Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[ragdollcatlady]

If you are looking to sell minis, the idea is a smaller animal that eats less, easier to handle, but still provides more milk. I think the hobby homesteaders lean towards the mini versions of their favorite breeds for the size vs. feed but still want more milk. (Just from a buyers point of view...if I were buying, I'd want milk for drinking and cheese...) Of course some might get minis just for pets, in which case it really wouldn't matter.

I just picked up a 2 day old, blue eyed, buckskin grandson of Jacks and then had trips born early this morning out of him, so I have a keeper girl too, and one of the trips, a buckling, is brown buckskin with spots!!!! (Probably not keeping the spotted boy, but I am tempted!)... Makes it easier to think of saying goodbye to Jack. (If you don't want Jack, no worries, I may just offer him for sale and see where we end up.)

P.S......I love nigerians and have 10 and counting at the moment, so if you ever needed another buck down the road I might be able to assist you...just sayin'.....

 

[babsbag]

So follow my thinking here for a minute.

Let's say I did buy Jack and down the road I wanted to keep some minis, my problem is then I need something to breed them to and I am not keen on line breeding. But what if I kept a buckling from Jack and one of my really good does and then used him for stud with my minis. There would still be some line breeding but not 100%, does that make sense or not? If I get good genetics from Jack and good genetics from my does my mini buckling could/should be awesome.

Any thoughts?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

At some point you may always lean towards some sort of out cross....the easiest would of course be to keep girls out of Jack, then replace him with a mini (or other foundation mini) to breed to his (F1) daughters, thus increasing the actual mini Foundation. F1 to F1 makes F2, etc.... Unfortunately for boys, it is usually easier to replace them to increase our herd genetics. You could always use Jack for a few years to breed to your "just need to freshen" girls and sell all of them, but maybe breed him to just one or 2 with the actual intention of holding back a kid or 2. Then you would have a couple goats in your herd with his perpetual genes so when he works himself out of a job (or gets on your nerves) you can pass him along.

I don't think I would plan on more than a few minis in a large milking herd if your money maker is liquid milk....but if kid sales can justify it, they might make up for the trade off/maintenance of keeping him.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Meet the new kids on the block.....

Yesterday, Sunday, I picked up a 2 day old kid from Macintasha, out of Casanova, the little buckskin boy.

Then this morning Monday, around midnight, I was finally settling Spellbound into the kidding stall with the new kid, hoping she would let him snuggle, while waiting for her own kids to arrive. I had his bottle ready and was carrying him out to the pen when he cried really loudly in my ear. hearing him, Spell screamed at me to "give me that baby!!!" so I did. She tried to lick him into a puddle of goat spit and let him nurse a little so I figured we were good for the night. But as I got ready to leave the pen to try and get some sleep, I realized Spell had a bubble! I knew she was any minute from kidding since she had been making a nest for the last few days. She delivered all 3 kids backwards!!! These are her 7-9 kids...She knows how this is supposed to go! Anyhow, all kids are warm and dry. Spell settled down to keep track of all 4 kids and I made it in to bed by 2am. Needless to say, today has been a really long day.

So I have a Captain Jack grandson, the little blue eyed buckskin.

And the trips are Jack babies too....the little calico doeling (buckskin with moonspots), a chocolate buckskin with moonspots buckling, and a blue eyed, black with white buckling.

Enjoy!

 

[babsbag]

Those nigis give the best colors, I can only imagine them mixed with Alpines, the color combinations would be endless. Just post more pictures and I would want him for sure; they are adorable.

Back to the minis for a minute. I have a few reasons for wanting some of them, the fat content in the milk being a really big one. I know someone that is getting almost 3/4 gallons a day from an F1 FF, that isn't bad at all. I have standards that don't do much better. But you are right, I wouldn't want an entire herd of them when my goal is 20 gallons a day with not more than 25 does in milk.

I just think that they might be easier to sell, everyone likes mini things and they certainly could have their place on a small farm.

Do you know if the minis are seasonal breeders or does it depend on the doe? Having goats in milk year round would be awesome.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Nice.

 

[Hens and Roos]

cute bunch of kids, congrats!

 

[OneFineAcre]

I had never looked at your website until you mentioned Jack. I'd like to say you have very nice animals.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

@ragdollcatlady I have always loved seeing your kids! You really need to start a kidding thread! (I have been lurking for years )

Has Reeses kidded yet?

Congrats on the kids!

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Babs, I believe the minis are more seasonal. I think everyone has stronger heat cycles in the fall though (even the nigis) as spring is typically when the most abundant food supply nature could provide just shows up everywhere. Especially in the form of goats favorites....weeds!

OFA, Thanks...I think so too but I am definitely biased!

Goat Whisperer, Reese is due next month. At the moment she is already as big as a house. She has had 3 kids each of the last 2 times and twins before that. I rebred her to Spartagus as I love what they gave me last year. for more girls too, as she gave me all 3 girls last year! I bred StinkerBelle, at the same time. I try and plan on 2 does kidding at the same time so I will have extra kids for company and extra milk if I need.....unless everyone has too many kids all at the same time.... then I guess I am just up a creek with a "store bought milk in bottles" type of paddle....