kidding has started!!!!!!!!!!

[momof23goats]

A beautiful little mini Nubian buck was born last night. soooo cute.
long white ears, and he is dark gray with black, white, and brown spots. a real winner. mom and baby are doing just fine.

[Buttercup]

AWWW!

[SheWoff]

LOL you can tell I don't do goats yet...I thought mom was talking about the IT thread. :oops:

Great to hear about the goats coming out well for you mom!

She

[Housekeeper]

I don't suppose there's any chance of getting a picture or two?

I think that, kids and piglets have got to be the cutest things on the planet!!!

[momof23goats]

well, I have about 19 more does to go, this could get very interesting for sure. :shock: :D I could get really tired in all of this. :lol:

[momof23goats]

I have got to get a new camera. but I should have one before this kidding season is over. so I can show off my kids.

[AngelDance]

Congratulations, Mom. Lambing season is exciting, too. We have 9 lambs on the ground and all our ewes are finished. The first ones were born the say after Christmas.

You will be very busy for a while!!

All the best,

Angel

[momof23goats]

Congratulations, Mom. Lambing season is exciting, too. We have 9 lambs on the ground and all our ewes are finished. The first ones were born the say after Christmas.

You will be very busy for a while!!

All the best,

Angel
congrats ,on the lambs. yes, I am going to be very busy, for a while. most of them will deliver in about 2 to 3 weeks. then it will be Katy barr the door, around here. :shock: :lol:

[DreadPirate]

Got any BBQ sauce. :lol:
Just joking. I love them when there young and juic.. I mean tende... I mean cuddly. :lol:

[AngelDance]

Got any BBQ sauce. :lol:
Just joking. I love them when there young and juic.. I mean tende... I mean cuddly. :lol:

We love them when they are cuddly, too. Love them even better when they are juicy and tender without all the garbage put into commercially grown meat. Lamburger, gyros, chops, leg of lamb, Irish stew, Scotch broth.....yummmmmmy. Even better with homegrown rosemary or mint or garlic or carrots or...well, you get the idea.

Angel

[momof23goats]

all of these cute baby boys, will be castrated ,and raised for meat. look, meat is meat. and this will be good.

[AngelDance]

Exactly, mom. They outgrow their cute baby look very quickly. Plus, it only takes a .22 to the brain stem and about 15 minutes with a sharp knife for the whole thing to look like meat in a butcher's shop. Add another hour to that and you have meat "from the case" in the store.

Less than that even for chickens. 10 minutes and it could be a whole fryer you brough home from he MegaMart, only healthier.

Chickens= meat and eggs
sheep= lamb for meat
cows= beef and milk

and home raised is so much better for you. I know my animals had a happy life raised on plenty of open pasture, fresh water, good grain and sunshine before they give they give their all for our family.


Angel

[momof23goats]

exactly, angel. I have
chickens for meat, eggs
goats for milk, meat
hogs meat.
the extra milk feeds chickens hogs, so do the eggs.

[Freeholder]

Congratulations on the new kid!

And I agree:
Goats -- milk, meat, packing, goat skin, manure
Chickens -- eggs, meat, feathers, manure
And so on with every other class of livestock. They are almost all multipurpose.

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

they are, they, and I am so thank ful to my animals. they give us so much, and want so little in return. so just some patting, holding, and I talk to all of mine. I feed mine well, and give them good clean water to drink.

[momof23goats]

I had more born today. i had one of my gals, have twins, one she takes care of, the other she won't touch. I have tryed every thing, she just won't have nothing to do with him. so I brought him in the house for tonight, and am bottle feeding. tomorrow, he goes back out side, with everyone else. but he was cold, so I brought him in, and just as cute as can be, his ears are so long they curl.

[Freeholder]

I got my buck back about a week and a half ago, and I think my doe was in heat yesterday, so hopefully, Lord willing, we will have babies about the second week of September!

Kathleen

[Buttercup]

That's so exciting Freeholder! Babies and fresh milk...yeah!

[momof23goats]

I got my buck back about a week and a half ago, and I think my doe was in heat yesterday, so hopefully, Lord willing, we will have babies about the second week of September!

Kathleen
i AM sure glad yo u got your buck back, and a loner, until you get milk. that is really great.
I had twins born yesterday, the mother is a huge milker, now she is feeding one of the twins, s oi am bottle feeding the other.
she is kind of dipsy for sure.
oh well. so I am rather busy with these gals. I expect the rest to kid soon. hopefully not all on one day, but probably. :pyou know how that goes. :D:rolleyes:I will just be busy for a while.

[TruthSeeker]

How exciting!!! I am working on building a goat shelter. I plan on buying a milking goat next week. I read in a book that goats need companions so I was thinking of getting her a donkey???? The book said goats think of dogs as wolves so my Keyni won't work....
I just got "Small-Scale GoatKeeping" from the library today... I'm very exciting about having fresh milk to make Kefir!!!

[momof23goats]

just get 2 goats. that would be good. i just had another one born, a few minutes ago, s oI am going back out, mom might be going to have another one .hope I get some girls, for sure. I have all boy babies this year. so far.

[TruthSeeker]

I would love to get two goats but I can only afford one right now... The donkey is free and it will also help keep the coyotes away. I will buy another goat as soon as I can. My goal is to have 2 females and 1 male. I'd like to always have fresh milk and raise a kid now and then for meat :)

[momof23goats]

that is the way to do it, raise the boys, for meat, and keep the girls for the herd.

[Freeholder]

Truthseeker, do you know if the donkey has been around goats (or sheep) before? Is it a jack or a jenny, or a gelding? Jacks aren't generally considered safe around goats, and sometimes jennies aren't (usually okay unless they have a baby). I think geldings are probably safest, but if it's never been around goats you'll have to watch it closely. They've been known to kill goats, especially new kids. (Maybe can't differentiate between them and canines, which they usually hate with a passion.)

Two does and a buck is a good little herd -- I wouldn't keep a buck for only two does unless you have to, but I have to because we don't have any other breeders within reasonable distance so I can use their bucks. I'll end up with two does, a buck and a wether (I have all but one doe now). The wether is a packgoat (and I pack the others, also, but that's why I have him).

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

Truthseeker, do you know if the donkey has been around goats (or sheep) before? Is it a jack or a jenny, or a gelding? Jacks aren't generally considered safe around goats, and sometimes jennies aren't (usually okay unless they have a baby). I think geldings are probably safest, but if it's never been around goats you'll have to watch it closely. They've been known to kill goats, especially new kids. (Maybe can't differentiate between them and canines, which they usually hate with a passion.)

Two does and a buck is a good little herd -- I wouldn't keep a buck for only two does unless you have to, but I have to because we don't have any other breeders within reasonable distance so I can use their bucks. I'll end up with two does, a buck and a wether (I have all but one doe now). The wether is a packgoat (and I pack the others, also, but that's why I have him).

Kathleen
you gave good advice here, Kathleen.
well, I had 3 girls barn today, and just had another set of twins born. will go see what they are in a few minutes. had to come in, to use my asthma medicine.

[TruthSeeker]

Kathleen, The donkey was just born a month ago.. it's parents are pets... really they live in the yard and they act like dogs, they want to be petted, they make noise to let their owners know there is someone at the house, I've really never seen anything like it :)
So.... I'm not sure if it's male or female. I've only met the owners once.... One day this man stopped by my house to see if I knew who owned some land... I gave him some Ron Paul literature and that started a lengthly conversation... he offered me some homeschool materials and gave me directions to his house... that evening when I got there I was greeted by two donkeys with crosses on their backs... it was my first experience with donkeys... the female was pregnant...after a good visit the man said I could have the baby.... I talked to him again a few weeks ago and he ask if I still wanted the baby and I said yes (thinking of getting my goat).... SO... that's the deal with that.
Why shouldn't I have a male goat for only 2 females? A lot of people around here have goats... I understand I need to "freshen" my female every year and thinking to the future... I don't know if I'll have the means to load up my females and take them somewhere????
I welcome all advice as I'll be new to this :)

[Freeholder]

It sounds like the donkey will work fine for you, since you'll be able to raise it with your animals. If it's a male, though, be sure to get it gelded.

It's usually not recommended to keep a buck if you only have a few does, for several reasons, most of them economic. If you have other breeders nearby with good stock, these reasons make sense, but if you don't then you really do need your own buck. In my case, the nearest good quality dairy buck is about fifteen miles away and not the breed I want to use -- the nearest Oberhasli buck other than mine is at least two hours drive away. Obviously when we are thinking of preparing for difficult times, that's much too far; even the one fifteen miles away is too far, even if he was the right breed! You will have to decide what's too far for you -- people used to walk their animals to a male to be bred, if there was one close enough. I'd be willing to walk a doe up to around five miles...if there was a buck that close!

The other reason why bucks aren't all that desirable to keep is because of their bucky behavior. They can't help it, and many of them are actually more affectionate than the does, but they DO stink when they are in rut. They DO urinate all over their own front legs and face (which certainly doesn't help the odor problem!). They DO make everything they come in contact smell just as bad as they do! And they are more likely to challenge humans and become aggressive. This can be dealt with, but if it isn't dealt with, they can become dangerous, especially to children or the elderly. Oh, and because bucks don't like to be alone any more than does do, they usually need a companion, either another buck, or a wether or maybe a dry doe. Two bucks will fight unless they are raised together (and stay together constantly -- if they are separated for more than a few minutes, they'll fight when they are put back together); if you put a wether in with a buck you'll see some, um, inappropriate sexual behavior.

Also, bucks are very strong, and hard on fences and shelters. They can snap a 2X4 without even thinking about it. They can also jump out of their pen when there's a doe in heat.

I don't want to make it sound like keeping a buck is impossible, because it isn't. I like my buck -- he's a reg. Oberhasli, and very sweet. However, sweet or not, I've had to turn him upside down and sit on him several times, after he challenged me (you cannot allow them to do that, or someone will end up getting hurt). You just need to know the problems you'll be facing, BEFORE you get into the middle of it! And, like I said, if you can find someone nearby with a good buck you can use, I'd take advantage of it. It costs just as much to keep a buck as it does to keep a doe, and you don't get any milk back out of him.

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

Kathleen, is right of course. wish some of you lived around me. i have several proven bucks. I do keep a buck pen. but I have about 30 does. so I need to have several bucks, from different blood lines. I had 2 more born last night, these are mini nubians. cute as can be, i doe, and buck. I have 5 in labor right now, I also had a set of twins born yesterday, both girls. I am sooooooooooo busy , so I will just be popping in and out , for a few days.

[TruthSeeker]

Well I definitely DON'T want a buck.. That sounds like trouble. I do not know anything about different breeds of goats. I was selling my jewelry at a craft show last month and met a lady who will sell me one of her milking goats for $75. Everyone else that I've called sell their milking goats for $450. The lady said the goat would produce 1 pint of milk a day.
There are 30 goats just 2 miles down the road that are in a pasture with a bunch of cows. What purpose they serve I do not know... their owner lives 20miles away in town. If it doesn't matter what kind of buck "freshens" my doe I can certainly walk her down the road :)
Does it matter what kind of buck?

[momof23goats]

a pint a day? Might be small pygmy goat. but my pygmy's give more than that. that isn't very much milk.
I get about a 3 quarts, from one of my mini nubians, and i get a gallon, from another that I am currently milking, now that is at a milking, they give that much. so that is times 2, because i milk them 2 times a day.some thing doesn't sound right, with a pint a day. No matter what the breed.

[TruthSeeker]

Well, maybe that is why she is selling them for $75 LOL!! I will find out more details.. I'm supose to call Thursday to get directions... I'll go ahead and call tomorrow and find out what kind they are... She has a business called "Treasured Teats", she makes "authentic goat milk soap and lotions.... ****Looking at her card just now I see she has a website.. www.jmgoat.com
I'll go check it out and see if I can learn more...
-Kammi

[TruthSeeker]

oops... www.jmbgoat.com

[Freeholder]

I just looked at the lady's website, and while she seems to have nice goats, Mom is right -- a pint a day is NOT much milk! A decent full-sized goat will give a gallon a day (average -- their lactation cycle goes up for a couple of months after kidding, then starts to drop off). The goats on this website are Nigerian Dwarfs, which can be decent milkers for a tiny goat, but are often difficult to milk (small teats and low to the ground); and Pygmies, which are not a dairy breed, they are a meat breed (though usually used for pets in this country). They can be milked, but are even harder, and give less milk, than the Nigerians.

The herd of goats you see down the road is more than likely a meat herd -- there are dairy goats, and meat goats, just like there are dairy cattle and meat cattle (beef). A buck with that herd would be much too large to breed to a tiny Nigerian or Pygmy doe -- the kids could be too large for her to deliver.

It would be really good if you could find someone experienced in goats to take with you when you go look at this lady's animals. It's quite possible that she's trying to get rid of a doe who is difficult to milk, or has had mastitis (which can damage the udder), or has some other health problem causing her to produce so little milk. If you are serious about having milk from your goat, you'd really be better off waiting a little longer and keeping your eyes open for a decent grade or unregistered dairy doe. They do come on the market, especially at this time of year, and you could breed her to the buck down the road if the owner is willing. (By crossing a meat buck on your dairy doe, you'd get kids that would put meat in your freezer, but the does could also be milked -- and even a meat doe will give more than a pint of milk a day!)

It would also be really good if you could find an experienced goat raiser to mentor you, because there is really quite a learning curve involved with getting any kind of livestock, but especially dairy animals. Their heavy production (other than the ones that only give a pint of milk a day, LOL!) stresses their system, making their care a little more persnickety than some other kinds of livestock. Don't give up -- I really want to encourage everyone who can to get started with livestock now, while it's still not an emergency, because the learning curve is long, and after the emergency has begun (or is bad enough to be noticeable) is not the best time to be diving into something like this. You might talk to the owners of the herd down the road, even though they are meat animals, because they may know a dairy goat owner in the area. Also, you can contact the local agricultural extension office and ask them. The Ag. Extension offices are in charge of the 4-H programs, so they quite often know where the 4-H families with dairy goats are, and could put you in touch with one of them. They should also have some literature on raising dairy goats, which won't cost too much and might even be free. It's worth contacting them just for the literature.

You are wise to decide against having a buck for now. I managed without one for the first fifteen years that I had goats -- there was always someone I could take my does to, to get them bred. You might want or need one later, but I think it's best to start slow, with just the does.

I don't remember where you are (if your posts even say), and can't look while I'm writing, but if you don't mind saying approximately where you are located, I might be able to find someone in your area over on the HomesteadingToday forum -- there are a lot of goat raisers there. There are also forums dedicated just to goats, and there might be someone on one of those in your area -- you'd have to do a search for those, because I have too many things going on already and don't have time to spend on any more forums than I already am!

Mom and I, and Summerthyme, and whoever else on here has experience, will be glad to help you all we can, but you really will need someone close to show you how to do some things, what to look for at certain times, and so on. I sold three goats last year to a fellow who lives about fifty miles from me, and thankfully he lives almost next door to some people who used to have goats and are able to help him when he needs it. (He got two sets of triplets out of the two does he bought from me!)

Well, it's late and this has gotten pretty long!

Kathleen

[TruthSeeker]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me so much information, I really appreciate it.
I live outside Ozark, Alabama..... Down in the Southeast part of the state. I live in Barbour County but could definitely drive to Dale, Henry, Coffee, Pike or Huston County.
I do believe you're right about finding someone around here to help me. I really want to do this right. I will call the extension office tomorrow, that's a good idea, thanks for mentioning it. :) :) :) :)

[momof23goats]

yes, we will help you all we can. but find some one with goats, to help you. a good place to start would be to introduce your self, to the guy down the road ,he can help you. in how too's, most likely ,and most goat people can tell you, who else in the country has goats. and they can probably tell you what they have, and when they are kidding. I know there is another lady, out north of town, that has boars. she sends people here to me, and I send them to her.

[TruthSeeker]

Mom of 23 goats and Kathleen, Thank you so much for all of your information. Today I met a lady that lives 6 miles from my house that raises and sells milking goats. She raises bors (breed). They are not registered, she will sell me a milking goat for $120. She is super nice and is willing to mentor me. Is a bor (sp?) kind of goat a good milker? It will take me awhile to respond to your reply as I no longer have internet service due to my phone company not being able to figure out how to make data calls not incur charges on my phone bill. Again thank you so much and when I'm in town at the library I will get on line and check your reply to see if this breed is a good milker or not.

[momof23goats]

Boars, are meat goats, but you can milk them, and their milk is good, but they don't milk as long as a milking breed, which would be alpine, Nubian, tog's, Nigerian dwarfs.and some people milk pygmys, Now I do have one I milk, she is half fainter, and they are so cute, I get about a quart a milking from her, and the reason I milk her, is after she weans her babies, she still has alot of milk. so I milk her, she hops up on the milk stand like the big girls.
but she is an exception, and I do milk with a milker, not by hand!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Freeholder]

Truthseeker, it's spelled Boer -- they came from South Africa originally (where the farmers were caller Boers -- the word just means farm). They are meat goats, but can be milked, and it's likely that the lady you've talked to has goats that have been crossed with dairy goats anyway, as most of the first Boers into this country were. I had a part-Boer doe a couple of years ago who was a very good milker, peaking at about 14 lbs. per day (nearly two gallons, at her peak of lactation). I still have her daughter, and milk her (or will, when she kids again, LOL!). Also, while Mom is right that purebred Boers will have a shorter lactation than a purebred dairy goat, often the crosses do just as well as the dairy goats (it's something to ask the seller about, though).

There are a couple of nice things about Boer crosses: one is that they are 'easy keepers' compared to purebred dairy goats, that is, they do well on less grain. They also are grazers more than most goat breeds (goats are browsers by nature, like deer -- they prefer tree branches and brush for food). If you have grass for them to eat, rather than browse, you are better off with Boers. Also, your kids will be more useful meat animals. That may be a difficult thing to contemplate right now, but goats are prolific. They have to be bred regularly in order to produce milk, breeding produces kids, and you can't keep all of them unless you have unlimited resources. So you will be getting both milk and meat from your goats, and that's a good thing. (Someone could learn to tan the hides when you do butcher, and that would be a good thing, also.)

I'm glad you've found someone nearby to purchase from; hopefully she will be able to mentor you as you learn about keeping goats!

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

me too, it is so much easier, when little things pop up, to have some one close that knows, just what to expect.

[Freeholder]

Figured I would just tack this onto the bottom of this thread, since it's about goats (mostly).

The lady who had borrowed my buck all winter brought me a doe kid sired by him yesterday -- she's seven or eight weeks old, dam-raised, and wild as a march hare. I am reminded of why I DO NOT leave my kids on their mothers!!! She's really too young to wean, so I'm starving her onto the bottle -- it sounds mean, but all she gets to eat is what I give her. She'll probably lose a little weight for a few days, but then should pick back up and do fine, I hope. I just can't have a wildling here, though. She's out of a registered Alpine doe (and my buck is reg. Oberhasli); she has the Oberhasli pattern, but her base color is lighter and tanner, rather than the deep red of a purebred Ober. Maybe when she's a little tamer and I can let go of her when she's out of her crate, I'll see about getting a picture. Anyway, she's a pretty little thing -- I hope I can get her to trust me. Right now she shakes in fear when anyone gets too close. (And, no, she hasn't been abused, just never been handled.)

The lady also brought me three rabbits, a buck and two does, so we finally have our meat rabbits, at least a start. I hope to get another buck and another doe, but don't have any place to put any more cages right now. The one buck and two does would probably produce plenty of meat for us, even feeding some of it to the dogs, but I'll need some other genetics to prevent inbreeding. Might be someone else around here raising meat rabbits, but if so I don't know about them.

I need to finish cleaning up the yard, and get the garden planted, then the next project will be bee hives.

Kathleen

[TruthSeeker]

Hello! I have learned alot the past few weeks! My goats are named Dottie and Fiona. Dottie is 1/2 Alpine and 1/2 Boer. Fiona is 1/2 Boer, 1/4 Alpine and 1/4 Fainting. Dottie and Fiona are buddies and had to be purchased together. They are nine months old. They were bottle fed and are so loving and playful. They will not be ready to get pregnant until September so I will not have milk for a LOOONNNNNGGGGG time but they are a joy to have. I will breed them with the Boer's as those goats down the road that I mentioned are without a buck.
I'm still looking for a goat I can buy right now that is in milk... hopefully I'll find one as I'm eager to make cheese, butter and use fresh milk to make kefir.
I have truely missed being able to get online :(
In another few weeks I'll update as to whether or not I have a milker :)

[Freeholder]

It sounds like you have a good start! Yes, it will be a while before your girls give you any milk, but you'll have time to get to know them, and how to care for them, before you have to worry about birthing kids and feeding a milking doe.

This is the time of year to find a doe in milk, but it's hard to say if there will be any available in your area or not. Hope you find one!

I've got to be up at five, so am not going to write any more!

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

sounds like you have a great start. I hope you have good luck, and are able to find a milker, soon. keep us posted. I am down to 3 , left to kid. and I think they are going to be permantly fat. lol. I am tired of waiting on these last ones.

[Freeholder]

sounds like you have a great start. I hope you have good luck, and are able to find a milker, soon. keep us posted. I am down to 3 , left to kid. and I think they are going to be permantly fat. lol. I am tired of waiting on these last ones.

I had to laugh at your 'permanently fat' comment -- it reminded me of the last few weeks before my own children were born! I've had the same feeling with pregnant goats, though, so I know what you mean! (A couple of the goats WERE permanently fat, not pregnant -- including my doe this year!)

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

these are preggers, but I am just tired of waiting so they are just fat. lol

[momof23goats]

well, one of my fat gals, decided to day was the day, thank goodness. boys, all. she had 2.
and the eggs are starting to hatch out. It is getting ready to rain I think. but other wise everything is fine. except, I could use a maid for inside chores.

[Freeholder]

well, one of my fat gals, decided to day was the day, thank goodness. boys, all. she had 2.
and the eggs are starting to hatch out. It is getting ready to rain I think. but other wise everything is fine. except, I could use a maid for inside chores.

Me, too, LOL! And while we are at it, how about a handyman to help with the outside chores!

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

sure could use that. dh is coming home this week end, will be in in the morning. and the first thing he will do, is go to bed for a while and sleep then get up, and eat dinner, the ngo back t obed, sunday he might do some thing. i am hoping.

[TruthSeeker]

I am the very proud parent of Penelope, a year old Nubian in MILK!!!!!!!!!!! Very very happy, she came with two kids, a male and a female. The two kids are at a neighbors who has so graciously agreed to bottle feed them in exchange for the female. They are 2 weeks old. The little billy will come to my house in August. Hopefully I can breed him with Dottie and Fiona in the fall. I get close to a 1/2 gallon every milking. Sometimes she bites my shoulder and tries to stick her foot in the pail.... So, I've resorted to milking one side at a time and I milk each side into a quart jar, that was when I see the foot coming I just move it away. She really is nice and complies 95% of the time... I suppose that other 5% of the time she just isn't in the mood. She like to be petted but she is not near as friendly as Dottie and Fiona, that I'm sure is because she was not bottle fed. I paid $225 dollars for her... she is registered... the kids were free... I feel like it was a good deal :) compared to the prices of other Nubian goats. I'm still learning about worming and feeding... everyone seems to have a different idea... Right now I feed Penelope about 7 lbs of 1/3 oats, 1/3 10%horse feed and 1/3 16%goat feed... she has access to hay and wild growth. I feed Dottie and Fiona around 3 lbs of 1/2 oats and 1/2 10% horse feed... I chose to do this and the man I bought Penelope from seemed to have the cleanest, nicest, most healthy looking herd... Since I last wrote I've been to several different farms and of them all he seemed to really have it together... About worming, I'm going to give the goats 3cc of ivermectin every thirty days. Every morning I clean the droppings from the area where they sleep and sprinkle lime.
I've read that I need special soap for washing the milking stuff but I've yet to make it to a "livestock" store... I also have yet to get filters for the milk... I've been using my husbands t-shirts... He isn't aware of that :)
I have a lot of extra milk... even with making cheese (which I have not yet attempted) I think I will still have a few extra gallons a week to sale... I was thinking of charging $7. The man I bought Penelope from charges $9.
Well- that's all my goat going on............ oh, except for I'm going to build a buck pin. I'm going to use the 16 foot bull panels... that is unless someone gives me a better idea...
- Kammi

[TruthSeeker]

okay trying to type to fast and made a lot of typos... sorry :(

[Freeholder]

Hi, it sounds like you are doing well! Is the man you got Penelope from nearby? It's really good to have a mentor close by when you need a hand with something, and from your description, it sounds like he'd be a good one. It's good, too, to find someone like him who has good healthy animals, and follow his feeding and worming program, because he knows the local conditions and has obviously figured out the best way to manage his stock in those conditions.

The buckling -- did you get a look at his mother, grandmother, sisters? Usually a really good buck for breeding isn't free...I would want to make sure that he's going to improve your does before I used him for anything other than just to get them fresh. In other words, before you keep any of his daughters for your herd. The bull-panels you mention should do just fine for his pen, but do put fence posts at the middle of the panels as well as at the ends, and make them sturdy -- sink them deep, and use strong ones. A mature buck goat is very strong. Also, if you want to control breeding dates, you may have to add some more wire at the top to make the pen taller. You could use tall fence posts and add some woven wire fencing up there where he can't push on it as much as he'll push on the panels.

One thing about bucks is that they are more affectionate than does are, so make sure he gets some attention, even when he's in rut and stinking to high heaven! You could keep an old pair of work gloves just for scratching behind his ears and on his withers -- disbudded, hornless goats like to have their withers scratched (that's one of the things they use their horns for if they have them).

Making cheese isn't really hard, it's just meticulous (temperatures and so on). But if you start with yogurt, and drain some of the yogurt for yogurt cheese, that's really good stuff! Like cream cheese.

Kathleen

[TruthSeeker]

Hi Kathleen,
No, I did not get Penelope nearby, I had to drive 80 miles away.... I did go back this week to get a Great Pyrenees.... I asked him if his buck sired Penelope's kids... He said "No, his old buck had but this one was new".... So, I have no idea.... I'm not really concerned as I will eat the kids and I only needed the buck to freshen Dottie and Fiona... The man did tell me it was okay to let my little male freshen Penelope if I was going to eat the offspring.
Things are going great... Everyone is healthy and happy. I've ordered wormwood seed as I've read it can be used with chemical treatment in the prevention of parasites... I've also bought alot of tobacco as I've heard it also kills parasites... I'm trying to put stuff away so when the time comes that I can't buy ivermectin and such I have enough other methods of keeping my girls healthy :)

[TruthSeeker]

The buckling is Penelope's kid.

[momof23goats]

If your going to butcher out the kids, then you can use your buckling, The man was right.