Br-r-r

Certainly not a record cold, but at -14 degrees its the coldest its been for a while. Must admit I'm debating about Jonah and I hitting the bush today. But that's just us; er, mainly its just me - I'm sure Jonah wants to go no matter how cold it is.

The rest of the critters around the farm are just carrying on in the cold...

Castro

This is Castro - a purebred Boer goat buckling, April born, that I picked up from a local breeder last night.

The 5 doelings I got in the summer are all mixed dairy breeds but I am only looking for enough milk for family use, so I decided to get a meat breed buck to build nice terminal market kids. ('Terminal' meaning none of the offspring would be kept for breeding stock.)

Morning has broken

The morning is coming a wee bit later each day now that we are in mid summer. This morning saw a beautiful sunrise on the heavy dew at the farm. The goats are just finishing their breakfast treat in the barn and looking out to see what the day will bring.

In the background, those tiny dots are the sheep. I took them to fresh grazing at day break. They always seem to know, before I open the barnyard gate, when they will be going to a fresh paddock. They rush, many kicking their heels in the air. By day four or five in a paddock I have to open the gate, rattle the chain and call them to come. They saunter through the gate giving that "meh" look.

To get to this morning's paddock, they had to go out across the pond yard, down the lane, and into the paddock. They ran all the way, knowing that fresh clovers, trefoil, many grasses await.

Everyone want their breakfast!

Settling In

The goats are settling nicely into their new farm.

Happily, they're already nibbling on weeds that the sheep don't like. Haven't seen them go at a thistle yet as there are none in their small yard. But there were a few burdock plants I missed when weeding and they ate the burrs and all (yay). Burdock is the one plant I will spot spray on the farm - burrs in the wool wreak havoc!

Besides a freshly baled round bale of hay and the weeds in their yard, I'm introducing the young does to a small grain ration supplement - tasty grains and soy meal mixed with molasses. This is a feed supplement that I can give them only while they are separated from the sheep as it contains copper - which is necessary for goats but toxic to sheep.

Finally, the goats have discovered the inside of the barn. Once they got a taste for the grain supplement I moved the grain trough and their water inside so they will learn its ok to come in.

New Arrivals

New arrivals to the farm yesterday!

Five young does, born in late April this year. They are 'mixed dairy breeds' type.

To begin with, they have a small yard off one side of the barn, and a large pen just inside the adjacent barn door. They have a common fence with my Shetland ram and wethers. In the evening when the flock comes in, they have another common fence.

Sheep and Bonnie and the goats will sniff each other out for a time. Once the goats are settled in they will join the sheep flock.

I've enjoyed making sheep cheese over the years, but some years they have little or no extra milk to give me. Not that I'm complaining - its usually from a ewe who's lambs died that extra milk presents itself.

I've always wished for a dairy 'family' cow, but even with my extended family I'm sure we couldn't use anywhere near that amount of milk. Perhaps a few goats - heavier milkers than sheep but much less than a cow might be worth a try.

Of course if I don't find a Billy by fall there won't be any goat milk come spring!

Here are the new girls:

Of course Jonah is going nuts with these new sounds coming from the barn. Something else to steal attention from him!

So he doesn't get too jealous, here's a picture of him standing by the lavender garden: