage.

When we went back out, this site greeted us. Snowbelle was IN the van. She had to take quite a prodigious leap, especially for a non-jumping goat!

Funny Goat Story

2012-02-02T06:30:00.001-08:00

February 2, 2012

On Wednesday, we drove the blue buggy out to the goat pen, as Lonnie wanted some time to tame the new goat kids, Hi-Ho Silver and Tonto. I parked the buggy facing the goat barn where we could see all the goats and part of the browsing lot. I gathered up the bucklings, and they settled onto Lonnie's lap.

Lemon (their dam) is getting into this mothering business, and she walked around the buggy grumbling that she didn't have full access to the kids. Last year, her first kid was kidnapped by another doe, and poor Lemon never got to act like a mother. She just went directly to the milk string after her colostrum cleared out. This year, after the first two days, she figured out that these two are HER kids, and she's quite attentive now.

I puttered around, putting out feed for the horses, etc., and then sat with Lonnie and the kids in the buggy. The calico cat came over and draped herself across the hood of the buggy.

Lemon was still stalking around mumbling goat curses under her breath. As she approached the front of the buggy, I watched her face, and her thoughts were apparent. I warned her, "Don't you dare bite that cat's tail." Ha. I should have saved my breath. She walked straight up to the buggy, reached her head up, and gave the cat's tail TWO sharp tugs!

The cat simply moved forward about four inches and settled back down. See why I say she's the goats' cat? She's completely tolerant of them and used to their goaty ways

White Girls

2011-11-15T05:50:00.001-08:00

Lily, doing what she does best, head in feeder. She will let me rub her tummy now, and she's starting to tolerate me touching her udder as I get her ready for milking in the spring. I think she might be bred. Will be doing a blood test soon.

Aster, who is learning the whole milk house routine. She has settled down quite a bit from the first couple of days where she ricocheted off the walls. She is in it for the cookies, as she doesn't eat much grain.

The dead part of Snowbelle's udder is starting to separate from the healthy part. I'm pouring a bit of iodine in the crack to prevent more problems.

Quirky Goat Farm - SOUTH

2011-11-06T09:39:00.001-08:00

"The Office of Multiplicity" - formerly a two bedroom home built by Bohus Kubena and a couple of other Czech gentleman who used recycled lumber. It was rebuilt and remodeled by Lonnie and five of my former students.

The garage/storage shed next to my office. As you can see, it has issues with age, gravity, plumb, and level. It works to keep hay and lumber dry.

The Workshop - formerly known in town as "Joe's Place", a beer joint and domino parlor, owned by Alvin Svoboda's parents. Dan's dad drank many a beer there. Alvin gave me the building and I had it moved here, across the street from our house. Lonnie remodeled it and rebuilt much of the inside. We have lots of tools.

"The Blue House" - built approximately 1918. Dan's family moved into it when he was about three, I think. The house was built by the family that owned the town's lumber company at the time. We remodeled it after his mother passed away, adding a bathroom, new siding, double paned windows, etc.

Casa de Kaspar - built in 1979-80. This view is from the south. The house is L shaped, with the pointy corner facing north, and the open angle facing south to catch cooling breezes!

CAE links

2011-07-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Click on each topic to go to an article:

What is CAE?

Effects of CAE on milk production

Lactation, Somatic Cell Count, and Production

Mammary gland as target of CAE

Goat disease research in Brazil

Sad day on the farm

2011-05-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

There has been a problem with our herd queen's udder. Late in her pregnancy, her udder experienced quite a bit of apparent engorgement. She was uncomfortable, and hugely pregnant. I figured she was having multiple kids and didn't worry much. No fever, etc.

She has only half an udder, as she experienced an injury prior to my ownership of her. She's successfully raised twin kids for me each year.

She passed her health check for travel across state lines in April.

Shortly after our arrival here in Missouri, she kidded and gave us two beautiful Saanen cross doelings. The next morning, she was shivering and droopy eared and running a temp of 107 degrees. The vet was out of town for another week, so I called Yarrow, my go-to-rescuer. She helped out with meds and advice and support. THANK YOU, Yarrow. The doe's fever went down, and she became more comfortable except for part of her udder.

The remnants of the right side of her udder were enlarged and hard. It almost appeared as if she had mastitis in the 'blind side' of mammary tissue that remained. She has two areas of hard tissue, each about as big as a softball. She lies down only on the other side, with her right leg held up and out a bit so as not to press on the swelling.

She's not making her normal amount of milk, so I've been supplementing the doelings. They are both dam raised and bottle fed.

The veterinarian returned and came out today. He examined her carefully and we talked extensively about what I had seen and what had been done for her. He determined that the swelling is not mastitis, but tumors.

I'm completely flabbergasted.

She will be mom to these kids as long as she's comfortable. The tumors are already so large, that I don't think she'll be with us on the migration south to Texas in the fall.

She was one of our first 'real' milk goats. She's our herd queen, although she's not been acting in that capacity much lately. Her registered name is Bright and Beautiful Orange Ice, but we just call her Orange.

John Dettling, Photographer, visits Quirky Goat Farm

2011-03-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Due dates

2011-03-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

Louise - in Missouri - February 2
Actual: February 7
1 doeling, 1 buckling

Lemon - February 12
Actual: February 8
1 buckling, stolen by Cocoa

Snowbelle - March 4
Actual: March 3
Vet assisted: 2 doelings, 1 stillborn buckling

Cassie - March 10
Actual: March 4
5 bucklings

Princess - May 5

Orange - May 8

Cocoa - May 17

Goat diseases

2011-02-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

C.A.E. = Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis
This is a serious goat disease. It is in the same family with the HIV virus.

In goats, it can cause arthritis, ruin an udder, or kill kids by attackinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif the nervous system.
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Click HERE for more information about C.A.E.

Click on this link for an article that explains the connection between CAE in milk and positive tests in humans for HIV.

Info about CL, a disease that can pass to humans
Click here

Johne's Disease = a 'wasting' disease in cattle and goats. Has been linked to Crohn's disease in humans.

Click HERE for more information about Johne's.

Important links - Click on title of each item

2011-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

Extensive goat care information.

How to disbud a baby goat (remove horn buds)

Disbudding video.

How to draw blood for testing

Using an elastrator to castrate bucklings

How to test for Mastitis

Milk flavor issues

How to tell if your goat has parasites

How to Trim Goat Hooves

How to use goat hobbles
Note: You can also get a curb chain (for a horse bridle) and use it in the same way.

Where to buy goat stuff

Milk Stand Plans

Click here for pic of milk stand modifications to make it more stable

Homemade Milker

The pump is a Durvet 65 ml Fixed Dose Pour-On Applicator. The syringe body is 35 cc with the threaded type needle end, but the needle is removed. The vinyl tubing came with the applicator (I only used half of it), and I used a small hose clamp and super glue jel to make sure the hose stays on the syringe body.

When in use, you are not constantly pumping the mechanism. After the milk starts to flow, it's pump....wait....wait....wait....wait....wait....pump....repeat.

I do finish out by hand, but that's usually just a tiny amount.

To clean it after milking, I run extremely hot water through it, then soapy water, then clean water. A couple of times a week, I run bleach water through it, too.

I am not selling these, just showing what you can make for about half of what they sell for.

Quirky Goat Farm South - Dec 17, 2010

2010-12-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

I had to put the cat in the feed barrel again. This is the second day that I've found a little mouse in the feed. Have you ever tried to catch a frightened mouse by hand? It's just NOT happening. So, I caught Miss Kitty and put her in with the feed and the mouse. Instant success. Cats aren't as inhibited and slow as humans when it comes to rodent capture.

I made the mistake of leaving the Tupperware corn chip box on the table where Orange could reach it. She managed to get the container open for three days in a row. I finally put it on a high shelf where she couldn't see it. She looked on the table, searched back and forth, and then she carefully and deliberately looked UNDER the table. Goats are deep thinkers, and they constantly impress me with their cognitive skills.

Making a change in the routine always gets the goats' attention. Putting hanging feeders for the horses on the fence that adjoins the goat pen caused some turmoil. The horse feed has molasses on it, and the goats could smell it, so they were trying to figure out how to get through the fence to get horse feed, too. Then, as the horses were eating, I put out the goat feed. The goats perceived that there was now competition for feed from the horses, so they behaved quite decorously and each stayed at a feeding station, chowing down instead of running from one feeder to the next to see what the next goat was getting.

Rambo, the borrowed Saanen buck, has accomplished his job, and all six does are now bred. We have kids due to be born starting in early February, a few in March, and the rest in May. Anybody need a barbecue goat? There are sure to be some!

Milk Board to allow testing

2010-11-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Can Properly Done Tests Clear Dairy to Sell?

Missouri Milk Board Agrees to Allow Morningland Dairy to Test

11/10/10

Morningland Dairy of Missouri, the farmstead cheese operation that has been shut down and under investigation by the FDA and Missouri Milk Board since August 26th finally obtained agreement from the Milk Board to properly test their cheese. Morningland, a farmstead raw cheese company, was shut down over concern by the Missouri Milk Board and the FDA that their cheese may harbor harmful bacteria.

On Monday November 8th, Morningland Dairy attorney Gary Cox, of Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, informed Morningland that an agreement had been reached with the Missouri Attorney General’s office which will allow Morningland to test batches of their cheese that have been under embargo since August by the Missouri Milk Board.

The Missouri Attorney General’s office, representing the Missouri Milk Board in legal action against Morningland Dairy, offered eight stipulations under which they would not object to the dairy testing their cheese. After negotiations, Morningland Dairy and the Missouri Milk Board settled on six requirements to be followed. The stipulations agreed to are that the Milk Board be present, have three representatives observing, receive split samples of the cheese, approve the sampling and analysis process, receive results after testing, and receive production dates of sampled cheese. The two stipulations that were dropped were the advance identification of the lab to do the testing and the identity of the individual who designed the protocol for test sample collection. The removal of these conditions is significant to Morningland because approved laboratories are licensed by the agencies investigating the contamination, and this secures the opportunity for testing through a non-affiliated lab in the nature of a double-blind study.

During the course of the investigation Joseph and Denise Dixon, owners of Morningland Dairy, have maintained that they should be allowed to do properly sampled tests on the alleged contaminants to clear their cheese for sale. Denise Dixon said, “It seems to me that if tests that are done improperly can condemn our cheese, accurately done tests should be able to exonerate the cheese.”

Conversely, Don Falls of the Missouri Milk Board has stated, “If you want to do testing for investigational purposes only, that would be fine.” The Milk Board has held that all Morningland Dairy’s cheese is suspect and must be destroyed. Joe Dixon responds, “We hope that the Milk Board will see reason. If properly collected test results indicate the cheese is clear of contamination, we should be allowed to sell and resume production.”

The agreement does not state that Morningland Dairy may resume normal business operations if tests indicate no pathogenic concerns.

Contact: Doreen Hannes: 417 962 0030 email: animalwaitress@yahoo.com

Goat Projects - Recap of several years' work

2010-11-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

A letter to the Missouri Milk Board and the Missouri Attorney General

2010-10-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

P. O. Box 345
Alton, Missouri 65606

Missouri Attorney General, Mr. Chris Koster
P. O. Box 899
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
October 13, 2010
Dear Mr. Koster,
There are several constitutionally based protections offered to citizens of the United States that are essential to our freedom and serve to protect us from a government run amok. These include due process, the right to face one’s accusers, and the pursuit of happiness. The confrontation between the Missouri Milk Board and the Morningland Dairy epitomizes government violations of all three of these protections. The Attorney General’s office is participating in the persecuting of the honest and innocent owners and employees of Morningland Dairy.

There are legal and procedural processes required for our government to interfere with business. In this case, the government has ignored their own procedures for testing a food product for safety.
From Morningland Dairy’s rebuttal to the order to destroy their cheese:
"No sample of said product [from Rawesome Dairy in California] was shared with Morningland Dairy as is required by California and Missouri statutes; therefore, there is no confirmation of the findings reported by California Food and Department of Agriculture."
[and]
"No Missouri State Milk Board representative obtained samples from Morningland Dairy."
[and]
"Contrary to section 196.565 of the Revised Missouri Statutes, the only witness to the sampling from Morningland Dairy was the employee who did the sampling. When Morningland Dairy owners, Joseph & Denise Dixon, learned how the samples were taken, they knew that the tests would be inaccurate and, consequently, erroneous. Despite repeatedly informing Don Falls and also Audra Ashemore, of the FDA, of the faulty sampling methods, both of these individuals used the results of this inept test in their reports."

Although the testing of the product was not carried out correctly, one would still expect the original documentation to be presented to Morningland Dairy so that they can ‘face their accusers’ and have an informed basis on which to mount a defense. In the absence of such documentation and evidence, there would be and can be no legal basis for interfering with the business of making cheese at Morningland Dairy. From the Morningland Dairy website:
"To date, there has been no legitimate test performed on Morningland Dairy cheese, although Morningland Dairy owners have repeatedly requested that proper tests be done. California authorities did not sign the test they allegedly performed until 55 days after product was seized at gunpoint from Rawesome Foods. No sample of said product was shared with Morningland Dairy as is required by California and Missouri statutes; therefore, there is no confirmation of the findings reported by California Food and Department of Agriculture."

In addition, there has never been a complaint against Morningland Dairy’s products. Ever. From the dairy’s rebuttal of the order to destroy their product:
"Denise Dixon, owner and General Manager of Morningland Dairy says, “Morningland has been producing raw aged cheese for 30 years, and in that time, absolutely no reports of illness have been made by anyone who has consumed our product."

With no due process and no documentation of the alleged testing process and no accusers, rational observers must wonder what motivates the Milk Board in their ongoing legal assault against Morningland Dairy.

The constitutional right to pursue happiness should logically include the right of citizens to own and operate a business without unwarranted government interference. The Missouri Milk Board has obviously decided to trample over the rights and freedoms of the owners and workers at Morningland Dairy.

The right to pursue happiness also includes the right of citizens to eat the food of their choice. There appears to be a concerted effort by the government and the Missouri Milk Board to stop production of an internationally respected and much loved food product (raw milk cheese) and to prevent the populace from having the freedom to eat what they choose. Everywhere else in the world, raw milk cheese is a highly treasured food, demanding the highest prices at market and extolled by gourmets. Only here in the U.S. do we see an uninformed government trying to eliminate a valued and traditional food.

I respectfully request that the Missouri Milk Board and the Attorney General’s office immediately cease persecution and prosecution of Morningland Dairy. The Milk Board’s attack on the dairy has no legal basis and is repugnant to the citizens of Missouri and the rest of the United States.

Sincerely,

Alice G. Kaspar

Fall Breeding - 2010

2010-08-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the fall breeding plans:
Alpine Buck - Sir Guy

Breeding to:
LaMancha Doe - Louise

Alpine Doe - Faline (aka Peanut)

Mini-Mancha Buck - Jim Dandy

Breeding to:
Mini-Alpine Doe - Lemon

Mini-Mancha Doe - Cassie

Breeding decisions pending:
Saanen/LaMancha Doe - Snowbelle to ?
LaMancha Doe - Princess - to unnamed Saanen buck

Meet "Palmer"

2010-06-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

We've been waiting to see when Faline (aka Peanut) was going to kid. We now know that "Happy" bred her through the fence because the kid is spotty with three colors, like his sire. We are sure the bucks were NOT in with the does in mid-January.

This morning, Feline was humming. This is a sign of impending labor. She wasn't in labor when we loaded feed into the feed house after lunch, but at 3:00 PM when I was loading the truck for a trip to a friend's house, I could hear her hollering.

When I got to the goat pen, I could see that the kid was part way out with the head and one leg protruding. The kid's tongue was hanging out, and there weren't any signs of life.

After fetching towels from the house, I moved Feline out of the goat pen and onto a clean clover covered area. I pulled the kid, who was completely limp. After putting him on the ground and seeing no movement at all, I felt for a heartbeat. It was strong, so I lifted the kid by his back legs and slapped his ribs to help clear fluid from his lungs. When I put him down again, there was a small wiggle, and the doe and I started working on him. She licked and hummed; I rubbed him with a towel. Pretty soon, he started moving better and began to call out to her.

It took him about 20 minutes to get to his feet and a few more to find the teats, but he nursed strongly.

His name is Palmer in keeping with our NCIS theme this year. His sire was a registered Mini-Mancha, and his dam is registered Alpine.

Sunday, Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

I don't goof off well. I tried. Really I did. I sat on the deck with the newspaper and a cup of mocha, and that lasted about ten minutes.

Then, I mulched the potatoes with compost and straw. Then, I sprayed Round Up along the fence line toward the road from the house and around some trees.

Burning old deteriorated firewood and a tarp that had been deteriorated by the sun. Also picking up the branches out of the yard and adding them to the burn pile.

Is she or isn't she?

2010-05-29T06:13:00.001-07:00

Sunday projects

2010-05-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm making yogurt today with fresh goat milk because I ate Yoplait this morning and read the label. YUK! Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. What happened to yogurt when I wasn't buying it!? It changed from a natural food to an over-processed food.

My yogurt will have two ingredients. Milk and starter culture. When I get ready to eat it, I will add fruit. No sugar, no flavoring, no coloring, no OTHER STUFF!

I'm reading an interesting book now called Healthy At 100, by John Robbins. It's about other societies and what they eat, how they live, and how they are so much healthier than ours. My diet is going to improve.

I got quite a few outside projects done. First, I mowed around the garden, then discovered that the battery powered weedeater works well, and now there's a clear path for a new low-to-the-ground electric fence around the garden. This is to keep Ziggy the big footed Basset Hound out of my raised veggie beds. She respects the electric wire so much, I might not have to put any power to it!

The feeder that the goats broke was shortened and repaired. Goats are VERY pushy, and building things that they don't tear up is a challenge.

Two raised beds that didn't have anything planted have the dirt turned over, and the cucumber seeds are now planted. Also planted some flowers! One bed is left to do, and that's going to be Okra.

Lots of things already up or coming up. Two kinds of squash, two kinds of beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and a good selection of herbs. I'm especially excited about the potatoes, as we have two varieties: Yukon Gold and German Butter potatoes.

The thornless blackberries aren't blooming very heavily, so I soaked them with Spray N Grow. Then, I cut back the canes that froze over the winter and tied up the canes that were threatening to overtake the north end of the garden.

Gibbs and Ducky followed me down to the gate of the buck's pen when I went down there to cut back some grass that was getting in the electric fence. As it is time to wean them, I picked up each one and shoved them through the gate. They are now in the big boy pen. There was some hollering for Mom, but they came to the feeder at suppertime and didn't seem too distressed.

During the day, we had three rain showers. We even had a shower while I had the goats on their browse walk, and I learned that rain doesn't bother the goats when they are in the forest. Kate and Abbey, the only kids left with the big girls, were very busy climbing on stumps and leaning trees today, and I should have had my camera.

I really need to post more often

2010-04-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's April 29, 2010. The Quirky Goat Farm animals, all 14 of them including dogs, has moved back to the Ozarks for the summer.

We lost Grumpy, the Mini Mancha buck, to urinary calculi in mid-winter.

We came north with four kids: Cassie's triplet kids, sired by Grumpy, and Cocoa's LaPine cross, sired by Sir Guy.

While in Texas, Orange, the herd queen Alpine, kidded with twin bucklings, and they were sold for herd sires before we left.

We're letting Snowbelle and Lemon grow till the fall before breeding them.

Feline (formerly known as Peanut) is due to kid in early May.

Everyone has settled in nicely here in the cooler northern climate.

Lots of Milk!

2010-03-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

The changing seasons and needs have prompted some changes at the goat yard.

As we have to dry off Cocoa before she kids, we've reduced her feed by half, and are milking her in the mornings only. I figure about a week of that, then we'll go to every other day for a while.

We made a kid pen for the four little ones, and last night was the first night that all the kids were separated from the does. Abby did escape into the bigger pen sometime during the night, but that's fine.

This morning's yield was over a gallon of milk, collectively, from Cocoa, Orange, and Cassie.

I froze three bags of 3 cups each for Kaci, the soap lady, and had a half gallon for the fridge for us.

There will be morning milking only now till the kids are weaned. My wrists will be happy about that!

Goat Spit

2010-02-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make, but I have to tell you a story.

We've had just a wonderful week with the goats. Cassie's Mini-Mancha triplets born on the 16th, and everything went smooth! Total of about eleven pounds in two bucklings and a doeling.

Orange's twin bucklings born on the 24th, early in the morning. HUGE kids. Nineteen pounds of kids! Orange is still a bit sore.

Because we are selling one of Orange's bucklings as a bottle kid, we started them on supplemental bottles right away. I go to the kid pen three times a day and work on getting Tim and Tony to take a couple of ounces from a bottle. As they are getting plenty of milk from Orange, the goal is simply to accustom them to milk from more than one source.

This afternoon, Tony had drunk a couple of ounces, and I was sitting with Tony in my lap, and he was reluctant to suck the rubber nipple. Thinking it might not be flowing well, I took it off, checked the inside, checked it again as I put it back on, and tried again. No sucking by Tony. So, I did what any good Goat Gran does. Sucked on the nipple to see if it worked. YES, I have goat spit.

Here's Anthony (Tony) DiNosso and Timothy (Tim) McGee.

Triplets!

2010-02-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Introducing Abby, Gibbs, and Ducky.

Cassie, our Mini-Mancha, gave us triplets on February 16th. They are named after characters on our favorite television show, NCIS. They each weighted close to 3 1/2 lbs, a little more and a little less. They were up and active and sucking very soon.

Took Sir Guy DOWN!

2010-01-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Our young Alpine buckling, Sir Guy, won't be a year old till April, but he thinks he is hot stuff.

This morning, I was in the buck pen, moving their dogloo shelter. Sir Guy jumped up on my back twice. The first time I twisted his ear. The second time, I grabbed one of his front legs, bulldogged him to the ground, and sat on him, holding his head to the ground till he stopped wiggling. This is the proper procedure for teaching a buck that he is NOT the boss.

He didn't jump on me any more after I let him up.

Unexpectedly Preggers

2010-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

Our herd queen, Orange, is most obviously pregnant. Now. HOWEVER, we didn't realize this until recently. We had been planning on 'milking her through' as she was giving a nice half gallon a day. Then, suddenly, production dropped to a couple of cups or less. The obvious thing to do was dry her off and breed her to kid in the spring when we will be back in Missouri.

HAH! Orange apparently had other plans, starting back in September, shortly after our purchase of a nice registered Alpine buckling.

We had some problems keeping the bucks in when we moved them to a fenced area just downhill of the does. The plan was that we would be able to tell which of the girls were in heat by their flirting with the boys at the fence line. We didn't anticipate the determination of the bucks and their disregard for electric fence tape. It took about a week to get the fence reinforced enough to keep the gentleman restricted to their side of the fence.

Apparently, Orange came into a quiet heat during this time. By mid December, we began to suspect she was in the family way. Here it is, the end of January, and we're watching every day for signs of kidding. We're getting closer. Lonnie is predicting February 7, Super Bowl Sunday! I'm thinking it will be sooner than that.

Snow, Snowbelle, and cheese

2009-12-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

The great blizzard of December 2009 lasted from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM and yielded a whopping two inches that melted from the bottom up.

The goats thought it was highly suspect and stayed in the barn. Snowbelle was enticed out with an animal cracker so that she could be photographed.

Today, I'm making the first attempt at Monterrey Jack Cheese. I'll keep you posted.

Source for good info and pleasant goatpeople friendships

2009-11-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

If you need goat info, I recommend the following places:

www.dairygoatforum.com

Become a member, spend some time reading the Goatkeeping Files, and ask questions. The members there have some truly outstanding goats and decades of experience. They are very generous with their helpful advice.

www.fiascofarm.com

This is a good basic index of goat related information. Easy to read for the beginner!

Back in Texas for the Fall/Winter 2009

2009-11-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

Imagine you've experienced a hard frost that killed your flower garden. Imagine it's 34 degrees when you are milking the goats.

Imagine you can drive one day and change climate! YAHOO!

We made the trip 700 miles to the southwest of the Ozarks. Nine goats, two dogs, and one cat are now safely adjusting to days on the coastal plain of Texas where it's almost 80 degrees in the afternoon.

What bliss!

Health Certificate

2009-10-16T05:06:00.000-07:00

We got the new Health Certificate for the goats yesterday, October 15th. I had the names, tattoo numbers, breed, and birthdates of all the goats on a print out for the vet, so that helped things move along.

We had to tattoo five kids, and that took longer than the paperwork. The eared goats (Alpine) get tattoos in each ear. The right ear get the herd letters, and the left ear gets a code for the year (2009 = Z) and then their birth order in the herd. So, a goat will have AAGK in the right ear and perhaps Z2 in the left year. Short eared goats (LaMancha) get tattooed in the tail web. The tail tattooing turned out easier than the ears because Dr. Mueller just picked their back feet up off the ground so they wouldn't have traction, and I did the tattooing.

The tattoo device is like a pair of pliers with inserts for the letters and numbers. You crimp the device on the ear or tail, release, then use a toothbrush to rub in a thick ink paste. That's it! Then, the goat proceeds to get ink all over the place. Do not wear clothes you plan to wear in public again.

Sir Guy (left pic) has managed to get the green ink from his ears all over his face. Snowbelle (right pic) shows off her tail web tattoo ink, all nasty green under her tail. The excess ink wears off slowly, and what was rubbed into the tattoo holes stays.

Just a note about milk production:
I'm feeding two bottle kids a total of 120 ounces per day. That's almost a gallon going to kids, plus we are getting at least a quart for house use. We have wonderful goats!

Fall Update

2009-10-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to the Quirky Goat Farm herd is Angel, a dual registered American Alpine. She's a bit thin right now, but she'll fill out on Lonnie's special feed mix and some extra sunflower seeds.

I missed getting a picture this morning after I turned out the last doe from the milk house. Sophie, our Alpine who has to wear a goat bra, was standing by one of the pine trees, and the little kitten was sitting on her back. They were both perfectly calm and gave the impression that this was not new behavior.

We are coming off of several days of rain, and the goats haven't been able to go out for browse until today. I milked the goats separately this morning and checked yields.
Orange = 7 1/2 cups (12 hours)
Sophie = 5 1/2 cups (12 hours)
Angel = 6 cups (24 hours)

Orange is simply an incredible animal.

Goats who must go somewhere else

2009-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

We have too many goats. I must sell some either to people who want nice home milkers or to people who want barbecue or for pets. All are up to date on vaccinations. All are CAE free.

"Socks" - wether - Mini-Alpine - born on June 11 - gentle pet goat or small cabrito

Jasmine - doeling - born March 18 - Nubian/LaMancha cross - will be GOOD home milker

Mocha - doeling - LaMancha - born March 29 - VERY gentle - Her mom is my best milker with best udder.

Sorry he is blinking.
Captain Jack Sparrow - buckling - LaMancha - born April 15 - From good milk and udder lines - just don't need him -

Prolific milkers

2009-05-12T18:29:00.001-07:00

I'm milking the two LaMancha goats that I purchased from Feral Nature Farms this winter. They each have one kid, and they are making about 2 1/2 quarts each per day, above what their kids get. Doing that easy math word problem means that I'm having to deal with 5 quarts of fresh milk every day!

We drink some of the goat milk, cook with some, give some away, and I make cheese at least twice a week. I've been alternating between chevre (easy to make) and cheddar (more labor intensive.)

The cheddar isn't aged, so it's very mild, but it can be used like regular cheddar. It's lovely and white because it has no food color added, and it squeaks on your teeth. That's how you tell whether the curd is at the right point before you press it.

Disbudding

2009-04-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Disbudding is one of those unpleasant, but necessary, goat chores. A very hot iron much like a soldering iron is pressed against the horn base for approximately eight seconds. The horn cap comes off, and then you burn again for a few more seconds.

The first time we disbudded a kid, we were more traumatized than the kid. Today, we disbudded three without too much stress.

One of the things we've learned is that the disbudding box, a kid size box with a lid and a hole for the kid's head to stick out is much more stressful to the kid than being held by one of their human friends. Our goat kids are used to being held and cuddled, so being restrained in someone's arms isn't frightening to them. Being stuck in a box makes them scream.

We had been shaving the hair around the base of the horn, but now we know that's not necessary, either. If you know where the horn bud is, the hair isn't in the way after the first second of burning. You're going to stink after it's over anyway from the burned skin and horn tissue, so a bit of extra burned hair stink is immaterial.

After the procedure, the burned area is sprayed with Furox or another antibiotic cooling spray. Normally, this relieves the kid's pain, and he will be acting normally and looking for mom within moments. The comfort of mom's presence and a few sucks of milk are all it takes for them to forget the procedure.

The next step is for the humans to take a shower. The stink of burned goat hair and skin is particularly pungent. :-(

Quirky Goat Farm / North

2009-04-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

We headed north with 11 dairy goats on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The new trailer with a swing gate in the middle worked well. Kids and mommas in the front, and dry/pregnant does in the back. We made several stops for food and water and to walk the dogs. It's a fourteen hour trip, but no problems.

When we got to Missouri, we were awed by the tree damage from the mid-winter storm. Many of the trees look like umbrellas turned inside out, with the limbs just stripped from the trunk. Some trees burst and fell over. Some just snapped in half about ten feet above ground. The clean up is going to be a long term project.

We turned the goats out in the main pasture area, and they thought the tall grass and browse was heaven. We had fed them alfalfa hay on the way up to have their tummies full on arrival. This prevents overeating on new forage and bloat.

Today, Sunday, April 26, we cleared branches and checked the forest fenced area. After we were sure the electric fence was working, we moved the four older, bred and dry does into that area. Now, we have the milkers in one area, and the dry does in another. It just makes feeding less complicated and calmer.

I'm about to go out and mix feed and build another feeder.

Have a great day!
Alice

We have new Mini Mancha bucklings

2009-04-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Cassie came through with tri-color bucklings!

Arielle was here for Easter weekend and enjoyed meeting the goats.

Even hay feeders need latches

2009-04-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

The hay feeder has hinged access panels on each end, but Indie has figured out how to open the hatch.

New additions!

2009-02-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

I've learned I can't go look at goats. If I look, I'll bring some home. Last week, my online goat friend Diane of Feral Nature Farm near Lexington let me know that she was needing to reduce her herd. She has LaManchas and MiniManchas. As we are heading toward Minis, this was an opportunity to get some high quality goats. NO NO, I mean it was a chance to look at high quality goats and bring one home. We were also looking for a LaMancha for a friend in Louise.

So, Lonnie, Dan, and I drove up there one morning with the goat transporter in the back of the truck. Lonnie got to see some territory of Texas that he hadn't been through before. We drove up through Cordele, Halletsville, and Giddings. Of course, we stopped in Halletsville for kolaches.

We walked among her herd, talked, petted the does, got loved on by her wether, checked udders, and talked goats some more. After some extensive discussion, we picked out three possible acquisitions. The were a set of twin fawn colored LaMancha does and a tri-color MiniMancha doe. Luckily, I had come with enough cash due to a premonition that I was coming home with three goats. Don't you just love premonitions?

I'm please to introduce Latte' (formerly known as Star.)
Right side -

From Goats

Left side -

From Goats

This is Cocoa (formerly known as Rain)

From Goats

And this is Calico Cassie (also known as Splash and Chelsea)

From Goats

The morning routine

2009-02-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

Call out, "GOATS GOATS GOATS!" as I enter the goat yard.
The cat runs out to greet us.

Turn on the lights, the heater if necessary, open the top of the dutch door, and sometimes turn on the sound track for The Sound of Music.

We put feed on the milk house milk stand and after Orange has peed and pooed, she gets to come in and start eating while we get the feed ready for everyone else.
Lonnie puts out hay and feed. The old girls are in the east pen under the barn. The new girls are in the west pen under the barn. Bartok is in a small pen.

I milk Orange and give her the snacks. Of course, Miss Kitty gets the first squirts of milk, and I also put out her dry feed. PLUS, I have a squirt bottle of water to keep the neighbor's cats out of the milk house. They can go in after I milk, but I don't want them in there during the milking process.

Orange goes out, and Hershey is standing at the door, waiting to come in. She waits for me to put her box on the milk stand so she is tall enough to reach the head lock and for me to milk her. I milk Hershey with the mechanical squirter milker, then finish her by hand. She then waits on the milk stand until she gets her defective pecans for a snack. Hershey goes out.

I get a one quart large mouth jar with a lid and go to the west pen. Latte', Cocoa, and Cassie are let out. I put dairy chow in the feeder on the milk stand we built for Sophie. She had claustrophobia in the milk house, so she has her own special place. She is just now starting to be willing to get on the stand without being led there. She is still a bit antsy, but it's getting better.
I milk her into the jar, put the lid on, give her pecans, let her out.

Dump that milk into the bucket with Hershey's and Orange's milk.
Clean the milk squirter, sweep the floor, turn out the light, turn off the music.

Pick up hay for the buck pen.
Let out Bartok.
Feed Charlie and Indie.
Go to the house and filter the milk.

See why my mother in law used to say, "If a woman doesn't have enough to do, get her a goat!"

Goat grow!

2008-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

The half Boer / half Nubian doelings have grown out nicely. We built a shelter for the four doelings, and we learned a couple of things.

Before:

After:

Goat hoop houses must have frames inside.

Guest Goats

2008-09-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

Here at Quirky Goat Farm (South), we have been hosting four visiting goats. A friend needed a quick place to place their livestock because they had to move out of a rental property. Having a goat proof pasture made our place ideal for temporary guests. These four goats moved in while I was in Missouri. Due to the threat of Hurricane Ike, I hadn't had the chance to greet them until today.

First, a wether, half Pygmy/half fainting goat cross breed.

Next, a pair of fainting goats. Also called Myotonic, these goats become rigid and may fall down when startled.

Finally, a Pygmy buckling. His name is Pistol, but Lonnie and I called him Charlie when we cared for him as a bottle baby last winter. He remembered me today and wanted to cuddle! It was hard to get a picture because he wanted to be close to me all the time.

Lots of changes

2008-08-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

The bucklings are growing and leaping and hopping and hollering, "MAAAAAAAAA! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" everytime they hear us go out of the house. They are getting between 12 and 16 ounces of milk four times a day, and they are beginning to munch on leaves, etc.

We're getting them accustomed to being with the other goats for a while several times a day, and hopefully they will make the transition out there during the days this coming week.

Elton has a really odd behavior. When he jumps into Lonnie's lap, he lies down.

When he jumps into MY lap, he stands, climbs, and sits on my shoulder.

We also have another addition to the Quirky Goat Farm. Chica is an aging dwarf/mini horse. She's about 16 years old, and her main purpose is to eat the grass in the goat yard. Goats don't eat grass, and we were having to mow it. Chica has eliminated that problem.

New bucklings

2008-07-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today we picked up two bucklings from Susie and her daughter, Jessica, at Ages Ago Acres on the other side of Alton, Missouri. We had the challenge of picking two out of about half a dozen ten day old absolutely beautiful bucklings.

Elton is the darker one, and he's colored like a Doberman Pincher. Jon is the lighter buckling, and he's like a line back dun pony, except he has tri-color legs and those amazing cream colored eyebrows.

Thank you Susie!

Baby pictures

2008-05-27T19:48:00.001-07:00

Honey Dew and Berry
Three days old

New doelings

2008-05-25T13:30:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin was due on Monday, May 26, but she jumped the gun and delivered two Boer/Nubian doelings just after 3:00 PM on Saturday, May 24. I went out to check her, and she had the first just about dried off, and she had just pushed out the second. I got her out of the sack and rubbed her till she started breathing. Then, I ran for the house to tell Lonnie and Kathleen and to get clean towels, etc.

Kathleen brought warm water and the digital camera. Pumpkin drank all the water, and the photos above are the first pictures of Honey Dew and Berry.

Settling in

2008-04-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

The goats are very happy to be home in Missouri. They have more natural browse in their large goat yard here, abundant shade, things to climb on, etc.

I thought that Orange's milk production would decline due to the stress of traveling, etc., but it hasn't. Still a strong 1/2 gallon per day. Amazing.

Moving the farm!

2008-04-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a travel day. Lonnie and I drove from Ganado, Texas, to south
central Missouri. We had our five goats, three dogs, and a rabbit with us.
We jokingly call it the traveling circus.

As you know, it has been 80+ degrees in Texas. This morning here in the Ozarks, it was just above 30 degrees. The goats are shivering, I had on two coats when I was out feeding the critters, and it's just darn cold!

The goats were shivering, the bunny made a nest in the hay in his box, and the dogs definately think they belong on the couch.

Milking Through

2008-04-14T11:45:00.001-07:00

Our main milker, Orange The Alpine, is milking through. This means that she is continuing to produce substantial quantities of milk although she hasn't freshened (given birth) in more than a year. She had her last kids in February of 2007, so it has been fourteen months since this milk cycle started. Alpines are *not* known for their milking-through ability. The norm is about ten months with a decline at the end, then a two month break to allow the doe to finish out her next pregnancy before kidding again.

Due to a variety of circumstances, Orange was not successfully bred in the fall of 2007 to kid in the spring of 2008. Her milk production had declined, but after Princess had her kids, Orange's milk production came up. Sympathy hormones??

Orange's production is well over half a gallon per day again, and that's good enough for us.

New doelings

2008-03-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

On February 7, 2008, Princess presented us with two doelings.

This is Edna.

This is Louise.

We were very relieved that Princess had doelings. Bucklings would have to be banded (castrated) and/or eaten for barbecue. Not something we were looking forward to.

Goat transitions

2008-03-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

After the initial newness wore off, we realized that we were interested in transitioning to real dairy goats. Luckily, I knew Emily of Ozark Jewels, and she was in the process of reducing her herd. She has a really fine goat herd, and I asked if she had any that she wanted to have special homes, but that might have quirks which made them hard to place.

Thus, Quirky Goat Farm was established with the arrival of Pumpkin, a Nubian yearling who didn't 'catch' when bred, and Orange, an Alpine who was producing close to a gallon of milk per day - on only one half an udder. Most goats have two teats. Orange had an injury early in her life, but her body adapted to the change. Her production is almost at the level of a high production two-teated doe.

This is Pumpkin.

This is Orange.

Our third doe was Princess, a LaMancha, which we acquired from Emily several months later. LaMancha goats have tiny ears.

Princess was pregnant when we got her ..... VERY pregnant.

Easter - March 23, 2008

2008-03-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog for Quirky Goat Farm. After about a year of owning goats, it was time to get this info up where family and friends can see it.

We started with two mini goats, which we bought at a surplus lumber yard. They were Billy Bob and Betty Lou.

After several months, they presented us with Bobbi Jo.

I learned that milking a dairy doe was easy, even on one of these miniatures. So, the next step was building a milk stand where the goat stands and snacks on grain while you milk her.

This stand was built primarily from scraps and recycled materials.