Couple little surprises

[biathlon]

Good on ya Lowman. Goats are probably one of the very best SHTF farm animals there is. I've heard they will eat just about anything? What are the mineral requirements you spoke of?

[arcangel911]

congrats on the new additions

[eeyore]

LowDown,

I had a friend that used to use an axle off a car and use it as a tether move it as needed, to areas he want to have eaten down.

My only concern expressed to him is that you get them a long enough lead, so they could move and protect them selves a little.

[Lowdown3]

That would be my concern Eeyore. We get packs of stray dogs in the area from time to time. My dogs are pretty good about watching over things, but still. We have had some horrendous losses in the poultry and rabbit side of things due to all the strays.

The first new kids are doing great. They love us. We go out and sit in there with them and they jump and climb on our laps right off the bat. We worked with their mum like that when we first got her also.

The new kids on the block today are doing fine but I don't think they have had much to eat. I noticed Spice had a REALLY big bag and when I felt it/rubbed it, it seemed kinda hard.

I didn't want to take any chances and we had not seen her kids nurse any of the times we were out there, so I milked a good bit from here and we kinda force feed it to her kids via a bottle and rubber nipple.

I'm hoping between now and tomorrow morning they "get it" a little better. We'll bottle feed them if we have to, but I'd prefer they go to their mum for their needs.

[wompa wompa 1]

Congratulations!!!! How bout Steve and Todd.

[1Admin]

Todd's dead, you didn't read the new edition? ;)


Speaking of death, the one little buck died a couple days later. We took him inside after the first day, feed him from a medicine dropper and kept him close to the fire. He was slightly better for about a day then went downhill and died.

Gracie, Boots and Leia are all doing really well though. We've effectively doubled the size of the herd so far this year.

We'll probably wait another couple weeks, let the buck in with the does to get them pregnant again and then put the buck down. We don't want the hassle of keeping two separate sections in goats- all does in one and one buck in another. And I don't want him trying to breed with the daughters. In the late summer we'll buy another buck and raise him up to do the next batch of pregnancies next year.

[Red]

Great post! Thanks so much for sharing. I am such a greenhorn, :)