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How to use the Udderly EZ Milker on Nigerian Dwarf goats

3/31/2015

My old Udderly EZ Milker with the original bottles and some newer ones

I am writing this blog post in response to a thread I was participating in on a Facebook Nigerian Dwarf goat group. Some of the comments that people were making had me in absolute shock. They said they did not like the hand-held Udderly EZ Milker because they tried it a couple of times and it did not work for them. Some of them offered to sell their milkers that had only been used two to three times.

Back when I bought my Udderly EZ Milker in 2007 (or was it 2006?), I think I paid $159 for it. That was the cost of a half ton of hay back then. The Udderly EZ is now selling for $189.95. That is still the cost of half a ton of hay. The reason I was in shock by the comments was because I cannot imagine choosing to make that kind of an investment in my farm and just giving up on it after a couple tries. I would be on the phone to Buck Wheeler or racking my brains to figure it out. But, that is just me. My father grew up during the Great Depression, therefore I am frugal to a fault . Or, maybe it's because of my Asperger's? At any rate, it bothers me that people have bought this product, can't get it to work, and then give up on it.

The picture at the top of this blog post is the Udderly EZ that I bought all those years ago. In the center, you see the original two bottles that came with the milker. Yeah, they look pretty sorry after all these years. I must confess that I did put them into the top rack of the dishwasher a few times--even though the company tells you not to. I discovered that is not really a good idea (maybe they knew what they were talking about?) as the bottles became somewhat misshapen as a result. Fortunately, the top that attaches to the extraction tube was not affected. I just have ugly bottles now.

A couple years ago, I bought the 18-ounce bottles that are round. I love them. They hold more milk and still fit under my does, though at a slight tilt. I just checked the product page for Udderly EZ accessories. They no longer carry the original, 12-ounce, square bottles. But, you can see that you can buy the round, 18-ounce, plastic bottles as well as pint-sized bottles in either plastic (hand wash) or glass (dishwasher but hold onto the bottle when you milk -- you don't want that heavy of an object hanging off your Nigerian's teat!).

Let me walk you through the process of milking a Nigerian Dwarf doe using the Udderly EZ Milker in pictures.

After you get your doe set up on the milk stand with a yummy treat, wipe her udder down with wipes or a dairy cloth soaked in warm disinfectant solution. In the past, I have used unscented baby wipes. They work fine. You want to ensure her teats are really clean.

I give the udder a massage as I'm wiping it down. Then, I strip the teats to ensure any bacteria in the teat is purged. Then, I massage the udder just a bit more.

Note: I watched some videos of a competitor to the EZ Milker, and they don't massage the udder before placing their inflations. Apparently, that works as well. But, after my experience as a woman who breastfed two hungry baby boys, I prefer to ease my does into the milking process by helping them let down their milk. It doesn't take much time, but it sure seems a lot kinder. That is just my opinion.

Place the top of the EZ Milker over the teat, snug against the udder, and pump five to six times. As the doe has had her udder massaged, you won't need to pump a whole lot. Let's be gentle here.

Now, just hang onto the bottle while it fills.

When that side is done, move the EZ Milker to the other teat.

Do you see the stream of milk right there above the label on the bottle? It just pours into the bottle effortlessly.

Ah, I realized after taking the first picture that I was tilting the bottle. Some of the folks on the Facebook group said the EZ Milker did not work for them because it tilts under the doe. Well, it does work. I'm not sure why it wouldn't unless your doe has a rock-hard teats due to mastitis or greater than a 12-hour fill.

I had tilted the milker by habit in the first picture because my original 12-ounce bottle would not fit straight up under my does: one of which was only 18 inches tall (Carrie's Caprine's LBE Sable).

Here you see the milker, when using an 8-ounce colostrum bottle, fits under an 18.5-inch-tall doe.

For my taller girls, who are 21 inches tall and very milky with larger udders than the little doe shown in this picture to your left, I use the 18-ounce bottle, which tilts slightly under them.

The height of the 8-ounce bottle + extraction tube = 9.75 inches. The 18-ounce bottle + extraction tube = 11.75 inches.

When the udder is almost all the way empty, I will often give the milker another pump or two to help ensure the bag completely empties.

The milker naturally comes off the teat when the bag is empty, so hang onto it. I am one who would cry over spilled milk <grin>.

If you need to remove the milker from the teat while there is still suction on the teat, you have your choice of two methods for removing it:
1) Gently slide a finger between the teat and the top of the extraction tube to break the seal.
2) Tilt the top of the EZ Milker unit away from the extraction tube to release the vacuum. Buck Wheeler shows a demonstration of this in this video. The video shows how to milk colostrum from a mare, but it is an excellent "how to" explanation. This is an old video. I noticed he is using the discontinued, square, 12-ounce bottle.

Don't forget to use something on the teats to prevent mastitis when you are done.

Now that you are done collecting the milk, you have your choice of either popping a lambar teat onto the top of your collection bottle or pouring the milk into a different bottle.

It is very easy to pour the milk. You can unscrew the bottle from the extraction tube, and pour that way. But, I find it easier, with these bottles with the small opening, to just remove the inflation from the extraction tube and pour through the connected extraction tube. There is a nicely shaped lip (designed to fit the curves of the animal's body) the makes the pouring easier.

Now, my bottles are filled and placed in my bucket for carrying to the kid barn. I am going to feed the grown goats and all my hens first, so I put some hot water (from the tap, not boiling) into the bucket before I came out to milk. It is pretty chilly this morning. I will be disbudding my 10-day old doeling this morning. So, I want to ensure she has a full belly of warm milk first.

Right now, I am giving all the milk to the kids. I am only milking one doe. Once I want to keep milk for our family as well, I will place a half-gallon Mason jar in my stainless-steel bucket and put about an inch or two of ice (depending on how hot it is outside) in the bottom. I have a plastic tote with a handle for carrying all the kid bottles.

Now, it's time to feed the babies! Here, Blythmoor Coffee Bean is getting a drink. I started feeding the kids through the fence because they were so excited to get their bottles that they would try to leap in my lap as soon as I entered the pen. Well, that was fine until one day I got nailed in the nose by a hopping kid as I bent over. I only have one pair of glasses, and I need them to earn a living as a copyeditor! Things are a bit more sane now <smile>.

p.s. If you see any errors in my blog posts, give me a free pass! No one can effectively edit their own writing. This is why folks need to hire copyeditors.

And now, I have a pen full of happy, QUIET kids. Oh, and one very small yearling doe, Virelai, who is bonding with the kids so she can watch over the doelings once they are moved to the kid pasture (and the buckling PayDay is moved in with the bucks). Ah, yeah, that tri-color would be PayDay getting ready to mount his cousin Coffee Bean. He is 7 weeks old and has about another 3 weeks before he has to say goodbye to his doeling friends. The 10-day old baby in the pink coat is Constellation.

My chores are done, and I can head back to the house. I dump all the bottles, nipples, extraction tube, and inflation into some hot, soapy water; wash; and let air dry until the evening milking. Cleanup is amazingly easy!

Pippin the rescue cat has decided to help show you some of my collection of bottles to use with the EZ Milker. At the far left is one of the original bottles I got when I first bought the Udderly EZ Milker. Next, are the wonderful 18-ounce bottles. Then, you see the large, quart-sized bottles that came with my new Ultimate EZ Milker. And, on the far right are the 8-ounce bottles that are sold for collecting colostrum. I used one in this picture tutorial today. I plan to use a pair of them on the Ultimate EZ Milker (which milks both teats at once) on my shorter does. I can just pop a lambar teat on top and have a kid-sized bottle ready for feeding. The flip-top lid (shown on an 18-ounce bottle) is nice for use in the refrigerator for my family's milk.

I am not sure why some Nigerian breeders have had such a hard time getting the Udderly EZ Milker to work for them. There are two possibilities that come to mind:
1) Folks are not massaging the udder to help the milk drop, and thus, they are pumping way too much for the comfort of their doe.
2) Users of the Udderly EZ are unwittingly tilting the pump unit away from the extraction tube, thus breaking the vacuum seal. Watching the video I linked to previously in this blog post will give you a great visual of that, so you will know what not to do during milking. Also, I would suggest ensuring your doe is standing calmly. Give her a treat and some pets before you milk her. If she is kicking and moving about on the stand, it is likely you may be breaking the seal on that extraction tube.
And, a third possibility was just suggested to me by someone on the Facebook group:
3) You will get a better seal on the teat if it is still moist from wiping it off when you clean it beforehand. Buck Wheeler advises rubbing a bit of olive oil on the teat right before placing the Udderly EZ Milker.

Enjoy your Udderly EZ Milker. If you have questions, I know Buck Wheeler is anxious to attend to them.

There are other systems out there if the Udderly EZ does not work for you. There is an electric milker that many Nigerian breeders like that costs a bit over $600. Personally, it didn't even occur to me to change brands, so I just bought the Ultimate EZ Milker, which is also an electric system, for $549.00. I tried it out last night and was pleasantly shocked that I don't have to wash the tubes as you do with all other milking systems. I only have to wash the same elements on the Ultimate EZ that I currently wash on the Udderly EZ. Life just doesn't get any better than that!

My recent order from Wheeler Enterprises: an Ultimate EZ Milker, 12 8-ounce collection bottles, and a package of lambar nipples.

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Kratky versus aquaponics: Week 3

3/30/2015

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Here we are at week 3 since I planted these baby greens. The mini-aquaponics system is on the left, Kratky-method non-circulating hydroponics on the right. I lost a cilantro on the left and an arugula on the right. My bok choy is bolting on the left, and the arugula is bolting on the right. I am still not happy with how things are going on the Kratky side though.

(p.s. That is one of my Nigerian bucks, Dusty, on the picnic table outside. I didn't even notice he was in the picture until I put it up here.)

Let's take a closer look at the two planters.

Here is the aquaponics system (below). The plants are healthy and ready for me to start harvesting leaves.

Now, here is the non-circulating hydroponics system. I'm not impressed, and I actually feel a bit sorry for this crowd of plants.

I'm even less impressed with the root growth. Yuck!

Shown next is the root system of one of the greens from the aquaponics side. Most of the roots are inside the pot, but look at the lovely white primary root coming out of the bottom of the pot. Keep in mind that I used 2-inch net pots for the Kratky setup and 5-inch ones for the aquaponics. And, the pots in the aquaponics system are not suspended. I just set the pots on the floor of the planter and allow the flush-and-fill system to water/aerate them.

Here are the things I did to try to get the Kratky side to fare a bit better:
1) I flipped the piece of foam insulation over so the silver, reflective side is no longer facing up. Maybe there was too much radiation causing plant stress?
2) I drained the planter (saving the nutrient-filled water to use on my outdoor plants). I filled with fresh water and nutrients to a TDS of 1200 above my initial water reading.
3) I moved the spindly, bolting arugula plants as well as one of the smaller greens to the aquaponics side. I just set them in the planter in their tiny pots.
4) I planted 5 bok choy in the vacated holes. Bok choy can be happy anywhere, so I will be surprised if they don't thrive.

Here is the adjusted setup:

That is a sodium lamp on the left, thus the yellow tinge. Wish my baby greens luck!

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3/26/2015

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There's a new baby in the house

3/24/2015

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Her name is Constellation, and she is a Nigerian Dwarf. She is out of S'Mores Pi, who I had sold and have rescued back (along with her daughter) because the lady who had her does not always feed the goats. The breeder has no income, so often has no food for the over 50 animals on her property. Two of my goats have already died of starvation there. It is sad, but S'Mores and Constellation are going to make it.

Because Constellation is a single and there are no other kids her age, she is living in the house. I bought the largest plastic tub I could find. I have caught our young cat Tom Sawyer sleeping with her. I have been sworn to silence about that, but hey, cat's can't read blog posts.

Hey look, I have color-coordinated pets. Tom's brother, Huckleberry Finn, is fine with baby goat as long as she is in her box. Once she is out for playtime, Huck is in a bit of shock that I would inflect this upon him. Ah, and yes, she is wearing a diaper. Our carpet is 30 years old, but we still do not wish to have it stink. I put a newborn diaper on her, but it wouldn't stay on. Baby goats don't have hips like baby humans. So, I decided to buy a XS dog harness for a dollar. But, upon trying that on, it was not long enough to reach. Baby goats have much longer bodies than puppies. So, while holding a baby goat who is bouncing about like popcorn popping, I fashioned a fix with one hand: a strip of canvas patch held on each side with a safety pin.

Pippin, another rescue cat, does not seem to realize that he should be disgusted with Constellation. Pippin is our special needs cat. I honestly believe he suffered some sort of brain injury before we adopted him. But, it is working to our advantage here because Constellation has found a playmate. She seems especially interested in Pippin's twitching tail. Don't worry, I'm staying close to play mommy referee in case play gets rough.

Well, I am typing this while trying to peddle on my FitDesk. This is not working because Constellation is trying to nurse off my ankle. So, it's time to put her back in her box for a nap. And, I need to get peddling!

Update 6/10/2015: Connie has gone to live at my friend Penny's house. Constellation had a umbilical abscess due to poor sanitation conditions at the farm where she was born. The abscess has subsided, but it is still not clear if Connie will be able to be anything more than a pet. Penny does Goat 911, so she knows how to handle this sort of situation much better than I do.

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Cutting crisp cotton soap

3/24/2015

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This is the soap that I made Sunday evening using the sample of Crisp Cotton fragrance from Brambleberry. I did an in-mold swirl and used three colors: natural indigo, titanium dioxide, and aquamarine blue oxide. The soap "mold" I used is a silicone bread pan.

There isn't any goat milk in this batch as I don't have any to spare at the moment (Constellation is getting it all). I changed my recipe to use more affordable, more readily available ingredients (and to get away from palm oil). As I generally get massive brain-fog during kidding season, I wanted to test my new recipe well in advance. Things went well. The soap is very soft right now; it will be interesting to see how it does as it cures. Kidding season for me starts in June this year and runs through July. This is so I don't go into brain-fog phase during the homeschool year. I should be making soap like a squirrel storing nuts starting about mid-July through the end of 2015.

Out of the mold, ready to be sliced.

The bars need to cure for six weeks. If you are one of my egg customers, expect a bar of crisp cotton with your egg delivery on May 5. Shoot, if I had planned this better, I would have created some sort of salsa bar for Cinco de Mayo!

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Back in the saddle with soap

3/22/2015

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It's been a couple years since I made soap. After I closed my soap business in 2009 (Sable's Soap), I've only make small batches of goats milk soap here and there to keep my family supplied. Because I've only been milking one doe, I haven't had excess amounts of milk, which was fine during those years. I was so busy going to college to get my copyediting certification that there just wasn't time for anything extra. I'm not sure that I have the time now! But, I will be milking six to seven does this year on milk test. Our family will never be able to use that much milk for our table. And, it's illegal to sell it in the state of Washington, unless you have a licensed dairy. So, I came up with a new recipe with more affordable ingredients (as I'm not sure if I will be selling any or just stocking up for family and friends). I pulled my soapmaking equipment out of its box in the basement and ordered some new supplies as well.

Brambleberry sent me a sample of their Crisp Cotton fragrance. So, I thought I'd use that for this test of my recipe. On their website, they describe the scent as follows: This compex, super clean scent is a combination of Juicy Blood Orange, Sea Berry and Passionfruit notes, laced with Raspberry, Starfruit and Rosewater; and underscored by Violet Leaf, Thyme and Musk. Um, maybe I'm a hick, but it just smells like fabric softener to me. But, folks are raving about it in the reviews, so maybe it smells better after cure.

For my colors, I chose natural indigo for the bottom layer, titanium dioxide (white) for the middle, and an aquamarine blue oxide for the upper layer. My sweet almond oil that I use as a base for my colors was old and, therefore, not performing quite right. Good thing I ordered a new bottle for the next batch.

I've melted and mixed my oils. Here, I'm getting a temperature reading. I want my lye solution and oils to be within a few degrees of each other before I mix them together.

I measure all my ingredients in grams. Here, I am weighing the lye. I made this initial recipe with purified water because I have no goat milk to spare yet. The only doe in milk is S'Mores Pi, and she is barely making enough at 3 days fresh to feed her own baby (Constellation).

I've mixed the lye into the purified water and am now trying to get the temperature down to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I always mix the lye in the sink. Oh, and I am wearing my goggles, long-sleeve shirt, and canvas apron!

After getting both oils and lye solution to 91 degrees and a few whirs of the stick blender, the soap is at trace. I can't believe I used to mix my soap by hand with a wooden spoon. My friend Stephanie is assuring me it's OK to embrace technology. I do refuse to get a Smart Phone though!! Here, I divided up the soap into different containers and whisked in my colors. It's time to pour! (p.s. Always have some sort of mat or cover for your counter that you ONLY use for soapmaking. Do not mix your soap equipment with your cooking utensils either. I don't even wash my soapmaking equipment with the rest of my dishes.

Fun, fun. Here is the soap in the mold. I poured the indigo, then most of the white, then almost all of the aquamarine blue. I used my little whisk to do some in-mold swirls through the layers. Then, I poured a thin layer of white and dotted a bit of the aquamarine blue over that. The last step was swirling the blue into the white just on the top layer using a bamboo skewer. Now, the soap has been put to bed. I can cut it in 24-48 hours. I'll have to see how long this takes to set up. Someone is going to think I did laundry today by the smell in here! Ha, ha. Oh wait, I did get to one load of towels. Yay!

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Supplies for a goat herder

3/20/2015

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I walked around my house and barn and took pictures of all the supplies that I use for my herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. Taking pictures was the easiest way for me to catalog all the items I use. I have things stored in different places. Please don't let all this stuff scare you if you are starting out and deciding what to buy. I've been raising goats since 2004, so I have accumulated a lot of things. But, that also means I've gotten a good idea of which things are actually needed. There are some items, like the long plastic sleeves for kidding, that really aren't necessary, but we buy when we are new to the hobby because we see them in a catalog.

These are items I keep in the kitchen. Everything except the Valbazen and LA-200 are kept in the refrigerator.

Ivomec: an antithelmintic (de-wormer) that I use after my does kid.
Valbazen: also an antithelmintic that I used before breeding. You cannot use it once the does are pregnant as it may cause abortion.
Vitamin B Complex is great for goats feeling a bit under the weather.
Liquamycin LA-200 is an antibiotic. I keep it on hand but haven't needed to use it.
Ephinephrine: This is a very old, expired bottle. It is used to revive a goat that has a reaction to a vaccine. My current vet does not like to prescribe it, so I hang onto the bottle I bought back in Oregon.
CDT toxoid is a vaccine that all goats get once a year (2 CC) before the grass greens up. Kids get two boosters if their mom had a dose when she was pregnant (as she will pass some of her immunity through her milk). Otherwise, they will need three doses.
Penicillin is another antibiotic that I have on hand but haven't needed to use yet...knock on wood.
Bo-Se is a selenium supplement that is needed for goats that live in areas that have selenium-deficient soil.
In front, I have some leftover prescription eye cream that I had used on one of my kids.

These are my clippers for giving summer trims and also for shaving udders. I've had them for almost a decade and use them all the time because I also have Angora rabbits and a Llasa Apso. I've only had to have the blades sharpened once in the time I've owned them. My Aesculap red clippers are one of the very best investments that I have ever made! I keep the toothbrush to clean the blades. I take good care of both my clippers and the blades. I have sent the clippers back once for maintenance. I had the insides cleaned out well and new bushings installed. The little Fiscar scissors are great for making tails look perfect.

These are my milking supplies. I keep them in the kitchen.

In the front, you see my very old EZ Milker. I bought this when Buck Wheeler was still in the development stage and had just come up with the small inflations for the Nigerians. It still works great after all these years (since 2007), though it is probably due for new gaskets as it doesn't hold the vacuum as well as it did when it was new.
The stainless-steel bucket is from Caprine Supply. I put ice in the bottom of it to chill the bottles of milk while I'm out in the barn.
I use the scale for DHIR milk test. Each year, you need to get the scale calibrated. Keep the receipt of the calibration as proof that you had it done.
Bottles of all types. In the rear are the non-vac lamb bottles. The Nigerians tolerate them. The kids prefer the bottles in the front with the Pritchard nipples (red and yellow). Those are actually glass club soda bottles. I've had them for years and years. They wash up great and keep on going. There is also a grey lambar nipple that the Nigerians tolerate but don't prefer. Those last longer than the Pritchards.
Foaming acid wash for cleaning the milk bottles and equipment.
Stainless-steel milk filter from Caprine Supply. It fits nicely on top of a Mason jar.
Paper filters to use in the stainless-steel filter. You can buy these at the farm stores. I noticed the box is a different color now, so don't let that throw you off.

Ta-da! Here is my brand new Ultimate EZ Milker. I am so excited. I will have six does on milk test this year (instead of just milking one doe for our family), so I splurged. I also bought some small bottles and lambar nipples. These lambar nipples are black, but they are the same as the grey ones in the previous picture. The idea here is that I will collect the milk directly into the small bottles, which will fit better under the smaller Nigerians, and then pop a lambar nipple into the top of the collection bottle. I can feed the kids out of the same bottles that I use to collect milk! We will see how well that actually works in practice.

Here is my tired, old tattoo kit. A very exciting event for me was when my husband found this piece of Styrofoam that I could fit into a small plastic bin. I used to have all the letters tangled up in a Ziploc baggie. I usually also keep a piece of cardboard with it for testing the tattoos before I apply to the goat. Believe me, it so very much worth the extra step. When you are putting those letters and numbers into the clamp, everything is backwards. So, it's easy to make a mistake. I have some rubbing alcohol down in the basement to use for sterilizing. I also hang on to old toothbrushes to use for rubbing the ink into the holes in the ear. Those get tossed after all the tattoos as they get stiff from the dried ink.

In the basement bathroom, I keep a bottle of molasses. I haven't ever moved it. Where ever you put your kidding supplies, don't move them. If you are like me, you will need to be able to do things without thinking too hard during kidding season. You will be tired. I can be in the middle of copyediting a book on nanotechnology or some other highly technical subject and hear some newborn noises over he intercom. I find it is hard for me to be consistently successful in immediately changing my thought pattern from copyediting to kidding. That is a fancy way of saying that I get scatterbrained. Anyhow, each doe gets a bucket of warm molasses water right after she kids. Molasses is full of wonderful nutrients to help her regain her strength, and the does love the treat. One year, I went out early in the morning when Poetry kidded, cup of hot coffee in hand as I had just poured it when I heard the baby noises on the intercom. I thought I could sit down, enjoy my coffee, and watch the baby goats nurse for a few minutes. Poetry was mad that I did not bring her warm molasses water. She came over to me, screamed in my face, and then proceeded to drink all my coffee. Who was I to argue?

It is also wonderful if you can install a utility sink in your basement, garage, or barn. There are often things you need to wash that are either too big or too "barnish" to want to clean in your kitchen sink. Here, I really need to get to this week's rabbit dishes.

While we are still in the house, my order from Jeffers came today. Here are a few things that I needed to replenish:

Plastic collar and ID tags
Marker for writing on the ID tags
Vitamin A, D, E, B12 gel for does and kids after kidding
Replamin gel (vitamins and amino acid chelated minerals) for boosting immune systems
CMPK gel (Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium for the does after kidding)
MFO in case of milk fever
I also got a show lead because I'll be taking some of my goats for linear appraisal. You can use whatever you like, but I'll be visiting a host herd that shows, so I figured I'd try to fit in.

Now, we are out in the garage. I keep the goat coats out here, but they are buried, so no picture of them. We had a very mild winter and never had to pull them out this year. But, here are some things I keep in these bin shelves. I don't use these items on a weekly basis (those sorts of things are kept out in the barn). I have a blue tote that I can fill with items from here to take out the the barn if needed.

Extra latex gloves
Aspirin powder: I've only had to use this twice in 11 years--when I've had a buckling that seemed like he was hurting after banding.
Small needles/syringes for baby goats
Vet RX: herbal treatment for respiratory issues
Bag Balm
Activated charcoal
Scissors (I have scissors in each of the barns and the feed room as well.)
Pill splitter in case your vet gives you pills. Albon used to be prescribed in pills. I haven't had it prescribed for a decade, so I'm not sure if it still comes that way.
Copasure cattle boluses: Save money by buying the larger cattle boluses and then distributing 2 grams per goat into gel capsules.
An extra bottle of Fight Bac, used to clean teats. I also use it on wounds as it is just chlorhexidine and glycerin.
Iodine for wound cleaning and navel dipping
Vanodine: a disinfectant for feed dishes, buckets, pens, etc. I also use bleach. Though, don't mix the two!
Vet wrap in case of leg injuries
Small plastic containers (in this case a small Play Doh container) for holding iodine for naval dipping. I toss them when I'm done.
Drenching syringe
Permethrin concentrate for delousing pens
Extra needles/syringes in 20 and 22 gauge sizes
Scrapies ID clamp and tags for wethers (I don't tattoo wethers with my ADGA/AGS tattoo.)
Newborn kid coat
Nanny Manicures booklet for instructions on hoof trimming
Plastic chain collars
California Mastitis Test paddle
Goat hobble (because Reverie has impatient kicky-feet during milking)
Extra collars
Banding clamp and bands for castrating bucklings
Extra syringes in all kinds of sizes

Out in the barn, here are the tools I use:

Pitchfork
Bedding fork
Rake
Grass rake
Snow shovel: Yes, really. The combination of snow shovel and grass rake works just like a broom and dust pan.

This is the shelf in my grooming/milking pen. One of the shelves is empty: That is where I put milking supplies like extra bottles and teat wipes during milking season. There is also a fishing tackle box full of goodies that I will show you in the next picture.

Various brushes. The rake is wonderful for pulling out that winter undercoat.
Extra caribiners: I use them all over the place for securing buckets and gates, etc.
A hoof pick: I believe these are meant for horses, but I love them. They save wear and tear on your hoof shears if you use them to clean the hoof first.
Latex gloves
Clock: This is partly because I lose track of time and need to be back in class by the time homeschool recess is over. I also use it during milk test.
Orange tote on bottom shelf of various bottles: I will show you these in detail in another picture.
Extension cord on shelf behind tackle box for use when I clip the goats.
My blue tote with bottle of bleach and bucket brush. I fill it with items from the garage when needed, or whatever. Totes are great.
Also, I have a roll of paper towels mounted on the wall and a shop light hanging overhead.

This is my "go to" tackle box that I keep at hand. Some of the items are just for kidding season, but I leave them where I can find them close by (as I mentioned before--scatterbrain-itis during kidding season). The items I use all the time are those for monthly grooming. I'll list approximately from top to bottom, right to left.

Cloth diaper. Well, because who doesn't need a cloth diaper on occasion? They can be used for all kinds of jobs.
Kid puller still in package. I've never used it, probably never will. I bought it, along with the elbow-length plastic gloves, when I was new to goats. My fingers work better than any dumb bit of rubber cord. The gloves don't get used either.
Extra collars and leads
Balling guns for dosing copper boluses--the jury is still out on whether these are of any use or not.
A couple bottles of OB lube
Weigh tape
Goat-sized Copasure boluses for when I am too lazy to make up my own
Assorted needles and syringes (refilled from boxes of 100 in garage)
Orange-handled hoof shears and belt sheath
Fiskars scissors for trimming tails and beards nicely
Hoof pick
Dental floss for tying off umbilical cords
Digital thermometer
Scalpel and sterile scissors (never used either but could be useful)
Vet wrap
Sharpener for hoof shears: I keep it in its original package to take care of it. Everything out in the barn gets grungy.
Diaper rash cream for does who've had a rough kidding
Stethoscope and headlamp kept in a plastic bag so they stay clean

Here are the contents of the orange tote:

Hand sanitizer: I don't use this but keep it in case kids visit the farm.
Betadine: a disinfectant
Iodine for dipping navels
Blood stop powder in case I trim a hoof too close to the quick
Mineral oil: I've not ever used this, but it is in case of poisoning. When I had goats eat Rhododendron once, I drenched liberally with vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is my first choice. But, if I have a goat retching from being poisoned, I'm not going to take the time to run to the house for vegetable oil. And, I don't keep cooking oil out in the barn because it would go rancid.
Kaolin pectin suspension: This is the animal version of Pepto-Bismol, used for loose stools.
Saline solution in case a goat gets something in its eye
Bloat relief drench. The bottle is shaped so you can just pour it right into their mouth.
Hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting
Corid for prevention of coccidiosis
Vanodine: a disinfectant
Probios: probiotics for ruminants
Vitamin A, D, E, B12 gel

Here is a shelf in the doe barn. There really isn't any reason why these things are here rather than in the grooming/milking area other than I forgot to put them away.

Generic Pepto-Bismol for scouring
Permethrin dust for delousing
CPMK drench for does after kidding
Iodine for dipping navels
Goat drench for weak kids
Curry comb because Hailey insists I comb her, often. She loves to be combed.
Hammer
Extra lead
Extension cord for heat lamps
Heat lamps are hanging high out of reach of bouncing goats when they are not being used
Paper towels

Water is a very important supply for your goats. Did you think about that one? Please do. I keep these barrels filled with water (add a splash of bleach) in case of emergency for the goats and our livestock guardian dog.

Ignore the kiddie pool. I don't store water there. We had a frog lay her eggs in our pool. I made my husband rescue all the tadpoles before he the treated the pool with chemicals. Yes, I am a freak.

Collect pet kennels. You can often find them at garage sales. I have them in all different sizes. Not only are they for transporting goats, but I also use them for housing sick or baby goats in the house. And, baby goats love to have a warm, protected place to sleep out in the barn. Just ensure you put the kennel some place where the bigger goats won't jump all over it. I have had kennels broken by goat play before.

This is my wellness command center out in the rabbit/kid barn. I bought that portable stand at a rabbit show. The scale is wonderful for keeping track of kid weights to ensure they are growing well. There is a baby goat coat there as well as the leather gloves I use when disbudding. The disbudding box (created by my handy husband from plans bought at Hoegger) and the iron are in the lower left. I have a metal cup for measuring grain and a pair of scissors for trimming the nails on the rabbits. In the small compartment behind the scale, I keep ball-point pens and a sharpie marker. Sometimes, I will use the sharpie to write in someone's ear for ID purposes. There is a handy roll of paper towels and a thermometer mounted on a post. The thermometer is mostly for the rabbits. If the temperature gets below freezing, their water bottles will freeze. So, that is when I bring in my electric oil-filled radiator to heat the room up just enough to keep the drinking water liquid.

Well, there you have it. That is a complete tour of all my goat stuff. I hope it was helpful.

7 Comments

Answers about goat and sheep housing

3/19/2015

0 Comments

This is part 2 of my answers to Travis, a young, aspiring farmer in Minnesota. Today, I will show what kind of housing we have for our herd of 15 dwarf goats. I will also bring some pictures out of the archive from our barn back in Oregon for comparison.

Basically, we've bought properties that already had some sort of barn structure on them, and then we've made adjustments and additions to those structures over time (usually in reaction to some need, e.g., baby goat found a way to fit through the gap between the gate and fencepost). We are not wealthy people. And, I was raised by a WWII hero who grew up during the depression. So, I re-purpose and recycle like nuts. I am very fortunate to have a husband who thinks along the same lines as I do. And, it is also good <chuckle> that we have different hobbies, as I will get on his case a bit about how many motors and tools he has all over the place, and he will get on my case about all the livestock equipment I've left all over the lawn and garage...so, we keep each other from becoming pack-rats.

But, before we start looking at the structures, here is something to think about: Choose a location for your barn (or buy a property that is so setup) that allows you to maximize your enjoyment (and your watchfulness) of your livestock. I am very blessed in that I can watch my goats throughout the day from my kitchen window. Yes, even though I am Editor Melinda and a homeschool teacher, I am also a housewife. So, I am in and out of the kitchen all day. In fact, I spend soooo much time in my kitchen, that my husband and I worked like dogs remodeling it ourselves. I just snapped these two photos of my happy view:

Now, here is my huge disclaimer to any folk that did not grow up on a farm: I just picked up my camera and walked about my property snapping pictures during homeschool "recess." I did not take the time to clean things up or stage them to look nice. So, if you see poop or stains or whatever, and if that offends you, too bad. The dirt gets cleaned on a regular basis, but none of my livestock areas are all the way clean all the time. If I had taken the time to clean things up first, I never would have gotten these pictures taken.

Let's start with the doe barn. It appears the former owner mounted an old mobile home on stilts that he made out of smaller cut trees. I am guessing that he kept his hay stored up there. We don't because it's not weather-proof enough to prevent mold (which leads to Listeriosis). Most all of the area beneath the mobile home was filled to the rafters with cut wood for the wood stove. The footprint of the entire building is around 50 x 35 feet.

The former owner did have a small area for some livestock. We have re-purposed that area for the does. It is about 20 x 30 feet inside. The space gets larger as we use more firewood!

Here are my boys--Mac, Thundrstorm, and Dusty--in their daytime lounging spot in front of the doe barn. And, another view of the barn.

After each set of pictures, I'll point out a few things. Here, do you see that while sticker on the window? That shows the name and phone number of my vet. In case I'm not around and something happens to my goats, I would hope someone would call that number. There are pallets for sleeping inside when it's raining. The back wall is shared between the does and bucks. The former owner just had some old wire fencing and a wooden gate. We wired the gate shut and added lattice panels (that we found on the property) along the back to prevent unwanted mingling. If you notice over to the right side of the back wall in the second picture, there is a section of hog panel. As we used more firewood, this opened up. We have a sleeping cubby carved out into the woodpile from the buck side so the boys can sleep close to the girls. There is a slight overhang of the roof to help keep them dry. And, when the demolition on our old driveway was being done, I found old cinder blocks, which I arranged into sleeping decks for the boys.

We have a number of places for the does to eat. Plan for a manger for every 3-4 goats. The former owner had this short wood fence. That won't work with goats. We found lattice and plastic corrugated sheeting on the property and mounted that to keep goats in and the wind out. By the way, we really don't have to worry about wind through the rear wall because the barn is on a hillside, and the ground slopes steeply up from that wall into the forest, creating a natural windbreak. In the corner, I have a portable kidding pen that my every-so-handy husband made for me. In the second picture, you can see a protected area I made for the goats to go into in case of severe weather, which rarely ever happens in the Puget Sound. The goats don't like to sleep there. They prefer to sleep near the bucks or in the main doorway on all the lovely, fresh hay that they pull out of their other manger each day. Also notice the sleeping deck in the background. Goats absolutely love sleeping decks. Just realize that you will have to sweep or rake it often. Pallets are nice for allowing poop to fall through the cracks.

Now, let's take a look at the doe yard. It is around 18 x 36 feet. We certainly would have made it larger if we had time to plan things out. When we moved in (and it was a military move = 45 days to sell house in Oregon and be settled in new house in Washington), my husband just slammed up some old wire fencing as fast as he could do in one day as he had to start a new job the next day. There was no pen fencing of any kind when we moved in. Later, as money allowed, he made the fencing look nicer by creating the wood picket around the existing old wire fence.

Right now, because the weather is nice, I have the pallets lined up around the edges of the yard so they can spread out and sunbathe. During the winter, I had the sun shelter from the kid pen in the middle of the doe yard on top of the large pallet as a separate feeding station for the bottom-rung does. It still gets pretty muddy so I have smaller pallets for walkways to keep their hooves dry. In 11 years, I've not yet had hoof rot in my herd...knock on wood!

Don't they look happy? I would love to be a goat. Reverie is lounging on a grooming stand because we lost part of the headpiece and now it is fancy goat furniture. Goats don't usually like to sleep on the ground. They like to be up.

And, there is one of our bucks, Thundrstorm, who asks, "May I please come in to the doe yard with you?" Ah, no. But, I will show the people your housing now.

Here is the buck housing, which we are slowly carving out of the wood pile. You see Mac walking out the gate, which is often open because the bucks like to be between the house and the does. Bucks are incredibly social, more like puppy dogs. They love their people. At our next property, I'll find a way to better accommodate their nature.

You can see the black mineral feeder (maybe?) on the wall above Mac. The gate is an old hog panel that my husband mounted. I use an old cinder block as a doorstop. You can see one of their sleeping decks behind Mac. It is mounted on cinder blocks to keep it from being covered in hay that they drag out of their manger.

In the next picture, you can see their bad weather retreat area. It does not usually look like this. Thundrstorm (yes, Mr. Personality) has taken to climbing the wood pile and knocking parts of it down. Under all that hay that they pull out of their manger is a lovely sleeping deck that I was so excited to install...that they hardly ever use. It's got to be pretty darned blustery before they sleep in there. They prefer their sleeping cubby near the doe's barn. You may notice that we had to install pieces of hog panel in the back of this sleeping area to keep them from getting into the hay storage and the doe yard on the other side. We did not want to put solid wood up because you really want all the ventilation you can get. Someone recently asked on one of the groups, "What is the difference between ventilation and drafts?" I would say that air movement up high, which allows the ammonia fumes to rise and leave the building, is ventilation. Drafts are air movement down low where the animals are sleeping. That's just my take on it.

Here is the buck's yard. We found some old chain-link fencing and t-posts to build it. It is about 70 x70 feet and has some lovely old maple trees to provide shade. There is a ramp over near the doe barn that they like to show off on. I wish we had more climbing toys for them, but then again, they prefer not to be back there.

Here is Mac where he likes to spend his days, on the picnic table between the house and the doe yard. It is often wet here. But, when the grass does dry out for a while, the boys really love to lie on their sides on the grass near the doe yard fence.

Now, we go to the nursery:

We used to have more rabbits, but they have been slowly aging out, and now we are down to five. We had the rabbits in the rear section of this barn and my grooming/milking area in the front. This past fall and winter, my husband and I have been busy redoing some things. I moved the rabbits to the front of this area and my husband put in the little fence here. I laid down a deep layer of sand to keep the dust down (always a problem in the past in here). And, we found some more of that lattice lying around and used that for a divider wall. I should mention that all of our goat areas have hanging fluorescent shop lights. In here, we also have clip-on barn lights that always stay on so we can turn off the overhead lights at night. The sleeping deck in the back is an old rabbit cage stand that my husband fitted with an old piece of plywood.

In the second picture, you see the gate my husband installed so I can leave the big slider door open for ventilation most of the time. It only gets shut when the wind really blows. But, we need that gate closed during the day when the bucks are out so they don't eat all the food out of the rabbit feeders. After I put the bucks away in the evening, I open this up so our LGD can sleep in there. He loves to be near the bunnies and his baby goats.

Here's the front section of that part of the barn. Behind the bunny is where we store a couple tons of hay. You can also see I have one of the heated buckets sitting up there, as I only put it out in the doe barn when the temperatures go down to freezing. By the way, the bunny has a nest box because she is an Angora wool rabbit that was just shorn. Sorry, no kits. And, the metal on the side of her cage is to keep the morning sun from baking her. Angoras are very sensitive to heat. You can see the rest of the rabbits on the other side. I've got an empty cage up on top. Why? I don't know. I think I just set it there for a minute and then forgot about it.

Oh, notice the pet carrier beneath the rabbit cages? I like to store one near the baby goats in case of an emergency when I've got to quickly evacuate animals. In fact, I have carriers all around the place for this reason. I don't know if you can see it or not, but there is a high shelf above the kid nursery where I store rabbit carriers for that reason. My family's house was flooded in 1972, and we had to quickly evacuate. I remember my dad paddling his canoe into the house to grab my sister and I who were perched on top of the back of the couch. So, I guess that stuck with me.

From the baby goat nursery to the kid pasture. This pasture, which we keep the adult goats off so it stays parasite-free, runs along the entire back side of the house. See that window in the upper right? That's my office where I am sitting now typing this. So, I can keep a good eye on the babies when they play.

The second picture shows our LGD's house. A big doghouse for a very big dog! This building was here when we bought the property. My husband has re-purposed it for him and his dog. Yes, our dog really does have a carpet for a bed. Dog beds are just not big enough for him. It is nice that Kenai's doghouse is next to the nursery/rabbitry barn.

Ah, I forgot something. Let's go back to the other barn.

Here is the new grooming/milking area that my husband built for me last fall. It was my 15th wedding anniversary present, and I can not think of anything more wonderful and romantic! I'm serious.

In the second picture, you can see into a space where we keep some of the feed. I have three galvanized cans of grain for the chickens and goats. And, you can't see it in this picture, but there is a pallet where my husband brings two bales of hay a week from the other barn. This saves me a bit of labor and walking around (often in the rain). Notice the wood frame around the grain cans. That is so a goat won't knock them over, thus spilling their contents. Even though goats are not allowed in this area unsupervised, never say never when it comes to finding goats in places where they are not supposed to be. Plan for everything!

Oh, and behind that green wall is the chicken coop. Let's take a look:

For whatever reason, the ground in this part of the barn structure is made out of recycled concrete test cylinders. I guess the previous owner was just as weird about re-purposing things as we are. Having a concrete floor made this the perfect spot for the chickens as it not only helps to keep things cleaner, but it also makes it harder for the rats to get in. Ah yes, there are more of those re-purposed lattice panels and corrugated plastic sheeting being used for divider walls. The hay storage is on the other side of the left-hand picture. The buck's manger and sleeping deck is on the other side of the right-hand picture. We have LED Christmas lights in here, and the lattice allows the lighting in the chicken coop to shine into the buck's area as well.

The nesting boxes are old cabinets that we found on the property, turned on their side. They have a wooden ladder up to their roosts on the other side of the coop. In the back of the right-hand picture, you can see the chick nursery. It is essentially a box with a screened lid that swings up. I keep the chicks in our basement on top of the dryer in a plastic tote for the first few weeks, and then I move them out to the nursery.

This is our pasture. Other folks might call it a front yard. Doesn't it look so marvelously green? Don't let that fool you. It's garbage grass with no nutritional value. My vet told me to limit the time my goats spend out here so they don't get full and not have room for the quality hay that will actually provide the nutrition they need. I do have to admit though, I will miss the almost electric green grass of NW Washington.

In the second picture, you see our orchard. It is nice in fall because the goats get to eat the fallen apples. Right now, it is March. So, there is very little foliage on anything yet. We have a very short growing season in the Pacific Northwest.

It's now time for the details. I used to work for a landscape architect. We always had a "detail sheet" that accompanied the blueprints. So, here is my version of that for the goat housing.

Here is a wonderful gate latch that my husband invented for my grooming pen. it is just a piece of 1x1 lumber with a handle screwed onto it. It fits into a groove on the top of the gate and you can either lift if up or slide it over to be behind that taller upright 2x4 near the white trim to lock the gate (the gate swings out). It's goat-proof!

Oh and leave it to a goat to be a goat for the picture when I'm not paying attention. That would be Dusty "perfuming" himself before he goes over to the doe fence for his daily lolling and grunting exercise.

On the left is my new grooming/milking pen. On the left side is a table where I keep feed dishes off the ground. I try to pick up the dishes pretty soon after everyone is done eating so they don't get soiled. Goats seem to have no idea, or maybe it is no care, as to where they are pooping. On the right is where I keep some supplies. In the middle is my grooming stand (purchased years ago from friend Darlene Chambers of Peppermint Pastures in Albany, OR). There is a bar that is just above the top of the picture where I store clean feed pans that fit into the grooming stand, as well as extra clean buckets. I also hang my milk scale there during milking season. There is a simple roof made of recycled metal corrugated roofing to keep the goats and I dry.

On the right is the gate to the doe pen. Notice the little piece of metal sheeting in the lower right? That is to remind you that little baby goats can fit through amazingly small spaces. Just as a parent gets down on their hands and knees when child-proofing their home before their first child, you also need to keep a keen eye out for places where baby goats can get out of their safe area or stuck somewhere. We have bald eagles that would be very happy for a little Nigerian to get out to the pasture on its own. But, that won't happen on my watch!

Now, we are in the kid pasture. Recently, the city required us to switch over from septic to city sewer. The former owner had this little shed over the septic tank. We moved it into the pasture for a small shelter. This is fine for a number of young goats or even for about 3 mature goats if this is all you can do. Please realize that goats do not need anything fancy. They just need to be kept out of the wind, rain, and snow.

In the second picture is the little sun shelter that we put in the doe yard during the rainy season for another feeding station. it is built out of materials we found on the property in a junk pile. There is a mineral feeder screwed to one of the cross-bars (hard to see because there is a black pot behind it). I also have a hay feeder that hangs on the cross-bars. The large nursery pots are for the baby goats to lounge and play on. We had those wonderful big wooden spools at our farm in Oregon, but we couldn't fit everything in the moving truck.

On the left is the detail of the gate in the kid nursery. See how simple things work so well? This is just a piece of hog panel that my husband attached to a post with some v-shaped tack thingeys. (OK, I am not the expert on building materials.) The spring to close the pen door is actually an old rabbit water bottle holder. I have a small black caribiner hooked at the bottom of the gate to keep the goats from nudging it open with their noses.

On the right is a very important piece of housing equipment: a comfortable camp chair! Hey, don't you raise goats or sheep in order to enjoy them? This is a nice spot for me to escape to with my laptop to get some copyediting done, and being on the other side of the fence from the babies prevents them from helping me type. The cup holder is a wonderful feature for holding an extra bottle of milk for the babies. You notice that PayDay expects that there should always be a bottle of milk there waiting for him?

We are almost done with our details. Let's go back to the doe barn.

On the left is a portable kidding pen. It has no bottom, which makes it easier to keep clean. The latch is just a small piece of wood that spins. I had my husband mount a piece of hog panel on the wall behind it so I can hang a bucket of water above baby goat reach (you do not want newborns ending up in the water bucket). We have clip-on heat lamps that we can hang above as well. Inside, you see a little structure on its side. That is actually a small kid house (think Snoopy dog house) that we put out in the doe barn if I am dam raising. The kids love to have a quiet, safe place to snuggle down together. It's not kidding season for us until June this year, so everything is put aside for now.

On the right is one of our barn intercoms. I bought these from Radio Shack 11 years ago and they finally started dying on me about a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they still sell them. When the package arrived, I was also pleased to be able to keep the protective wrapper over top of it to keep it from fouling with dust. We just zip-tied it to one of the rafters. It is always in the "call lock" position, so it operates like a baby monitor. I hear everything that happens in the barn when I am inside the house. As you get to know your animals, you will learn to discern an ordinary "I'm bored" or "I'm hungry" holler from a "I need help" one...and your feet will grow wings to rush out to the barn. Heck, I don't even take the time to put on my shoes.

Here are the indoor mangers. The one on the right was very spendy. I thought I was being very clever by investing in one with a shelf at the bottom to catch all the hay that usually gets wasted on the ground. Um, do you see what the ground is covered with? Yeah, that's $18.75/bale bedding. Not what I had in mind.

Now, the manger on the right cost nothing. We recycled an old hog panel, bent it, and hooked it on the lattice wall. Bingo, manger. Works just as well as the spendy one.

Here is the outside manger, same cheapo design of hog panel, but here cleverly affixed to fence using shocking pink baling twine. OK, true confessions: much of my barn is held together with baling twine...not all of it shocking pink. Oh, and do you see all that expensive hay scattered all over the ground outside the doe fence? Hmmm? Yes, my bucks choose to eat out of the back of the doe's manger rather than in their own pen.

On the right we have the watering corner. I place my buckets far away from the sleeping areas. Otherwise, I would be cleaning poop out of the buckets every day. I have pallet walkways to the buckets so they don't get their hooves wet (which can contribute to hoof rot and other problems). Goats hate getting their feet wet anyhow. I secure the buckets to the fence with caribiners so they don't get knocked over during horse play, er, goat play. I use caribiners all over the place. They are much safer than bungee cords that can puncture eyes and such.

Here we are at the last two pictures. This used to be our driveway gate back in Oregon. Now, we use it as a portable wall. I can quickly move it across the big doorway between the barn and the yarn in case I want goats to stay inside the barn. My husband also put hooks inside where I can mount it to section off part of the doe barn. That is useful in case someone gets a sore leg or something like that and you need to keep them confined. I also use it as a way to keep dam-raised kids off mom at night so I can milk in the morning. Then, the kids get to stay with mom until bedtime. But, they don't fuss when I put them in the gated area because their moms sleep against the other side of the gate. Don't ask me why Reverie has her hackles up in the picture. Silly girl.

The second picture is a mineral feeder for loose mineral salt. You need one of these in each housing area. Goats/sheep cannot get enough salt from licking blocks like cows can. Mount it high enough so someone doesn't back up against it and poop in it. Also, use long screws when mounting because the kids will jump up on it their like it's a ledge designed for their play. You see, goats are convinced that everything in their environment is there for their play. As long as you plan for that, you won't get frustrated and irritated with them.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your tour of our goat housing. Keep in mind that simple and frugal is fine. I'd rather invest in quality stock than a fancy barn.

This has turned out to be a very long post, and it's 2 am. But, I would like to show you some pictures of how we had things set up at our old farm in Oregon.

Doe pasture sun shelter

Doe pasture lounging shelter

Doe barn (w/ Pygoras and barn cat)

Doe pen

Inside doe pen

Detail of homemade manger w/ lid

Llama pen (w/ grooming/milking pen to right)

Llama manger and grain bucket (out of reach of goats) and window into kidding room (llamas need to see their baby goats)

Kidding room (very cozy because it was snowy in Sandy, OR)

Homemade hen house

Homemade buck shelter

Buck house interior

Buck manger (photo bomb by Vespucci)

Stepping stones to keep their hooves out of the mud

Buck shelter in winter

Is this cool or what?! Gorgeous Sandy, OR

View from our front yard in Sandy, Oregon, looking across the Clackamas River valley at Goat Mountain. And, therefore, the name of my herd: Goat Mountain View.

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Answers for a new sheep or goat herder

3/17/2015

0 Comments

I copyedit essays for a 13-year-old from Minnesota who is doing the Ron Paul Curriculum for home school. He knows I raise goats. He has been involved in 4-H for a few years showing steer. He has done quite well for himself with the steer and is now making plans to expand with a herd of sheep or goats. He emailed me some questions this morning. As I was starting to answer him, I realized that others may benefit from this information as well. I've been raising goats for 11 years. So, I have been through much of the learning curve...though, please be assured that the learning never ends. This is a good thing. Who would want to be done with learning? That would be massively boring.

Limerick and daughter Romance, 2011

Hi Melinda

i was wondering how much do sheep cost when young and same with goats. how much do you make per head of sheep or goats? are your sheep/goats grass fed? are animals an issue? How many head do you have? how much space do you have for them? if predators are a issue how do you solve it? do you raise them for milk of meat? and lastly how much do you put into your sheep yearly?

Thanks Travis.

Hi Travis,

My goats are purebred and registered with both ADGA and AGS. I have been selling them for $300-350 while living in Washington (feed is much more expensive here). This year, I am raising my price to $400. (Though, I give a 30% discount to 4-H and FFA, as I prefer to sell to youth.) When we lived in Oregon (and had better pasture = lower feed costs), I sold for $250-300. I see mutt goats for sale on Craigslist for about $100-200. I believe sheep are comparable, though possibly a bit less expensive. My friend is selling her mixed Katahdin sheep for $150 each.

Now, here is the dumb part about pricing goats: People want baby goats, so the market price for kids is higher than that of mature does and bucks. Dumb, dumb, dumb. If you can, buy mature stock. I can see the value of buying kids or lambs if you are raising them for pets. But, as a producer, you need to know what kinds of traits you are purchasing, and you won't be able to see those in their entirety until the animal matures. Don't be swayed by a fancy website with lots of ribbons displayed. Get a good look at and your hands on the sheep or goat. Find mentors who have raised sheep or goats for decades and ask them to go with you to pick out your stock.

I rarely buy goats. I've been breeding my particular line (linebreeding) in the Nigerians for 9 years. It's time to add some new genetics. Recently, I bought two mature does from Tahoma herd because I really like her goats. The breeder has been working on her line for 20 years. Believe me, they are lovely. I also bought two kids from Blythmoor last month. "Ah," you say, "Melinda has broken her own rule!" Actually, I've been keeping track of Blythmoor's goats for 9 years (as I bought one of my first Nigerians from that breeder). I've seen the consistency in the kids being born each year, and I've gotten to know the individual goats in the herd. So, choosing two kids from Blythmoor was not a gamble for me. And, I wanted to buy from Blythmoor at a time when I could meet the breeder halfway when I attended our annual dairy goat conference in Oregon. That limited which goats were available at the time to buy. So, that's how things worked out.

I raise dairy goats. So, that answers your question about milk or meat. In that past, I have raised rabbits for meat. That was a pretty profitable operation when I lived in Oregon because I had steady buyers (who would take them live, thus saving me the labor and costs of being regulated for butchering). The state of Washington (or possibly it's just my county) is not friendly to farmers, so I don't even attempt to sell for meat here. I do sell wool from my Angora rabbits to a local shop that specializes in handspinning fibers and yarn. But, my herd of Angoras (once at 20 head) is now down to just 2 bunnies as they age out over the years. My herd buck was killed when he became scared during a Fourth of July celebration when neighbors shot bottle rockets at the back of our barn. The woman who sells the quality of German Angoras that I require is all the way down in Central Oregon, so I haven't replaced my buck and may not for some time.

When I first started in goats, I raised fiber goats...fiber meaning the lovely, warm coat on a goat; whereas, a sheep has wool. Being at a higher elevation than most fiber goat producers in Oregon, I had the advantage of my goats naturally growing finer fiber, which is more desirable. Some of my goats produced in the cashmere range (19 microns). I sold the fiber wholesale to a fiber arts teacher and a handspinning shop and made enough to buy the hay for my Pygoras. The advantage with fiber goats, if you do things correctly, is that you don't need to grain them except during kidding and while they are raising kids (for a couple months). Grain makes fiber goats fat. Fat goats equals fat fiber. Coarse fiber does not sell well (there are only so many rugs you can make). But, the market for fiber is pretty small and specialized. So, I would not recommend going into fiber goats unless you are convinced you can be the very best in your area (as I was) and, therefore, pick up the wholesale clients. With sheep, you have the advantage of being able to sell both wool and meat. You can even milk them for artisan cheeses. Don't expect to get much milk from a ewe though.

In the state of Washington (remember, not farm-friendly), it is illegal to sell raw milk unless you are a certified dairy. That is more expensive and requires more paperwork than is feasible for our herd. Back in Oregon, I had a small side-business called Sable's Soap (named after my first Nigerian Dwarf goat). I sold my double-milled bars for $4 each and made a nice profit during the fall when there were many harvest fairs. I also sold wholesale to a local organic produce store and a local gift shop. I made enough money selling soap that I had to pay federal and state income taxes on my profits!

I plan to start making soap again this year. I will begin playing around with my new recipe this week (even though I don't have does in milk yet, I will use water) to get it just right. I have created a new recipe to bring my cost of ingredients down. And, I doubt I will perform the extra labor for double-milling it as I am so very busy these days. So, it will be a more basic soap, though still very nice with the goat's milk. I will also be experimenting with colors to enhance to saleability of my soap. In the past, I stayed as close to all-organic ingredients as possible. I plan to create larger bars and sell for $5 each. Making soap is one way I can use my goat's milk for profit legally in the state of Washington.

In the state of Oregon, it is legal to sell raw goat's milk from your farm without being a licensed dairy as long as you only have 9 does or fewer in milk. That is a good reason to move back to Oregon!

I have 13 goats eating hay right now (the two kids are still on milk). I go through two bales of orchard grass a week at a cost of $18.75 per bale. Hay is very expensive on the west coast! And, we can't buy local hay because it has very little nutrition; the protein content is especially low. I made the mistake of buying local hay one year because it was less expensive. I lost my herdsire GMV Xlnt Storm because of that. He essentially starved to death, even with a full belly, because he was not getting the nutrition he needed. That was a very hard lesson to learn; please learn from my mistake.

Also, keep in mind that my goats are dwarf goats (only 20 inches tall), so they don't eat nearly as much as a full-sized dairy goat or sheep.

When my does kid, I will switch to alfalfa, which is comparable in price, but we go through more of it as much of the bale is stems.

I also feed grain, which is $14.99/50# for the Goat Tender and $16.69/50# for the alfalfa pellets. I go through a bag of each a month during the dry months. When my does are milking, those amounts double.

We do have two acres of pasture, but it is really awful grass with little nutrition (another 2 acres is cedar/maple/alder forest; the last acre my goats are not allowed to graze because it's considered a "critical buffer" for wildlife). So, the bulk of their diet is from their hay/grain. When we lived near Mt. Hood in Oregon, we had nice orchard grass pasture. So, my feed costs there were much less. Here in the Puget Sound (near Seattle), the ground was scraped (very long ago) by glaciers. The soil is very rocky and devoid of minerals, especially copper and selenium (so we have to supplement those heavily). Once my husband retires (19 months and counting!), we hope to return to the sunny hillsides near the Cascade Mountains in Oregon.

As you know, feed and livestock purchase costs are just part of your annual expenses. Here are some other things that come up:

If one of your animals dies, you will need to know why so you can protect the rest of your herd/flock. When Xlnt Storm died, the necropsy and associated lab tests came to a total of $144.

If you sell livestock, you will do well to test your herd on an annual basis for certain diseases. Many buyers will not buy goats that haven't been tested as they don't want to bring disease into their herds/flocks. In goats, most breeders test for CAE. Many others, like myself, also test for CL and Johnes. The lab cost per head per test is around $4. You only test goats over the age of 1 year. So, my cost for testing this past January was $120. This cost assumes you draw the blood samples and do the shipping yourself.

I have my vet out on an annual basis to do a herd health exam. There is a fee for coming to my farm as well as a per-minute exam fee. I paid $180 this year. This is good insurance to help catch problems early or often to prevent issues altogether. It also is insurance against the "animal welfare" agencies in the Seattle area that are famous for raiding anyone with more than the allotted 1 dog and 2 cats for being "animal hoarders." My vet will testify that my animals have had regular veterinary care and proper housing and nutrition.
If you have a goat/sheep who is not scoring well on a condition test (feeling for amount of fat over bones), you will want to do a fecal exam to ensure parasites are not a problem: around $6 per animal.
We have to supplement selenium here in the Pacific Northwest. A 100 ml bottle of Bo-Se costs $36. It lasts a year with my small herd.
We also have to supplement with copper. Between the boluses and Kop-Sel that I use to top-dress my goat's grain, that comes to around $80 annually.
Both goats and sheep need free-choice loose mineral salt. I go through a bag every two months for an annual cost of $150.
If any of your animals get sicker than you can treat yourself, you will need to call the vet. Costs vary. I try to keep $300 on reserve in case of emergency...and I usually spend about half of that each year...knock on wood.
For medical issues that you can treat yourself, you will need supplies. I spend around $200 a year on things like syringes, vitamins, probiotics, coccidiostats, CDT vaccine, disinfectants, and de-wormers.
There will always be tack that you need to buy on an annual basis (after you've already bought all your startup tack): ID collars or tags, buckets, feeders, tattoo ink, bucket straps, fencing for repairs, etc. This varies as well. I spend around $100 annually.

One way to improve your ability to get a good price for your stock, as well as being able to better enjoy your hobby/career, is to participate in national registries. I participate, as mentioned earlier, in the American Dairy Goat Association and the American Goat Society, Inc. You will need to pay an annual membership fee (around $20-25 per registry) as well as individual fees for registering each goat (only need to do this once in their lifetime) at a cost of about $7-15 per head.
Another way to improve your ability to sell your stock, as well as giving you great feedback for improving your herd (which will further improve your ability to sell stock), is to participate in production programs. I participate in two ADGA programs: Linear Appraisal and Dairy Herd Improvement Registry. The annual cost for these varies by how many animals you have participating in the program...but figure about $300-400 per year.
As you already know, Travis, showing your animals is also a good idea. I don't show because I need to be home with my children. Once they are older, I may choose to show my goats. You know the costs, but for those who don't, consider the following expenses: gas money, wear and tear on your vehicle and trailer, entrance fees, possible health certificate costs in case of crossing state lines, tack and attire for the show ring (if needed), hotel or camping cost, and vaccines or medications to keep your animals healthy and stress-free.

So, shall we add all of this up? OK, as long as no one shows this post to my husband! I'm afraid it would give him heart failure. Average cost per year for my herd of 15 miniature dairy goats in western Washington--assuming 2 dry months and 10 months in production and also assuming participation in registries and production programs (but not showing)--is $5,350.

How do you get those costs down? Most of it is your feed cost, so try to get bulk pricing on your hay, ask to see the nutrient breakdown on the data sheet that comes with the hay shipment (so you don't end up buying low-quality feed that will rake up the vet bills and possibly cause you to lose livestock and, therefore, your investment), and pasture your livestock on quality grass to lower the amount of hay you need to buy. You can also experiment with growing your own forages to supplement your feed if you have the land available for that.

What is the forecasted return on my investment this year? Well, most of my income to pay the feed bill comes from selling kids. If I have 6 does kid this year--assuming 50/50 ratio between bucks (castrated and sold as pets for $100) and does ($400) and also assuming that each goat has twins (which is average), then I can expect to make around $3,000 in kid sales. This total also assumes that I'm not selling any kids to youth (who get a 30% discount). So, how do I break even? I don't in Washington state. This is why I am now Editor Melinda.

This year, I actually don't plan on selling all my kids as I have in years past. I hope to keep a doeling out of each doe. I will let them grow for a year before I choose who to sell before we move back to Oregon. Some years, you will retain stock. That eats into your profits, but it's the only way to keep going strong. As we are currently experiencing a time of plenty, I am allowing my herd numbers to swell. Before we move, I will do the "big cull" like we did before moving to Washington. It's a great way to get really serious about overcoming barn blindness.

During the "lean years" of 2009 through 2014 (after we moved to western Washington), I pulled money out of my retirement fund to keep the farm going. Also, I did nothing extra. So, I did not participate in any performance programs...just feed and the most basic veterinary care. And, I reduced my herd size down to 5 or 6 goats and only milked one doe a year for milk for my family. That helped me to greatly reduce my feed costs. But still, the retirement fund was emptied, so I had to come up with something new: Editor Melinda. The profits from the first year of my freelance business went to pay off my startup costs. Into my second year, I can now afford to operate as I like because I have that income stream from copyediting. I'm sure your situation will be better in Minnesota, Travis. Your family has more land to grow pasture and forage crops. And, I bet the hay is a heck of a lot more affordable. Your vet bills may be lower as well. I was shocked when we moved here and I discovered, for example, that it costs almost $300 to spay a cat (my son's kitten named Tiger). That procedure cost $60-100 where I came from in rural Oregon. Of course, everything is going to be more expensive here in Kitsap County because it is a peninsula (higher freight costs). I've heard that prices are much better in the eastern part of Washington state. Certainly, the hay would be more affordable because that is where the good hay is grown. They actually get sun out in the eastern part of the state!

Regarding predators, we do have them. Currently, we live on the outskirts of a small town. Our main predators are coyotes, bald eagles, owls, hawks, and (for the chicks) blue heron. There are bear in my neighborhood, but they leave us alone. We have fencing that is pretty average right now--old field fencing. I will be enhancing it with electric wire after next month's paycheck. We also have a livestock guardian dog (half Great Pyrenees/half Maremma). You can see pictures of Kenai on the main goat page of my website and on my photography page on livestock guardians.

In Oregon, we lived on a rural property up near Mount Hood, and we had coyotes, hawks, and bobcat. We had invested in much better fencing and cross-fencing. And, we also had our guard llama, Cassie, who is also featured on that livestock guardian page mentioned in the previous paragraph.

In addition, we bring our herd into the barns at night or when we are not at home. It is pretty rare that no one is home on our farm because there are always things that come up with livestock. You've probably realized that! Anything from a kid getting stuck somewhere to a bald eagle flying overhead can have me racing outside. I have an intercom system set up so I can hear what is going on in each barn. We also have a video surveillance system set up to record in case of any people doing mischief around our livestock.

I will create another blog post on housing in a day or two. I'll go out right now to get some pictures of the barns for reference. The good news is that housing for sheep and goats does not need to be fancy. They basically just need a place to get out of the rain, snow, and wind. We have been very frugal in our housing. Much of what we build is with recycled/re-purposed materials.

Keeping asking those great questions, Travis. You are going to be a awesome farmer!

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Non-circulating hydroponics versus aquaponics: Week 1

3/16/2015

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Aquaponics system

Well, which food would you rather eat?

Here is a comparison of two small-scale growing systems that I have in my kitchen. One is an aquaponics system with a 10-gallon tank of tropical fish. The plants are grown in 5" net pots filled with hydroton. The other is a non-circulating hydroponics system where the nutrients are in the water below the foam top that holds the plants. The plants are grown in 2" net pots filled with coconut coir. I planted both these systems one week ago. Actually, I planted the hydroponics plants 8 days ago and the aquaponics plants a day later. I cannot believe the difference in growth can be attributed to one additional day in their little plastic prisons with their roots in cheap potting mix.

Here is a closer look at the aquaponics system:

Non-circulating hydroponics system

Now, the water is not really yellow in the tank. That's just weird. I'm not sure why my camera did that. But, you can see the fish in the tank: various tetra, a gourami, a red-tailed shark (who is usually out but didn't want his picture taken), and an algae eater (who usually only comes out at night).

I use a Finnex PX-360 canister filter to pump water from the fish tank to the planter. I took out the charcoal filter that comes with the PX-360. Instead, I use polyester filter media, which I change monthly. The water comes down from the planter back into the tank using a Botanicare ebb and flow fitting kit. Right now, both of the extensions for the kit are being used on the hydroponics system to keep the water level high. So, at this moment, the aquaponics system is not performing flush and fill. There is about a quarter inch of water just freely flowing across the bottom of the planter. I should receive the new ebb and flow kit (with more extensions) this week from Amazon.com. I made a bell siphon by cutting notches in the top of an old Tupperware sugar container, adding a piece of aquarium tubing for a snorkel (secured with a small piece of string), and setting it upside down over the ebb and flow drain. I have used a piece of lead crystal to hold it down. Don't worry, the lead does not contact the water.

Here are the two systems side by side: the aquaponics is on the left under the fluorescent grow light, and the hydroponics on on the right under the sodium grow light.

Aquaponics on left, non-circulating hydroponics on right.

With the exception of a rather droopy cilantro, it is quite clear that the plants on the left are happier. Why? Well, maybe the hydroponics plants are putting more energy into growing their root systems?

Let's have a look--the roots are coming along nicely.

Yesterday, I added more Foxfarm Grow Big Hydro according to their directions.

Let's take a closer look at the plants. The cilantro plants on the left were larger plants to begin with, and they are growing at a normal rate. The arugula on the right were from a veggie pack; they are not growing as fast as I would expect them to. Two other veggie packs, kale and mixed greens, were split between the two systems. Let's compare them.

Wow, I feel really sorry for the kale in the hydroponics system. The mixed greens are also smaller on the hydroponics side, but not by as much. Unfortunately, I can't compare root growth without tearing the aquaponics plants out of their hydroton. I don't want to do that.

Maybe the sodium light is too harsh over the reflective surface? So, I switched the lights around. The fluorescent light won't emit heat, which might be drying out the hydroponics foliage. I also moved the kale plants closer to the light source on the hydroponics side.

In case your are wondering, the jar with the yellow lid contains alfalfa seeds that are beginning to sprout. You can also see my doe goat barn across the yard.

In case you missed the first post in this series, you can find it here on my blog. I posted it under farming on March 8.

Check back in a week to see if the hydroponics plants catch up.

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How to use the Udderly EZ Milker on Nigerian Dwarf goats

Kratky versus aquaponics: Week 3

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Cutting crisp cotton soap

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Supplies for a goat herder

Answers about goat and sheep housing

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Non-circulating hydroponics versus aquaponics: Week 1

Melinda Joy Wedgewood

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