The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: ballingall on March 02, 2013, 01:00:52 pm
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So, what is happening with your goats this month?
Are they kidding, being vaccinated, foot trimmed? Are there kids to distract you from your normal routine?
Let us all know!
Beth
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I have a Boer that is due any time from now-mid april :-\ she was in kid when i got her
then my dairys start kidding on the 19th march onwards
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Well, we have 4 goats due to kid in March, first one is Arwen BT(nearly)/BA cross due on the 8th. She doesn't look massive, quite neat, but she is a first kidder. Her udder looks ok at moment too, so fingers crossed!
Then two more BT (nearly) /BA crosses, due the 10th and 11th, and then Lantana the pure BT due on the 21st. Lantana is ENORMOUS, I dread to think how many she has.
Hoping to get two of my AN's scanned this month too, if they have held they are due beginning May and beginning of June.
Had the girls out on Saturday, and used that chance to move the boys into the main goat shed, and switched the female kids from last year out to their shed. The boys have settled into the goat shed a lot better than I thought they might.
Beth
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I have one boer x to kid end of the week. She has a huge belly and udder, praying for no complications as already had two vet visits. One left to kid in April.
Waiting for sheep to finish lambing so I can give the goats both sheds and maybe some turnout.
Need to sort feet once all babies have arrived and worm.
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Two to kid (march 19th and 28th, three more in April), udders already fiilling, and yes feet will need doing soon after...
Steadily mucking out all the pens after winter - quite a task, but have willing helpers now that they are aware of pocket money :innocent: , We have just finished the new quarters after a few late night sessions (ever laid concrete with head torches anyone???...), but all done and ready to move the first two kidders across tomorrow.
I am sooo looking forward to bottle-feeding again :excited: :excited: .... I know, I must be mad...
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Steadily mucking out all the pens after winter - quite a task,
I am sooo looking forward to bottle-feeding again :excited: :excited: .... I know, I must be mad...
I did ours a couple of weeks ago and it took me a full day to do them :o
I love the bottle feeding aswell , cant wait to start again ;D
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Telling off my lot - one pygmy today seriously butting a sheep, she was acting like a red eyed bull, scraping away at the soil with her hoof and snorting, had to put her in her shed to cool off. Second pygmy - a real hard case - taken out of the goat pen as she was hard butting the other two for the food and sending it flying everywhere. ::) Third pygmy is in kid :fc: will be taking her for a scan at the end of the month, she's behaving thankfully.
Trying to chop as many branches as possible to keep them all entertained.
Also contacting the Old English Goat Soc. to see if anyone wants to sell me one for milking in a couple of years time :D
Anke - have laid a concrete floor by torchlight actually! a while ago now, the kids were pre-school and we brought them out in their jammies to do hand prints in it :D
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Did a bit of hoof trimming yesterday, they had been a bit neglected so will just do a little every week until I get them right. Spending a lot of time just watching the kids play.
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Generally fussing around worrying they are all ok as everyone due 2nd week April.
3 more joining us within a week hopefully so fun and games will ensue I am sure :excited: :excited:
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Not a lot is going on in our goat shed - I was very disorganised with setting up dates with a billy so we're going to be having a very late kidding with one of our girls. On the plus side, the winter mucking out is complete and they've been out every day for over a week with the lovely dry spring weather we've been having. Foot trimming is on the todo list though.
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Having our year off of kidding. Nothing much happening just hoping Savannah comes back into milk and that my older wether recovers from this horrible mange.
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Hooves need doing if I can get sone help with it. No kidding since Mrs Pain in the Butt didn't come into season again this month.
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Still waiting of Lilly to pop :-\ I hate the not knowing !
Then from the 19th we have a run of kiddings :thumbsup:
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Nothing due till April (I hope!) never saw the goatlings come in season but they had the odd day grazing with Billyboy, just hope it wasn't a secretive season, castrated boys went on 19th Nov so the 2 yearlings, still showing no interest in him, were left to run with him. Other things were going on in life and it seemed the easiest option at the time. first time ever I haven't had dates to work to - and I hate it. Abi (goatling) is looking bigger than the Nutty, who I know is due Apr 6th.
Been good to get them out in the field, exercise helps prevent kidding problems, done boers feet today, must do other 2 tomorrow, Nutty and Abi are too big I think.
My supplier of hay has sold out, bad time to start messing their diets about, the merchants' hay is quite 'strawy' and they wasted even more than the meadow hay.
Swapped them back onto goat mix till after kidding, more expensive but it should make sure they get all they need, + supplement. (20kg same price as 25kg ewe mix)
Wish the willow etc was in leaf, it would be nice to treat them to a nice branch or 2.
Must get on and clean them out, feel quite guilty after reading others have done theirs ::) .
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well mine has been a very easy winter on the goat front! all my goats have lived out (free access to barn) so the barn will need mucking out I've the tractor for that job. the feet need doing again, vaccinations due, worm counts also due, but having fluked all the sheep I may well need to look into that for the goats.
I dont have any kids due this year :'( but I havent given up hope to rekindle things for next year :fc:
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Last goat kidded last week exactly on time. Total 20 kids from 11 does - did have 22 but sadly 2 died. Bottle feeding one kid whose mum rejected and supplementing 2 more. Turned out main herd last week. Most goats feet are trimmed only 6 left to do. 2nd round of cleaning out to do. Need to sort fencing out in two fields to ensure are goat proof still then can turn goatlings out. Cant wait til spring arrives properly.
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Arwen has her legs crossed. No babies, and she reckons by crossing her legs none will get out! She's 1 day overdue so far, and I'm already bored waiting.....
Beth
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Still waiting of Lilly to pop ::) This could go on for weeks as her last possible due date is mid april :-\
our others start from the 19th march so at least I have due dates for everyone else :thumbsup:
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Well …. I haven't mucked out from winter yet. But until recently I was totally clearing each pen once a fortnight so hopefully it won't be too long a job. I thought I might use the pressure washer to blast the concrete once I have the muck out.
I have 3 golden guernseys 2 of whom are due to kid in June as I had great trouble with them coming into season this year. Did anyone else have problems with this? The stud I go to thought it was due to the dismal summer.
I ended up inducing their ovulation and because this takes nearly a full cycle they did not get to the billy until 30 December. Now I am worried they are going to have multiple births. I had them both scanned at the end of February but the scanner was not powerful enough to say how many kids there were. the advantage of this was I could take both girls to stud at the same time and as that is over 30 miles away it was much simpler. And lo and behold they are both with kid although they were not showing their usual obvious signs when I took them.
Katie, my 3rd girl is having her year off. I stopped milking her around December time so as not to overtax her system.
My 3 girls have free range of a 2 acre paddock that I sowed with a goat ley so I don't have the annual turn out. They take themselves out and back whenever they fancy. They particularly like frosty, sunny days. The last few days the girls have abandoned their house each day and have been out in the field until dusk.
I need to buy a pet hair trimmer so I can trim the girls hair around their udders before they kid. Last year Katie's kid found all the hair rather confusing and kept on latching on to that rather than her teats!
They do need to have their feet done as these were last done in December and I try to do them every 3 months. The next thing on the agenda will be Lamivac before kidding. I will also be sending off muck samples for a worm count and if necessary will worm after kidding. I had the 3 girls CAE tested in October as usual.
So the next thing for me is lambing followed by kidding. Sometimes I think I am mad - I am the only person I know who happily creates work for herself!!! But on a day like today my life is priceless :D
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I need to buy a pet hair trimmer so I can trim the girls hair around their udders before they kid. Last year Katie's kid found all the hair rather confusing and kept on latching on to that rather than her teats!
I just used round-ended scissors on my Toggs, helps when milking as well! (someone did suggest I used normal hair clips to clip it back ::) )
I never saw my BSx goatlings in season, but Billyboy obviously knew better :innocent: .
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We are still waiting for kids to arrive ::) Think they have heard what the weather is like out here and decided to stay in inside mums !
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First goat kidded finally this morning, two days overdue - :sunshine: was shining, so she took her chance I guess. Unfortunately two boys.... but we do like goat curry. And as they are 1st generation BT only, no point in keeping them entire...
litllebickley - some of us are driving over 100 miles for stud.... each way! And if you have a return visit or board the girls, then its two full journeys - about 500miles... It is still cheaper than keeping my own billy, but we may just end up with one of our own GG male kids intact (if I get one) this year.
sokell - I hope your goats gets a move on soon.... I am looking forward to a full night's sleep!!! :excited:
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No kids this year. I regret it now but it was SENSIBLE ( but boring!)as we have a lot else on the go.
Need to fluke them all again and do feet.
Keep on intending to do the BIG MUCK OUT but then it gets cold again so I wait another week.
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Glad yours have arrive Anke
Still Nothing here ! I have even started doubting I have the days right :-\ She was definatly Billied on the 21st October as it was wrote straight down and she has not come back into season or been near him
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Glad yours have arrive Anke
Still Nothing here ! I have even started doubting I have the days right :-\ She was definatly Billied on the 21st October as it was wrote straight down and she has not come back into season or been near him
udder, puffiness, tail up though? - she'll kid!
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Well done Anke, so long as they're healthy and no problems, all the rest are going to be girls :fc:
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Well done Anke, so long as they're healthy and no problems, all the rest are going to be girls :fc:
Now that would be pushing my luck.... I actually want at least one male from my older GG (she was AI-ed with now rare semen), but the other, yes girls PLEASE...
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Udder is full to bursting , puffy back end but tail not up yet . she did have a bit of a discharge but just been out and she was asleep ::)
Tomorrow is a nightmare forcast so I hope she parts with them tonight !
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Sounds promising.
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3 out of our 4 that kidded were all overdue. 2 of my sisters have been overdue too. It's like they are trying to hang onto the kids until the weather gets better!
Beth