The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: ballingall on November 10, 2012, 10:47:35 am
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So, what is everyone up to this month?
Quietening down- or still arranging love affairs for your goats?
Beth
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Waiting with crossed fingers that as from tomorrow none of the girls that have been billied come into season
We then have 2 more to billy when they do come back into season
We are also if all goes well collecting the 3 new boer girls in the next week or 2 then we have to organise the new shed all of this is going to be squeezed into the normal hectic days
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Sorting out which girl has which boy for later in the month
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We had a surprise visit from Wales this morning, to collect the borrowed billy, as someone has decided they would like him, and Lecky was up anyway to collect another boy.
So, an empty pen! Preparations still ongoing for the exit of my sisters five goats, spent this afternoon taking round paving slabs, and their milking bench. Have some more hurdles to take round tomorrow.
Think it will be next Sunday before the 5 females move out though. Waiting on an order of extra hurdle pins, and eyelets for screwing into the walls to attach the hurdles too.
5 goats have passed their 3 week mark and no return seasons, so looking good. One is due on Monday though, and she was put to the boy who has just left, hoping she doesn't come back, as Wales is too far to go to reuse him!
Three AN's are due to be AI'd at the end of the month, a bit later than I intended, but was just too busy to get it organised sooner.
Beth
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One of my GG's was AI-ed last Thursday, which was a new thing for us. But she was well in season and I am hopeful... but we will see. Still some of the others to do thoug(natural service), very late seasons this year ??? Van is at the ready to take any ladies out for their dates... and hopefully before we have any serious snow!
I am trying to do a final mucking out soon, but as the field is so boggy it may not happen... :-\ the girls have been inside for almost a month now.
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Did some calculating and my girl is next due in season the weekend we are away. Typical! So it'll be December before I can get her served.
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No goaty love affairs for us this year.
Am mainly defrosting savannah/puffins milk from the freezer and making more soap than I've ever seen in my life to meet the needs of my fabulous customers :bouquet:
Savannah is having a break from milking, finally. I dried her off about a week ago. Still an udder there but getting smaller. Sixpence is also being weaned by his mum - a swift kick sees him off when he tries to get a mouthful.
Trying to keep their sheds full of straw - quite a challenge as they just eat it. Am resorting to stamping on it to try and put them off. desperate times ;D
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Mine do have a munch of their straw when it first goes in. Then they wee on it and that puts them off.
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Our. Lot og mad the first day to the. Point you have to top the beds up before bed but after that they dont really bother with it
So far snowdrop has not come back into season and its 3 weeks today so keeping a very close watch on her
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Waiting for Ellie to come into season. Trying to decide if she needs mating or will milk through. Think she might but also think she will hate not having kids if Rowan has some.
Rowan (2) has had one season, will take her to the billy next time. She's a bit thin and I had dreadful trouble with her during her last pregnancy so I am trying to feed her up in the meantime :-\
Ellie (4) is as fat as a house still, having eaten for three last year and only produced one ::)
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Quietening down- or still arranging love affairs for your goats?
Quietening down - goat kids are in season ... hopefully their pen will still be in one piece by the end of the day... although the wether kid doesn't really understand what's going on ;) , the girls are riding each other and fighting.... ::)
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Well Snowdrop has still not come back into season so hopefully thats a good sign
Apple will be 3 weeks on the 15th so fingers crossed for her as she has not kidded the last 2 years and decided to cloudburst instead
Had good news about 1 of the boers she has just passed her cae again and the herd is now accredited so we can collect her soon, she is already in kid to a topknot billy so will collect her this week
Then the 2 goatlings results should be back any day now :thumbsup: and we can get them home taking our herd up to 11
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Hopefully mine will be off to the billy at the end of the month for a month :thumbsup:
Then we can get all our jobs done that are easier without goats helping ;D
Got linseed straw, bean haulm, wheat straw AND hay in ready this year, woo hoo!
Shut the girls in for the first time for the year tonight, either that or they have to wear arm bands ::) Made myself a new hayrack today that I can fill from the outside so they can't 'help' when I am trying to stuff a whole bale in at once. Don't know about everyone else but I find it lasts longer if it is put out a bale at a time and left compressed? If I fluff it up they just waste it!
Hopefully going to finish slabbing their yard too :fc:
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Where do you get hurdle pins from and do you use different hurdles than for sheep? I find the loops fall off of the ones I have which makes them useless.
Still waiting to hear if my soon to be new boer x girls are in kid and heading my way. Panic will be on then to try and put up new shelter. Then I will be shedding a tear for the 3 wethers which are destined for the freezer. I wish they didn't like cuddles so much :'(
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I ordered hurdle pins from the same company I got my hurdles from- modulamb. But you should be able to get generic pins from an agricultural company- like IAE.
Beth
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Made myself a new hayrack today that I can fill from the outside so they can't 'help' when I am trying to stuff a whole bale in at once. Don't know about everyone else but I find it lasts longer if it is put out a bale at a time and left compressed? If I fluff it up they just waste it!
That must be a huge hayrack. It is easier to fill them from outside. I don't fluff mine up - just put it in in slices, but they still seem to get loads on the floor.
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Yup I replaced one wooden panel with a long hurdle then fixed another hurdle to the outside about halfway up. I tilted the outside hurdle to an angle sufficient to take a bale and fixed it in place with good old baler twine! Then I used some waterproof membrane and a few well place knots to make a cover for the open top to keep the rain out :thumbsup:
If after a week it prove still to be sucessful I will replace the twine with chain to make it more permanent.
I do need to rig something up to catch dropped hay still as they still waste it ::)
I am rather please with it, all four big girls can eat from it at once without squabbling and in nice weather they can eat from the outside of it too!
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I am rather please with it, all four big girls can eat from it at once without squabbling and in nice weather they can eat from the outside of it too!
Mine have two racks in their shed but always have to eat from the same one and usually from the same section. ::)