Maine

[MEMama3]

It's like I've got a whole new coop. I scraped off all the poop, rubbed down the walls with the broom, added two new bags of shavings (left them in block shape so the girls could tear it all apart), hung a new feeder and restocked the oyster shells. They are happy ladies!

 

[Widget]

I think I'd be interested in goat math, particular the nigerian dwarf kind! Let me know how they are?

My two wether kids are coming from Sunflower Farm Creamery in Cumberland. She has a great website with lots of info on her goats especially if you are interested in having one for milk production.

My experience has been a positive one with the Dwarfs. They are smart, cute and tend to be full of mischief like any good goat is. Perfect size too. They easily fit in the back of a mini van for transport. Easy do-it -yourself hoof trimming every 6-8 weeks. Most vaccines are do-it-yourself too. Only one that is not is the rabies vaccine. Feeding is simple. Mostly hay, prefer 2nd cut but mine get what the horses get so that means 1st cut. I do give mine grain but not much. I have been doing some research since I have not had youngsters before so I learned a few things. Free choice baking soda to help with too much gas in the rumen, goat minerals (essentially a salt/mineral mixture with what a goat needs) and ammonium chloride to prevent urinary crystals in the wethers. Sounds like quite a bit but none of the extras are really expensive.

 

[anyasmifya]

Ahh, what glorious weather! This balmy 24 is awesome! I went for a two mile trek through the snowy woods and was sweating my a** off! (took me a good hour just to go two miles!) Then I cleaned the birdies coop and put in some new hay! I'm sure they appreciate it! It's not easy removing frozen poop. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow since it will be raining.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

My two wether kids are coming from Sunflower Farm Creamery in Cumberland. She has a great website with lots of info on her goats especially if you are interested in having one for milk production.

My experience has been a positive one with the Dwarfs. They are smart, cute and tend to be full of mischief like any good goat is. Perfect size too. They easily fit in the back of a mini van for transport. Easy do-it -yourself hoof trimming every 6-8 weeks. Most vaccines are do-it-yourself too. Only one that is not is the rabies vaccine. Feeding is simple. Mostly hay, prefer 2nd cut but mine get what the horses get so that means 1st cut. I do give mine grain but not much. I have been doing some research since I have not had youngsters before so I learned a few things. Free choice baking soda to help with too much gas in the rumen, goat minerals (essentially a salt/mineral mixture with what a goat needs) and ammonium chloride to prevent urinary crystals in the wethers. Sounds like quite a bit but none of the extras are really expensive.

You can get a mineral/protein block and then just add a feeder on the wall with baking soda in it, and they'll take care of their mineral and gas needs! Or you can add a second wall feeder with "loose" minerals in it.
Then you just add hay plus or minus some grain.
I made a nifty hay feeder for my goats - they are notorious wasters of hay. This helps them not waste as much - and I just fluff/stir it once a day. It generally needs to be filled once a week, or you can bring 1-2 flakes a day to it. I do the once a week method, and at the end of the week I clean out their house, throw down the old baking soda, throw the old hay down, then refill everything with fresh. However, when it's this cold, it doesn't get cleaned out until it thaws enough.
The hay feeder has 3 holes drilled in the front, one on each side and 2 on the bottom. It also has a top, but the goats learned to pop it off and eat out of the top, so I just leave it off, now. Caramel likes to help herself from the top, Pippy prefers to eat upside down from the bottom.

 

[Frizz-Elle]

Hey up here in sunny Maine as well! (snort) i have been getting 4 eggs consistantly from my hens a day but my 5th Easter egger has not laid in 6 months.. Any suggestions she eats like crazy! She is the only EE she used to lay a tiny blue egg every Two days.

 

[Widget]

You can get a mineral/protein block and then just add a feeder on the wall with baking soda in it, and they'll take care of their mineral and gas needs! Or you can add a second wall feeder with "loose" minerals in it.
Then you just add hay plus or minus some grain.
I made a nifty hay feeder for my goats - they are notorious wasters of hay. This helps them not waste as much - and I just fluff/stir it once a day. It generally needs to be filled once a week, or you can bring 1-2 flakes a day to it. I do the once a week method, and at the end of the week I clean out their house, throw down the old baking soda, throw the old hay down, then refill everything with fresh. However, when it's this cold, it doesn't get cleaned out until it thaws enough.
The hay feeder has 3 holes drilled in the front, one on each side and 2 on the bottom. It also has a top, but the goats learned to pop it off and eat out of the top, so I just leave it off, now. Caramel likes to help herself from the top, Pippy prefers to eat upside down from the bottom.

 

[Widget]

Hey up here in sunny Maine as well! (snort) i have been getting 4 eggs consistantly from my hens a day but my 5th Easter egger has not laid in 6 months.. Any suggestions she eats like crazy! She is the only EE she used to lay a tiny blue egg every Two days.

Perhaps the 5th bird figures the others provide you with enough eggs so she can just freeload. How old is she. If she is an older bird than perhaps she just have anything left to lay.

 

[MKandtheforce]

My two wether kids are coming from Sunflower Farm Creamery in Cumberland. She has a great website with lots of info on her goats especially if you are interested in having one for milk production.

My experience has been a positive one with the Dwarfs. They are smart, cute and tend to be full of mischief like any good goat is. Perfect size too. They easily fit in the back of a mini van for transport. Easy do-it -yourself hoof trimming every 6-8 weeks. Most vaccines are do-it-yourself too. Only one that is not is the rabies vaccine. Feeding is simple. Mostly hay, prefer 2nd cut but mine get what the horses get so that means 1st cut. I do give mine grain but not much. I have been doing some research since I have not had youngsters before so I learned a few things. Free choice baking soda to help with too much gas in the rumen, goat minerals (essentially a salt/mineral mixture with what a goat needs) and ammonium chloride to prevent urinary crystals in the wethers. Sounds like quite a bit but none of the extras are really expensive.

I'm getting my doelings from there this summer!! She's a fantastic lady, super friendly and very enthusiastic about her goats. She let me milk most of her herd when I visited a few weeks ago. I'm very excited to get mine. It sounds like you're going to have a blast with your wethers. Congratulations.

 

[Widget]

I'm getting my doelings from there this summer!! She's a fantastic lady, super friendly and very enthusiastic about her goats. She let me milk most of her herd when I visited a few weeks ago. I'm very excited to get mine. It sounds like you're going to have a blast with your wethers. Congratulations.

. I get last pick on mine. Not that it matters much to me. I go for personality more than looks. I already have names picked out, Troy and Dillon. She is certainly enthusiastic. Love how she sends email updates and invites you to come to the farm to meet her girls.

 

[MKandtheforce]

. I get last pick on mine. Not that it matters much to me. I go for personality more than looks. I already have names picked out, Troy and Dillon. She is certainly enthusiastic. Love how she sends email updates and invites you to come to the farm to meet her girls.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking of names!! I really like the name Serendipity for one, and I'm still thinking of a name for the other. You've got it easier since you're after wethers. I'm looking at the teat size, how much milk the parents/grandparents produce (Hope, the woman there, has been telling me which goats I should get my kids from!), and price. So I'm thinking a first freshener like May or Stella should be the dam... Of course, I'm last on the reservation list for doelings, haha. I'm just so excited! And her updates are awesome. I'm very glad I picked this farm. She's going to teach me how to trim hooves this week, heh.