This blog has experienced another quiet season! Since it is a goat blog, it seems to follow the yearly cycle of goat farming. There is lots of busyness in the Spring with baby goats and lots of milk! Then things settle into some sort of "normal" (may I use that word?) routine during the late Summer and into Fall. There is a burst of excitement in the Fall when the goats get bred, then they are dried off for a while and the pattern repeats. Here is a little update of what has been going on in the goat pen:
All of the does are finally bred! Depending on the weather, goats typically have a "heat" every 3 weeks beginning sometime in August and lasting until December. I waited and waited and waited for the goats to go into heat this year! About mid-October I began to get a little concerned that they weren't going to get bred! I think the goats were reluctant to go into heat since I don't keep a buck. They often need the scent of a buck to start up their heats! So, we went on a "field trip" to the visit a buck. I rubbed a rag on the buck and hung it in the goat pen when we got home.
Charlotte and the buck!
Finally, at the beginning of November, Edna went into heat. Then Elly May. Then Charlotte! I am so glad that they were all bred within 8 days of each other! Come the first of April, we should have a full week of kidding time!
Except for the occasional goat fight, things have been peaceful in the goat pen. Edna is dry now and Charlotte is still milking about 1/2 quart every other day.
Since the does are all pregnant, I have been boosting their vitamins. They get apple cider vinegar dumped in their grain several times a week. Thankfully they don't mind the tart taste! Elly May is slightly copper deficient. I noticed this as she has several copper colored blotches on her jet-black coat. At the recommendation of a friend, I began dosing all of the goats with
Replamin Gel Plus to make sure they are getting enough of the right minerals and vitamins. They have also been getting kelp, a nutrient-dense dried seaweed, which they absolutely love!
I am enjoying these "Winter" days of goat farming. The routine is efficient, the goats are peaceful, and we have the expectation of baby goats arriving when our Texas winter turns into Spring!
See you later...
