Texas

[OrpObsessed]

LOVE!! 

Some day I want some mini Nubians and I really love the moonspots!

Oh yes! You should get some! Nubians were my first obsession before chickens. We used to have 8 acres and like 24 goats. We were up to our shoulders in milk, cheese and goat milk soap. But we've moved to 3/4 an acre so we had to do a major cut...all the way down to two. I've had to focus more on my rabbits and chickens to keep from going insane. Nubians are one of my biggest passions lol.

 

[TammyTX]

Wow! Twenty four?! That's a lotta milk! You could've taken goat milk baths. Did you sell the milk? We have less than 7 acres and I only want about four.

I make soap (just bought 20 lbs of lye to get started again), I have never had fresh goat milk but I hear as long as you keep the males away the goat milk won't taste "goaty"....and I'm not fan of goat cheese, but I WANT to be.

 

[ronniewayne]

orp I am just north of you south of Texarkana.. I have a couple of Nubian does and need a buck.

 

[OrpObsessed]

Wow!  Twenty four?!   That's a lotta milk!  You could've taken goat milk baths.  Did you sell the milk?  We have less than 7 acres and I only want about four.

I make soap (just bought 20 lbs of lye to get started again), I have never had fresh goat milk but I hear as long as you keep the males away the goat milk won't taste "goaty"....and I'm not fan of goat cheese, but I WANT to be. 

Well they weren't all does in milk lol. Some were babies and some were bucks and wethers. The most does I had milking at once was 5. But still, it was a lot of milk. We drank a lot of it. I have a pasteurizer. Removing the buck definatly helps the flavor of the milk. Also making sure the girls don't eat anything weedy or find your onion or garlic patch. We fed them sweet feed and alfalfa..sometimes I mixed in molasses which made the milk taste sweet. Some different breeds of goat have a goaty game flavor in the milk, but to me the Nubians milk is the sweetest. It's got a high butter fat content, and makes the best cheese IMHO. I've even made butter with it. I love the chèvre, but not big on aged goat cheese. I never got around to selling it but I was very close to doing that! I still want a goat dairy, but I'm a long way from it right now!

My husband is the soap maker, but I help I've noticed it works best to use goat milk that is frozen first, then add your lye. It makes a smoother soap, for some reason fresh liquid goat milk makes curds in your soap. Not pretty.

 

[OrpObsessed]

orp  I am just north of you south of Texarkana.. I have a couple of Nubian does and need a buck.

Cool! I'd love to see pics of your girls! Are you in to showing?

 

[OrpObsessed]

....and I'm not fan of goat cheese, but I WANT to be. 

You have to milk it yourself, and make it yourself to really appreciate the way goat cheese is meant to taste. Store bought has nothing on whats fresh from the farm!

 

[TammyTX]

Well they weren't all does in milk lol. Some were babies and some were bucks and wethers. The most does I had milking at once was 5. But still, it was a lot of milk. We drank a lot of it. I have a pasteurizer. Removing the buck definatly helps the flavor of the milk. Also making sure the girls don't eat anything weedy or find your onion or garlic patch. We fed them sweet feed and alfalfa..sometimes I mixed in molasses which made the milk taste sweet. Some different breeds of goat have a goaty game flavor in the milk, but to me the Nubians milk is the sweetest. It's got a high butter fat content, and makes the best cheese IMHO. I've even made butter with it.

I love the chèvre, but not big on aged goat cheese. I never got around to selling it but I was very close to doing that! I still want a goat dairy, but I'm a long way from it right now!

My husband is the soap maker, but I help

I've noticed it works best to use goat milk that is frozen first, then add your lye. It makes a smoother soap, for some reason fresh liquid goat milk makes curds in your soap. Not pretty.

Yep, I always freeze the goat milk. It tends to turn the soap too dark because the lye heats it up pretty hot...it can also smell "burned" even if you cold process.

I'm eligible to retire in less than a year but will probably wait until I can afford to get some goats!

.....I also love colored angora goats...so pretty!

 

[showbarnmom]

Does anyone have silver Phoenix? What are they like personality wise? Compare to heavy bodies LF like my Cochin rooster?

 

[Ms Jellybean]

OK, so Skin So Soft and VetRx are good for mosquito control. You spray the coop and mist the chickens.


I figured out where to put the chicken run and coop in my yard. That's my dog Sasha. Best dog ever!

It doesn't look so great but it looks a lot better than it did last year when we moved into this house.


The yard was really bad. It hadn't seen any care in decades. One year on and the neighours are still thanking me and I have been promoted to best neighbour to live here since the 1980's. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I found in the yard. Wow! Same view, just a little different angle.

Anyway, the spot is the east side of my garage at the back of my yard. I plan on putting a big run, fenced in (top too) with chicken wire, in the center of the area - about 3 feet in from the fence so Sasha can still run around to get the squirrels. Or at least try to. Then inside that I will have the coop and smaller run area enclosed with hardware cloth. Should I worry about getting grass in there? We had water restrictions that prevented me from planted seed there last year. I was planning on trying to in the spring.

Should I bury both kinds of the fencing to keep other critters out?

 

[ronniewayne]

Cool! I'd love to see pics of your girls! Are you in to showing?

not into showing them. I do love the milk as my dad says all u would have to do is fast freeze it for ice cream it is so rich. they are both blacks with tan trim . I am trying to learn to post pics on here . lol