Goat Miracle - Guest Post

Today we have a guest post from Cynthia is Harlequin Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. I found her post to be well worth reading and a fascinating and interesting story, as well in inspirational. She had to take one of her breeding does to the vet for a kidding issue.

Without further adieu, here is the post.

It's been a crazy morning for sure. When we showed up at the vet, he took a look and said the options were to put her down or try a c-section. He said with the way goats are with anesthesia she'd have a 50/50 shot. I said 50% is better than 0% so let's do the surgery.

I started to just drop her off and leave, still had time to make it to work on time at that point, but something made me stay and ask if I could watch the procedure. Partly because I figured they might try harder to save her if I was there and partly just so I could see how it was done and maybe gain some knowledge while I was at it. Glad I decided to stay because it was really interesting to learn more about goat anatomy and the surgeon was nice enough to describe things and give me some tips. Also a good thing I stayed because if I hadn't, we would have lost Graffiti's doeling!

She was born not breathing or moving, so the surgeon assumed she was dead and dropped her in the trash. We stood there talking for a couple of minutes while she continued working on Graffiti, and she kept exclaiming over how big the kid was. She noticed me peeking at the trash can and asked if I'd like to get a weight on the kid to see how big she was. So I fished her out of the trash and took her over to the scale. She was completely cold and limp, but when I sat her on the scale she twitched and I could see a strong heartbeat despite the fact that she was still not breathing.

I told the vet and she was totally surprised. She apologized repeatedly and called a vet tech over to take her to the back to try to revive her. Within minutes she had started breathing erratically and bleating. After about an hour she was breathing more regularly and hollering at us to quit bugging her so much (we were rubbing and pestering her to get her to breath).

She had a really low temp so we put her on heating pads at the vet and at home. She is up to 101.2* now so she's off the pad and laying next to her momma. I tube-fed her some colostrum right after we got home, and just fed some more milk a couple mins ago. She looks a lot better, though she is still too weak to stand. Graffiti is sore but looks okay and was able to walk to the kidding stall by herself. She has already started bonding with her baby despite the kid coming out the side door instead of the normal route. She has been nuzzling and licking her, which is just adorable. Can't believe we beat the odds and brought them both home alive!

This is Graffiti, at the vet recovering from surgery. She was just waking up from anesthesia and her baby had finally gotten to where she was breathing well enough to take her off the oxygen mask. We laid the baby next to her and she immediately perked up and brought her head around to start licking and nuzzling her. The girls at the vet clinic where gushing over how cute they were together and taking pics on their cell phones.









** Edited to Add - 4/7/2012 **



Sad to report that baby Treasure passed away this morning a little after 6am. Still not sorry I pulled her out of the trash. Despite the short time we had with her, she is leaving a big hole in our hearts.

Thank you Cynthia for sharing this story online and allowing us to post about it.

First Kids of 2012

Welcome to K-n-S Farm's first kids of 2012. They are purebred Nigerian Dwarf kids, out of Honey Doe Gypsy Girl and by Wild Bill from Honey Doe Farm.

Two bucklings. One gold and white and one red and white. Both have very cute little waddles.

The first kid presented with only one leg forward, so I had to ease him back, rearrange him some, and help get him out. It was a little touch and go there for a moment.

The second kid also had quite a big head, but we got him out without too much more effort.

Gypsy was very attentive to them, cleaning them off and talking to them, but it did cause an issue - she didn't want to stand still and let them nurse, she was fretting over them too much. After a moment, I tied her to the wall and relieved some of the pressure on her udder (a lovely udder, I might add!) and then showed the kids where the teats where. After a bit of nursing, the light went off in Gypsy's head and she understood what they were wanting.

I left them happily snuggled together. They're doing quite well, full tummies and happy faces. Typical of bucklings, these guys were born with their horn buds quite prominent, so I'll have to hit them with the iron pretty soon.

Being purebreds, these guys are spared from Freezer Camp and will be available as bucklings or pet wethers. Registration can be arranged.

The next kids are due early March.

My "Great Grandkid"

Meet my "great grandkid!"

Funny, eh?

She traces back to my very first buck ever, Buckly, and a doe I owned, Lily. Their doeling was named Isis. I was terribly attached to her, but she was just much too small for what I was aiming for.

I sold her, and Lily, to a good friend who doesn't live too far. I of course came to regret this after I saw Isis' first udder. It was lovely, well attached, even, and looked marvelous. Alas, she wasn't for sale for any price!

That was alright though, since she was nearby and I like my friend quite a lot.


This year she had twins, a doeling and buckling. The sire is the same buck I bred most of my does too, a silky fainter. I was able to wheedle a trade out of my friend . . . the doeling! Who had to be put on a bottle. In return, I'll give her a nice doeling out of my stock, so she can have a bit of fresh blood. Goat friends have to stick together!

So the little baby is here, and I tell you, I'm in love with her already. She's over twice the size her dam was at the same age, so I am thinking the fainting blood will give her some nice size and girth, and she will hopefully inherit that nice udder from her dam, with all the benefits of cross-bred vigor.

She took to the bottle like a champ and has been quite a good girl. She may have to come along with us when we go to see Spyder and geld him later this month, but I know she'll behave herself and not embarrass me at my friend's place! By then she'll be tough enough to stay in their barn, unlike here, where she sleeps either on the bed or in a cozy kennel on a blanket.

I know, spoiled. I'm sure I'll come to regret it.

We're starting to see progress in my own does. Gypsy is growing her udder quickly. Seven has a handful of udder, but I cannot feel kids, so not sure if she is bred or just pretending. I can feel kids in Juliet, but haven't really messed with anyone else. I except to see udders really starting come the beginning of February, and Gypsy is due early that month as well.

Keep checking back for those cute kid pictures starting February, then March through April!

The KnSFarm Goat

I had a few people ask me what exactly am I striving for with my goats, and I also made a post on a new forum I've been frequenting, introducing my goats, when I realized: I've never fully explained my goals.

It may (or may not honestly) surprise people that I do not breed for an already established breed. I think this is becoming more clear as I have begun to branch out from just Nigerian Dwarf goats as I introduce different breeds and lines.

So what IS my ultimate goal in breeding? Because I'm not just breeding willy nilly, even if it seems that way!

What I am striving for is what I consider, the ultimate backyard goat. A goat who exhibits all of these qualities:

• Sturdiness
• Worm Resistance
• Hardiness
• EASY Keepers
  
• Good Hooves
• Small but not "Miniature"
• Well Formed, easily milked udders that stand up to milking each year
• The ability to milk out a reasonable amount each day for an extended period
• Easy to settle (get pregnant)
• Easy to kid
• Ability to RAISE those kids
• Easy to handle

So as you can see, that's quite a goal! Sure, there are breeds out there that have most of these qualities. Some goats might have them all. But so often when purebreds are bred "up" for show, they become more delicate in the race to have the best show goat. Certainly not everywhere and certainly not in every breed. But it happens.

I want to mold my herd into the "poor man's" dairy goat. If that makes any sense at all.

I set this goal with my herd queen in mind. She is the epitome of what I want in a goat. She rarely needs deworming, is never sick. She is a super easy keeper. She is not full sized, but is not on the small side either. She is "deep" and has a well attached easily milked udder that has held up VERY well through each kidding and through each milking cycle. She settles (gets pregnant) super easily, kids like it's no problem, and is a great mother. And she is highly intelligent, and very much MY girl. Despite coming to me wild as can be, she has become a highly affectionate and friendly goat. These are ALL the attributes I want to develop!

To continue working towards the goal, I have culled relentlessly through the years, only keeping goats that meet most of my criteria, and bringing in bucks that I feel can add what I am looking for.

Breeding to a meat buck this year was a calculated risk. I want to bring some heft into the smaller lines, without sacrificing the milk. I suppose in a year or so, if I produce any doelings that make the grade for keeping, I will find out.

To add more milk in, I also bred a few goats back to Blizzard, who exhibits some of the best milk lines I've seen in Nigerian Dwarves.

Surprisingly, the kidding I am looking forward to most is out of a doe that isn't even mine. Her name is June. She is out of my very own Hope and by Roadhouse, one of the best bucks I've leased throughout the years. She was bred to Blizzard and will be returning to our farm to kid. (Her owner is getting married around the same time!) I have been promised the first doeling out of her, so I can hardly wait to see if she settled, and what she will produce. A real powerhouse breeding. If there is more than one doeling, I may even have to purchase the others! And it would be pretty hard even to pass up a well formed buckling out of this combination.

I suppose we'll see what happens! Stay tuned . . . kids are expected March - April.

True or False? Goats

To this day, some myths about goats continue to persist. Even I, the Goat Whisperer, find myself having to time and time again refute these myths.

It gets a little frustrating at times! Ignorance is never a fun thing to come up against. But ignorance can be remedied, if people are willing.

So let's take a look at a few of those myths and I'll give my . . . unique point of view on them. Won't that be fun?

1. Goats stink. Now here's a fun one! It's both true and false. My does (female goats) and any wethers (neutered male goats) I keep absolutely do not stink. They have a pleasant subtle smell if you stick your nose in their fur. However, bucks (intact male goats) absolutely do stink for part of the year. They go into rut, a state of heightened sexuality, where they urinate on themselves and their faces. They emit a powerful odor to make themselves sexy to female goats. It works.

To someone not used to the smell, it can just about knock you over. It sticks to you and is difficult to remove. So yes, buck goats stink. Don't want smelly goats? Don't keep a buck.

And of course, if a dumbshit locks any animal in a small enclosure and don't clean it, it'll stink.

2. Goats eat anything. Man I hate this one. Very false. For some reason, every moron out there thinks goats can eat anything and everything and will be just fine with some shitty moldy hay they wouldn't give cattle.

Goats have stomachs far more delicate than cattle. They are more on the level of horses, despite having a chambered stomach and rumen. They cannot eat poor forage and absolutely do not eat trash or tin cans. And most won't.

My goats and many others won't even touch something that fell on the ground. If I give them the best hay available, they pick out the best and anything that falls out of the feeder is stomped into the ground and laid on. Wasteful creatures. If I give them slices of apple, any that are dropped are left to the chickens. Goodness forbid these prima donnas eat something with dirt on it!

Feeding goats insufficient and even moldy feed has cost them their lives, when they eat it out of hunger.

3. Goats will mow your lawn: True and false I suppose. Goats are browsers, not grazers. They prefer to eat from high up, like trees and bushes. They will clear that out first before they touch grass, and even then they'll be picky. You won't get a nice smooth lawn, that's for sure! If you can keep them in your pasture anyways.

4. Goats are impossible to keep penned up: *cough*true!*cough. Ahem. Well, true and false again. Goats are clever creatures who are quite certain that the trees are always greener on the other side. To keep goats in, you need fencing made for Fort Knox, and even then, you'll need to watch, if there's any weakness, they'll find it.

5. Goat milk tastes "goaty": Absolutely false. "Goaty" or musky tasting milk is the result of poor handling, not the milk itself. Goat milk is naturally homogenized and more delicate than cow's milk. It needs to be strained and cooled as soon as possible and not overly shaken about. Which is why goat milk in stores tastes so poor, it's been pasteurized to death and then shipped, which breaks it down. Goat milk I get from my own animals tastes just fine, like whole milk, perhaps a little sweeter, and definitely way better for us.

6. Goat meat is a poor man's meat: Hah! This is a joke. Are you aware that over seventy percent of the world's population eats goat meat? It's a wonderfully lean meat, very healthy. It's molecular structure makes it easier to digest than most meats. Goat meat is so popular that our country cannot keep up with the demand and imports much of it for those of us who eat goat meat.

Did you know that the goat was one of the first domesticated animals, if not the first? They are amazingly diverse creatures. They can be used for milk, meat, fiber, packing, carting, weed control, pets . . . the list is nearly endless. Goats are intelligent, as intelligent as most dogs. And people wonder why I'm so fascinated with them.

I'll leave off there for now. Have you any myths you've heard? Have you discovered that they are true, or false?

Breeding Season Begins

At long last, a goat post!

Breeding season here at K-n-S Farm has officially begun!

We have leased a Fainter (also known as a Myotonic) buck. He is amazingly "fragrant" and has no doubt of his job. I've seen some of his kids and they are lovely.

Now you may be wondering, why would I cross a fainter with my dairy does?

I'll tell you why.

Meat.

Yup, you heard me. Any wethers not reserved beforehand will be held back for meat. Doelings will be sold, or if I get an exceptional one, retained.

With this drought continuing to ravish our state, beef prices are mostly certainly creeping upwards. Before long, I won't be able to afford to add much beef into the budget. And I do love to eat meat. So the solution? Breed the does for meat kids and fill my freezer. So this is what we're going to do.

Juliet was first in line to be bred (of course) and so we're going to start expecting kids in early March. Hopefully everyone else falls in line pretty soon here, I like my kids to be born pretty close to each other. It makes planning things like vaccinations, cocci treatment, disbudding, and other procedures, easier to do.

To update a couple of other things. Jetta went to her new home on Sunday. I'll miss her lots, but the new family is very happy with her and have let me know that she is settling in well. And through Jetta, I was able to buy a load of hay that should last me through the winter hopefully, or close to it.

A Bit of my Own Art

Now for once, I'll talk about my own art!

As you may remember reading, (or not, I can't always remember what I've wrote about), I have started doing art again.

Mostly painting. Painting models. Breyer horses have been my main base so far, but I've done a couple of other models as well.

The blog picture today is a plastic goat I've just finished. I thought it turned out pretty good, I painted it to look like my favorite doe, Hope.

What do you think? It's just a cheap plastic goat, but I found it with a group of Breyer bodies and figured, why not? Especially since it's pretty close to scale for my Traditional Breyers, so the newly painted Hope goat fits right in. I'm rather pleased with it.

My husband came home clutching a Wal-mart bag and produced from it a package of higher quality brushes and a bottle of glitter turquoise paint. He brandished these offerings at me with an air of gleeful excitement.

What else could I do but grin? Sure, most horses and goats don't come in shades of turquoise or glitter, but he was so delighted with his find, it was infectious. How can you resist that kind of support and dedication from your significant other?

So I pulled a unicorn Paddock Pal Breyer from it's package and it's getting a deco-style repaint. I wonder how it will turn out?

Goat Apartments

As promised, I went out and grabbed some pictures of our new goat housing. You'll have to forgive the lack of bedding inside, I haven't had a chance to add that just yet.

As you can see, they were once plastic shipping containers. These held a foaming agent for soap, nontoxic and once it was cleaned out (which was a bit of a bitch by the way) perfectly safe. Although of course, the goats aren't convinced of that just yet.

As anyone who keeps small livestock knows, sometimes you have to think outside the box! Sure I could build an expensive barn (and have). I could buy a line of doghouses (I've got two). I could pay a lot of money for housing. Or I could watch and learn from the masters! And if I'm extra lazy, I can buy the water tanks from someone else and have them cut the doors in. *wink*

These are quite large. Below is a picture of my largest Nigerian Dwarf, Hope, checking out her new accommodations.

‎"I don't know.......the living space is right....but how much did you say the rent was?"

So you can see, more than large enough to fit a few goats each, if your goats are friendly with each other. Or one goat if you have a herd queen/bitch like I do. Which is why you can never have enough shelter. It's recommended to drill holds in the bottom so it doesn't hold liquid, and to put bedding in. The containers are light enough just about anyone should be able to roll them over to clean them out with a hose.

According to the person I got these from, they stay pretty warm in the winter, and as an added bonus, there are openings at the top that can facilitate the set up of a warming lamp, although I would use a low wattage to prevent overheating any animal that seeks shelter within.

So there you have it! The new Goat Apartments. Quite ingenious, don't you think? Tell me, have you ever come up with something as interesting? Or perhaps seen something online or at a friend's house you put into effect for yourself and your farm?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Thoughts

Things are pretty much same old same old. I've been mulling over a lot of different things lately though.

One of which was registering the whole herd with the NMGA. I went back and forth, weighing the pros and cons of it, and finally decided not too. It's not the issue of the paperwork or anything, but honestly, my goats sell really well without registration, and I don't see the point of fussing with it when it really won't add anything to it.

I will of course register goats who are eligible with the bigger more respectful registries, such as NDGA or AGS.

Otherwise, I'm not going to worry about it really. It's just not worth it honestly.

The other big thing I'm going over is disbudding. I really think if I begin to disbud my kids, I'll have even better sales since most of my babies are sold for pets and hornless goats make them safer. I had some trepidation over a few issues, such as the possibility of goats without their horns overheating and dieing from heat stress, but I have been told by a lot of more experienced owners that this is a really rare occurrence, and any goats who did die from this likely had something else going on.

So while the registration went in the garbage, it looks like disbudding is in the "to-do" box. I plan on getting the 1/2" Rinehart X30, which is small enough for Nigerians but large enough for little buckling buds and possible future Mini-Nubians. The very thought of burning their little heads quells my stomach, but I think I can handle it.

Thankfully, I have a new friend, the breeder I am buying two lovely does from, who has offered to help me out by showing me how to do it. I look forward to learning!

Another great bit of news, the breeder I am doing website work in exchange for a buckling teased me with a post.

"My camera is hiding again, but I had a BEAUTIFUL blue-eyed buckling on the 14th. I've never seen one quite like him. I'll send pics as soon as I discover my camera's whereabouts : )"

How cruel of her to post such a teaser and then not follow up! I can hardly wait to see the little guy, he just might be "the one." I really wanted blue eyes and dashing color, because in the pet industry, it SELLS!

Not to mention I'm a huge sucker for color myself of course.

The weather has been really nice lately. It's warmed up and the ground is drying up even. I love it. I'm able to go out and spend time with the goats again, something I couldn't do in the cold. They of course are delighted with the attention.

I have been a bit sick on and off, but that happens every time the weather changes, so I tend not to fuss about it too much.

I think I'd like to plan on doing two "waves" of kids each year. Early kids (March) and mid-year kids (May) about. This way I can breed the Junior does I have at a good age and not have to wait another year, but also not have to breed them too early. It will also be an opportunity for "early" breeders to settle if they don't the first time around without spending a year as a hay burner.

And when there's a ton of interest and my "early" kids are sold out, it's not too long for those who joined my ever growing waiting list to wait for the "mid-year" kids.

I just hope we don't have problems with the heat. We did really well when old Cowbell kidded in June or July last year and didn't have an issue, so I'm hoping it will work out. If not, we can always ease everyone back to being bred for early year kids and just enjoying the inevitable "flood!"

I guess it all just depends on how things go!

Website

Today was productive!

It started out with a lovely young lady and her daughter coming to meet Hope's little boys. They had a great time playing with the goats and asking questions. I was amazed at how tolerant the little ones were about picking picked up, handled, and loved on.

She put down a deposit on both of the boys and is very excited to pick them up when they are weaned. It sounds like its going to be a GREAT home! And she took some pictures of her little girl and the goats, so I can't wait to see them and feature them on my website.

Speaking of, I completely overhauled my website today. I was tired of the dark cramped look it had, so I fussed with it until I had it better. I even added some great elements, such as kid pictures under their dams and sire and dam pictures on the young ones I had those available for.

I tried hard to keep it organized, but I may need to go back in and re-size the larger pictures. What do you think?

http://www.knsfarms.webs.com/

I got all of my usual chores and work done as well today, so it was quite a feat. I can hardly wait until the real work starts!

ChaCha for now.

Dogs

There's a dog that's been hanging around on our property, stalking the goats through the fence and barking.

The neighbors get one chance, then mister doggie goes bye bye. I don't have the patience or the time to deal with someone who can't keep their dog away from livestock.

It's a surprise I admit, people out here have been really great, at least in my general area, about keeping their dogs on their property or having dogs that don't go far and have yet to bother us. I think this dog is new. Well, it won't be around for long I think.

Thank goodness we're getting a Pyr. Sure, she's still just a little bit but she'll grow! And when she's mature, we'll probably bring her home a companion she can train. That way we have a working pair.

We're going to need it, as our herd continues to grow. I can hardly wait until the fencing is complete and I have all the room in the world (it seems) to expand.

I trimmed hooves today, and poor Hallie! I quicked her. I felt so awful when the blood welled up. I barely got her, but its the first time I've quicked an animal in a long time. I put some quickstop on it and it stopped bleeding in just a bit, but poor baby.

I fed her some oats out of my hand while she was on the stand waiting for the blood to clot. Hopefully she won't hold it against me. Seems like everytime I catch her, I'm doing something awful to her! Like deworming, vaccinations, hoof trims.

Today she was far easier to catch. I just put out some grain and grabbed her collar when she rushed in to get her share with the others. She's coming along quite well I think. She has a nice bit of flesh over her ribs now and is looking good.

Baby dearest decided to show the other kids how to get out of the pen, so I had to spend a while wiring a piece of chain link across that panel to put a stop to the escapades. The last thing I need is little unsupervised babies running around right now.

It's been nice for the last few days so I cleaned the goat house and put down new bedding. I hope they appreciate it before they turn it back into dirt.

The dang feedstore kept trying to sell my poor husband goat feed today. We've never bought goat feed from them, though they know we have goats. We usually just buy hay there, and get our grains at Tractor Supply. Today I had him pick the oats up there since we were out and I needed hay anyways, and they asked him about five times if he wanted a bag of goat feed with that!

Tomorrow a lovely young lady is coming to look at Hope's boys. I've had an amazing amount of interest in them, and it's filling up my waiting list. Thank goodness I will be having a ton of does kidding out next year, with good fortune.

Housework

I admit, I skipped work today so I could get a little done on the house. It's a bit frustrating, because there is so much I want to get done, and so little I can actually do.

So I pacified myself by pulling up more tackstrip, trying to rip that hideous tile up out of the bathroom, sweeping and reorganizing our room. I can hardly wait until things are they way I envision them.

Hopefully we will finally finish the roof, hubby knows where its leaking and is just waiting for a good hot day to set the tar and seal those spots off. Then we can get my brother moved out of the game room and into one of the bedrooms.

Then we can put the gameroom together as it should be, and get hubby's annoying games out of here! That will free up room here in the bedroom, so I can rearrange and have things the way I want them to be.

Of course, all of the floors still need to be done, but for now I'm mostly ignoring them. It's not easy, after all, my father is a flooring expert, and I guess some of it rubbed off.

Ah, well!

I've had a ton of interest in Hope's little boys. I sure wish the rest of the worthless herd had taken when they were bred, but alas. I do believe Rudy took from her visit with Chestnut however. I am contemplating pulling her kids and selling them as bottle babies so she'll be ready to re-breed again in late fall with the rest of the herd.

With good luck, I will have quite a few babies hopping around in March of next year. I decided January was just too harsh for me to kid in. It has its benefits, but I'm going to shoot for a little later in the year this next time.

I'm still waiting on my buckling to be born. River Bottom Ranch has some does due in March, so I can hardly wait to see what she produces. There's lots of blue-eyed and polled possibilities on the way. Fingers crossed!

I am hoping when the lovely young woman I have been speaking to comes and sees Hope's kids, and puts a deposit on them, I will be able to turn around and put that deposit on two gorgeous does I really want: a mother daughter pair. Both blue eyed; the dam is black and white and the doeling a roan buckskin. Gorgeous!

The owner is being very generous and agreed to hold them for a bit for me, so I can gather a deposit.

Poor hubby! I wonder if he realizes I have six does right now. With two more hopefully coming. And he wants a Nubian doe on top of that! And of course, with this breeding to River Bottom's Darkened Chestnut coming up at the end of the year, I am praying Hope finally gives me the doeling out of her I want. And who knows what beauties the others will produce when paired with him? And I'll be able to keep any doelings, since by then I will have my own buck.

I'm sure to finally break that buckling streak I've had!

Thank goodness we purchased enough land to support my goat obsession. We're gearing up to extend the goat pen itself, and then we're going to work on fencing in the ENTIRE property, some in sections, so we look forward to being able to rotate pasture a bit too.

I can't wait for things to get moving.

Writings

Boy its been a rough few days.

First, we get slapped with a nasty rainstorm. It clears up for a couple of REALLY NICE days, then bang! Rain again!

Seeing as my roof STILL leaks, you can imagine I'm not too pleased about it. And the goats even less so. I always feel so bad because they have a pretty crappy shelter. It works, they stay dry and out of the wind, but they still deserve better. And soon they'll have it, with a much larger pasture to boot.

Everyone is doing great, the cocci treatment went well and everyone seems to be growing in leaps in bounds. Baby especially. She is much larger than Hope's twins and is nearly as large as one of my weaned doelings, although dear Isis is from a VERY small doe and will likely grow to be my smallest doe, even smaller than Rudy.

Speaking of cocci medicine. To anyone who owns animals, you know better than to taste something unidentified right?

Well poor husband goes digging through the cabinets, and finds the bottle of mixed cocci medicine.

And takes a taste!

What a goofball! He was quite displeased, and I just told him, "Well, at least now you won't have cocci, right?"

That and who the heck drinks something that's sitting next to the goat's Power Punch, Nutri-Drench, Pro-bios, Corid, and dewormer?

Duh.

Other than that, things are going by the usual way. We are feeling a little pinched, but we're making it and in time it will ease up I think. I wish I could help my poor brother find a job, but until we get a second vehicle and he gets his license, his options are pretty limited right now. I know how tough it is to be sitting around not contributing, but he's done a real good job helping around the house, pulling up old tack strip and helping me get some other stuff done as well.

All things, in time.

I've started working on a short story, perhaps I will post it here. Would you just be interested in reading? I once really aspired to be a novelist, I even wrote several well done (for my age anyways) novels before they became lost.

It's fiction, and about a wolf family, so I don't know how interesting that would be to you guys. Let me know.

Videos

Today, instead of boring you to death, I will delight and amuse you by providing a link to my Youtube channel.

Please forgive the quality on the first few videos, those were taken with my crappy camera. The newer ones were taken with my brother's nice video camera, which I have officially "stolen" for my own use.

The Goat Whisperer's Youtube

Try not to laugh too hard when you watch "Being Chased by a Goat" eh?

Thoughtful

Just a basic update on the usuals.

No more information about the bad breeder as of right. I'm waiting to hear back from the person trying to get her deposit back for the pig. We'll see what happens here shortly in the future.

The internet company sure took me on a round ride. Recently we upgraded to a higher service. Well we started having problems, as outlined in earlier blogs, and it took me around six phone calls to get it worked out. I finally had to go three supervisors up and demand answers.

The end result was we were knocked back down to our recent status, as apparently we are "too far" to get the higher service. Sure would have been nice if they had told us this when we upgraded. It was a huge ordeal and I made it very clear that we were NOT happy with the service they had been providing, especially customer service.

Then they tried to convince me to upgrade to television along with my internet and phone.

Ugh.

Cocci treatment is going well, Baby's slight diarrhea seems to have cleared up and none of the others ever showed any signs. Baby prefers to spit her medicine out (I have to put it in her bottle) but the rest, including Hope's two boys and the two weanling does, will drink the stuff straight out of the cup if I let them. Little strange weirdos.

I am really seeing an improvement in Rudy and Hope from the copper bolus I administered in December. Their coats are shinier, hooves have improved, and there is a definite drop in parasite load, not only using the FAMANCHA system but via veterinary fecals. I am really pleased, and thankful for my friend who sold me a few capsules of copasure to try it out. I plan on bolusing every six months, as well as continuing to have free choice mineral available from them.

So far we've not had a problem with Selenium, but our pregnant females do get a Selenium boost shortly before kidding.

I've learned I can put just about anything in a marshmallow, and my goats will eat it. Even Hallie, our wild rescue doe, took copper when it was folded into a marshmallow. Granted, I had to shove it into the back of her mouth while she was in the milk stand.

Baby is learning about hay and grain. I'm not sure if she is actually eating either, or just picking it up and mouthing it before dropping it, but her milk consumption has dropped a little. She continues to grow and is larger than Hope's twins, despite being a day younger.

To change the subject once again.

Anyone who knows me in the online world knows that I delight in gossip, but keep myself out of "drama" the best I can. Recently, the person who left our online game (see an earlier blog) has joined another game. Which I'm completely fine with, people have the free will to do whatever they please. What got me was that another friend, the leader of this game, actually laughed at us because we had posted a short blurb wishing the first friend well and hoping she would return to our game someday (when she first left).

How rude is that? And childish I might add. Goes to show you how true some "friends" can really be.

I'm not letting it bother me, because it's a ridiculous thing to be bothered over. I was just thoughtful, and it reminded me to always keep a wary eye on those you deem "friends." Even if you bend over backwards for someone trying to help them, it doesn't mean they appreciate the gesture.

More on the "Bad Breeder"

I've been trying to help this poor soul out, the one who put a deposit on a pig, and who is now being turned away from getting it.

To follow are some of the e-mails I have received.

We haven't heard back from the grandparents. But I am 98% sure we will be driving to liberty this weekend, Saturday. To ask for the pig or 300 dollars back.. I just think its insane to even be having to go to such an extent... I have texted her,called and emailed several times voicing my opinion on her "business". But no replies,of course.
I'm just really curious and worried of the condition the pig will be in, being it weighs 5 ounces and is located in the back of a tralior during winter is very scary!!

I'm now just starting to question if it is even worth going to. Or if I should just leave it alone and forget about it. Because I'm starting to worry ill get the pig And it will get huge!!

I will be posting one tonight. Another red flag is not a single pig has been sold or even had a down payment placed on any since my purchase was made. She claimed they sold terribly fast and needed my money right away but all are still remaining.
She also claims mine will only be 25 pounds, I can only hope that IA true.

I finally got a response from her via email, it was a lengthy letter I
sent her. All that I received back was "this is the first email i've
got". Nothing explaining my ignored calls, when I can get the pig, not
explanation on why my date is continuously being pushed back. She is

Well, I did it! And she now
is not allowing me to come to the farm, she saying she will meet me
somewhere! This is all to odd for me, I cant help but wonder WHY am I
not allowed there?
absolutely mind blowing.

Oh my word, now she took back
me being able to meet her, because her mother found out cancer is
spreading through her body! This is insane!

Well, she just said she may not be able to meet me cause the cancer AND her grandpa is in the hospital! This is unbelievable

I am loling as well, just so blown away I have to laugh.. she said she has not replied to my text because she lost her cell phone charger!! Such a lie!

I've left out my replies, simply due to the amount of information I've given to this poor soul, and it would be difficult to edit it all out. Needless to say, this poor lady is not getting anywhere at the moment, either to get her money back or the pig.

I have of course, provided information that I have from my ordeal with this breeder, along with suggestions on her best course of action. I have suggested getting the law enforcement involved even, because this is becoming ridiculous. I really feel for this person and am sorry they are having to go through the same thing, only worse it seems.

With luck, one way or another it will be resolved soon, and I will be releasing the name and location of this "breeder" so all who Google it will come across this and KNOW not to buy from her.

Some people may think it's harsh, but I have no remorse for scammers. I suppose this comes from a long association in the reptile world, where we deal with a large amount of scammers and we have a huge, very popular, forum dedicated to uncovering them and calling them out. It's helped solve a lot of problems and is an invaluable resource.

Reptile Board of Inquiry

It just chaps my hide that people like this are allowed to operate, but what can you do really? I'm against more government interference, so that leaves it to us, other breeders, to call these people out on their lies. It's also up to the buyer, to do their research before hand.

As to the farm here, Hallie is no longer limping! That was a rather quick turn around. We're still continuing the treatment of course, but we're glad to see her recover swiftly from it. No one likes to see an animal in pain around here.

We've also started the little ones, including our newly acquired weaned doelings, on a cocci treatment. We've had a lot of nasty wet weather lately, and since the expansion isn't quite finished and they're in the small pen, better safe than sorry. We look forward to finishing the large pen and seeing them enjoy all of their new space.

As for our internet, we called again today. Someone was supposed to come out (charging us a ridiculous amount of money as well) and fix this. And guess what! No one showed up!

Who's surprised? Not me of course.

I felt bad for the poor guy I got on the phone today and I'll feel bad for the poor fellow I get tomorrow, but this is just ridiculous. I don't pay for internet that doesn't work properly, you know.

Before I go, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've been helping a wonderful lady with her website. And in return, I just might be getting some lovely registered Nigerians in return. She has bucks from GREAT milk lines, so as you can imagine, I'm pretty excited.

Know Who You Buy From

No matter what you are buying, but especially when it comes to living animals, know who you are buying from!

I won't go into the whole list of "mills" out there, which includes just about any species of animals. No, today I will focus on my recent covert operation.

Some months ago, a friend contacted me. She had some goats to sell. At the time, I couldn't take them in, we were in the middle of moving and our pens were not set up yet. So I directed them to another friend I had made and knew through e-mail contact. That person bought the goats.

When the seller got back, she contacted me and told me that the buyer's goats were in poor shape, needing deworming and health care. We decided it was simply a matter of her needing a bit of help, and I and a group of breeders in the area banded together to give her advice. We thought it was all taken care of.

Fast forward a few months, and disturbing things begin popping up. There are complaints on Craigslist about the breeder, and I uncover some pretty disturbing pictures on the breeder's website and other information. Apparently she's had a lot of goats die and the ones left are in bad shape.

I contact the seller and we work out a plan to buy back the two does, all the while I am trying to get more information and get something done about the poor situation going on.

We are able to negotiate payment for one of the does, Hallie. For nearly twice what she was sold to this breeder for. The other Delanie, is "not for sale." We later find out that Delanie died.

We are told Hallie is "in milk" and kidded in December. When asked for pictures of the kid by two separate people, the breeder sends both of them pictures stolen from other websites, and not even the same pictures.

Of course this was uncovered immediately, its not hard to trace pictures back to their source. We chose not to confront her about this, in the interest of removing Hallie from the situation. We had trouble setting up a date for the pick-up, but eventually we were able to, though Hallie's registration paperwork was not avaliable.

On pickup, Hallie was underweight, coughing, with a snotty nose and hugely overgrown hooves. She's terrible pale and absolutely terrified. She doesn't defecate the entire ride (3+ hours) home, which begs to ask, how long was she without food? She is certainly not "in milk" as claimed, and she did not kid in December. It's probably she kidded between September and October. Which brings the question, why were we lied to and where were the kid(s)?

I immediately quarantine Hallie and bring the vet in. She is started on a dewormer regimen, gets a hoof trim, a copper bolus, and a course of antibiotics. Thankfully, two weeks later, she is doing quite well, gaining weight and has been introduced into the herd without too much fanfare.

I've tried in vain to get the truth about Hallie. The most I could get was that Hallie's kid died. I imagine this is the truth of the matter, though she still claims Hallie kidded in December. The paperwork as well still has not been mailed.

I personally talked to the ASPCA. I filed several reports and gave evidence. In time, they told me a warning had been given. I'm not sure if they told me this to get me off their backs, or if they actually went out there, but I do know that this breeder sold quite a lot of goats very soon afterward.

Since then, there has been evidence that several other of the goats have died. The goats, by the breeder's own admission, do not receive vaccinations, are not health tested, and many other things. Now, I'm not against someone who does research and chooses not to vaccinate, and many do not regularly test for health problems.

The point here is the ignorance, and unwillingness to learn. We tried to help this breeder, and it was cast aside. Her whole point was to have a "goat mill" and to make as much money as she can off of the poor beasts.

She has been caught in many lies. I can only hope that the recent events have opened her eyes, but in my experience, people like this never change.

Always do your research before you buy. Take a close look at websites. If someone has pictures of obviously emaciated animals on there, don't you think it's a better idea to look elsewhere?

A picture of Hallie, feeling better.

A Future Guardian

Sorry, but no post on the whole goat scandal I recently delt with. I am trying to worm a bit more information out of the person in question, so I'll have to wait a bit longer. But no fear! It's coming soon.

Instead, tonight I'll introduce my future Livestock Guardian. She was born recently here, to a Great Pyrenees dam and a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian sire, both excellent guard animals.

Without further adieu:

Isn't she just a gorgeous little thing? She'll, with work and luck, grow into K-n-S Farm's Guardian, caretaker of the herd and watchdog. We really look forward to having her here and working with her, and having some peace of mind when it comes to the herd and their safety.

How many of you use LGs? Are they canine or equine or other? Have you had good or bad experiences with them?

I've used a donkey before, way back in the day when we had meat goats. He was mean and grouchy and hated everyone. Not the best experience!

In other news, our current bottle-baby, Baby (I know, real original right?), has discovered that she can leap out of the fence. How you ask? Well, we have cattle panel, and on all of them except one, the entire panel is covered with wire with smaller openings, to prevent escapes. On one panel, it only goes partway up. Well miss smarty pants learned to leap right over that part and out of the hole in the panel.

Too clever for her own good. She's turning into a right spoiled little thing, something I've tried to avoid but seem to be failing at! She's our first bottle baby, we've avoided them in the past but she was too cute to pass up, especially when my favorite doe failed to give me a doeling to keep for the second year in a row.

Baby stays outside with the other goats, but does get a little house time after being fed in the evenings.

I look forward to having her grown up and running about the house...sort of.

Keep checking back for more!