Pulled the trigger on a boehr billy!!

[eccentricfarmer]

Update, up to 5 does and 2 billys now, all looking very good structurally. Now just to get those pens built!! Too much to do and not enough energy to get em done!!

Can only wish that i can get rich enough to be bought out!!

[weldingisfun]

I would sure like to see a picture of your shared feed trough when you get it built. Sounds like a good idea.

[eccentricfarmer]

Have to get a way to put pics on the web, have the cam just not the expertise. I am sure can it some where!! The ones i see to buy are horribly expensive (like so many other things). It probably will not be pretty but the goats are the consumer and they can put a brand of use on it.

Got back from the goat conference up here and it seems like the whole state is not very organized yet for marketing but on the flip side we have a huge market for goat meat. Well, local grown and consumed seems like it is taking off for now so have a chance at least.

[eccentricfarmer]

Just an update on the feeder. There will NOT be any pics. It appears some drunken evil elves have broken in to the barn and created something Homer Simpson would be proud to own. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] But i think it will do the trick!! Think wooden feed trough with 6 posts and a bent piece of wire panel in the middle for the hay. To be placed between 2 pens with billys on 1 side and does on the other. Time will tell. Kind of had to use what was on hand and it was slim and ill sized.

On the upside, managed to get 50 squares of grassy hay for $2.50 a bale. It is a start at least since i am not sure how much they will eat over the winter. Much more than this i am sure, and that is prepared for.

Speaking of donkeys, the 2000# bull sure looks funny giving up a feeder of yummy grain to a little over fed scrub donkey. The cows are definitely the lowest on the totem pole here!! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[weldingisfun]

My 28 goats and 1 donkey usually go through 150 to 200 square bales over the winter. But, I would imagine the winters here are a lot shorter than yours. Plus, my animals can browse all winter as well. You probably have to keep your in or close to the barn all winter. You may want to find another 50 bales, before the prices go up.

[eccentricfarmer]

Yeah, was thinking the same thing or even more. Browsing is about done here, pastures got overgrazed this year and they will be in the barn about 2 weeks to acclimate and get used to every one and everyone used to them. Browsing up here is about april or so. Guess if it is not one thing then it is another.

[eccentricfarmer]

Well i can see there are readings, so i guess will just keep rambling on with the musings of a newbie goat shepherd (and lonely). The dog and the billy have sniffed and licked respective noses and pretty much ignored each other. The dog checks each to make sure they are all ok, but the does still try to buck her thru the fence when she comes sniffing around. They seem quite happy in their pens so far in the barn. It is snowing and blowing and raining out and i heard that goats turn to sugar in the rain and precipitation (disapeear somewhere out of it) anyway.

This years kids will not know their father since i think he will be the neighbors billy and since there is 1 more billy coming besides the one we already have then we should be good for a few years since they are not genetically related.

Of course not counting the kids before they show up, but it should be an interesting year. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[weldingisfun]

I tried to send a PM to you with copies of some handouts picked up at a Goat Symposium. The handout files were too large and didn't go through. Sorry about that. I will try to reduce them and send them on.

You probably already know that goats are mature enough to start breeding at an early age, 4-5 months for does and 6-8 months for bucks. By the way, a buck doesn't care what doe it breeds with so keep them seperated. We seperate ours at 3 months. But, we don't keep all that many busks intact.

As far as the kidding goes, the first-time moms will normally birth one kid, older moms will normally give you twins, but triplets and quads can happen as well although this is not common.

We have just bred 15 does for late Feb and March kids. Three does belong to friends. They bred their does with our buck last year too. It will be quite busy and noisy around here come late Feb.

Stay warm up there. We have a cold front coming in from the north. It will drop the daytime temps into the mid-70s. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[weldingisfun]

I am attaching the pages here.

[eccentricfarmer]

Do not see the post yet WIF.

Is it true the billys reek when they are ready to breed? That is pretty much all i have heard about them. Yet these seem to be just fine (so far). I have some allergies to the proteins on fur (like cats and dogs) and they do affect my eyes some if i rub them after petting the goats, but that is minor considering how much fun they are. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

It is deer hunting season soon, so they will not be out of the barn for a couple weeks yet, but have a weedy patch in the yard may just put one on a leash and let clean it out vs me trying to cut and trim. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]