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- #171
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Stay safe!
rachels.haven 2026 kidding,lactation&farm journal
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- #172
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Last night the squal line sent us to the basement and knocked down several white pine trees across our side of the u shaped shared driveway. As far as i know there's no contract so no one is responsible for it. This might be interesting. I have a battery powered weekend warrior chainsaw but not the skill to use it on that scale. Some of the neighbors have the mega dump trucks and skid steers and big trailers. Hopefully they get to it before i find time to.
Today it was snow/raining during milking time so i milked late rather than have thr goats walk through the rain. This gave me a chance to see the girls more full. I'm trying to evaluate this yearling ff Nigerian's attachment. She's better than her dam but idk if shes really socked on. She is one of six full sisters we have here (prolific dam).
I kind of hate evaluating nd ff's. They're different than dairy goats and aren't the same kind of dairy no matter what anyone says. Some of them i shut my eyes and put my hands on their udder and just feel if they have "it" as far as attachment. The last one i didn't even clip and this year she's amazing. This one I'm not sure on. She and her sisters might be a "breed up one more step" situation if I'm not sold on them. There are definitely things I like here, but i want to start with attachment.
Worried this udder will fall as an aged doe is what I'm seeing and she'll be more like her dam...if they make enough milk to cause that. The color and mud do not help evaluating.
Today it was snow/raining during milking time so i milked late rather than have thr goats walk through the rain. This gave me a chance to see the girls more full. I'm trying to evaluate this yearling ff Nigerian's attachment. She's better than her dam but idk if shes really socked on. She is one of six full sisters we have here (prolific dam).
I kind of hate evaluating nd ff's. They're different than dairy goats and aren't the same kind of dairy no matter what anyone says. Some of them i shut my eyes and put my hands on their udder and just feel if they have "it" as far as attachment. The last one i didn't even clip and this year she's amazing. This one I'm not sure on. She and her sisters might be a "breed up one more step" situation if I'm not sold on them. There are definitely things I like here, but i want to start with attachment.
Worried this udder will fall as an aged doe is what I'm seeing and she'll be more like her dam...if they make enough milk to cause that. The color and mud do not help evaluating.
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- #173
rachels.haven
Herd Master
This is her less full. That line and gap at the top worry me. Tiny little thing.
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- #174
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Meanwhile this muddy, long nailed ff is a contrary witch on the stand that activates my carpal tunnel to milk but she DOES have attachment...but she's going because of that first bit. I'm stand breaking her, but milking is a long term partnership and she just wants war at every turn and wants me to know that if it's not her idea we're not friends.
(I need a dry weekend to do hooves, PLEASE!!!)
(I need a dry weekend to do hooves, PLEASE!!!)
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- #175
rachels.haven
Herd Master
And here's the doe that had the single buck that died shortly after birth and no milk. We're still "milking". The udder is socked into her body wall and legs. She has the attachment. She still needs the milk and mammary tissue and all, but she passes for this year. I hope this year counts as a lactation for her. I think i need to dry her off. She's a tiny doe making a tiny token amount from what feels like the equivalent of a precocious udder.
Meanwhile the lamanchas are like...
ATTACHMENT.
Yeah, i know where our quality is.
The highest producing ff lamancha on test last month made 10 lbs at less than a month fresh, still just warming up. That ff nigerian weighs maybe 50 lbs. Sigh.
Meanwhile the lamanchas are like...
ATTACHMENT.
Yeah, i know where our quality is.
The highest producing ff lamancha on test last month made 10 lbs at less than a month fresh, still just warming up. That ff nigerian weighs maybe 50 lbs. Sigh.
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- #176
rachels.haven
Herd Master
The line down the middle of the ND's udders up top mean they are not full and they may be more bottom fillers. They filled one particularly alfalfa-y temperate day and the lines went away one day since I posted.
I've been missing having great whites in my herd and had an opportunity at a disease tested yearling someone didn't want with nice, showy lines so I jumped on it.
Shaun calls them white angels.
She'll be in quarantine until I have my own disease testing results in my hand. She's huge, but may be a little slabby sided almost like she may have had coccidia issues as a kid or not enough milk. She was in a ND/Nubian herd which are thriftier, lower producing breeds so it's possible she didn't get enough food. They also made it sound like they were yet another herbals only herd. She's going to eat good here and we use real drugs as needed.
I would not mind a second great white, but I also have some very nice semen in my tank collected by a great processor from a Saanen friend's buck and my saanens seemed a little easier to ai than my lamanchas. I may have to make my own because I want them sound and correct for a long productive life to be able to keep up with the Lamanchas AND I want them disease free, all of which are harder to come by in big dairy goats.
I've been missing having great whites in my herd and had an opportunity at a disease tested yearling someone didn't want with nice, showy lines so I jumped on it.
Shaun calls them white angels.
She'll be in quarantine until I have my own disease testing results in my hand. She's huge, but may be a little slabby sided almost like she may have had coccidia issues as a kid or not enough milk. She was in a ND/Nubian herd which are thriftier, lower producing breeds so it's possible she didn't get enough food. They also made it sound like they were yet another herbals only herd. She's going to eat good here and we use real drugs as needed.
I would not mind a second great white, but I also have some very nice semen in my tank collected by a great processor from a Saanen friend's buck and my saanens seemed a little easier to ai than my lamanchas. I may have to make my own because I want them sound and correct for a long productive life to be able to keep up with the Lamanchas AND I want them disease free, all of which are harder to come by in big dairy goats.
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- #177
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Nigerian dwarf Twenty-One kidded three backwards or breach kids by Oberon. She held them in as long as she could, butt against the wall for most of the afternoon then shot them out in rapid fire regardless of position when she stood up at afternoon check. The kids are a little weaker...probably from a slightly prolonged labor due to malposition.
Now that they're in the house I'm noticing that one of the does the legs on one side are longer than the other and the rear leg sticks out and the front leg can't straighten. I always wonder about cache valley, but I may have an incompatible cross or a random screw up. Regardless, the odd doeling ate most of 5 oz, the buckling at 3-4 oz, and as usual there's a holdout doeling that I get to wait on for her to get hungry. The dam's udder is looking okay, better than her witchy sister's, but if weird legs are in the cards when I cross them into my line IDK if she'll stay. If they don't straighten out that's quality of life altering.
Now that they're in the house I'm noticing that one of the does the legs on one side are longer than the other and the rear leg sticks out and the front leg can't straighten. I always wonder about cache valley, but I may have an incompatible cross or a random screw up. Regardless, the odd doeling ate most of 5 oz, the buckling at 3-4 oz, and as usual there's a holdout doeling that I get to wait on for her to get hungry. The dam's udder is looking okay, better than her witchy sister's, but if weird legs are in the cards when I cross them into my line IDK if she'll stay. If they don't straighten out that's quality of life altering.
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- #178
rachels.haven
Herd Master
I don't know if this is going to fix overnight.
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- #179
rachels.haven
Herd Master
She's a little tighter today-still bow legged, but we'll see. Everything is always "we'll see".
Here's mom, newly fresh FF. She's sweet and not a bit witchy on the stand unlike her littermate. Yes, tiny teats but good attitude. I can wait on her to come in. (sister is STILL witchy) This doe may pocket, but I can work with that. Nasty attitude not so much.
IDK why she has chafing on the upper sides of her udder. It was there under the hair when I shaved her. I guess we'll see on that too. It may have something to do with the udder coming in. Does not look comfy, but will probably heal.
Here's mom, newly fresh FF. She's sweet and not a bit witchy on the stand unlike her littermate. Yes, tiny teats but good attitude. I can wait on her to come in. (sister is STILL witchy) This doe may pocket, but I can work with that. Nasty attitude not so much.
IDK why she has chafing on the upper sides of her udder. It was there under the hair when I shaved her. I guess we'll see on that too. It may have something to do with the udder coming in. Does not look comfy, but will probably heal.
Baymule
Herd Master
I have found vaseline to be a great healer of chafing spots, plus ease the chafing. Might want to try it on her.
