Changing of Seasons

It is a changing of seasons with the selling of the goat kids...but also a changing of seasons from Summer to Fall!

The first official day of fall was last week.  But with stifling heat and suffocating humidity, autumn wasn't anywhere to be found then.  What a surprise to wake up to 65 degree temperatures this morning and a coolness in the air!  Truly a reason to celebrate!

I am also grateful for the inch of rain we received a few days ago.  The fields are so lush that I have to check the calendar to remind me it isn't Spring!

Beautiful sunrise...

Edna and Charlotte are best friends and worst enemies now that they are the only two goats left to the herd!

Edna's udder has been quite full the past few days.  I am discovering that Edna had been producing a lot of milk and Hurray (her kid that I sold) had been drinking it!

Edna is really fun to milk!  I like her udder shape!

I am getting about 2 1/2 quarts of milk from both Charlotte and Edna.  Often, it is more milk than I can use so Blue Bell benefits from the surplus!

I've been trying to work on the goats hooves more regularly.  It is easiest to trim in the morning while their hooves are spongy from the dew.

These little bearded goats are sure a pleasure to enjoy!  I am thankful for the motivation they provide to get outside each morning and enjoy my Creator's beautiful creation!

And I hope that Fall is here to stay...!

Under the Udder!

Since the goats are "dry" right now, their udders aren't very impressive.  (Except for Elly May's!  She is a "first freshener."  Earlier this year she just had two tiny little teats and now she has a full udder!)  However, the long hairs growing under their udders kept growing and getting longer and longer... The kids will soon be here and so will milking time!  Keeping the hairs around the udder cut short helps the goat kids be able to find the udder easier and also keeps hair out of the milking pail (yuck).  So, it was a great time for an udder hair cut!

Elly May's udder before...

I found a beard trimmer in with the haircut kit that our family uses.  We weren't using it so I  confiscated it for the goats and it works great!

We had to coax Elly May to stay still on the milking stand while she had her udder trimmed!

All finished!  This udder is ready for baby goats and milking time now!

Udder-ly Amazing

Since Charlotte kidded, she been producing lots of milk.  Many people wait to drink the milk until two weeks after kidding, but I couldn't wait!  It tastes so good!  I have been milking just in the mornings.  Just a few days after she freshened (gave birth), she milked a full 1/2 gallon (4 pounds!).  However, I think some little ornery buckling is drinking more than his share.  Frankincense will soon be separated from her at night so he stops taking all of the milk.

Enjoy this "Udder Update!'

Before kidding.  Yes, Charlotte was REALLY dry!

A few days after kidding.  Yes, Charlotte is really FULL!  She didn't choose to fill her udder until 24 hours before giving birth.  I was getting a little concerned, but she filled up in time to give little Frankincense lots of milk!

Edna a few weeks ago (tiny teats)!

Edna just a few days ago (you can see how her udder is forming and growing)!  Edna is a first freshener (this is her first year to have kids), so she is growing an udder for the first time.

I found this picture of Edna from back in December (right after she was bred).

She is now so pregnant!  She likes to just lay around and let her big belly rest!  She is due in just about a week and a half.  It will be great to have more baby goats around!  I am getting excited again!

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...

Milking Pail

In the course of a year, I will spend approximately 6,000 minutes milking.  That is a lot of minutes!  In order to make the milking experience as quick, fun, and efficient as possible, a good milking pail is essential!

Hoegger Stainless Steel Milk Pail

The Hoegger milk pail is making my milking routine great!  It comes with a "half-moon" lid which keeps debris (goat hair, etc.) out of the milk.  This lid also keeps the rim sanitary so I can pour out of it. Another added benefit is the stainless steel construction.  This makes the pail durable as well as ensures that the metal does not react with the milk.

I can also see my reflection in the lid while I am milking.  This reminds me of the passage in James which talks about "mirrors:"

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."  James 1:23-25

When I see my face reflecting on the milk pail, I can remember to not live my life like the foolish man who forgets what he looks like after looking in a mirror (or a milk pail) and also forgets to live his life according to God's Word after hearing the truth.

The new milk pail is great!  However, it best serves its function when it is full of delicious goat milk!

A Record!

It is so exciting waking up each morning wondering what surprises the goats might have in store.

Today I got up at 6:15am--extra early--to do the goat chores because I had a commitment which interfered with the regular 7:30am chore time.  The routine went smoothly.  I tethered the kids and gave them some grain.  I put Charlotte in the milking stand and wiped her teats off with iodine.  Her udder felt hard and full, so I knew there would be a lot of milk.  I started milking.  I milked for a few minutes, then let my brother have a turn.  He milked a while, then handed the job back to me.  I milked...and milked...and milked!  At one point Charlotte lifted up her hind leg and threatened to plunge it into the full bowl.  Thankfully, I was able to move the bowl before it came crashing down!  When her udder was finally a shriveled, limp bag, I decided we were finished!  I picked up the bowl and carried it to the house, eager to weigh its precious contents!

Fresh Squeezed Goat Milk

I placed the filter in the strainer and placed the strainer on top of the pitcher.  I weighed the whole set-up on the scale and pressed "tare" to zero out the weight of the pitcher and strainer.  Then, I began pouring the milk.  I poured...and poured...and poured.  The scale registered first a pound, then two, then three.  My eyes were wide in surprise as the scale reached five pounds and I was still pouring.  As I poured out the last of the frothy milk, the digital scale registered 6lbs. 0oz.  Before I could step back to admire it, the pitcher began overflowing.  I quickly moved the strainer to another bowl to finish straining.  Milk was all over the counter, but I didn't mind.  Charlotte had milked SIX pounds (3/4 gallon) in one morning!

The kitchen was "flowing" with milk!

I wrote four labels for this morning.  I ripped off each of these 5/19 labels so I can easily see which milk in the fridge is fresh or old, depending on what I am using it for!

This morning I was reminded of the portion of Psalm 23 which mentions "my cup overflows."  I was reminded that an overflowing cup (or milk pitcher) is a sign of blessing from The Lord.  The contents of the cup (yummy, healthy milk) help to sustain my physical life.  Also, the overflowing cup is a symbol of the abundant life (physical and spiritual) that I have through Jesus my Messiah!  What a beautiful illustration of His provision!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It has been pouring down rain for the past two days!  This was the first time it has rained since purchasing the goats.  Unfortunately, the shelter didn't stay the driest but it offered adequate protection.  It was quite funny to see all five of the four-legged creatures huddled together out of the rain.  Blue Bell is under the milking stand, Charlotte is on top of it, Brazos is next to it, Elly May is on top of the crate, and Edna is against the other side!

After the rain, there was a beautiful rainbow!

And a beautiful sunset!

The clouds have now cleared.  The full rain gauge reminds me of the blessing of rain "poured" out on our land!

"I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing."

Ezekiel 34:26

I finally received my Caprine order in the mail!  It contained my long awaited milk filters!

I like the old-fashioned catalog Caprine Supply produces!

The filters make it easy to filter the milk.

It is nice to filter out those flecks of dirt that seem to creep into the milk.

Goodnight!  (It seems that Charlotte often offers me a "goodnight" at the end of the day!)

A Week in Review

Goat and life.  Life and goats.  Sometimes it seems that goats are my life!  Then other times, it seems life gets in the way of the goats!  This past week was one of those weeks where there was a lot more "other life" than "goats!"  Here is a week in review (in pictures)...

I thought summer was here in full force last week.  We had soaring temperatures which threatened to hit 90 degrees!  I found this wasp attempting to build a nest under the porch railing.  A sure sign of hot weather!

But then, surprise! surprise!  I woke up one morning and the temperatures were "cool" again.  I pulled my jacket back out of the closet to do morning chores!  As I write, I think the cool front has passed, but I am glad for the last little kiss of winter (Texas winter, that is).

Goats are browsers, not grazers.  They would much rather eat trees and brush than grass.  Since it was not an option to put the goat pen around trees, we have been cutting "browse" from various trees around the property.  The goats love it!  In addition to browse, they have also been eating from the kitchen compost bucket.  So far, carrots are a big hit.  The following pictures give you a glimpse of their eagerness around carrots...

"Here comes the Goat Girl…Hey, Edna, what do you think is in that compost bucket?"

"Oh, goody!  Carrots!  Yum!"

"Let's be greedy!  More candy for me!"

"I can't believe these are so yummy, Elly May!  Aren't they just amazing?"

"Hey, girls.  Move over.  Give me those!"

Moving on from carrot eating pictures, Elly May has this really funny tuft of hair on her back.  The hair grows in the wrong direction causing the hair to always stand up straight!

Best Friends (who enjoy a good head butt for fun)

Elly May and Edna both have cracked hooves and pasterns.  A fellow goat owner told me it was vitamin A&E deficiency.  So, they get their daily dose now!

A good picture to end on--the milking routine!  Charlotte has been producing about 4-6 pounds per day, for which I am very happy!  She has definitely made some improvements such as excitedly jumping up on the milking stand in the mornings and evening when I milk, eating more grain, and patiently waiting to be milked.  Such a good goat!