***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[old*cowboy]

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Well Poo, I missed the grand prize by one post coming and going

 

[Kassaundra]

old*cowboy :

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I was actually looking forward to eating the hateful billy! That is until I tasted him.

I have never ate old billys before, but can imagine they would be like eating an old Boer hog. Young weather or young doe fixed right is up toward the top of meat as far as I am conserned. When I was about 12 or so, I had an old billy get up on his back legs and come down right in the middle of my back butting me to the ground. Yes, the billys can be dangerous and mean at times.​

I was school aged and my Gparents took care of all the butcher stuff I wasn't to interested in that part, so it is very possible the only goat I ever ate or smelled cooking was older, especially considering my Gma's EXTREME frugal nature. And I know they were all billy's gma would never have slaughtered a milk goat.

 

[smfamf]

Hey all. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I have been in serious pain and have been doing a lot of nothing. I'm no longer taking physical therapy they have decided that it wasn't helping my shoulders out any. I recieved a steroid shot on Monday, but am still hurting quite a bit. I have another appointment in 3 weeks, but if I'm still hurting pretty bad tomorrow, I will have to call and get in on Monday. The doctor is only in town on Mondays. On the chicken front, my Serama chicks are dropping like flies. I'm not sure what's going on with them. They are in a brooder in the house. They always look like they've been trampled. It's almost like they are piling up on front of the lamp. I know that there is enough heat for them. I've been using this breeder for a year and haven't had this problem. There aren't many of them in there, so it's not overcrowding. I'm stumped. The Seramas are the only ones that are dying. The outside birds are all doing okay. Well my DH's dog has had another litter of mutts. They are about a week old now. She has also adopted an abandoned kitten.

 

[poultryand bees]

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Teva, the wife of NNbreeder, has LaMancha goats. She and her mother swear by them.

 

[poultryand bees]

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How much longer do you have to be on this rotation schedule before you can stay at home for two weeks in a row?

i think next week but I get to go have a wisdom tooth removed!

Get your ice packs frozen before the surgery. You will want them.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Thanks for the goat input. I'm leaning toward La Mancha. I'm building an enclosure this week, but I won't be able to actually get my goats until my DH inspects my handiwork and pronounces it strong enough to hold goats. Vesta is going to be sooooo happy to have some babies bigger than chickens to watch over. She was out with the White Chanteclers yesterday. Vesta was dozing in the shade, and one of the hens decided fuzzy shoulders looked like a good place to sit. Vesta gave me a look that said, "Gee Mommy. Now I'm lawn furniture."

 

[Greybear23]

Coral, the La Munchas are sweet hearts and are great for milk, they are a manageable size also, I personally like the Nubians for milk but mostly because of the large droopy ears I must confess. The Sannens are wonderful milk goats also and are great to cross with a Boer for meat kids. As for meat you will maximize your meat traits by using Boer to cross with your dairy goats or you can go straight Boer or even the Spanish if you really like horns!!! Fencing will be your biggest investment with goats, they will go under a fence or through a fence befor they will go over, not to say they won't go over but they can squeeze through places you would not even imagine pulling them through!!! Electric fence is a great consideration with goats, start them with electric fence when young and teach them to respect it. We raise d the Pygmys and they are wonderful little clowns, surprisingly they give good milk too!!! There are several miniature breeds of goats to consider too in dairy and meat!!! Lynn

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[Poco Pollo]

I hadn't even considered pygmy goats. Is there really enough milk? I don't want to have a huge herd just to feed our family.

 

[Kassaundra]

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He's not even kidding about goats and fences, it is uncanny. We had one in particular awesome milker, and sweetest personality, but never met a fence she couldn't breech, especially in persimmon season!

Also be careful of barbed wire fence, we never had it, but our neighbor did, it can tear udders wide open.

 

[Greybear23]

I really suggest the 5' tall cattle panels with t post every 4', they may get their heads hung in them if the have horns, they do make a goat wire but I honestly don't see how it keeps them in. I would run electric fence inside the panels on top and about the middle of the second and third hole from the bottom of the panel. Put some old wood spools and wood boxes, big rocks, big tree limbs and trunk sections or such in the pens for them to play on, they are fun to watch!!! Barrels laid on their sides make great hiding places for them too!! Feed lots of hay and be careful about feeding grain to the young bucks especially, we lost several from this and went to the medicated goat pellets and didn't have any more trouble(basically they have problems with like kidney stones and it blocks the urine path and they drown to death!). A friend of mine had the mini Nubian milk goats and they sold milk and made cottage cheese and sold it and the cheese and milk is great food for your chickens if you have extra, or a pig if you want to raise one to butcher.
You do not have to keep a Billy, if you only have a few Nannies I would suggest taking them to get them bred to a select Billy or buy a Billy at a sale, use him and take him back to the sale, it your object is to keep your does fresh and raise some meat I would not even consider keeping a Billy, they are a lot of trouble, they tear up everything butting stuff, never ever trust one and never ever pet a Billy on the head or wrestle him by his horns, this only encourages them to want to play and then it gets out of hand. They are not safe around young children!!!! This is my own opinion!!!! Lynn