Breeding season 2010

[Blackbird]

Do you have a radio in the barn?? Supposedly that is supposed to help.. In some way.. Not sure if it really does. We do, but we only have it playing when we are in milking. Sometimes I would sing to them, usually just mumbles, but unless I sang passionately, they ignored me. When I do sing decently (in my standards) they would all glare at me, as if they were telling me to shut up and let the radio do it. So who knows.

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day. After milking she always used to smoke in the barn, but she has since tapering off and is trying to quit, so she hasn't in a long time. She said the other day she lit up after milking and all the girls were sticking their heads out the fence with their lips blubbering trying to get a whiff!! Apparently they were getting addicted all this time! Yeesh!

Yes.. Goats.

 

[freemotion]

That is funny! I bet they associate the smoke smell with the full tummies and comfortably empty udders and their friend, your mom, nearby. Just contentment all around. Udder contentment.....

 

[Blackbird]

Ah yes, that's it... Udder contentment!

Your Mya reminds me of Jenna, and Ginger reminds me of Libby (maybe it's the Boer in those two?)
Sometimes Libby just drives me up the wall. Apparently she is STILL bullying Elsie at times. She's always been a terrible bully to just about everyone, she goes through mood swings or phases where she's angry at someone new every so often. I wish she would change targets! She's a kooky thing, she can go from smashing into another goat, to frolicking gleefully towards you with a loving cooing and chewing her cud, wanting hugs and snacks.

Darnit I miss the goats!

 

[freemotion]

Awww.....you need to have a goat snuggle session! (I can see you sniffing them, too....Ahhhh! )

 

[Blackbird]

BTW, I want to let you know that I'm not ignoring your emails! I haven't designated any time to explore through those websites yet, and was dealing with some privacy issues earlier, but I'll get back to you eventually! Sometimes I read emails and think about what I'm going to say, and forget before I get time to type it all, or get too lazy, etc. And here I am rambling on..



Jenna used to hook the other goats with her horns and drag them around if she could. Plus getting her head stuck in the fencing for hours on end. That's why we disbud now. Hate it though.

To 'dehorn' Jenna, we put the elasticator castration bands around the bases of her horns. She lost the last one because Libby bonked her.. shoulda heard her scream! Then Libby runs after her as if she cares and wants to see if she's ok, and Jenna wanted nothing to do with her after that. As a result Jenna lost her position in the herd. Even with one horn she still thought she was queen!

 

[freemotion]

Oh, don't worry. I know I gave you a lot of stuff to explore. It dawned on me that googling that stuff doesn't really work out all that well sometimes.... You need to take a lot of time with it. Next time we talk, I'll be sure to have a phone that I can actually hear you on so it can be a two-way conversation!

 

[FarmerDenise]

My girls are 7 months. So what are the signs of them being ready?
the other day Flower was crying more than usual and I thought maybe she was wanting something I couldn't provide. But other than the crying more than she usually does, I didn't notice anything different.
I was thinking of finding a buck for them when they are around 10 months. What do you guys think?

They are both looking good and chunky and growing like crazy. Honestly, they have no excuse to be going hungry at this point. Their pasture has a nice crop of weeds growing and I give them alfalfa, orchard grass and lots of other goodies too. So I expect them to keep growing nicely.

 

[freemotion]

Eight months and eighty pounds is the general rule for dairy breeds.

 

[Cinebar]

You can get a "buck rag" from someone...anyone...with a buck, simply a rag rubbed on his more perfumed parts (where he tinkles on himself) and keep it in a jar to keep the scent strong. Let your girls sniff it daily and watch for tail flagging or pee'ing.

The woman who is going to do the AI on my doe gave me a collar off one of her bucks that is quite......pungent, shall we say?

I let the doe I'll be breeding sniff it a couple of days ago. Mostly, she was just curious (I'm not expecting her to come into heat until next week anyway) but my old Saanen doe sure went into a tizzy when she came over to see what was going on. The only thing is, Sweet Pea is 12 and "retired" so that does me no good,

Hopefully my surgery in ten or eleven days doesn't mess things up for me. I'm loving having this fresh milk come into the house every day.

 

[freemotion]

If your surgery is poorly timed (can't you tell you surgeon that you have to reschedule because your goat will be in full-hussy-mode??? ) you still have time for another heat. Or two!