Livinwright Farm's Journal - Our life with goats

elevan

Critter Addict ♥
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
13,870
Reaction score
739
Points
423
Location
Morrow Co ~ Ohio
The black and/ or gray face masking is often part of the caramel coloration.

I love the way our kids masked out. Kingston is my avatar but Diva is absolutely gorgeous in the face imo...she looks like she's wearing makeup :D
 

Livinwright Farm

Goat Fancier
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,258
Reaction score
17
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
Today was a fun day! We started the day by getting the the animals fed... chickens first outside(so they don't eat the goat's feed) then feed the girls(one's in milk first), then the boys. The girls were released to the back paddock, and the boys were put out with the hens & chicks. The search commenced for the morning's first eggs, and then the chase was on to grab hens and put them in the back paddock with the does.
Then it was time to see if there was anything in Minnies round udder. Once I was able to get her properly positioned so I could access her left teat, the calming and sweet talking began. after a few little flicks of her leg, she finally let me get a few good squeezes... on the third squeeze, out squirted some watery milk. This was a bit of a surprise that anything came out... as she is 10 months post kidding, and to my knowledge, her previous owner/breeder had not been milking her. So, ... ... :celebrate

At around 2 pm, it started misting, and then our satellite lost it's signal...
After running outside to scare the animals back into the barn, girls first, so they could get into their stalls and get locked in, and then let the boys and chicks in... JUST in time for the downpour to get here the moment I was locking up the barn. :th

Tonight when I went to check for eggs, I decided to milk out Minnie. She allowed me to milk out roughly 8.25 oz. and then decided she had had enough... I think this was a splendid feat, considering we do not have a stanchion yet... and that I had not milked a goat before... excepting the one time at a local fair when I was 17 yrs old.
When I fed everyone their dinners at 8pm(late, I know), Minnie's udder was easily half the size it was prior to my milking her.. I made sure to give her a milking doe's portion of Noble Goat, and gave her a cup of chopped green beans. Tomorrow morning she will start getting her 1/2 cup BOSS per day while in milk. and Hopefully tomorrow night she will also start getting Calf Manna to help give her that extra boost for milk production.

Now it is off to bed, as we have an early rise tomorrow... we have a lot to do before heading out to meet, pay for, and pick up our new Nigerian baby/babies!
 

elevan

Critter Addict ♥
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
13,870
Reaction score
739
Points
423
Location
Morrow Co ~ Ohio
Considering it was your first time milking (and without a stanchion) and maybe even Minnie's first time milking - I'd say you both did well :D
 

elevan

Critter Addict ♥
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
13,870
Reaction score
739
Points
423
Location
Morrow Co ~ Ohio
It's so funny that you should say that. I like to think that I'm becoming quite an animal linguist :) Each species has their sounds that mean specific things and making those sounds at appropriate times can be so helpful. I've noticed that my mama goats will make a sort of hum sound when they talk to their babies in utero...maybe that is why the hum is comforting to her? idk...but it's an interesting topic. My family thinks I'm nuts and even with the new turkeys I'm learning so much...turkeys do not just make a gobble gobble sound...they have a much broader vocabulary :D
 

Livinwright Farm

Goat Fancier
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,258
Reaction score
17
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
yup! and how chicks have that little trilling that they do, I notice the chorus of chicks at night when I shut the barn light off... like they are making sure everyone is safe, and lulling each other to sleep... it is SO cute!
 

elevan

Critter Addict ♥
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
13,870
Reaction score
739
Points
423
Location
Morrow Co ~ Ohio
And when the chickens find a worm they go.."bup bup bup" and the others come running. So, if I spot a worm I say, "bup bup bup" and all the girls come running...although it's usually Miss Flufferbottom that gets it! :gig
 

Livinwright Farm

Goat Fancier
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,258
Reaction score
17
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
We have decided as a family, that it would be much better for Maude, if we rehomed her with someone who doesn't desire to milk her, and will let her raise babies as wild as they want to be. Hopefully she will be rehomed by the end of the day. We will miss her, but will be able to visit her. The woman we contacted first(Falkor's new owner), might even be interested in taking Marly & Pup also.

ETA: The woman is buying Maude & Pup! Marly may have a new home also... may not. If anyone wants a nice heavily broken chamoise Nigerian Dwarf/Pygmy buckling(almost a yr old) that throws GORGEOUS chamoisee kids(evidence pictured below) as a buck for breeding to First Freshener standard sized dairy breeds, Please PM me for details. His Mom, as you can see from the pic below, has a decent udder for a second freshening.
3120_cmon_mom.jpg
 

Livinwright Farm

Goat Fancier
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,258
Reaction score
17
Points
0
Location
New Hampshire
Pretty much... Now that we know what we want our herd to be(milkers & friendly). We are keeping Momma, as she has a beautiful temperment and produces VERY cute & friendly/cuddly kids, plus, there is a very good chance that we will be able to train her for milking.

Maude & Pup are now with Falkor at their new home. :/ Leaving was hard for all of us(people & goaties alike). Pup was screaming at us not to leave him... and Maude knows that we are her only way back to Olivia.... needless to say, it was a bit heart wrenching. Pup was kind enough to leave us with a parting present...his pee on the backseat. :rolleyes:

We finally came up with names for the 2 little black kids that we got along with HighNote yesterday. The girl is named Sheba, and the boy(being wethered ASAP), is named Jack(as in BlackJack).
 

Latest posts

Top