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Author Topic: Catch up!  (Read 2673 times)

Herbs,Hens and Spaniels

  • Joined Dec 2017
  • Warwickshire
Catch up!
« on: October 04, 2019, 09:57:15 am »
Hello everyone!  :wave:
Just wanted to catch up with all our goat keepers -  there don't seem to be many smallholders,( let alone TAS people), in my area so it gets a bit lonely over here   :D  How is everyone getting on? How many of you have got all your goats in kid yet?!
Looking forward to hearing from you all, Soph  :goat:

macgro7

  • Joined Feb 2016
  • Leicester
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2019, 12:17:48 pm »
There a plenty of smallholder s all arou d the corner! Most of them just kind their own business and don't write in any of the internet forums etc however...

All the best from frosty (at least yesterday!) Leicestershire!
Growing loads of fruits and vegetables! Raising dairy goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits on 1/2 acre in the middle of the city of Leicester, using permaculture methods.

Zyg

  • Joined Nov 2018
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2019, 01:03:53 pm »
Hi Soph,

We've put three to the buck so far. Not convinced about one of them as the boy is a virgin and only just 6 months old. The other two were serviced by an 18 month old so pretty confident of them. We are staggering the other 3 to maintain our milk supply for as long as possible. They will be put with the older buck. The four young girls are not being mated this year.

Herbs,Hens and Spaniels

  • Joined Dec 2017
  • Warwickshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2019, 01:11:29 pm »
Thanks macgro7! Lovely to hear from you  :hug:
I suppose I'm a bit like that myself so I can't really complain, can I!  ::) Don't mean to be though! My area is mainly big time arable and all the locals are big time farmers.  Don't get me wrong- I have some lovely friends amongst them! Also, my dad rents ground for us to run a commercial suckler herd so perhaps people see us as conventional farmers too?!  :-\  Anyone in the Rugby, Warwickshire area?
And yes, it has been frosty! Good for some yummy parsnips though! :fc:

Herbs,Hens and Spaniels

  • Joined Dec 2017
  • Warwickshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2019, 01:20:07 pm »
Hi Zyg,
Oooh what breeds do you keep? I'm desperate to be self sufficient in milk, but haven't really had the chance! We're 10 acres so house goats or house cow - we can't decide!  ;D Similar problem though; we bought an 8 month old buck this time and he has been absolutely useless! What breed is your young one out of interest?

Zyg

  • Joined Nov 2018
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2019, 03:22:05 pm »
Our young one is a horse!

Sorry, couldn't resist! Golden Guernsey (GG) pure but not registered, though we might try if his parents are registered.

Our first purchase was a chestnut coloured girl and a nigerian dwarf girl.

The main herd are a mix....
Great grandma is a British Alpine x something (possibly GG)? - she has  a bit of a skirt and some ginger highlights.

The next generation...
She is showing her BA heritage and possibly GG as she has ginger flashes down her face instead of white.

Their two girls...
Grandma's looks like a Grandma x Saanen - white with buff patches and a beard
The other is an Anglo Nubian x her mother's mix - she has droopy ears and is patchy  black and white

We bought the above 4 "in kid" and they had 5 kids between them - 3F + 2M (the boys are now in the freezer). All of them strongly showing their BA heritage.

Recently we bought the GG boy (as above) and his cousin a GG girl both about 6 months old. We are trying to mate the GG boy with the chestnut girl.

Our main billy is a Saanen x dwarf - he was all white, until he started to apply the aftershave and mouthwash for the benefit of the girls!


Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2019, 10:56:42 am »
I’m still missing my goats over a year without any. I’m looking forward to seeing photos of other people’s kids in due course.


You are more likely to be self-sufficient in Milk with two goats. Get one in kid the first year and you should be able to milk her for two years. Meanwhile the second goat is mated the following autumn so, as first goat’s milk is diminishing, second goat will be at her best. I believe a house cow will only have milk for about nine months and, in any case, I think it’s unkind to keep just one of any animal (except house pets).

Herbs,Hens and Spaniels

  • Joined Dec 2017
  • Warwickshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2019, 11:45:06 am »


Our first purchase was a chestnut coloured girl and a nigerian dwarf girl.




Really?! I didn't know you could get NGs in this country! I looked into them and thought that their milk production for that size of goat was brilliant, also liked the sound of the milk  :yum: How have you found her?


Hi Mad Goatwoman of Madeley!
I really am sorry; I've always had goats since I was 9 and can't imagine life without them  :hug:

I agree, and we thought that as we want to produce as much of our livestock's food as we can 2 cows would struggle, even with supplementing their diet year round. Therefore goats would be better. It's all a bit complicated really; we own 10 acres but my dad has always wanted to be a big commercial farmer so rents ground to run a suckler herd and arable enterprise. My partner and I,( complete history nerds), want to have a Smallholding to be self sufficient and to live a life that is congruent with our values. Neither of us feel we have ever enjoyed living in the modern world and want to take our lives back as much as is realistic to  Victorian living.
At the moment my partner lives and works about an hours drive away from me and what with going to see him, working on the farm and resistance from my parents I have been unable to do this.
Also, no point in me milking anything as I'm the only one who will drink it apart from my partner and he doesn't live with me. Parents won't milk anything for me on the nights that I'm at his,( which is fair enough), and when I did have a milk cow they grumbled that it was easier to just go down the shop and still went and bought shop milk/butter/cheese anyway! I gave up and just put her calf back on her  :gloomy:

I have my Angora goats though  :excited: And a couple of dairy nannies for my goats milk soap business so I definitely can't complain. I'm blessed!  :goat:
One day we will do all of these thing, just not quite yet  ;)

Zyg

  • Joined Nov 2018
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Catch up!
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2019, 04:02:00 pm »


Our first purchase was a chestnut coloured girl and a nigerian dwarf girl.



Really?! I didn't know you could get NGs in this country! I looked into them and thought that their milk production for that size of goat was brilliant, also liked the sound of the milk  :yum: How have you found her?


Well I'm not 100% sure that's what she is!  She has longish mostly black hair.
We called her Bramble as she has quite a prickly character!
She has continued in that vein. She is least welcoming of any stroking and cuddling is out of the question. She is our top escapologist. I can imagine she will be a pain in the arse to milk - she tried horning me when I tried to touch her udders a few weeks ago, so will need to work on that now we think she is pregnant.

 

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