Recent content by For the Love of Dirt

  1. For the Love of Dirt

    Looking for goat books...

    I have Storey's guide to dairy goats, Raising goats for dummies, 50 Do-it-Yourself projects for raising goats, and Raising Goats Naturally by Deborah Neimann. I'm looking for other books, especially on dairy goats. Any books available as an audiobook a plus due to an hour commute to and from...
  2. For the Love of Dirt

    Wild amaranth safe?

    I’ve been told that this is wild amaranth in our garden, and was wondering if it was safe for goats. I don’t yet have goats, but hope to get some this fall once we have a barn built, and since our pigs, chickens and turkeys refuse to eat this stuff, I was hoping that I could put the goats here...
  3. For the Love of Dirt

    Insane rabbit demand

    I am on a group for Silver fox rabbits for Southeastern US, and they have said the same thing. They have had increased demand for rabbits, and most of them aren't selling because they are, or course, concerned for the animals' well being, and are also concerned that when everything calms down...
  4. For the Love of Dirt

    How many goats?

    I'm planning on starting low, as I have never had goats before, but I do plan on keeping any does that I produce. I am hoping to start with a single doe in milk and 2 doe kids, and breed all of them in the fall. If you go by the average 2 kids per doe and 50/50 chance of doe kids, then the herd...
  5. For the Love of Dirt

    Kits wasting feed!

    I have an 8 week old litter of 9 silver fox rabbits that I just moved out of momma's cage and into 2 cages, 4 boys in one, 5 girls in the other (until I can get more cages built). I had hoped that this would solve my problem, but apparently not. The little fluff balls completely empty out their...
  6. For the Love of Dirt

    Silver Fox kits born last night! Need to fatten momma back up!

    At this point they are over 4 weeks old. I weighed and sexed them yesterday. 5 does and 4 bucks, and they are all a pound or more, the largest being 1 lb 4oz. However I am now having a problem with keeping food in their feeder. The babies dig all of it out, and the feeder is constantly empty...
  7. For the Love of Dirt

    Silver Fox kits born last night! Need to fatten momma back up!

    All nine still going strong. I removed the nest box a couple days ago because they were no longer using it, and the little turds are wasting a ton of food. They dig it out of the feeder in order to find the perfect piece, and all the rest falls into the poop catcher! they even managed to upturn...
  8. For the Love of Dirt

    Silver Fox kits born last night! Need to fatten momma back up!

    Took some individual pictures today. Does that second one look thin or am I being paranoid? If they are, would it be safe to supplement them with formula, or will that throw momma off? I need to go get a new scale... I have one, but it is packed up somewhere, lost in our move.
  9. For the Love of Dirt

    Keeping track of pedigrees

    What do all of you do as far as keeping track of pedigrees? I just had my first litter born on the 13th, and am looking into getting started on the pedigrees, but not quite sure how to go about it. Do you all use an established program or did you create your own template? If you created your...
  10. For the Love of Dirt

    Silver Fox kits born last night! Need to fatten momma back up!

    It is officially 9. Used a hot pad and a mobile battery my mom had to keep them warm while out of the nest. No still borns and no dead! The two adults are mom and dad the day we bred them!
  11. For the Love of Dirt

    Silver Fox kits born last night! Need to fatten momma back up!

    My doe had her (and my) first litter last night, and of course she had to have them on the night of our first hard freeze! I came home from work at 4 this morning (I work nights) and saw the squirming mass of fur in her nest box, so they were born sometime between 10 last night and probably...
  12. For the Love of Dirt

    Planting Pasture with Browse?

    We are working on getting pigs too, and I am planning the cattle, but they are probably a lot farther off in the future than everything else, probably 5+ yrs. They aren't as high on my list of priorities. Definitely planning on moving my chickens (when I find them) through the pastures as well...
  13. For the Love of Dirt

    Planting Pasture with Browse?

    We have 17 acres, although about 2-3 acres are home, garden and orchard. My original plan was to put up permanent perimeter fencing, and moving them around the property with electric netting until we could put in permanent cross fence and lanes, but due to cost we may end up just adding paddocks...
  14. For the Love of Dirt

    Planting Pasture with Browse?

    I just want to make sure they have a good variety. Plus, a youtuber I watch just lost his goats from worms, due to them being on too much pasture. Goats are less likely to get worms if they aren't on so much grass, as grass is where the little demons hide. Of course they had also been bred and...
  15. For the Love of Dirt

    Planting Pasture with Browse?

    Hoping to get goats in the spring, and am wanting to plant our pasture with more browse than graze. we already have knee high grass wherever you look anyway, so we are good there. I am wanting more bushy type stuff and trees. I'm already planning on planting some apple and pear trees, and...
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