Lets talk about goats!

[HnkyDnkyZZFarm]

Mama and the twins. I'm still trying to get more weight on her, but it's just not taking.





I refuse to go into heat. I am not pregnant, just in REALLY good condition.

Seriously, she passes the spine test, and the butt test, and she's got her winter coat on. She's not as thick as she looks.






Girls are gross. I shall be a baby forever. Just hold me. Don't let the big fat goat girl get me. Rut is for losers.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Wasn't that it isn't possible, just that it didn't happen. We got her in early June, and she was supposedly one to two months along. By August I was pretty sure she wasn't, but her heat was so loud and obnoxious that for a second I asked, was she actually in early labor? But the months were so far off there was no way. By October I had stopped butt watching. She came in in early November. The kids were about 4-5mo when we got them and she reeked of buck when we got her, but no dice. She's not particularly friendly towards other goats, even in heat. Just loud and gross. She favors her Oberhasli, wide forehead, little lion tail, dairy for miles, she looks like she used to be something pretty special before time got her, chamois pattern, but long eared - she's mixed with something smaller, she's only a bout 6" taller than my other girls(boer/nigi), but her horns are serious business and she knows how to use them. Her last kids were born around February/March - so she might be seasonal rather than year round, which would make her being bred in March/April/May an almost unreasonable idea. No heats all summer, really obnoxious one in November as soon as we got our first cold snap and we'll see what December brings. I think it was just a mostly honest mistake. The person who had her before us hadn't had her long enough to really know. She came from auction before that. I was also hard up for building my herd at the time, I had just lost my little big boy, and was trying to figure out what the new herd plan was going to look like, so I think it showed that I was a buyer if herd building was likely and my enthusiasm became the sellers enthusiasm.

Sadly my minis are not getting it together. The girls, sugar and spice are three this year and still not showing any signs of cycling, let alone getting predictable about it. We'll have a random couple days where one of them will come in, but my great hope girl, little miss perfect refuses to show any signs of it, and baby boo, the tiny little boy goat with great big spots, at almost a year is showing no signs of coming into rut. No smell, just clean baby smell. Lap goat. The girls treat him like a baby. My mini boys have always taken longer to even begin to mature though. Our last boy - we lost to toxemia, didn't even start smelling or acting bucky till about two. Sweetest boy ever, just not so eager to try to tame the girls. I may have to separate the twins to get them bred. They are too territorial of each other. One brain, two bodies. I don't know where everyone is finding these randy four month old goats. I've got two boys right now, one almost one, and one at roughly ten months, and neither of them have any interest. No phlemen, no smell, no mounting, NOTHING! With everything I read about how bucks are supposed to be gross ol breeding machines practicing from as soon as they can walk... there is apparently something wrong with the grass at my farm lol. No interest.

Our 80% goat is also an ooooolld lady goat, about eight, had been bred nearly to death when we got her. Has all her big girl teeth and they've got wear. She's a boss lady, so she has to be in with only her family, otherwise her and my other boss girl go at it endlessly. Right now they just have their morning ritual pound out through the fence, half hearted, but every day while they wait for feed time. She was all bones, so she was a fixer upper who was on her way to slaughter auction to begin with when we got her. She had been on oat hay pellets and oat hay, only while lactating, an auction turn around, so we had to put some money into feeding her back up. Alfalfa, manna, cob, and forage and weaning the kids in addition to the regular grass hay we give. She hadn't had mineral as far as I can tell where she was, and green forage is so far outside of her understanding that she'd starve in burgeoning grass field. She was in entirely lot style/ auction style pens, no forage. We've gotten the wiry off of her coat, she's got a monster rumen, she's in decent condition now if not good, aside from not cooperating with the seasonal feed changes. She wants dry hay and brush only. Wants nothing to do with the forage grass. I've had to start rotating pastures to keep her side from growing up out of control. After she went back into heat I wormed her, I had held off on her when I did everyone else cause I wasn't sure. Everyone else is due as well, probably tomorrow, and feet, but I have to go pick up wormer. Have to get feed anyways.

I would get rid of the doe that is giving you the run around

 

[waddles99]

Does anyone have any experience using cattle protein tubs for goats? I want to use one as some supplemental protein but cant find anything on using them with goats. I know you cant use them with sheep because of copper but nothing was said about goats.

 

[res]

Tractor Supply sells a small black bucket that is a goat protein tub. I LOVE them! I usually have one in every kidding pen, they really seem to help the does keep their appetite up and maintain weight. The goats really like them, too, and are successful at licking the bucket clean. Bonus is the heavy flat back bucket you are left with when the protein lick is gone!

 

[HnkyDnkyZZFarm]

I would get rid of the doe that is giving you the run around

The 80% goat, the older one, is a better breeding prospect because her heats are so obvious, but we're shooting for a smaller, spotted goat that's not as dairy. I'm keeping her daughter, the black one with the lights ears and underside for possible diversity later, she's got a potentially nice udder. Mom is experienced and a good mother, but I'd really like to see her retired, I would feel truly evil and mean breeding her when we've just barely started getting some weight on her - although if I were just trying to get the feed bills paid, she would be the prime candidate, since I'm pretty confident she knows what she's doing and has had multiple uncomplicated births before.

Little miss unpredictable and not interested in what we're offering her is also little miss perfect. She's got great shape, good teats and a super sweet nature, really easy to handle, actually comes to you when she sees the lead, nearly never have to chase her, so she may have prospects for milking if we ever get her there. Bringing in someone that she's not accustomed to bullying, might be what we have to do.

The hope is this



Plus this



Will result in a smaller, long eared spotty goat. Lucky has a dark brown spot on his butt, so he's got a third color in there that may come out.

Sugar, our female has a likely twin, spice; who has a split teat, so I'm not sure if her sugar also carries the gene. So I'm guestimating 50% may have the split/fishtail/whatever and wont be part of improving the herd. I don't know if breeding the twin with the split teat will result in 100% pass on in her offspring and whether I shouldn't breed her. Her hips aren't quite as nice as sugars either. She doesn't have the same leg/knee proportion in the back. Sugar has a nice stance, but she's so fluffy in the back that she looks like she's wearing pantaloons. I'm very open to suggestions, or whether anyone has done this with any success.


The next generation I'm contemplating disbudding in the next generation or so, depending on whether everyone has everything where it's supposed to be and in the correct numbers. Lucky, our spotty boy favors his dairy, and little miss is pretty 50/50. She's thicker than being all dairy, but not boer thick. Depending on which way the offspring go, adding more boer isn't out of the question. My goal is a dual purpose/ miniature homestead goat. Similar to what the kinder is, only out of Boer. I think a lot of people are already doing this, little spotty goats seem to be popping up all over, but there aren't m/any near where I am. There may be a pet/potential 4-h thing we could do there. Disney goats. Lol.

Lucky is a good head shorter than the girls and doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. He's still no bigger than a Cocker Spaniel. He can fully curl his legs up in my lap to chew. It's cold out - for us anyways, so right now everybody wants to get close and sunbathe.

 

[waddles99]

Tractor Supply sells a small black bucket that is a goat protein tub. I LOVE them! I usually have one in every kidding pen, they really seem to help the does keep their appetite up and maintain weight. The goats really like them, too, and are successful at licking the bucket clean. Bonus is the heavy flat back bucket you are left with when the protein lick is gone!

Are you referring to this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/prairie-pride-goat-protein-pail-18-lb?cm_vc=-10005 ? I saw it too, but the reviews didn't look too good. Half the reviews say the goats hate it!

 

[res]

Are you referring to this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/prairie-pride-goat-protein-pail-18-lb?cm_vc=-10005 ? I saw it too, but the reviews didn't look too good. Half the reviews say the goats hate it!

Yes, that is it. They seem to take to it faster in the summer, when it is warm and soft. New buckets in the winter sometimes get "ignored" until I trick them into licking it by putting a handful of feed or treats on the top. Then a light bulb seems to go off that yes, they do like to lick the tub and they go after it.

 

[waddles99]

Yes, that is it. They seem to take to it faster in the summer, when it is warm and soft. New buckets in the winter sometimes get "ignored" until I trick them into licking it by putting a handful of feed or treats on the top. Then a light bulb seems to go off that yes, they do like to lick the tub and they go after it.

Hmm, so the issue isn't really them hating the taste, its that they dont know to go for it? I was also thinking of this as an option: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-30-protein-hi-energy-cattle-tub-60-lb?cm_vc=-10005 The reason I am asking is I am showing my doe, and while I am showing her fairly non competitively(in 4H shows and smaller open shows) I still want her to look good. I heard that high protein and low fat is good muscle builder, and a tub would be a self feeding way of giving her protein to keep her looking good.

 

[res]

You could also switch her to a show feed and supplement for the season. Our show goats get Champion Drive High Octane during show season, along with Kent Show Goat feed (medicated with rumensin). It won't change their conformation, but it bulks them up like crazy. And their coats are so thick and shiny and barely need washed. The dirt just seems to slide off because they are so slick.

 

[waddles99]

You could also switch her to a show feed and supplement for the season. Our show goats get Champion Drive High Octane during show season, along with Kent Show Goat feed (medicated with rumensin). It won't change their conformation, but it bulks them up like crazy. And their coats are so thick and shiny and barely need washed. The dirt just seems to slide off because they are so slick.

I don't want to feed show feed because then that means the other 9 goats in there would get expensive show feed too, and that's pricey!! I just want a simple way to feed them more protein. Also, I try and stay away from medicated feed, hence my choice at non medicated Dumor feed. Medication should only be given when there is a problem. Over medication can build up resistance.