Savingdogs-Saving the chickens

[savingdogs]

I saved all my milking practice milk for soap.....there was a bit too much hair in it for me to drink, even strained. But I think that lye will eat up any bacteria in there JUST fine so I thought it would be ideal for soap.

I was thinking of breeding my two quasi mini nubian does again this year but to a mini nubian this time, and then try to breed Emilee if she will come into heat when she is a year old to a nigerian dwarf. Then all my offspring, while mixed breeds still, would be mainly one type. I thought I could then keep one doeling from Emilee eventually and probably another from Molly, considering how much easier she is to milk and not having Ginger's supernumerary teat issue. But after five does, even minis, I will need a new barn.

I do worry the supernumerary teat will show back up in Emilee's offspring, but I won't be needing too more tiny ones to keep myself. However she has the best personality of ALL of them, due in part I think to the way Ginger feels towards me.
At five does, I would probably start selling all offspring they produce, if I can find the discipline! Or have Hubby build me a new goat barn.

But it seems like it would be easier to market a wether if he was a friend to a doeling someone was buying, so extra doelings could be useful in selling my wethers in a package I would think. I don't want to become a goat breeder, I just want to keep my does in milk and provide either brush clearers or possible milkers for my buyers.

I see a lot of my neighbors seem to have a small herd of pygmys as weed/brush control so I think there would be a market for my mini dairy mixes. The buyer who has contacted me is all about how cute they look and not how tasty so that sounds good to me. At their size they should not cost a tremendous amount to feed over the winter so actually I think they would be a nice little addition to somebody's farm.

 

[glenolam]

I shocked the he__ out of my mother this morning when I told her it's too bad Opi's boy is too flashy. He's definitely not destined to go where I planned on a wether to go...

Then she asked me if she's ever eaten anything at my house she doesn't want to eat and didn't know it. Of course, I said no.

 

[savingdogs]

My husband and sons draw the line at eating goat. They eat duck, chicken and will be eating rabbit but they wll not butcher the goats. I would be too sad. Goats have too much personality for me. If someone else killed one and cooked it I would certainly eat it but cannot eat a buckling I had to bottle feed through the middle of the night.
Just ain't gonna happen.

 

[glenolam]

Well, ya - if you make it all personal and stuff!

I'd have a problem doing it too if I treated the animal as a pet. But if he were destined for freezer camp you'd bet your bottom dollar I'd keep the prize in site - name him something like "Sausage" and maybe make his collar bell spoons that clank when he runs....

 

[lorihadams]

Nigerians have a year round heat cycle so you can stagger the breedings to be in milk all year round. That is one of the reasons we went with that breed for our goats. The other is that they have a high butterfat content and the milk is sweet! They also come in crazy colors and the small size is perfect for our 3 acres and 2 small children.

Can you tell I love them???

Congrats on selling the boys! Less mouths to feed!

 

[savingdogs]

That is exactly what I want, Lori. I'm thinking with two mini nubians and one mostly nigy, I should be able to stagger the breedings just a big and get milk for a longer season.

I also learned this year not to breed my two does at the same time because I have one great kidding stall and my short goat barn. The does fought over who got the great kidding stall with their kids. So next year I want to breed them two months apart so the first kids are not needing my kidding stall by the time the second doe kids. So I could breed one early in fall, one late in fall and hopefully the nigy doeling eventually around this time of year.

I think that would still give me some "time off" milking probably around the fall when I'll hopefully be harvesting the garden and busy with that.

At least that is the plan for now, perhaps someone more experienced with goats will see where I need correction.

 

[lorihadams]

Yeah, I want to stagger my next breedings. Both my does are pregnant now and I will breed one in the fall again probably and the other a couple of months later. I have the same situation. My barn is 12x16 so I can come in with a panel and construct a kidding stall in the back corner and then remove it when not in use. I can separate the kids in there too when I start milking and the rest of my barn is freed up for everybody else. It'll be easier on me to only milk one for a while.

 

[savingdogs]

Well I learned a lot my first year with the kidding. I never would have suspected that my does would completely and utterly reject Donald who has been their pal and leader. The folks are coming tomorrow or Friday to meet him. He is all shaggy right now but I suppose they know what goats look like in winter since they have one. It is a full nubian so Donald would be smaller than his new buddy.

But my worries were that I would not be able to put them in a stall without him..... I laugh now. They will not let him come NEAR the barn OR the stall and get into a real huff if he makes it inside. Molly is much smaller than him but she is like a bulldog trying to root him out of her area.

I do wonder if this would wear off when the kids are gone/grown but I'd hate to have to deal with this every year. We had to put Donald where we normally keep the DOGS and while they all get along fine with him, it means every time I open my back door, a GOAT is standing there in the stoop, ready to eat whatever is in my hand.
I made the mistake of actually trying to take my tea out back to sip while I watched the kids frolic and of course Donald makes that impossible. First I spill half trying to keep him away from it and then he manages to get his dirty nose into my cup.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

My husband and sons draw the line at eating goat. They eat duck, chicken and will be eating rabbit but they wll not butcher the goats. I would be too sad. Goats have too much personality for me. If someone else killed one and cooked it I would certainly eat it but cannot eat a buckling I had to bottle feed through the middle of the night.
Just ain't gonna happen.

This is where DH and I are perfect for each other. I do 90% of the chores, and that will include feeding baby goats.
He does the Sunday morning chores, and all the hard parts of butchering, regardless of the animal.
He is a softy, but keeping balanced this way makes things easier I think.

 

[savingdogs]

Oh that describes how we do it pretty much too, except I do 30 percent, my youngest SON does 60 percent and my husband does the last 10 percent, but his part none of the rest of us could do....build things, kill things, chop down things, and carry heavy stuff! Hubby also works outside the home and brings the paycheck that makes it all possible.

My husband has the added burden of being my translator and chauffer lately as well, bless the poor man, so I won't complain about the barnyard chores. Although I'm not looking forward to cleaning the dog yard after all this snow melts!

Our older son doesn't care to do chores, but works from home and PAYS his brother to do his share of the chores around the house. Strange arrangement, I know, but we don't charge the older son rent although he is 19 and don't have the funds really to pay the younger one an allowance, so it works out okay. The younger one mostly buys his own lunches with the money because he does not like to bring his lunch from home. My older son also drives me places and does my phone calls for me, as well as being our own personal computer tech, in-house.