Pedi-what?

It seems to me that "Upper-class" goats have pedigrees.  In my research to purchase goats earlier this year, I found websites advertising that their goats contained certain bloodlines, etc.

As I understand it, certain farms/goats are known for producing really amazing animals as far as milk production, body conformation, etc.  These farms often register their animals by their farm name first, then the goat's name.  If a particular goat is registered, that goat's relatives can all be tracked and their genealogy can be analyzed.  Someone looking to purchase a goat can review the goat's bloodlines and see if any reputable farms or animals are in the heritage.  If so, the goat will likely display desirable characteristics.

This "pedigree" line has become a bit more relevant as I am seeking to breed-up my goats.  I have chosen a buck which is mostly unrelated to my does.  This buck has a history of throwing nice kids.  Also, some of his relatives turned out to be high-producing, nicely formed animals.  He has grandparents and great-grandparents from reputable farms.

I am only scratching the surface of understanding pedigrees.  Maybe one day I will be able to share a bit more in depth...Goat keeping is an adventure and a journey.  I never stop learning!

The ADGA

When I was looking to purchase my goats, I decided that I wanted registered goats.  In a practical sense, registration papers don't change anything about the goat.  However, registered goats are easier to sell than non-registered goats.  The bloodlines of registered goats can be traced.  Registration is also necessary for showing the goats or the goat's offspring.

The American Dairy Goat Association is the organization which organizes goat shows, compiles a directory of goat owners, offers useful information to members, and issues registrations.

Before I could register my goats, I had to join the organization.  I was issued an ADGA membership number and I was sent an information packet about various "breed standards" and association rules as well as information about raising goats.

Then, I submitted information about the goats that I had received from each of the breeders.  Charlotte was already registered, so I merely had to "transfer" the registration from her previous owner.  For the Edna and Elly May, the breeders had filled out forms with information about their coloring, date of birth, tattoo letters/numbers, etc.

Once the ADGA processed this information, I received some very official looking registration certificates in the mail!

As I went through the process of registering the goats, I found myself amused at all of the paperwork and the lengthy ordeal!  I thought goats were "farm-animals," right?

I am glad my goats are registered.  However, regardless of registration, I am thankful for my animals.  They provide a useful function (producing milk) as well as an opportunity for gaining those life lessons that can only be learned by caring for goats!

November 2, 2014

A goat report:

Happy November 2, 2014!  It is hard to believe that November is already here!  I turned the page on my goat calendar (which serves as a consistent reminder of the animals I enjoy!) and I marveled that the days are flying so swiftly.  In addition to being November already, today is "fall back," the turning of the clocks an hour back and saying hello to the shorter daylight hours.  I sure enjoyed the extra hour of rest, although I am not sure that my goats appreciated me milking them an hour late!

I have been implementing a new routine with the goats by milking at 8am and then again at 5pm.  It isn't the "traditional" 12-apart milking regime that many people follow, however it seems to be working well.  Charlotte is producing around 5-6 pounds of milk per day.  This is truly the perfect amount!  It is enough to make a bit of cheese and use it for cooking, etc.

I am also working on getting the goats bred this month.  I have found a buck in the area which can "service" them, so hopefully they will soon be expecting goat kids!

Hiatus

hi·a·tus

hīˈādəs/

noun

a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.

The word "hiatus" exactly describes what has happened to this blog over the course of the past 3 months.  However, it's not that me and my goats have ceased to exist:

July found the goat-keeper a bit overwhelmed both a summer job and the goat herd.  Charlotte peaked in her milk production around this time and enjoyed giving 10 pounds of milk (over a gallon) some days!

August-September-October found the goat-keeper experiencing an extended trip.  The goats were boarded with Charlotte's and Elly May's breeder.  I think the goats must have had fun in a herd of lots of other goats!  Even though I was physically far from my own special herd, goats were never far from my mind.  I was able to snap some pictures of wild goats on my trip!

Today, October 23: The goat girls and I are thoroughly enjoying each other again after our long "hiatus!"  Charlotte is still pushy.  Elly May is still sociable.  And Edna is still timid.

Yet, in many ways we are changed.  Charlotte's coloring is a bit darker.  Elly May is now weaned.  Edna has her long "winter coat."  After having a break from goats, I realize afresh how much I love the feel of milking.

Sometimes a hiatus is a result of frustration or laziness.  Yet, sometimes it is a much-needed break from the relentless routine.  Whatever the cause, when responsibility resumes (inevitably) fresh perspective pervades!

I am so grateful to the Lord for allowing a time of refreshment and now a time to continue enjoying my goats...I look forward to sharing more of this goat adventure with you!

Charlotte's Shave

The hair under Charlotte's udder had been getting really long...And hair growing on the udder can get in the way of milking.  It can also lodge debris or fall into the milk pail.  Yuck!

 

I decided that Charlotte was overdue for a shave.  I dug around in the cupboard and found a cordless beard trimmer tucked away with the haircut kit.  It is possible to purchase clippers intended for animals, however I figured the beard trimmer would do just as well and I had it on hand!  Great!

I was a little nervous about shaving Charlotte.  I thought I might accidentally snip her and cause her to bleed.  Just to make sure that I had the general idea of what to do, I watched this quick YouTube video:

 

 I gave Charlotte her grain and  turned on the clippers.  I made sure to do this job while she was full of milk, as the udder is taunt.  I tried shaving some in the back, but realized I mainly needed to shave in the front of the udder.  The hair was falling like snow! 

 

Ta-Da!  It wasn't so bad after all!  After I shaved her, it was interesting to see how big Charlotte's "pocket" was in the front of her udder.  This isn't necessarily a good characteristic for a goat.  It is best for the udder to be "well attached" in the front in order to hold up that huge udder holding a half gallon or more of milk!  However, since Charlotte is not a show goat, this is not too big of an issue.  She is such a good goat!

Udder-ly Ridiculous!

Goat Advice

Goats are great!  They have fun personalities, produce a wonderful amount of milk, and take up relatively little space.  However, as I have learned over the past several months of goat-keeping, goats can be "finicky!"  They can suddenly exhibit odd ailments or strange behaviors.  It is in these cases that the advice of fellow goat owners is invaluable!

I have been blessed to have several fellow goat-keepers be willing to let me call them and email them about almost any goat issue under the sun  ("help! my goat has worms!" "help! my goat isn't eating!" "help! how do you trim a goat's hooves!").  I am so thankful to have these helpful people as contacts to aid me in this goat adventure.

Along this goat journey, I have also enjoyed reading the Homesteading Today forums.  This forum is a huge wealth of information.  It is quite simple to join and ask a goat-related question or simply read about other people's goat adventures and how they found solutions to their problems!

Speaking of "problems," I am glad to say that Charlotte's worm problem seems to be resolved.  I gave her the herbal wormer several weeks ago.  Her coat is beautifully sleek now and I have not seen any worms in the goat pen for a while!

In today's society where "independence" is loudly proclaimed, it is interesting to be owning an animal that requires dependence on others.  My goats rely on me for their total care, then I rely on others to help me best care for them.  Thank you, blog readers, for joining me on this adventure as well!

See you later...

The Effects of Weaning

I mentioned in my last post that I have been weaning Elly May.  It is amazing how this affects Charlotte!

Without Elly May stealing milk, Charlotte's milk production is skyrocketing!  Yesterday, she produced 10 1/2 total pounds of milk.  That is 5 quarts of milk!  I feel like Charlotte is resolving in her goat brain that she doesn't need to hold back milk for Elly May, so she is letting me have it!  Hurray! In fact, Charlotte is even getting reluctant to even let Elly May nurse.  The down side is that Charlotte is producing so much milk that she is getting a bit thin.

Also, the freezer is getting waaaayyy too full of milk jars!  I have scrounged around the kitchen cupboards and filled every single glass jar.

So, I am planning to turn much of the milk into this:

 Chèvre

My first two batches of Chèvre were flops.  The first batch I had a surge of impatience and I squeezed the cheese to drain the whey instead of letting it drip.   It completely messed up the texture (although it smelled great)!  I won't do that again!  The second batch did not form a curd for some reason.  This is the third trial pictured above.  It is "dripping" this morning, so I hope it turns out!

Update from the Goat Pen

Yep, the goats and I are still around.  However, the goat farmer has been experiencing a whirlwind schedule, which leaves little time for blogging!  Here is an update from the goat pen:

The goats are enjoying frequent scraps from the compost bucket.  Last week, Edna weighed 47 pounds and Elly May weighed 52 pounds!

Edna is now weaned!  Not having to heat up a bottle makes the morning routine go much faster!

I am also trying to wean Elly May.  She is about 15 weeks now, so it is the perfect time to wean.  But look at this picture...She nurses every chance she can get!  Right now, she is separated at night then let out after I milk in the morning.  I pen her up during the day and she takes a "bedtime" sip after the evening milking.  The system is working well.  Without Elly May, Charlotte is producing over 8 pounds (a gallon) of milk a day!

With all of that milk, I am experimenting with some cheeses.  I finally created an excellent curd from the milk.

Here is some feta cheese I made that is aging overnight in a salt-water brine.

I have also been working on getting the goats registered.  I have the paperwork sent in, now I am just waiting for the registrations to be processed!

Until next time...

A Yogurt Attempt

The weather is hot.  The goat is producing a LOT of milk!  A chilled glass of "drinkable" strawberry goat's milk yogurt satisfies my need to stay cool and use the milk!

Goat milk yogurt differs from "store-bought" yogurt as it is a challenge to get it thick!  I love the tangy taste of yogurt, so I don't mind the slightly soupy texture!

The first step is to heat about 3 pints of milk to 180 degrees.  At this temperature, all of the bacteria in the milk is killed so it doesn't compete with the yogurt bacteria.  I heated it in my make-shift double boiler which consisted of a pot of boiling water with a saucepan placed in it.  The double boiler keeps the milk from coming into direct contact with the heat source and thus burning.  After the milk reached 180 degrees, I poured it into a bowl and placed it in the freezer to bring it back to only 110 degrees!

After the milk reached 110 degrees, I added about two tablespoons of plain greek yogurt culture.  I poured a bit of the milk into the yogurt and mixed it up.  Then I added the mixture to the rest of the milk.  I had been warned by previous yogurt makers not to directly add the yogurt as it can get "gloop-y" and not fully mix into all of the milk.

Next, I poured the milk into my new "Yogotherm!"  The Yogotherm consists of a plastic bucket which perfectly nests in an insulated foam container.  The yogurt must be kept at a consistent 100 degrees (or so!) for about 12 hours.  The heat of the milk when it is poured into the bucket is not allowed to escape, so this consistent temperature is easy to keep!

I set the the Yogotherm aside and went to bed!  The "Do NOT Disturb" note I left could have functioned for both me and my yogurt!

When I woke up in the morning, I found a wonderful bucket full of yogurt!  It was tart, just the way I like it!

After I chilled the yogurt, I decided to flavor it!  I placed a handful of strawberries in the blender, along with a 1/4 cup of raw sugar and a little bit of vanilla.  I blended it all together and created an amazing drink!  

Absolutely delicious!  

Thank you, Charlotte-the-Goat for producing the tasty milk!

Consistent Record-Keeping

Inconsistent.  Consistent.  Life is INconsistent.  It brings surprises.  Goats are consistent (well...most of the time!).  They must be milked and fed twice a day, regardless of the inconsistencies of life!

Effectively raising goats goes hand-in-hand with effectively keeping clear records.  Being consistent with caring for the goats and consistent with recording it is an amazing tool for managing a herd!

 

This is a sample of the record sheet I created on Excel.  It has the date pre-printed, then a place to record the: morning milking time and amount, the evening milking time and amount, and any other daily notes.  I record things such as the kid's weight, when the goats receive any special browse, any funny behavior or milk taste, and odd weather patterns.

By looking at a whole month of records at a time, I can notice patterns in the goats' health and production.

I used to keep records in this little notebook.  However, the new system is working much better as it takes less space and enables me to see more information at once!

One thing I consistently record is when the goats get herbal wormer. They love wormer!!!  The following pictures give a sneak-peak of Charlotte's eagerness to ingest this obviously yummy treat.

Give me more!

Wonderful!