A Jesusfreaks tales of farm life with soon to be Six kids

Jesusfreak101

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And if I let her raise them how do you make hem friendly since we been offering bottles they have turned from standoffish to friendly. My biggest challenge is my human kids they like to hold them and in order to old them they try to catch them which means they chase them which is doing the oposiopp for me. So I cant spend much time with them unless the humans are in with me so yeah. But with the bottle feeding the humans feed them.
 

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If she is just putting up a fuss stick with it. Waiting will just make it worse and her production will start going down as they start maturing and could wane dramatically before you can get her production back up.
Bottle feeding does make kids very friendly but with a lot of time spent with goats dam raised kids can also be raised friendly.
The key is from birth pick them up and hold them and love them.
As far as the children, don't let them chase them. Teach them to sit still and allow the goat kids to come up for their bottles. Slow and gentle loving is best. Remember goats are herd animals and have the flight reaction - chasing only makes things worse and they can get people shy. They kind of look at it as a predator is chasing them.
 

Jesusfreak101

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Thats why I kinda wanted to bottle raise the human kids like to help feed them so makes them a bit more patient. Ok so best to keep goin and not give up got it. Uh let's just say I glad that I had y'all to talk to. Otherwise I might have lost it completely. She can be a sweet heart but can be a Pain. Oh two questions first when should I expect daisy hoof to be healed? Second how long before I know I my disbuddig job worked?
 

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In my case, Both years when I disbudded mine I had several kids that didn't take completely the first time around. I had to go back and re-burn them to get the little bit of the horn nub that didn't die the first time. Had I not done so, they would have grown into scurs. Generally, you'll start feeling regrowth after 2-3 weeks if you missed any. I've found it's more of an issue with boys than girls. Some folks burn the boys in a figure eight pattern over the nub to try and get it all the first time... an "8" burn pattern on each bud...
 

Jesusfreak101

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Ok I am just nervous about it I guess first time and all . Ok next question I keep debating o this as y'all know we have three goats they have a 200ftx40ft pen now we tryin trying to decide whether or not to keep any of the kids. Would y'all with that much room oh and they also have a 40footx10 foot kidding pen that they will have access to when no one kidding and the kids are weaned. I keep debating on it one do I need that much milk two is the space enough. Three what will .Do when they old enough to kid..
 

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Technically you could keep 20 goats in a space that size but it would have to be a dry lot situation where you provided all food. The more goats in there, the less vegetation will survive, and it will become a dirt lot. Advantage: less parasite issues. Disadvantage: cost of feeding them, mud when wet, dust when dry, what to do with all the poop. You can always section off other areas for growing kids etc. Biggest issue is keeping boys and girls separated. You don't "HAVE" to milk all of them... I certainly don't. Really, it comes down to choice... you have to make a decision based on what your goals are and then choose accordingly.
 

Jesusfreak101

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Uh that's alot more goats then I would want in that area lol. Oh my goodness. And fo the most part it already is just dirt we have lots of clay so its a pain over there anyways but normally there is some coastal growing. So there would be less parasite if we had more goats or less goats? And I do have the option in the future to fence off some pasture for feeding them. So there I that as well. I just keep debating about it because I love goats and they fun and cute but the same time having to pay for feed and possible vet is quite alot for that many I currently spend about 200 for all the animals (two cats, dog, chickens,geese, ducks rabbits goats) so feed would be about 100 dollars more or so... Mmm. I like the kids I like on build over the others more the younger( silver bells) is wide atthe rear. She also more friendly then her sister(jingle bells). She also really takes the bottle as where .have to open the other mouth before she will take it.i think she more mommas girl)
 

Jesusfreak101

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Well great lol now I still need to decide i also ad thought about buying a show quality doeling or buckling. I like buck fine I am still trying to decide if he would be considered a quality buck or not... I also debate whether show quality I what. Need moslym I want good producers.
 

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And fo the most part it already is just dirt we have lots of clay so its a pain over there anyways but normally there is some coastal growing. So there would be less parasite if we had more goats or less goats?
The parasites need vegetation to climb up on off the ground for the animals to eat them. Since there's no vegetation for the parasites to climb, there's no way for them to get eaten and thus the reproduction chain is broken. It won't eliminate the parasites your goats have already, and they will continue to feed and produce eggs to be pooped out, but if you feed your goats "off the ground", there's no way for them to get more parasites. So when you de-worm the goats and they shed the majority of what they already have, you're done with them for the most part.

This is why pasture rotation is done. When the eggs hatch and climb the vegetation to be eaten, the animals are now in a different place and the parasites die.

If you keep your best goat(s) and sell the remainder, they will help offset the food bill and over time your herd quality will improve. You'll be "culling" (selling/eating/whatever) the bad producers or those with issues, bad conformation (for showing) etc. However, that being said, you need the highest quality buck you can get as that represents 50% of every future kid your does produce.
 

Jesusfreak101

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Ah ok. From what I know of my buck he comes from a good line tlc keys to the Future his his sure an his mother is Caprinoroyal magnolia. If I need to buy an new buck I can or buy a new doe but I imagine getting a new buck if he isn't what I need being a better then m does plus I am kinda attached :hidelol
 
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