Goat News
new baby goat born 14th July 2010
Last week Mitzu gave birth to her first little goat. This is he on day 5 taking his first steps outside the stable. The birth went according to our text book which was a huge relief. She was very vocal about the whole thing though which was rather unnerving and we hung around, out of site, feeling very tense for the 15 minute labour. Just a few seconds after he was born he staggered up on his long legs and went for his milk. Some day soon we will have to take him to the vets to be turned from a buck to a wether so we can keep him as a companion goat for the others. He is very, very cute and we have named him Casper.
billy in the bushes
We have fenced off a lovely new area of meadow for spring 2010 but the billy goat decided to jump the through the fence prefering our wild rose bushes to grass - we've now had to electrify the fence and having got zapped twice he is leaving it well alone. I expect we will turn it off next week - they seem to remember these experiences well. Its on its lowest setting so its just a weak pulse - trouble is if we let him go where he pleases he is likely to find something poisonous, like our ceder hedges, to eat.
change of plan
Ignore the last news, we have a billy goat come to stay after all...he is from Conwy, from the Monarch herd of Anglo Nubians and his name is Casanova. We will look after him for a few months before he returns home. He is residing in the woodshed turned delux goat house where, if its raining, Mitzu and YumYum join him or, if its a dry day, they all go to the meadow. Mitzu hasnt seen another other goat except for her mum but now her initial terror has turned to complete disinterest. However, YumYum and he are getting on very well - so we will see what happens. We have to put on "goats only" outfits as he absolutely stinks of over ripe goats cheese which really lingers. He has a very sweet nature though.
the goats are bored of the snow
Not much goat news so here is a picture of our little Jack Russel in the snow. The goats wouldn't come out to have their photo taken today - they are cooped up in the stable, stuffing hay and looking a bit bored. We went to a Goat Management Meeting last month to discuss breeding Mitzu, the brown goat. We thought A.I. would be the way forward, rather that messing around with billy goats and transportation, but it seems it doesnt always work, timing is crucial and of course the baby kids may be boys. We wouldnt be able to keep the billy kids here so we are now thinking of bringing in another mother and kid from the same Anglo Nubian breeder we bought YumYum and Mitzu from. Then we know exactly what we are dealing with it and can prepare accomodation and enlarge the grazing area. Apparently goats get on better with their own breed when first introduced. This should all happen around May time.
pulling down the fence
The goats are making a good job of pulling down their fence by standing on it. Their meadow is surrounded by beech and ash and they want to get to the leaves. It took us ages to get those posts in and stock fencing up!
Mitzu
Mitzu is now one and a half years old and very healthy. It doesnt seems so long ago she was small enough to jump on and off our heads. Hopefully, this Autumn she will be served by a billy goat and will have kids in the spring of 2010. So we need to organize extra accomodation this year.
making hay
We have a kilo bag of organic meadow hay seed which we will need to start sowing soon. First we need to scythe our chosen area right down to the bare soil then sow our seeds and hope for some rain so they germinate. If all goes to plan we will have our first crop of herb rich hay in late summer ready to cut and dry for the winter months.
still staying in Feb 09
After a few lovely mild and sunny days at the end of January the goats are again confined to the stable. Its very cosy and warm in there with a thick bed of straw at the back where they sleep and at the front they have their big metal hay rack, food and water bucket.
staying in for January
We are experiencing lots of heavy rain and high winds so the goats are staying in. We give them ash branches and billberry shoots to keep them occupied. They also get fresh hay every day and a mix of alfalfa and oats. The consumption of hay is important as it helps give a sort of internal radiator effect. This keeps the goats warm within on these cold winter days.
baaaaaaaaaa humbug
Yum Yum's milk yield is decreasing and we are now down to around 600ml a day. However, we do have a freezer full for the coming year. The goats have grown lovely thick winter coats and they have extra deep straw beds to keep them cosy at night. Hoof trimming continues every 21 days. As the meadow grass is dormant we take them for walks in the woodland out the back where they keep the brambles down.
summer bonding
Grooming our goats is one of the more fun tasks of goat care. Goats really enjoy being groomed, especially in spring and summer when they are shedding their winter coats. They even tell you, by pointing with their noses, where to rub. Grooming is an excellent bonding activity which is necessary so our goats trust us completely and allow us to carry out the intimate job of hoof trimming without being kicked in the head.
a few experiments
A customer recently enquired if we used the goat's milk for just soaps or if we were into cheese making. Also, do we make chutney and jam from our garden produce and, if so, do we do farmers markets. Well, we have been thinking about one day expanding our range so Mark has been attempting to make goats cheese . He made the one pictured with a yogurt starter instead of the powdered cheese starter. It was quite nice but needed textural improvement - a bit rubbery and squeaked when chewed so will have to experiment some more - He thinks he used too much vegetable rennet. Anyway, it is a good way to use up the freezer load of milk we've accumulated. We have also made use of a glut of rhubarb by making lots of pots of rhubarb and orange jam and we have several bottles of elderflower cordial in the fridge. We have also been practicing goat's milk fudge recipes. So, maybe when ours skills are perfected, we will enter the gourmet food business. Watch this space...
spring antics 2008
Anyone who has had goats as pets will be full of stories of the endless amusement from their antics. Yesterday the goats managed to let themselves out of the meadow to the greener grass the other side of the gate ... and then into the kitchen. Now, if they were litter trained we wouldn't mind as our goats smell so clean and fresh and they are extremely affectionate and lovable companions but, as they are worse than dogs for eating anything in sight and instantly proved the lack of litter training, back they went, complaining all the way.
goat news 11th February 2008
YumYum and Mitzu are out sunbathing in the grassy meadow. We are digging a patch to grow a special mix of grasses which will make excellent hay for the goats next year.
Goat News September 2007
YumYum and Mitzu our Anglo Nubian goats do not enjoy wet or windy weather. We realised this when attempting to walk them to the meadow on a misty and damp morning. The volume of their baas of complaint was quite something and I'm sure they could be heard for miles. They do have a lovely field shelter but really prefer to stay in their stable on a deep bed of straw listening to the radio. Mitzu (YumYum's daughter) is now fully weaned (another very vocal process!) and growing fast. YumYum's milk is slowing down a bit now, to 2.5 litres a day but that still leaves plenty for the soaps and us. The milk has a 6.5%butterfat content making her a very good goat according to experts(?) This makes very rich and moisturizing soaps. Look out for our NEW Lavender & Chamomile soap featuring YumYum (in stock now)