Seven Valleys Dairy Goats

Acorn and Apple

2011-02-18T10:35:00.002-05:00

The end of winter is drawing near and soon the warm coats will shed. I am going to try to save as much of the hair as I can. Last spring, their coats had burrs and berry stains; this season I did my best to keep them as clean as possible. I am hoping to find someone who will want to use it.

Time to trim hooves. I am dreading that. I don't relish the idea of messing with strong, horned goats who think they are the boss of all that is around them. This job will take at least two strong adults.

Yankee (Doodle Dandee)

2011-02-16T20:24:00.000-05:00

A Year and a Half in Brief

2011-02-16T16:45:00.007-05:00

Things have really changed since 2009. We no longer have Turnip. He succumbed to urinary calculi. It was a very sad time for us. He was the sweetest and most friendly of the three goats.

We have an addition to our "herd". Yankee, who is actually the son of our goat Juniper. Juniper went to live on a farm to join 4-H; as did Ginger, Clover, and Juniper's sister, Tulip.

Yankee is a sweet Nubian wether who gets bossed around in a big way by the two Nigerian dwarf goats.

Growing Winter Coats

2009-09-02T18:26:00.001-05:00

Acorn has been growing his winter coat for about a month now. I thought it was crazy early this year... is this a sign of the kind of winter we can expect?

A Stunning Turn-Around

2008-07-18T09:55:00.004-05:00

I had a realization this morning while feeding the goats... They have finally gotten used to me. I can pet them now. The process seemed so slow coming that I hardly noticed.

Acorn, the all-brown wether, still the most skittish and wary of people, will even let me pet him if I approach him very slowly. I read somewhere (or perhaps someone who commented on my blog) that goats won't let you pet them on their head. Whenever I've tried to pet them, I've always reached toward their heads. All of my previous goats had no problem with anyone touching their heads - so it was something that I didn't even think about with these guys. They will stand beside me when I go in their yard, hoping for a cracker treat.

As long as I don't make any sudden moves, they will approach me and hang out if they've nothing better to do. When they stood beside me - I reached out and petted Turnip's back (I was in his peripheral view). He didn't run or jump or anything.

He stood there seeming to enjoy it. He let me pet him for a long time - until I was the one who'd had enough. Then I tried it with Apple - and had success again with her. This was the way to do it! Acorn still is unsure of being touched by anyone; however I can pet him if I have him on a leash. I have to put him on a leash when I walk them over to the pasture. The other two are fine to walk over there; Acorn will go where he pleases, and it can become difficult to get him inside the fence. I have to bribe him to come near me using a cracker (they love the Wasa Light Rye crackers) or some grain. When he's devouring the treat, I can take hold of his collar and put a leash on him. This way we have an incident-free walk across the street. Anyway when he's on the leash I am able to pet him - only because I can gently keep him from fleeing. Both Apple and Turnip love being petted, with Turnip being by far the biggest sweetie and affection-lover of the bunch. He's like a big baby. So I'm happy with where we are in our relationship. It's good.

The Kids Are Growing Up

2008-05-28T09:02:00.011-05:00

They're no longer babies. Acorn and Apple (the two in front) have shed their thick choppy winter coat. Didn't even notice Apple's coming out, but Acorn's shedding was dramatic. I thought he was sick with ringworm or lice, or lack of minerals. I just never noticed any of my goats losing their hair - so it took me aback at first. I helped remove it by combing him while he ate his grain.

Here is a ball of hair after one combing. Now that he is pretty much done shedding, he looks sleek and healthy, and considerably smaller than he had before.

Turnip is part Angora, so he lost some of his hair, but not the parts where his Angora hair has grown. His head, legs, front half of his back and chest all have beautiful short, straight hair. His angora hair is shiny and curly - not very long as of yet. It'll be interesting to watch him as he ages to see how his coat developes.

Apple Dumplin'

2008-05-09T19:36:00.006-05:00

Apple, our only doe, is at the bottom of the totem pole in our little herd. At the top of the pile is Acorn, Apple's brother. Then comes Turnip, the outsider. Apple, she's a curious sweetie pie. I can tell that she wants to be friends with me. Many times when I appear in her yard, she cautiously approaches, sticking out her nose toward me to try to determine if I am going to be her friend or foe. When she decides that I am not going to attack her, she begins to lean toward me. I see a twinkling of acceptance and perhaps affection in her gaze. At last, a breakthrough. She will finally accept me into her circle, and allow me to pet her as our handshake of friendship. My hand is just inches from her muzzle, just about to finally pet my little furry buddy. And that's when Acorn notices how close I have gotten to his sister, and he sneezes his cry of retreat. Off Apple runs, trailing behind her two herdmates to the safety of the 20 feet of distance between us. Our magic moment - gone. Our connection - lost. I'll try again tomorrow.

2008-05-03T10:25:00.005-05:00

I am sad to admit that my second round of goat keeping is something of a disappointment.

I figured that having smaller goats would keep things manageable and therefore more of a pleasure. True, these Nigerian Dwarfs are smaller and would be more manageable... if I could just catch them that is.

They were about 4 weeks old when I got them from an Alpaca Rescue farm. Two of the three were siblings, and their mother was also at this farm. She seemed friendly enough. Although I guess it never occurred to me that any goat might be unfriendly or that they just plain feared for their life when in close proximity to humans. When the herdswoman told me that we'd have to corner and grab them to pick them up and into my vehicle, it struck me as kind of odd. They bleated a few times en route to the van, I chalked it up to them being shocked by being handled in this way for possibly the first time ever. Seemed within the realm of normal to me. The 20-minute drive home was pretty quiet. When we pulled up at home and opened the back of the van, they were unhappy about being picked up. Not too unusual. We carried them down to their yard and let them go. They explored their space as I went to ready their bottles of milk (they needed to continue on their diet of milk - and hay and grain - for at least another month). I was expecting resistance on their part for the first few feedings; after all, they were used to only nursing from their dam. Once they became hungry enough - drinking from a bottle wouldn't seem like such a bad idea.

Well, it was especially difficult for me to catch them myself, so I had to enlist my sons to help out. Each one of the goat kids put up a really fierce fight. They yelled as if they were being butchered and none were interested at all in drinking the milk. I was surprised at how much they protested to being held while I tried to feed them. But I figured that their reaction would subside with each feeding. I tried feeding the bottles again that evening and I encountered the same response from the goat kids. No interest in drinking the milk. The next morning - the same as the previous day. Now I was getting concerned that this might be a persistent problem. They didn't want to come anywhere near me. If I walked toward them at all, they'd take off, obviously scared out of their minds. After that day, I decided that in the interest of ever being able to touch them, that I'd stop catching them to try to feed them. Luckily, they were going to town on the grain and hay that was being offered. They seemed to be doing fine health-wise. Eating well, looking well, no runny poops, vigorous. I was going to just take it day by day; see how things unfolded. They were still very scared of me. I decided that if I hand-fed them their grain that eventually they'd lose their fear of me, and look to me as their food provider and perhaps, their mother. That's what had happened with every one of my previous goats.

When I offered them grain from my hand, they'd cautiously approach me, then quickly lick up every morsel, each fighting for the prime spot to snatch the most food. As they ate, they were still very skittish, but they'd risk death long enough to eat, then they'd get the heck out of dodge. However, if they wanted to eat at all, they had to eat out of my hand.

I fed them each of their meals this way (for a few days), but eventually gave up my hopes of being friends with them. They still behaved the same way every single time I fed them. I began to let them eat out of bowls. My next brilliant idea was to offer them treats between meals. I was elated when I was able to touch them with one finger for a second or two while they scarfed down their in-between-meal snacks. Finally now, sometimes I can pet them while they eat their grain. But not for long, eventually one of them realizes that they are being accosted, then runs, and the others follow suit. Slowly they return to continue their meal. I reach to try to pet again, and before I can get my whole hand on one of them, off they run again. Sometimes as I walk through their yard to bring more hay, before I can even get within 15 feet of their general vicinity, they'll scamper off - and it looks as though it has become a game for them to run away from me. They do that cute sideways run that goats do when they are really happy and being playful. I don't know, maybe that's simply their happy "it's fresh hay" dance.

I am just sad and disappointed that I gave up on my first goats, deciding to start fresh - and it turning out in a way that I never thought possible. If I were a farmer with hundreds of goats for a business, then I probably wouldn't care that they wanted nothing to do with me, but it bothers me that I have these random animals that I have no connection to. I can't just keep getting goats, then give them away, then get a new batch hoping for the perfect situation. I feel like I have to keep them - but I really want to replace them with friendly ones.

Three Nigerian Dwarfs

2008-03-07T10:42:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday three new arrivals joined our farm family. Apple, Acorn, and Turnip; two month-old Nigerian Pygmy goats. Unfortunately, they are not friendly right now. They are very scared of us and won't come near unless there is food involved. I am hoping that with time, patience, and food treats they will learn to accept us as part of their family.
These goats will just be pets - at this point. They are a miniature breed, so will always be small. This is part of the reason I wanted them. They should be much easier to handle. However they do have horns; we'll see how that goes. People that have goats with horns swear that they'd have it no other way; people who have goats without horns say they'd have it no other way. Supposedly the horns make great handles if needed. The bucklings (Acorn and Turnip) will be castrated later this month. Castrated males are referred to as wethers. They are more gentle and don't have that strong smell like unaltered males do.They are very healthy and happy so far. The thing I will concentrate on the most is spending plenty of time in their yard and letting them get used to me. They love Fritos, so I'm hoping that the best way to a goat's heart is through it's stomach. We'll keep you posted.

End of the Milk Supply

2007-09-28T18:32:00.000-05:00

I have chosen to dry up Ginger so as to ease my work load around here. With school back in session I am now so busy with volunteering obligations and basic home necessities and tasks that I had to find a place to cut corners with my time. Unfortunately, the corner I cut was with the goats.

After a bit of research, I learned that the easiest and best way to dry her up is to just stop milking her. Normally, a dairy goat produces milk for ten months after freshening (birthing). So really, Ginger could have produced milk for me until at least January (She was producing on average 12 pounds a day on the last day she was milked - that's a gallon a day). I had thought that I would just not milk her out all the way and naturally and gradually reduce her milk supply over a few weeks; but books say cold turkey is best for goats. For the first week I still cleaned her udders and used teat dip to help prevent mastitis while feeding her on the milk stand. I also used Udder Balm to keep her huge and full udder soft and conditioned. She is doing fine a week later, still a full-looking udder, but it's not hard or hot or red... no sign of mastitis. That's good. I have also reduced her grain amount to just short of two pounds a day; she was getting six pounds, which is crazy, but she seemed to have needed it - and she never got fat in the least. I always felt like I still needed to be giving her even more grain! Anyhow, she seems to be adjusting nicely.

I am now mulling over in my head how to approach this upcoming breeding season. Who to breed? Breed just one goat? Both? Neither? I have wondered about selling both of these girls and starting anew with a different breed, particularly a smaller breed. Ginger is a strong giant of a goat, and she's hard to handle. Another concern I have about breeding Ginger is that she has a lame front leg and I can't see her being able to carry another pregnancy on that leg. I'm afraid it'll just snap in two or she'll not be able to stand on it and just lay on the ground for that last couple months.

Clover is an ideal size in my mind; easily overpowered if need be, and just gentle-natured, she pretty much will go wherever you take her on a leash; but Togg milk is supposedly not great for drinking, and more suited for cheesemaking. I would like to use the milk for drinking and baking, not just for making cheese. So I think I need a more versatile breed. On paper Nubians seem to be the ideal breed for me, but I wasn't so fond of Juniper and Tulip's dispositions. They were loud, fussy, nervous, and not generally friendly to anyone other than me. I figured it was a Nubian breed thing. I could be wrong. It would be pretty easy to aquire more nubians locally.

I feel that perhaps Ginger and Clover should be a package deal since they've been together all of this time, and they are jolly friends. John is not thrilled at all about the idea of getting new goats. I can't blame him, really. But I feel the need to begin again after becoming more familiar with these caprines.

I'm thinking of maybe getting a job too - so how would goats fit into that picture, if at all?

I've got a lot of thinking to do.

The Gruners come a-milkin'

2007-09-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

Emma - Jake's best friend - gives it a shot.

Asa - the old pro! Check that finger placement and strong milk stream!

Ann, Emma's mom, also gave milking a try. I am showing her the finger placement that I use.

Ann loves a quart or two of Ginger's milk once in a while. She puts it in her coffee and makes bread with it. Ann is the Wonder Woman who taught me how to make bread. Actually, she let me make it with her and gave me the confidence to finally try it again, on my own, after a 15-year hiatus. My very first loaf of bread back in about '91 was a squat little brick-of-a-loaf. I decided that I needed to meet someone who would walk me through breadmaking. It was really hard learning from a book... finally after all of these years, Ann comes along and happily shows me the ropes. She makes it look so easy.

Another great thing about Ann is that she sews too! That's another thing that I've been wanting to learn alongside someone who actually knows how (as opposed to reading how out of a book). She's happy to teach me that too! I'll let you know how that goes.

Guest Milkers - you could be one too!

2007-08-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

One of the things we love most when friends come over is to take them down to let them milk our dairy goat, Ginger. I don't think anyone has ever refused the offer to give milking a try. Ginger is a great sport about it all; as long as she has grain in her dish, she's cool with just about anything.

Here we have Asa's good friend from school. She enjoyed the experience very much.

Here is cousin Nick. A natural. He got a good stream going pretty quickly.

On the left is cousin Jo; somehow we had four people milking the 'ol gal at one time.

Aunt Tammy - also a natural.
Asa takes his turn on Ginger's left, while Tammy works on the right.

Then next day, Ginger was very tender from all the different hands practicing on her. She did a lot of jig dancing and fussing at me when I went to milk her. She's just about back to her tough self again.

how to know when you're done milking

2007-08-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

When I first began milking my goat back in April, I wondered if I would know when to stop milking her. How would I know when her udder was empty? Back then I just stopped when it seemed like I did it long enough, or when the milk stream started to slow down. After becoming more experienced I did figure out that when it's empty, you really know it; no doubts. The next freshening, I will be able to get more milk from my goat because now I know how to really "milk her out". The more milk you demand of her, the more she will produce, so milking out all the way keeps her producing the most her body is capable of.

This is Ginger before I milked her this morning (her feet are purple from an antibacterial spray I applied to her because of a skin condition).

Notice how her teats are full and pointing forward.

So then I milked her for about ten minutes or so, and I know that we are finished when I can no longer squeeze out milk. We get to the point where when I squeeze, barely any milk comes out, and the teat basically stays "deflated" - at this point I can't help but say: "Awwww, poor Ginger". This sight always makes me feel so sorry for her!

The upper udder is still round and full, but the lower udder and teats are clearly depleted.

The skin is wrinkled and the udder all shriveled and the teats just hang down and flap in the wind. The girl has given all she can. She's done her duty! Thank you Ginger.

Home Again

2007-07-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

Now that the whole family has returned home after being away, we all happy to return to our regular routine. Asa waters the plants as John and Jake go to take care of the goats.

It's afternoon milking time. You may notice that the right side of Ginger's udder is larger than the left. Naturally, we get more milk out of that teat. Right now we are getting about 12 to 13 lbs. of milk a day from Ginger. That comes out to more that 1.5 gallons a day. We unfortunately end up dumping out most of that milk that we get. I occasionally make cheese, and we use some for cereal and to add to John's coffee. But we still get way more than we need. I just gave a 2-quart jar to a friend of ours who is lactose intolerant, and she was interested in trying it out in her coffee to see if she liked it, and if her body could handle it. She loved it and is ready for more already. I really would love to find a family or two who would be interested in using the milk. I don't like throwing it out... it's such a waste.

Goodbye Bucklings!

2007-06-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

The boys walk the bucklings out to their new owners. The kids were sad (the human kids), but knew that they were going to a great home.

One last hug!

It was time to say goodbye to the bucklings, Ginseng and Sycamore. They are headed off to a new farm with lots of brush for them to eat. They will now be scrub goats, eating out in a wild field all day long with four other goats. Their new owner is a veterinary assistant and animal lover, so she knows about taking care of the fellas, and will keep them healthy and happy. Good luck to them at their new farm!

In the carrier and ready to meet their new goat family. Bye Ginseng and Sycamore!

First Mozzarella

2007-06-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

I made an awesome Mozzarella cheese today. My first try today was a bust (so was my effort yesterday), I thought I knew what I did wrong - too much citric acid - so I ran out for more milk, cleaned all my equipment, and tried again. This time it was a success! I wish I could share this cheese with everyone out there, but you'll have to trust me that this mozzarella was Fantastic! Can you believe that I didn't take a picture of it?

Guess What?

2007-05-04T08:20:00.000-05:00

It is good. I've been just dying to finally know for sure. I've been waiting so long to taste it fresh from the source. I guess that I'm doing something right, because our milk doesn't have that goaty finish that I've tasted both times that I was brave enough to drink the stuff. Before, I figured that I was getting the freshest goat milk possible, after all, the milk was from local goat farmers; which in my mind, are the most wholesome, hygienic, forthright, and and just plain good folks on the planet. I'm not sure why the milk from the store tasted bad. Perhaps it wasn't as fresh as I thought. Maybe its shelf life is only a day or two. Perhaps the housing conditions or the handling procedures weren't great. I don't know. But I know first-hand that Ginger's milk is sweet and delicious! No goaty taste at all whatsoever! Tomorrow's breakfast cereal will be topped with our own farm-fresh goat's milk. Yum, yum, yum!

Milking is going well

2007-05-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

Ginseng says hello.

Check out this nice, strong milk stream!

At first, I was only able to milk one teat at a time, and forget about aiming the stream! I just set the bucket wherever the stream happened to land... Now, two weeks into this venture, I can milk both teats at one time, and aim them both exactly where I choose! My hands still get tired pretty quickly, but I know that my muscles will only grow stronger, and I will not tire out before I am finished with the job.

Right now I am getting four quarts per milking from Ginger. I plan to only milk once a day - in the morning. Four quarts a day is way more than enough to work with! The boys are put in their own pen at night with food, hay, minerals and water. All night long Ginger makes milk - and at 6:30 in the morning I go out to milk her. When I'm finished milking, I let the fellas out of their pen where they join their mother for breakfast and all day long they have free access to her and her milk. When they leave her for their new home on Father's Day - I can have double the milk each day; or choose to continue milking once a day. A gallon of milk every single day is going to be very difficult to keep up with! We'll see what happens when the time comes.

Disbudding and Hoof Trimming

2007-04-21T09:16:00.001-05:00

You can see Ginseng's horn bud burn above his eye.

We took the whole family out to the field for the first time since the bucklings were born. Ginger was nervous the whole time, and Ginseng and Sycamore had a great time.

On Friday evening, both bucklings were disbudded by my animal sitter, Andrea Meyers, of Suzie-Qs pet sitting service. She takes care of all of the animals when we go out of town. In addition to disbudding the little guys, she trimmed Ginger's hooves for me. Gingers hooves have gotten seriously overgrown, and after freshening, she began to walk with a limp.

She's always be very difficult to trim and I've never been able to do a thorough job on her hooves. Well, while she was pregnant, it seemed that her hooves grew at lightening speed, and by the end of her gestation, looked like ones out of a book that demonstrates really, really badly overgrown hooves. I couldn't wait for her to freshen so that I could finally trim them - not supposed to do it during pregnancy for fear of stressing out the doe to the point of aborting. But right after she gave birth, she had a very hard time even standing on the front legs and would sometimes kneel on her front legs and be standing on her hind legs. That's when I knew that she was really in trouble.

Thank goodness for Andrea who came in and took one look at Ginger's feet and insisted on trimming them immediately! Her husband, who helps with disbudding, straddled Ginger in the front, and Andrea straddled Ginger in the rear, and Ginger fought! John came in to help both of them, and Andrea started clipping away! Luckily no hoof rot. It took three adults to trim her dang feet, so I don't feel so awful for not being able to do it by myself all this time. Next time, John and I will know how to hold her to get the job done. I won't let them get that bad ever again!

Today, I can really see improvement in Ginger's walk, she's moving around much better. She even trotted! One leg is still standing badly, but I'm hoping that now that she's no longer carrying all that extra baby weight, and her hooves are trimmed, that she can recover.

Andrea is really great - she will be caring for our goats and cats when we go out of town, including milking Ginger! I love that I have someone that is able to help out like this! Not many folks, especially ones with goats, have someone to look after their farm animals when they want to get away from the farm.

adjusting to life outside the kidding pen

2007-04-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

Sycamore and Ginseng Nibbles Holdee (you can kinda see his wonky front leg) really like it outside the kidding pen. Despite their small size, they seem to be fearless around the other larger goats. Tulip and Juniper especially seem really spooked by the little guys. T&J want to do the goat butting game (no actual contact) with the babies - who are not put off by this at all.

A family moment in the fresh air.

Ginger's Babies Have Arrived!

2007-04-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning Ginger was acting weird. I was wondering if perhaps she was going into labor. After a few moments, she began acting normal again, so I dismissed it, but decided that I should check back with her every so often during the day just to be sure. I never made it back to check on her until their dinner time, and when I walked into the barn, she was standing there with her water bag hanging out of her. I yelled to her "Hold On Ginger! I'll be right back!!" I dropped my bucket and ran back to the house to get the fellas and some.... towels? What do I need? I don't remember!

By the time I returned to Ginger's side her bag had dropped and she was standing and nervously bleating at me as if she was completely bewildered about what the heck was happening to her body. I led her to her birthing pen as the other goats watched with great curiosity.

Over the next two hours Ginger worked very hard to work her first baby out of the birth canal. John and I both had our hand at helping her get the babies out. We were really getting nervous at how long it was taking... our books said that it should be over in minutes rather than hours - and it had been over two hours. Finally with great relief to all, the first kid arrived. A few minutes later, the second one came out very easily and quickly, in just one push.

Ginger was a great mom from the moment the bucklings arrived, licking them clean and encouraging them to nurse.

One of the bucklings has a problem with one of his front legs. The knee joint doesn't seem to be able to lock, so he can't put any weight on it. That doesn't seem to slow him down much - he still gets around and does his best to keep up with his rambunctious and energetic brother. Asa called him Jumper - but has since changed his name to Ginseng Nibbles Holdee. I've named him Ginseng, and Asa figured that he needed a middle and last name: He loves to nibble at fingers that are put in his face and loves to be held, hence the name. The other fella with the wonky leg has been named Sycamore by Jake.

These are very cute, yet temporary additions to our barn. They already have a new home to go to once they have been castrated and dehorned. A friend of John's from B&D who has a farm will take them to use as scrub goats and pretty ornaments for his property. We will enjoy them very much while they are with us.

Stray Dog of Seven Valleys

2007-03-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

This fella was chasing our chickens and our neighbors chickens all over the place on a Saturday afternoon. He stayed with us for 4 days while we looked for his family. He didn't have a microchip, and no family turned up - so unfortunately, we had to take him to the York Co. SPCA. He was a sweetie.

Runner after his bath! He was filthy from running through all of those puddles!

Runner sleeping comfortably at John's feet.

Snow Goats

2007-02-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

I don't understand why these goats want to stand outside on the thick layer of snow and ice when they could be cozy in their straw bed!

Visit to Perrydell Dairy Farm

2007-02-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

No matter what time of year it is, one of our favorite things to do out here in the country is to visit Perrydell Dairy Farm. It is a 15-minute drive to this family-owned cow dairy and farm market. This family bottles their own milk and sells it from their market right on the farm. They also make their own ice cream from their milk, which is creamy and delicious and comes in many different flavors to choose from! In their store, you can find anything from locally made cheeses and their own ready-to-eat desserts, soups, and salads, to breads, baking mixes, candies, and unique kitsch for your home. And of course, they sell lots of milk. A local woman, Norma Warner, sells her farm's goat milk at Perrydell, and she also just started selling her own farmstead fresh goat's milk cheese. I hear that this cheese is delicious, but I haven't had the opportunity to taste it myself, because it sells out so quickly. While visiting, you might be lucky enough to run into Tom Perry, one of the family members who makes the farm a success. He can be very friendly and informative if he's got a chance between his many farm chores to chat with you.

Even on this 20-degree day, the kids cannot pass up an opportunity to experience the delights of Perrydell's hand-dipped ice cream. On the front porch you can sit on the long bench and eat before heading back to see the new arrivals on the farm. They have a constant flow of newborn calves arriving to, one day, add to the milk production at the dairy.

If you get there at the right time, you may get a chance to watch the cows being milked in the parlor - eight at a time - through a large glass window. Or you might be able to watch the process of bottling that same milk. On this day, the kids had the great honor of bottle-feeding the calves!

There were probably 15-20 calves on this particular day. Some are kept in wooden sheds, some were in individual fenced-in plastic housing. Calves are so cute and full of energy, especially at feeding time. A few were so excited to eat, that they were giddily jumping around their pens when they saw the bottle coming. I was surprised at how much air they were capable of getting!

Here you see the full grown cows at feeding time. Their feed is extremely fragrant, and can be smelled from very far away. Some of the cows are very curious about their small visitors and attempt to sniff and/or taste them. This dairy farm is a great place to spend an afternoon anytime of the year. When you come to visit us, lets go to Perrydell!

winter flurry

2007-01-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

This time of year, it's hard to keep a constant offering of liquid water. I take fresh water out 2-3 times a day, depending on how fast it freezes over.

Chickens eat their crumbles.

Snowy Juniper.

Farmer Ed's Boer kids

2007-01-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

I heard from a friend that Farmer Ed, the fella that I buy my alfalfa hay from, has 28 new kids that were born within the last two weeks. He keeps Boer/Saanen mix goats. Mostly Boer in them. He sells them at auction. My friend invited us to go with her and her daughter to visit with and handle the goats. Farmer Ed wants his goats to be friendly, so he likes people to come and spend some time with the kids. We were more than happy to go cuddle with these newborns!

This thermometer was hung just outside the door to the barn. If you look closely, at the bottom it says: "dead stock and animal removal". This is the kind of thing that I would have had displayed in my college residence back in the day. I thought it a strange sort of thing to have up on your livestock barn. Seems to portray a hopeless attitude about what you're doing. I have to confess that the thought to steal this little gem crossed my mind - but I'm too old to do such things anymore.

After walking into the barn the first thing I see is this shocking sight. Ironic.

I later learned that one of these babies was born directly into a bucket of water in it's mother's kidding pen.

Two dead goat kids laying in a wheelbarrow. It was bizarre - I kept expecting to see them breathing, or twitch in reaction to a dream, or change their sleepy position. But they didn't move at all. They were eerily still. As my boys observed them and asked if they were dead, they showed almost no reaction at all when I confirmed their suspicions. They just walked on toward the live babies in the fenced loafing area. Dead babies forgotten, once inside the fence they each immediately picked up the first baby they could get their hands on. I think they held every baby in there at least once.

The boys got to see first-hand the beauty of kids nursing from their mothers. They found this sight to be amazing and it never seemed to lose it's magic to them. The goat kids were pretty active and vocal and as a whole seemed to be pretty healthy. There was one kid, who was the smallest of the bunch, who was obviously not doing well. Later Farmer Ed said he didn't expect her to make it. She wouldn't nurse from her mother, wouldn't take a bottle, and he and his wife had been tube feeding her. Her back legs and rump were covered with runny poop and she just stood there, not showing the same vigor and energy as the other babies. That baby really bothered the boys who kept asking if she was going to be alright. I hope she will be.

On our way out, Farmer Ed arrived home from church. He says that he's got a secret stash of that good alfalfa hay left over that he'll sell me! I am so glad - I've been buying my hay from Agway. It's mediocre. I'd like my goats to have nice hay, especially in this cold weather - and with my pregnant girl.

Despite the harsh realities of life on the farm, it was a nice visit and good to see how another goat farmer does his thing.

Today's Snapshots

2007-01-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

Juniper is still trying to push me around; despite my persistent redirection. Doesn't seem to be working.

This is what us country folk do with our used Christmas trees... throw 'em out in the yard and let the animals eat them. I love that.

The Seven Valleys J.D.s.

"Warriors ... come out to playeeeyaaay!"

Photo Update: Ginger at 8 weeks

2007-01-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

(hopefully) Bred doe, Ginger at nearly 8 weeks along.

ivy treats

2007-01-17T09:37:00.000-05:00

As you can see, we have lots of ivy growing on the front of our home. When John closed our storm windows for the season, he trimmed the ivy that was growing in front of them. It looks neat and tidy for now. It won't take long for it to grow back over once again. After John's trim, I picked up all those cuttings and took them to the goats. They LOVE ivy! You can see on the house, on the parts of the plant closest to the ground, it grows sparsely; that's because when we take the goats out to browse, this is one of their favorite spots to stop and munch. They eat it up the wall as far as they can reach.

Going to town on the ivy cuttings.

On the Farm Today

2007-01-16T17:31:00.000-05:00

Clover really wants to give the boy a kiss; she just can't get close enough.

Juniper tries to have as much physical contact as possible - even if I am on the other side of the fence. I am hoping that this is intended as something like a hug - and not a hoof sandwich.

Sadie gets a better view of it all from up on the fence. She prefers to be higher up than the goats.

The cold air is moving in to the valley. Our run of spring-like weather has come to an end. Now we must hunker down and prepare for the unpleasantness of freezing temperatures. The barn floor has built up a nice deep straw bed. I've got to drag out the bucket de-icer and find a place to plug it in. The barn does get cold enough to freeze up the water buckets. John is now closing the storm windows in the house. We just topped off the oil tank. We have lots of hot chocolate, teas, and microwave popcorn. We also bought our first generator recently. I think that we are ready for winter. I hope we get some snow soon!

How Can it be Spring? It hasn't even been winter yet!

2007-01-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

snowdrops

The chickens think that I'm going to give them some treats as I snap pictures of the snowdrops.

You can see the flower buds on this hyacinth.

Dusk in the Foggy Valley

2007-01-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

Hoof-Trimming Day

2007-01-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my flashing; it was not intended.

Today I accepted that fact that I could not put off the hoof trimming any longer. Ginger started looking like she was wearing fancy slippers. I hate trimming her hooves, because she hates it and refuses to just let me do it without a fight! She alone took three different sessions and a total of about 45 minutes. She won't hold still and is continuously pushing forward and backward with her 120-lb. brawny self. She also pushes, pulls, and kicks her hoof out of my hand. Then I'm in the middle of all of this holding a terribly sharp pair of trimmers in my hand. I'm scared that one of us is going to be stabbed with them. John had to come out and help me so I could actually finish the job this time. Just about every other time I've done it alone, I gave up before all hooves were done; which is why her feet are in such gnarly shape.

One thing I noticed for the first time was that every time I picked up on of Ginger's hind legs, it sounded crunchy inside her joint. Like dozens of tiny dry twigs snapping and breaking. It sounded awful! It can't be good. I'll have to peruse my many goat books to see what horrible condition she has. None of the other goats had this problem - so that's one good thing.

Clover was a doll during the trimming. Juniper was okay; Tulip was not pleasant and faught me the whole time. Luckily, she is still pretty small. I'll have to trim her more often in hopes that she can get more used to the process.

Thank you, Farmhand John, for your help today! Thanks, Asa, for taking the pictures.

2007-01-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

Me with Juniper (oh, and Ginger's bottom)

Dominance Issues

2007-01-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

Ginger (Saanen) and Clover (Toggenburg). Ginger is the herd Queen. You can see Tulip (Nubian) tethered to the fence. Asa was with me in the field, and Tulip was butting him. I had to keep her chained while we were in there.

My two youngest goats, the Nubians, are showing signs of behavior issues. This past Christmas, our friends came to visit. Their little one, who is 2 years old, went into the goat yard with a group of people to visit with, and pet the goats. She has always loved our goats - and is always kind and gentle with them. Twice, Tulip pushed/butted the little one onto the ground. It didn't take much to knock her down, she's pretty small. It was a solid butting nontheless. The first time Tulip did this, I figured she was simply playing and I thought nothing of it. She did it a second time the next day, and Tulip seemed to focus just on the little girl. I thought Tulip was feeling the need to dominate this little one, and thought it was best to keep her out of the goat yard.

Juniper eating hay while Tulip remaines tied to the fence.

Then, just a few days ago, we had another visitor. This was a stranger, and was a child of about 11 years old. He is the same size as my older son, almost five feet tall. Besides myself and the boy, there were also four other children in the yard of various ages. This boy was one of the tallest in there. Juniper starts butting him - and not gently either. She gave him a good, hard push, then stood looking at him, her head down, making something close to a growling sound. Then she butted him again, with all of her strength it seemed. She was only focused on this one boy. She didn't attempt to butt any of the other children. I got him and the others out of there immediately. I have told everyone in my family that children are no longer allowed in the goat's yard. Now, when Asa goes in there, Tulip tries to butt him.

Here, Juniper is pushing against me. She doesn't butt at all - just a strong, slow PUSH.

All the while, Juniper (Tulip's sister) has been pushing on me whenever I'm in their yard - when she's not eating hay or grain. All the boys in our family have always played this butting game with the goats, who have never been anything but gentle while playing. But, now I see that that has to end. I have read in books that butting should never be encouraged in goats, and I see that there is a good reason for this. Good thing that my goats don't have horns! I am worried that as Tulip grows larger that she could really hurt someone; these goats will grow to be 120 to 150 pounds. Now, when Juniper pushes against me with her head, I gently move her head off of me. I hope that eventually, this will end her behavior.

2007-01-07T18:24:00.000-05:00

We had our first burnpile fire of the season last weekend. I love my fires! While John and Sassa worked on the hen house, the boys and I worked on burning everything from the yard that we could get our hands on. We also cut down and burned some yew bushes (which are poisonous to the goats), still lots more to get rid of in our yard. We burned right where we plan to put our vegetable garden this summer. I can’t wait for that time to come around.

Lost and Found

2007-01-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

For some time now, one of our hens has been leaving the flock each night for a destination unknown to any of us. Each morning, she rejoins the group and spends the day foraging with them – but seems to prefer her solitude during the night. But where exactly does she go? It’s been a mystery that I’ve tried to solve several times, but get too bored or run out of free time to follow her long enough to know where it is that she goes. Alas, I finally stumbled upon her hiding place, and it was right under our noses the whole time. While fetching the mail today, I peeked under the front porch, which I do most times that I am walking past it in hopes of discovering some sign that this is where that hen might go. Well, today I finally saw a whole clutch of eggs that gave away the hen’s secret nest. I’ve looked in that particular spot many times, but it’s the deepest and darkest area with the least amount of height under our porch, so I was never able to see very well in there. For some reason, today I bent over a bit more than usual and poked my head in a bit farther, and hey! there’s a bunch of eggs in there!! Twenty nine eggs to be exact. I removed every last one of them (oh, my poor legs!), and the chickens tried their best to eat one of the eggs that I accidentally cracked open. Now, we will be able to gather one more egg each day; I plan to put a nestbox in that spot to help keep the egg poop-free, and make it easier for me to spot the egg. Victory!

Week One: Ginger's Belly

2006-12-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

From top, looking down: Normal belly girth of Ginger.
I don't think that she's even supposed to show until a couple of months before.

My Ginger is Back

2006-12-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, I went to retrieve Ginger from her Love Shack in Maryland. And whew! She smells like a buck! However, I have grown to like that smell; I never thought I would, but I do. It just smells like goat - and I love goats. So, it makes sense to me. The first day back, she seemed kinda quiet and confused. I am imagining that she misses her fella, Wind. But, she's back and I'm thrilled that she may be carrying a happy little bundle in her belly.

I envisioned that when Ginger was led into their yard, that the other goats would run up to her and give her goat hugs, and that Ginger would prance around with giddiness at the joy of returning to her family. That didn't happen. At first, they seemed to be blind to each other. Didn't even seem to notice each other's presence. Then after a minute or so, Ginger decided that she needed to reassert her position as Herd Queen, and started to kick some goat butt all over the place. If anyone got near her, she butted them really severely. Not just playing around either. She seemed genuinely pissed. She was downright mean! I felt sorry for Clover, who seemed to get the brunt of the aggression. But Clover stood up for herself and gave Ginger a taste of her own medicine.

Go Clover! Show Ginger that you are not going down without a fight!

Next day, thing were back to normal. No more fighting. Just the normal shoving around of Tulip and Juniper when they get near food that Ginger wants. It's good again.

Estrus Follies

2006-12-09T08:24:00.000-05:00

I just lived through another bout of CloverHeat. With Clover, there is no doubt at all that she is in heat. With Ginger, I was never quite sure. This is not the case with Clover! She will continuously bleat her loudest. I usually hear her first thing in the morning, thinking that she has been mortally wounded. She must be dying, yelling like that! She goes into heat about three or four days after Ginger does.

The first day Clover went into heat this last time, she completely lost her mind when I left their yard after evening feeding time. I was walking away from the gate, she was yelling, and the next thing I knew, she ran right past me in the people yard. She just ran through our yard, across the street toward their pasture. When she reached the pasture, she screeched to a halt and looked around, like she was suddenly wondering "What am I doing? Where am I going? What now?" Then she ran furiously back to me and stopped. Then she ran up our yard and jumped on a table. I tell you, that poor girl is having a hard time of it. I felt so bad for her. I grasped her collar and led her back into her yard - she walked with me without a fight. I locked a second lock on the gate, thinking that she must have pushed her way through the bottom of the gate. Two steps away, I decided to look back - and there she was, leaping gracefully over the four foot fence. I had to chase her down, then again, led her back to her yard. Unfortunately, she and Tulip and Juniper had to spend the rest of the day and night closed up inside the barn. The next morning I put up an extender at the part where she jumped over the fence and hoped for the best. She checked it out and even looked like she might try it, but I could see that she had decided it wouldn't work.

She could have easily jumped over other parts of the fence, but she didn't try. I don't know why, but I'm glad of it. By that evening, she had visibly calmed down, and the next day, she was back to normal. I only have fifteen more days until the madness begins again.

And then there were three...

2006-11-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

Clover, Juniper, and Tulip don't know what to do with themselves without Ginger. I can't even keep them in their field anymore. The first thing Clover does after I close the gate is to clip-clop over to the fence and jump right over. I think that she's looking for her friend Ginger. One good thing about Ginger's absence...with Ginger gone, I can feed the remaining goats without chaining them up first. I can walk into their yard, bowls of feed in hand, and not be mauled. I love that.

Motel Room No. 1

2006-11-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

If the shack's a rockin' - don't come a' knockin!

You can see Ginger through the slats of the fence. She's begging me to come let her out of there. At first she didn't care about the strange goat in the pen with her, but then when he started following her around - rudely and relentlessly sniffing at her, she immediately had a problem with the whole situation.

This is Wind. He is Ginger's chosen buck. She's bigger than him, but Scott, the breeder, assured me that Wind wouldn't let that inhibit him in any way. I will get a call after the deed is done. We are so excited that Ginger will soon be pregnant. We look forward to some new kids and the new milk supply.

Bearded Goat

2006-11-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

Ginger has begun to grow herself a beard. She proudly displays her growth for me from two different angles. She's hoping that it'll grow long enough so she can braid it.

Picture of my first Chevre

2006-11-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

I put them in Weck jelly jars for storage. I added some rosemary to one of the cheeses. They were simply delicious spread on a cracker and on some fresh crusty bread. MMMmmmm!

and in this corner...

2006-11-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

Ginger is off for breeding next week (do I keep saying that?), so I figured that she should have a goat pedicure so she can look good for her buck. Last time I used my goat tape to check her weight she was about 110 lbs. She’s got to weigh more now – or at least it seems that way. I knew it would be a struggle – she’s never enjoyed having her hooves trimmed; but man, she really fought me hard today. I don’t have a milking stand – yet. I guess I could have tried to tether her to the fence, but that has never seemed to help in the least. I figured if she wouldn’t cooperate, then I’d just get her on the ground and lay on her with my body while I trimmed away. Hardy-har-har. Yeah, right! Getting her feet from under her was the fairly easy part. Keeping her down was impossible. Then we’ve got Juniper and Tulip kissing me and nuzzling me while I’m trying to get near a hoof. By the time I’d get laid out on Ginger, the shears were about three feet out of my reach. None of the goats would hand them to me no matter how nicely I pleaded with them. It was scary having these extremely sharp shears open and then having kicking, struggling, and pushing all over the place. I noticed on one of her hooves she had that elf shoe going on; that must be the last hoof that I never make it to because I give up before I get to it. It just gets too dangerous. Someone is going to end up needing stitches. I’ll just have to wait for the old man to get home and we’ll use teamwork to take the girl down and clean her up right once and for all!

First Chevre

2006-11-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

My first Chevre! It's so simple to make - you would not believe! Since I don't have my own goat milk supply yet, I went to Perrydell Farm to buy local raw goat milk. That night I put a gallon of the milk into a stainless steel pot and warmed it to 86 degrees. Then I put in a packet of "chevre starter" that I mail-ordered from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. Stirred that in and let it sit at room temperature overnight (8 - 12 hours). In the morning I ladled it (with the help of my cheesemaking apprentice) into a cheesecloth line colander, then tied the four corners of the cheesecloth and let it hang to drain for 6 - 12 hours - the length of time depends on the degree of creaminess you'd like your chevre to be.

Then I salted it with cheese salt (not regular table salt) and finished off by filling four Weck jelly jars with the chevre. They look beautiful and taste so delicious! It really feels great to make your own delicious cheese!

Beginning Cheesemaking with Ricki Carroll

2006-10-29T14:27:00.000-05:00

I was so happy to finally get to take a cheesemaking class with the Cheese Queen herself, Ricki Carroll! It was the perfect 40th birthday gift to myself. This class was one of the final field days of the year offered by PASA - Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture - of which I am a member. John attended with me, and I was pleased that he seemed to have a good time during the course of the day.

Ricki is a smart, funny, and warm woman who seems to genuinely enjoy teaching others the art of cheesemaking, and sharing stories of her experiences with other cheesemakers from around the world. We started the class with a farmhouse cheddar, then a queso blanco, a ricotta, then a mozzarella. During lunch, which was provided by PASA and Ricki, we ate many different cheeses along with other fresh local foods. Lunch was beautiful and delicious!

Here Ricki demonstrates the stretching of the curd in making mozzarella.

The following pictures are showing the steps to making the farmhouse cheddar. This is a hard cheese that requires a cheese press.

After the heating of the cow's milk (provided by Perrydell Farms of Leaders Heights, PA), you add a starter culture; then after a bit you add rennet; then allow the curd to form. Now cut the curd to allow further separation of the whey.

Ladle the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, tie the four corners and hang to drain. After about an hour you can break up the curds with your fingers, salt it, then pack the curds into the cheesecloth-lined cheese mold and put it in a cheese press.

This is how the cheese looked after it spent about 45 minutes in the press.

This is as far as we could get with the cheddar during the course of our 6-hour class. The first six lucky folks who bought a cheese press ($239) could take home the cheddar that we made in class to finish it off (press for 12 hours, let it air dry for 3-5 days, wax the cheese, then age it for at least two months) at home. If they are lucky - it will be good enough to eat!

Thanks, Ricki!

chicken cannibals

2006-10-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

This is what happens to the not-so-perfect eggs! The chickens crack 'em right open and start eating the contents. When one is opened up, they all run for it to get their fair share. This seems like odd behavior, but maybe that's normal with chickens... I wonder why these eggs are so pale and weak. I'm sure there is a reason behind this; I just can't find it in any of my reference books or online. They leave the nice eggs alone. Either it's because they feel they have the right to eat a non-viable egg, or they they can't crack open the nice, strong, healthy egg. Hmmm.

Post Note:

Oooooops! After doing a bit of research, I have learned that I am doing the wrong thing by basically encouraging my chickens to eat the "bad" eggs. That all ends today! When I see one of those weak eggs, I'll just throw it out instead of presenting it to the hens so they can bust it open and dig in. Only one egg was ever eaten without any help by me; so hopefully we can end this problem. Supposedly you should cull any chickens caught eating the eggs to prevent it from becoming a standard reaction by all of them to just eat the eggs.

I still can't find any information on eggs that are pale and covered with cracks and fissures.

Bad Egg, Good Egg

2006-10-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

Look at the difference in these two eggs. One disfigured - one beautiful. What makes the one on the left turn out the way it did? I've seen an egg like this before from our auction chickens. Pale, chalky, lopsided, and cracks and fissures all over it. What happened? Is this typical for an older chicken? The more brown egg is typical of our new group of layers. I'm guessing that the auction girls are quite a bit older than the latest hens.

Leaf Eaters

2006-10-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

Ginger, Clover and Tulip finally get their chance to nibble on my potted plants.

Juniper thinks the most delectable leaves are found on the porch.

Autumn brings the gift of an all-you-can-eat buffet of leaves for the Seven Valleys Dairy Goats! When we make the daily trek to the pasture each morning, we linger in our backyard so the goaties can feast on the bountiful harvest of leaves. We have sycamore, maple, ginkgo, and mulberry leaves littering the yard. As an extra special treat, they are now allowed to munch on any of my garden and potted plants that they want to.

2006-10-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

Clover does this alot. She stretches her neck back and moves her head from side to side. She'll do this few a few seconds at a time for a minute or two. Then she's done. In these pictures, she's chained to the fence because it's feeding time; but she performs this strange behavior when she's not chained too. I don't know what this means.

Millie the Barn Cat

2006-10-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

Millie isn't doing much hanging out in the barn. She can be found most any time of the day on our porch. Usually chasing leaves or butterflies. Sometimes napping on a comfy cushion. Even though she's spent all of her life in barns, she doesn't understand why she can't follow our boys into the house when they go in. She is a super-snuggler love-kitten extraordinaire. She doesn't seem at all like the aloof and stoic barncat that comes to mind when I think of a typical barnyard mouser. I wouldn't be surprised if she became our indoor family pet.

Ginger Girl

2006-10-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

This is Ginger (technically known as: Wausau). She's my registered Saanen dairy goat. I am thinking that she may be in heat. Estrus. I need to get my husband to put together a pick-up truck pen to transport her to the breeder. She'll stay for 22 days, and then hopefully in the spring... we'll have Saanen kids and milk!!

Clover Pics

2006-10-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

My Toggenburg, Clover. Sweet. Gentle. Love her!

Bok! Bok!

2006-09-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

I came home from Wehrly's Auction today with three Rhode Island Red hens and one bantam Leghorn rooster. Ten Dollars. Total impulse purchase. I've wanted chickens for a long time. We don't have a coop yet, which is why I hadn't purchased them before now. But I told myself that we would close them up at night in the mill until John is able to build a proper coop. I realize that this was probably not the best decision I could have made, but I hope it'll work out.

I love the sounds they make and I think that they are so beautiful. I was told that the hens lay about 3 eggs a day each and the rooster cannot fertilize the eggs, although he believes that he is doing his job around the henhouse - and still goes through all the motions.

Luckily, John has agreed to build a coop this weekend. It feels more like a farm around here. I like that.

Ginger is checking out the bizarre new creatures in her space.

The chickens with their temporary digs and paraphenalia.

Barn Work

2006-09-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

John got busy last weekend in the barn. Among many small jobs, he built this free-standing hay feeder. The lid on top is removable to place the bale right in. When the goats approached the feeder the first time, they became obsessed with removing the lid. They couldn't stop messing with it until they worked it off the base. When the lid was finally down, they got back to the business of eating hay. Now we keep it off to avoid injuries to the goats when it falls down. The lid is now used as a toy. The girls love to walk on it. They always knock over the feeder too. John is going to have to add boards to the bottom to keep it from tipping over.

New bulbs couldn't help this fixture. We found that we have to replace the whole thing.

John attached a hinged piece of fencing panel to this side-door to allow us to keep the door open for ventilation without allowing the goats into the feed area of the barn. Again, not beautiful, but it works.

York Fair

2006-09-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

We all went to the York Fair on Saturday afternoon. Asa had just recovered from a 4-day virus in which his only symptom was a fever. He felt awful when his Motrin wore off, but while he was on it - he was full of energy, and seemed to feel great.

Well his fever had been gone for 24 hours, so we went to the fair!! It was a beautiful day: the sun was shining and it was a pleasant 80 degrees. The first thing we did was go to the livestock tent. There were various goat shows going on and there were lots of penned goats to visit, pet, kiss, and give love to.

When you look at these goats up close, you can see that they've been clipped. They look nice that way. It looked like some were even wearing some type of gloss in their coats. I was also sizing up the different hays that the different breeders were offering their goats. There was quite a variance. John and I got some good ideas for our own goats too.

This Nubian was such a sweetheart. She loved to be rubbed and talked to. She was so gentle and lovable. John wanted to stay and watch the goats in the show ring - but the boys were ready to move on. Next - the petting zoo. There, the boys could hold kittens, baby rabbits, and guinea pigs.

Asa really loved this bunny. All of the animals were so docile, none of them even tried to step down from the kid's laps. When mom and dad had stood around waiting long enough, we moved on to the games. Jake and Asa fished for sharks, squirted water guns, and threw darts at balloons. We had dinner, went back to the petting zoo for a second visit, then had ice cream for dessert. We were all tired and ready to go home. We had a great time visiting other goats and enjoying lots of different animals. Jake kept saying that we should bring our goats to show and that he thought that they'd win. John and I took that opportunity to tell him that perhaps he could join 4-H or some kids goat group and raise a show goat himself. His eyes lit up and seemed very interested in the prospect. So, that's what we'll do... look into finding him a kids goat club.

I am now FAMACHA Certified!

2006-09-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

Internal parasites (gastro-intestinal worms) are the number one health problem affecting sheep and goats in the Mid-Atlantic area. Because worms have become resistant to many of the anthelmintics (dewormers) producers use, a more integrated approach to internal parasite control is necessary.

This field day was designed to help producers develop integrated parasite management (IPM) programs for their farms and flocks. In addition to teaching the basics of internal parasites and their control, the workshop teaches proper anthelmintic use and provide hands-on training in doing fecal egg analyses and using the FAMACHA© Eye Anemia Guide to determine the need for deworming individual animals.

This class was really informative and the instructor, Susan Schoenian, was great. She was very knowledgable and funny too. She made the class fun and interesting; I feel like I really got a lot of solid information from her. I also met some interesting small-ruminant folks.

Hands-On Small Ruminant Care

2006-09-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to finally be taking this "field day" offered by PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). I will spend the day on Tuesday learning some things about the care of goats. I'll be really happy to meet some goat people, and just talk with some of them to see how they do things. I'll also be thrilled to spend the day learning at an actual goat dairy, Misty Creek Goat Dairy, in Bird-In-Hand, Lancaster Co. Here is a description of the course:

This intensive hands-on workshop will be limited to 20 participants and will feature four sessions: Hoof Care and Trimming, Kidding and Calving, Necropsy, and Nutrition. The session on "hoof care and trimming" will include a discussion on hoof architecture and common problems, followed by a trimming demonstration and hands-on practice. Using a simulation set-up, every participant will then have the opportunity to participate in a birthing simulation, which will prepare the novice for handling complications during the birthing process. In the afternoon, a necropsy will be performed with the aim of empowering participates with a deeper understanding of the cause of animal loss and the affects of disease and parasitic infections. Based on the necropsy findings, participants will be able to strategize proactive solutions to minimize risk on their farms in the future. The nutrition discussion will include tips for preventing disease and participants will learn how to discern the qualities of different types of feed, hay, and forages.

Earnest Hovingh, DVM, PhD, specializes in herd/population evaluations for health issues, a "Master Hoof Trimmer", and advocate of whole farm evaluations to determine weak links in animal care and animal welfare.

Robert Van Saun, DVM PhD, specializes in small ruminant pregnancy nutrition and its influence on health, production and reproduction; metabolic diseases and their prevention; and preventive medicine programs.

David Wolfgang, VMD, specializes in disease prevention and herd health promotion, cost effective delivery of veterinary services to producers and farm-based improvements to herd health.

Then on Wednesday, I'll be taking another field day class: FAMACHA Certification. I'll explain that one in another post. In late October, John and I will take a class together: Home Cheesemaking with Ricki Carroll. This class I am particularly thrilled about!

2006-09-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

Cream. Formerly known as Rose.

Millie. AKA: "Cutie Pie" or "Sugar"

Hello Barncats

2006-09-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

Must show you our two new barn cats! I went to buy alfalfa hay from a local farmer and spied a large crew of playing kittens. The farmer informed us that we were welcome to take home one or many of the cats if we'd like. They ranged in ages from probably a couple of weeks old to adult. Lots of cats, I tell you. My immediate reaction was a solid "No Way - my husband would kill me!" Then about ten minutes later, I was saying: "well, let me talk to my husband and see what he thinks." Followed not long after by: "We'll take two, sir." The farmer said that the neighboring children had given names to most of the babies, but Asa wanted to name the littlest orange-tabby kitten (chosen in remembrance of our dear-departed MOJO) Rose; later we went with the name the neighbor kids gave her: Cream. The gray tabby was given the name Millie (you know... we have a flour mill); kids had named her "Cutie-Pie" (we couldn't live with that name). We're going to stick with the name Millie.

Millie had a rough first day: shortly after plunking her down in her new digs, she decided to explore the hole in the ground at the base of the mill wall, and I ended up having to climb down there to get her out. Under our flour mill is the partially-filled mill race. Partially filled with bricks, dirt, and debris; partially filled with water. At some point in time, folks used the mill race as a dump.

You can find the oddest (creepiest) objects in the water down there. From the sloping mud and broken bricks down into the water you can see a child's plastic ball floating on blackness, on broken bricks - a lightbulb (fully intact - how can that be?), some tires, a push-mower, metal gas cans, glass gallon jugs - some broken, some not; cinderblocks, overturned metal 5-gallon buckets without lids and oozing radioactive looking orange and reddish glowing pus. I'm not kidding... the color was frightening; something just under the water that looked strangely like an eel; and this cavernous area continued through a curving tunnel into the darkness - it went on until it faded to black - I couldn't see just how far the tunnel went.It made me think of the watery tunnel from the original Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie. There was a strange quiet stillness to the water in this room. Once in a while there would be a few bubbles plip-plipping to the surface. What was down there making the air bubbles?
What is this stuff just under the water? That little frog hopped into the water and made me scream like a little girl. It's much deeper than I had thought it was. Eeewwwww!

The kitten had somehow crossed the water to a mudbar that I couldn't - and didn't want to - reach. She was doing a scared-cat meow, and I could see that she had walked through the bright orange-reddish ooze. Was her fur and flesh burning off at this very moment? Did I pluck her from her cozy barn to bring her to her death just under one hour later? I was scared and creeped out, but I had to save her. She was not about to walk through water again even if it was the only way out of this place. I had to do it myself.

I worked to get our longest planks of wood down through the openings that were meant to keep man and beast from falling down into the water. I was hoping she would walk across the planks herself, but she was not the slightest bit interested. Tried to coax her with cat food on the plank. Nope. I really, really, really didn't want to risk walking along the plank over the festering water, just to fall right in and sink slowly but surely into the silty sludge just below the surface. Just like the flip-flop I lost to the Codorus Creek mud last spring. I didn't want that to happen to me. My foot; my body; my flesh couldn't touch that stuff. I begged her to walk that plank. I sweet-talked her. I yelled once. I was desperate; but I eventually saw that I had no choice. John wasn't home to help (rescue) me. John didn't even know that we had two barn cats; I was already going to be in big trouble just having them - how could I now phone him to ask his advise on how to extract one of them from under the mill? I was on my own. I asked Jake to stand at the top of race, phone in hand, in case I needed 911.

Here's Asa at the top of the race.

I had to shimmy down the slope through years and years worth of dust and cobwebs, nails and debris and broken glass. What I was walking over gave a little under my foot with each step I took. It felt like the mound I walked on could collapse at any moment. I was really scared. This was so out of a horror movie. I carried down three more planks to try to make a wider area for me to walk on, and I hoped that with more width would come more strength.

Maybe my boot wouldn't even touch the water - that's what I was hoping for. I made several attempts to walk across, but half-way aborted the mission out of fear. The wood was bowing and I wasn't sure it would hold my weight. This is a 2.5 foot distance were talking about here, but I didn't know how deep the silt/sludge was. Finally I was able to get enough courage to walk the whole way, I quickly grabbed the scared kitten by the neck, ran back across, and up the slope. I scrambled out of there so quickly and threw the kitten to Jake. I paused to shiver and shake from the creepiness of it all, brushed the spiders and cobwebs from my hair and clothes, then got the hell out of that mill. I washed Millie right away with soap and water in case that junk was toxic. She seemed fine and actually appeared quite happy to be reunited with her little orange friend, rubbing against her over and over again, purring loudly.

Above the grass you can just barely see the top of the stone archway that once allowed a stream to run under the mill. There is a small opening just big enough for critters to crawl into the cavern.

I was relieved that Millie was finally out, and proud of myself for getting the job done. I was absolutely sure that I'd have nightmares that night about the whole fiasco. But I didn't. John took the news about the cats better than I had expected, probably because I rolled into the cat news the story of the horrible experience I had saving her from "under there". We both sat down outside and drank a beer together and talked about our future goals and ideas for our little place with the goats and the kittens and the kids. That day had really turned out pretty nice in the end.

2006-08-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

This photo doesn't do this beautiful hay justice. It's deeper green than this faded image.

A closer look at the alfalfa hay.

Now this is Good Hay

2006-08-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today I drove to the feed store where I always buy my orchard Timothy grass hay. I waited to get more until I was completely and totally out of my stash. The girls seem to have, for the most part, lost their interest in their hay over the last few weeks. I still give them fresh hay every day, but it doesn’t look like they are eating any of it, so I end up throwing it all on their bedding. When I pulled up to the feed store I discovered that the business had closed. No signs in the window telling where they might have moved to; that nice lady that helps me every time I’ve ever been there during the last six months failed to mention during my last visit that they were closing up shop.

I thought of a farmer who sells alfalfa hay – I bought one of those gigantic round bales from him last winter (the goats didn’t seem too keen on it though, so I never bought from him again); when I drove by his farm on the way to the auction a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that he had small square bales in his barn. After my disappointing trip to the feed store, I gave the farmer at Ed-Lyn Farms a call to see if he had any of those small bales available, and he said he did for $3.50 a bale. Said the quality was “okay… might have dried out a bit too much”, but I really had no choice; I know of no other place to buy hay except Global Ag, and I know theirs is just too stemmy. Off I go to Ed-Lyn Farms to get my alfalfa hay, not sure if the goats would even eat it. After arriving Mr. Ed said that he had some newly-available bales that were better that he had set aside for a regular customer who no longer needed it since she moved her horses to a new location. These were more expensive at $4 a bale. I asked to take a look at them and just one look-see was all I needed to know that I had to have them. They looked like a nice deep green with lots of leaves on them. Smelled really good too. I bought ten bales (and took home two barn kittens to boot) and gave a bale to the girls in the pasture as soon as I got home to see what their response would be. They devoured it! They absolutely loved it. I took away the alfalfa pellets that I was offering free choice since they now have the hay. They had been going to town on the pellets too, but I am happier seeing them get alfalfa hay since it’s in a more natural form. I’ve got plenty of storage room, so I am going to call Mr. Ed to see how many more of those bales I can get my hands on. I must have more. My earlier confusion about how “good hay” looks is now gone. I know what good hay looks like! And it’s beautiful.

Approaching Breeding Season

2006-08-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

Now is the time to start looking ahead to breeding season for my two older goats, Ginger and Clover. They are both large enough and old enough to breed, and August through January are supposed to be a dairy goat's natural time to go into "estrus". I plan to take Ginger back to the breeder where we bought her; they have 10 bucks for me to choose from. I can take her there, and board her until the deed is done. Can you believe that it's $2.50 a day to board her?! Each doe bought from them gets one free breeding! So the only cost involved really is boarding. I'm hoping that it'll be clear to me when she begins to go into heat, and Scott says that I can just drop her by at any time. Clover will most likely be sent to her original home as well. This is the only place at all that I know of with Toggenburgs. Her breeder has only one buck... Clover's own dad. While this sort of mating doesn't go over well in the human mind, this practice is safe and quite common in the goat world. The Nubians are only three months old now, and are nowhere near being ready to breed, so they may likely be bred next fall. I am glad that by then I will have a greater understanding of what I'm doing; so I am thankful for that.

2006-07-30T11:24:00.000-05:00

Just a simple country girl enjoying a good chew.

Hey! Mind your own bid-ness. I'm having a moment here.

The girls in their pasture enjoy the vegetation that grows at the creek's edge. Taking a drink of the water now and then.

Happy Goats

2006-07-30T11:09:00.000-05:00

Ginger in her ninja pose looks ready to give Clover What For.

Starts out serious looking, but then they gently touch heads.

Clovers response. Take that!

2006-07-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Juniper (in back) and Tulip say hello to their friends.

2006-07-26T06:50:00.000-05:00

Ginger seems to be more sensitive to the heat than the other goats. Sometimes I notice that she is panting on a warm day, when the others are not. She is always the first one to begin panting; then Clover. The Nubians, I've never seen pant. I got some advice after posting a question on one of my favorite goat message boards, Homesteading Today (they have a separate goat subject forum), and there are some people who hose down their panting goats on a warm day to cool them off. So I tried that. Ginger was not too cool about that at first, but then she seemed to warm up to the idea. She did stop panting after that, so that'll be my new response to a panting goat.

Yeah, she looks a little annoyed, but she's not panting.

Please, someone let me out. Some crazy lady keeps spraying me with a hose.

dang humidity

2006-07-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week as I was beginning to prepare the goats' grain meals, I noticed on the outside of the bag was mold. I dish the medicated grain out of it's bag, which I keep just inside the mill/barn. I figured that as long as I rolled the opening up real tight, that would keep the humidity from affecting the grain. It seemed that that was working fine. I do keep the regular grain in a metal lidded bin to keep critters out, but with the medicated stuff, I just kept it in it's bag because I assumed that mice wouldn't want that. It looks totally processed with no sign of a real grain to me. I don't know - I guess that I was being lazy. I used the same logic with the alfalfa pellets. I serve that right out of the bag as well. I've never had any sign of critters trying to get to it, so I didn't worry about it.

It's been such a rainy summer, and since the end of June, it's been crazy-humid. Well, I guess that those conditions have finally caught up with me and my bags of grain. I had to throw out a practically new bag of medicated grain and a 1/3-used bag of alfalfa pellets. Both bags covered with mold spores and all the grain touching any part of the bag was completely molded as well.

I bought two new metal storage bins and new bags of feed. Another lesson learned first-hand as a "farmer". Strangely, I get a good feeling when something like this happens. Despite a loss, I feel I've come a bit closer to being a good farmer.

Clover and Tulip eating alfalfa pellets. You can see the dirt floor; and in the corner I keep the floor covered with straw/hay. Right now you can hear a wet squooshie sound as you walk on the bedding. I guess that I need to either put more straw down, or muck it out and put down another thick layer of "Stall Dry" then cover that with fresh straw/hay.

one fence issue resolved...

2006-07-16T08:01:00.000-05:00

John put up an extention of hog panel to the end of the field fencing; now it extends pretty much into the creek. This spot was a favorite place for Clover, and sometimes Ginger, to get out of their field and into the lush hillside for a special snack. The addition of the hog-panel has resolved this fencing issue.

However, the very next day, a new fence issue came into existence:

Ginger-and-the-accordian-style-field-fencing.

This is completely our fault... we got the fencing up, and instead of finishing the job, we figured: "That'll do... for now". I was even just telling a fellow-blogger how our goats never get out of the field fencing by going over. Later that same day - Ginger got out of the field fencing by going over.

To take care of this probelm we need to put up additional posts and then tighten the fence. Then it would probably help further to trim all the vegetation that grows along that fence that the goats are constantly reaching over and through the fence for. So, this is our newest goat project. When that's complete - I am sure that the fence will be absolutely goat proof! -Famous Last Words

Ginger being gently returned to her rightful place with the other goats. Hi Asa.

great find

2006-07-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

$1 at a yard sale. My size exactly. Score!

Muh-haaa Muhhh

2006-07-06T16:40:00.000-05:00

Juniper and Tulip (two months old) coming after me for their milk!
"We know you've got it somewhere, lady. Hand it over and nobody gets hurt."

Juniper, one of two Nubians. She reminds me of a Goldie Hawn... Really cute, really lovable, always having fun, but not the smartest gal of the bunch. Sorry if I offended any Goldie Hawn fans out there...

Clover, the Toggenburg (five and a half months old). Sweet. Gentle. Slowest eater on the planet.

Ginger. Saanen. Seven months old. Herd Queen. Kid Butt-er. Don't let her smile fool you... she'll roll you for one morsel of grain.

The Running of the Goats

2006-07-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

The goats love to run, so if I run - they will too. This usually gets them from their pasture from across the street, into and through our yard, then ending in their yard.

Hay Day

2006-07-06T12:01:00.000-05:00

Today I've got to go buy some more hay bales at a feed store in New Freedom. They cost about $4 each. I'll buy four bales. I don't like to buy too many at one time - maybe next time I go buy some, it'll be better quality or a little different. I wish that I could take a hay class. I have no idea what a good-quality hay looks like. The stuff I have seen looks just like the bales of straw that I buy. I guess that I'm hoping that one of these days when I buy one of these bales it'll look like "good-quality hay"; I'll say to myself, "Now that is good hay, Jeanne!"

I have decided not to buy straw anymore. I empty out the hay feeder each day and spread it over their sleeping area. Just using that gives me plenty of bedding to use. I kill two birds with one stone that way! I muck out the bedding about once a week and will use that hay as a mulch in my garden beds. The goat berries that I sweep up daily are taken to be sprinkled around my plants. This process makes me feel more like a sustainable liver.

Got three instead... I took the van so had to get what would fit. Available to me is this Timothy orchard grass mix. I have been able to get alfalfa hay, but that is only available in those gigantic round bales. The one I bought was dusty and parts were moldy. The goats didn't seem too keen on it. I don't think that I'll buy more alfalfa hay unless I can get the small square bales like these. Instead of the alfalfa hay, the girls get alfalfa pellets as a great source of protein in their diet.

Close-up of the hay. After the last bales that I got from a different place, this bale looks greener, more grass-like, and smells better. Maybe I'm learning more than I thought...

Bye, Bye Boxwood

2006-07-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Not long after Ginger and Clover arrived here at Seven Valleys Goat Farm, we were still not completely finished with the fencing of the goat's yard. One morning our family arrived home after a sleepover at Grammy and Granddads (who live an hour away in Maryland) to find Ginger and Clover relaxing on our back porch just outside the kitchen door. Bleating hello to us as we drove up. I was immediately worried that the girls may have eaten some of the many toxic plants (to goats) that populate our back yard. Yew, Boxwood, Rhododendron, Azalea. We have all of those bushes in abundance - it's as though the previous residents had a dastardly plan for any unsuspecting goats of the future... Ginger and Tulip seemed fine, and thus we led them back to their yard and forgot all about the event. The next morning when I walked into the barn, it was a very disturbing scene. Ginger was vomiting and yelling in obvious pain; she had no interest in her breakfast (this in itself indicating an extremely serious situation). I rushed her to the vet where her stomach was pumped (Dr. Lukacs showed me a boxwood leaf he found in her regurgitation) and she was given charcoal; her condition was very delicate and was given a 50/50 chance of survival. We brought her home hoping that she'd make it. She did. Two days later she was able to eat again, and slowly became herself again. Clover never showed any signs of poisoning. After that we fixed the fence, and we attempt to keep them far from those dastardly bushes on each trek to and from their pasture (they have to pass through our yard, then cross the street to get there).

I am finally getting around to just removing those bushes. The baby girls always seem to head right for the bad bushes and take the biggest bites possible, gulping them down! It's as if they know they shouldn't have it but cannot resist! It's difficult for me to herd four goats such a great distance through the gamut of poisons. So I will slowly but surely rid our property of the hazards. I'm telling you, we have a lot, and some are gigantic and grotesquely overgrown!

sawing down one of the Boxwoods

Goats do Roam

2006-07-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

My husband, John, bought this bottle of wine for us to celebrate our new life with dairy goats. 'Twas delicious. I do believe that I'll save the label and frame it.

It's Hot Out Here!

2006-07-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

The girls go out to the pasture in the morning around 8 am, go back to their barn around 10:30 or so, then after 4 pm, go back out again; and back to the barn for the night at 7 or 8pm. All this back and forth is because they lose their shady spot by the gate and get pretty hot. John came up with a temporary idea of a canvas tarp for shade - so we can keep them out there for the day - until he can get around to the nine-gazillionth thing on his farm list of building a lean-to building to guard against the elements.

She's a bit on the ugly side, but she works. I'm talking about the tarp.

The goats needed some coaxing to get under there, but after standing with them for a while, they figured it out. I brought them a bale of straw to spread out, but they began to eat it, so I left it for them to snack on. Funny how they are just as interested in eating the straw as they are the hay! I don't get it.

2006-06-29T17:16:00.000-05:00

Our riding mower has lost a belt, so it's not available for cutting the field. Most people believe that goats will keep a pasture (or yard) trimmed; but that is not the case. Goats pick and choose their favorite plants and take a few bites of it, then they move on looking for something else interesting. We definitely have to keep the pasture mowed or it would be impassable for goats and people! I had to use the non-riding mower to make a swath through the dense, lush rainforest. The area around the yellow metal loveseat is covered in poison ivy; it's like a thick carpet. I mowed that - and am hoping that I don't get any rashes! As soon as I was finished mowing, I practically ran inside for a shower, where I SCRUBBED with lots of soap on my washcloth. We'll see how that works.

Tulip and Juniper

Mmmm. Weeds!

In bloom on the farm

2006-06-28T06:55:00.000-05:00

Thistle. Asa found out first hand how prickly they are.

Daylilies near the Codorus Creek. The goats tried desperately to demolish these plants this spring. They LOVE to eat the leaves of the lily. Luckily, they grow in abundance in the pasture.

girls in the pasture

2006-06-27T12:41:00.000-05:00

Juniper has recovered from her illness, and is back in the pasture munching away at the tasty weeds!

Clover in the pasture. Do you think that it's almost time to mow? Soon we won't be able to even see the girls out there!

While I was mucking out the barn, the girls kept busy in the field. I keep having to run them back to the barn when it begins to rain again. 100% humidity and scattered showers are making it hard for the goaties to enjoy a day in the field .

Mother's Little Helper

2006-06-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

Asa helping with barn chores. Here he is getting the "Stall-Dry" and spreading over the urine-saturated earth floor. After we lay down the Stall-Dry, we spread a thin layer of straw over the top of it. Today in the barn there is 93% humidity! It's really unpleasant.

Juniper is better now

2006-06-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

At the vet we learned that Juniper did indeed have coccidiosis, so both her and Tulip were put on Albon medicine for ten days. This all just before we were to leave for our annual vacation to Woman Lake in Longville, MN. Thankfully, we have friends who were already prepared to care for all four of our goats - and didn't bat an eye at having to also give an oral dose of medicine to two goats every day that we were gone! Thanks Max and Vickie! We were happy to learn via e-mail messages that Juniper's diarrhea cleared up and all goats are back to normal and healthy. But, we learned that on several days, Vickie would arrive at our home and find Clover in our back yard, grazing. She couldn't figure out how Clover was escaping. After a few ideas from us, we came to the conclusion that Clover was pushing her way through a poorly secured chain-link fence at the back of their yard. A quick fix of careful placement of two cinder blocks took care of that problem until we can permanently goat-proof that gate. We knew that it would be a matter of time before they figured that one out.

I have returned home from our Minnesota trip finally free of all poison ivy rash for the first time in months! I am determined to keep every inch of my body covered any time I am going to have contact with the little girls. I am certain that I am getting it from their body fur and faces. Their field has areas that are completely carpeted with the poison ivy plant, so they walk through it, lay on it, eat it, and then seek me out so they can rub it onto my skin! I must be smarter than them and protect myself at all times.

sick baby

2006-06-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I noticed that Juniper had poop all over her behind indicating diarrhea. She has been acting a bit strange the last couple of days - standing by herself at times and kind of staring off into the distance. Worried that she has coccidiosis - so I'm taking her to the vet this morning.

Vet visit

2006-05-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

I took the babies to see Dr. Lukacs just to get checked out. I took stool samples to be checked for coccidia (a protozoan parasite). Dr. Lukacs checked it out and he only saw a few dying cocci, so he recommended that I buy a feed that has a coccidiostat to help keep the numbers under control until they are old enough to handle them without assistance. They both are having trouble with runny poops - most likely due to the abrupt switch over to cow's milk from goat's milk. Ideally I would have slowly transitioned them over a period of one to two weeks, but unfortunately, I don't have access to fresh goat's milk. Other than the runs, they don't seem to be bothered by the switch. Juniper weighs 9 lbs. and Tulip weighs 10 lbs. I am to continue to keep them separated from Ginger and Clover to get them used to the germy climate of the Seven Valleys farm - up to two weeks if I can handle it. The girls got a clean bill of health, and as usual, Dr. Lukacs and I discussed goats at great length; this time he didn't even charge me for it!

Good First Night

2006-05-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

Today I noticed that the little girls are having soft, yellowish poops. Yesterday, I never saw them poop, so I don't know if that's what they were doing before at their other home. Up until last evening, they've been drinking goat milk. Now they are drinking cow's milk - and that probably has caused some stomach upset. I have been adding some Probios to their milk to help out their digestive tracts as they adjust to the new milk. I have put some alfalfa pellets and Timothy /orchard grass hay in their pen - which they are eating. Juniper and Tulip have had frequent visits from the neighbor kids and adults. They had a good first night in their dog house and outdoor open pen, and this morning were hungry and ready to drink their first of three bottles of milk for the day. They seem to be adjusting nicely to their new home here in the Valley.

Welcome Juniper and Tulip

2006-05-13T13:40:00.001-05:00

Today Jake and I brought home two Nubians, who we have named Tulip and Juniper. They are little, little babies, not even two weeks old yet. After we picked them out from about 15 cute babies, the breeder took them to be disbudded, and five minutes later, they were ready to go home with us. After a two-hour drive in the back of the van, we arrived in Seven Valleys. They will be kept separate from the rest of the herd for about a week in case either one of them turns up sick; and first thing on Monday, they will go visit the vet for any shots as needed and just a general check up.

2006-05-12T06:37:00.000-05:00

Hoof Trimming

2006-05-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

The goaties got their first hoof trimming (by me) this morning. Ginger wasn’t thrilled by being held in one spot, but I managed to overpower her and do my thing. I was nervous that I might cut too far and make her bleed. I can’t really see where the line is, so I just have to imagine where I think it might be. They weren’t very much in need of trimming – Dr. Lukacs trimmed them in March to show me how to do it. I was able to do all of her feet with no problems, and it seemed fairly easy. Then it was Clover’s turn; she was much more in need of a trim. I felt so confident that I boldly clipped away at her hooves. After one of the clips, she pulled her foot away quickly, and I realized that I had cut too deep and made her bleed. Argh! Prepared for such a disaster, I reached for the “Blue Kote” antiseptic spray and coated her wound – and my boots – and my gloves. Clover seems to have forgiven me for hurting her. After the hoof trimming, my clothes were covered with dirt; I didn’t realize how filthy those goats are. My next project will be… a goat bath!

More goats

2006-05-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

This Saturday we are getting two more goats. These ones will be baby Nubian does. These are coming from a really good line of milkers too, and the man who keeps them makes cheeses from their milk; he sells his cheeses online and to local restaurants and shops. http://www.shellbarkhollow.com/

Ginger-girl

2006-05-09T07:36:00.000-05:00

This is Ginger. She is the reigning Herd Queen of our herd of two dairy goats!! Ginger is a four-month old Saanen from Burkittsville, MD. I've always wanted a Saanen simply because they look to me like the ideal dairy goat. They are just simply a beautiful goat. She is from a great line of milkers - and I'm curious to see if she performs as her breeder says she will. Ginger is a big girl - Saanens are a large breed - and one of her favorite things to do is eat!! Ginger loves her grain, and gets giddy when she happens upon honeysuckle, sumac, or dandelions. She's a bit bossy and can seem like a loner to most people; but with me, she never can be brushed enough, and has a great capacity to love it seems when she just wants to sit with her face pressed to mine. I feel like that's her way of hugging me - I love that!

Clover

2006-05-09T07:11:00.000-05:00

Here is Clover! Clover is an 11-week old Toggenburg. I wanted a Toggenburg because Carl Sandburg's wife, Paula, kept them for years. She became an internationally recognized dairy goat breeder; and one of her Toggenburgs, Jennifer II, broke the World Toggenburg record for milk production when she produced 5,750 pounds of milk in one year! I don't dare dream that Clover might ever get anywhere near that notariety - honestly, I'd be happy if I can get her to milking any amount! Clover is a friendly, warm, sweet, and playful little girl. She eats her grain one morsel at a time - never in a hurry. Her favorite thing to do is play on the overturned plastic chair in her yard.

O Happy Day

2006-03-22T06:26:00.000-05:00

On Friday, March 17th Asa and I drove to Cranbury Brook Farm in New Jersey and picked up nearly one-month old Toggenburg doeling who we named Clover. The barn was ready for her arrival; John had just finished the fencing inside the barn to separate the goats from a doorway leading to the mazes of the mill and keeping them out of where we store the hay and feed. We had a pallet down to use as a bed and straw strewn on the floor. Love that straw smell! John made a "crate" for the back of the van to protect it from being chewed up and messed on during the 3-hour drive home. Once home, she settled in nicely and seemed really happy to be with us. She loves to run with the boys and be petted non-stop.

The next day I drove to Caprikorn Farms in Burkittsville, MD to pick up "#602", who we renamed Ginger. Ginger is 2.5 months old, much larger than Clover, and not as used to being around people as Clover is. She was nervous around us. She was just weened from the bottle a couple of days before I picked her up, so I chose to offer her a bottle again so she could connect with us and become more friendly and see me as her mom. She didn't really like being petted or brushed, and would scurry away when someone tried to get close to her.

After four days with us and on two bottle feedings each day, she has really warmed up to us and is much more comfortable with being petted, and now loves to be brushed, and stands absolutely still for it. Both goats follow us around wherever we go and love to run across the lawn, climb on any lawn furniture, spontaneously jump with joy, and eat the ivy off of our house.

We are really happy with our goating lives so far, and look forward to breed them this late fall and them having babies in the early spring, then finally being able to milk them.

We will be getting two more goats in a couple of weeks - these ones will be really little girls; they were due to be born yesterday. These ones are Nubians; the ones with the really long floppy ears.

Stay tuned for the upcoming stories from life on the Seven Valleys Dairy Goat farm!

2006-03-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

I just spoke on the phone with a dairy goat farmer and artisan cheesemaker based in Westchester, PA. I am trying to purchase some of his Nubian doelings. If anyone has a good milking doe, it's him! He has his own cheesemaking business and taught himself how to make cheeses. He is now one of the most well-known artisan cheesemakers in the Philadelphia area, selling to many restaurants and markets. I am on his list to receive two of his dairy goats, which are due around the 21st of February. Excited!

A Few More Things

2006-02-26T09:10:00.000-05:00

John and I have managed to clear out a great amount of lumber from the goat barn. Only a small bit left to move. What's left before we can have the goats? Well, John will need to build the feeding stanchion - shouldn't take more than a day; we need to put up a single gated fence to separate our yard and the goat's yard; I need to lime and straw the earthen barn floor, stock up on hay and feed; establish an emergency kit, stock up on basic supplies (hoof trimmers, brushes, water buckets). Then, we can finally go pick up our kids and bring them home!!!

Expecting

2006-02-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

Everyday I think to myself: somewhere out there, is my goat kid; still in it's mamma's belly. Growing closer to being ready to be born. End of March should be the time. It's so close, yet so far away. I feel so lucky for what is about to happen.

The Countdown Is On

2006-01-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Waiting is so hard to do. I have found an instate dairy goat farm who sells goat kids for a relatively reasonable price. It's not too far away from us; I don't relish the idea of making a couple kids ride in the back of a van for five or six hours. There is a place here in town that has a sign up in their yard advertising that they sell goats and kids; however the condition of their property and the animals that I spied is keeping me from being able to use them as a source for my herd. It would be more convenient to buy very local, but in the long run, I will likely be sorry about that choice. I have been in contact with a woman from Hillside Farm in Glen Mills, PA. She is going to contact me after January when the kids are born to let me know what she has available. Her herd includes Alpine, La Mancha, Toggenburg, Saanen and Recorded Grade dairy goats, so I may not even have the option of my choice breeds: Saanens and Nubians. I definitely don't want a LaMancha, although that is Asa's favorite breed. It's definitely harder than I thought it would be to obtain the goats.

Boer Goats in my Future?

2005-11-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

I am considering raising meat goats in addition to dairy goats. I am mulling over: Can I raise goats myself from kids fully knowing that they will be led to slaughter one day and then be able to just hand them over? I am really on the fence about that. I'd like to be able to have an income from this goat venture, and that could be one way to do it.

This is a picture of a Boer goat. They are raised for meat. As you may be able to tell, they are much chunkier than a dairy goat.

Only thinking about it right now.

Brushing Up

2005-11-15T08:13:00.000-05:00

I am really getting excited, because I know that it won't be much longer before my first goaties will be here.

I've been taking the time to sit and read through some of my goat books again. I've read all of them over and over many times. But each time I read them, I seem to learn something new. As things are beginning to change over from abstract concepts, many points actually mean something to me, and I am able to get some really great information that I can use.

I have gone from thinking that I absolutely had to have a pasture for the goats to being okay with feeding them hay and grain rations. I still will work to have a decent pasture - but I am going to stop stressing out over getting the pasture up and running immediately. I look at it as being a nice addition to the hay and grain rations. For now, I can work to improve my skills at pasture management and use our tiny pasture (a bit over an acre) as we are able.

This is one of the books that I am reading right now. It is a very informative and interesting book. I really recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about dairy goats.

Pasture Grass

2005-11-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Apparently there's more to a pasture than simply a fenced-in open parcel of land. I went to the Small Farm Expo this summer in the Poconos. There, I sat in on a lecture about maintaining a pasture. What I learned blew my mind. I just simply did not realize the extent to which folks go to have a quality pasture for their animals to feed from. I know that I have been naive - but I didn't know just how much so. I am ashamed! But, better find this out now than after I have goats to feed. I walked into the lecture with a hundred questions, and I walked out with ten thousand questions. Now I am trying to learn more about growing quality grasses, the best time to grow, and how to best maintain the pasture.
I don't have to pasture them, but I would like to if I am able. True, I only have about an acre and a half on which to put them - so it would be limited. But, better some than none, I think. I think that it would be quite an accomplishment for me to grow a nice pasture that I can use to sustain my goats on - if only in part.

Wheeeee!

2005-11-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

I'm still a bit unsure about this machine, but am determined to master it.