A few of the herd
Having a snack...
Talking about our practices with the goats...
Our small herd consists of 11 Nigerian Dwarf does (females), 1 ND buck, and 1 fun fainting doe. By keeping our herd small, we are able to give our all goats ALOT of attention, and are able to give each one individual attention as well.
Our goats are not 100% organic- we feed regular grass hay, give minerals and baking soda, black oil sunflower seeds, and small rations of Purina goat chow. Our herd does have plenty of pasture that we dont use any chemicals on, and they sure enjoy it! We regularly use chemical wormers IF the goat seems to need it. We also use Pro-Bios to keep everyones tummy working well.
In the event that any goat seems "off" or has any health issues that we think needs it, we use appropriate medications like pennicillian, etc. We also vaccinate for CD&T.
Hoof trimming is as needed as some goats hooves grow faster than others, but usually about every 8 weeks.
Kidding
We attend every birth here. We prefer to just watch, but if intervention is needed, we will step in and assist. Our does get their own space to kid in, and are given warm molasses water after the birth to help rejuvenate them and get their energy back up. Any appropriate injections are also administered.
We prefer to dam raise, meaning we dont want to pull kids from their mother to bottle feed. We will bottle feed if the doe rejects a kid, or has more than 3 kids. But all kids are still raised with each other to help foster the idea of a kid being a goat with a goat herd, not a human herd. We often bring kids into our house (thank God for wood floors!) to socialise them and to just enjoy the antics of silly baby goats.
Bottle Baby Sales Policy
Because of this choice to dam raise, we wont have many bottle babies available for sale. If you really want a bottle baby, you will have to pay for it in full within 3 days of birth. WHY pay in full? Well, bottle babies are EXPENSIVE to raise- we give them whole milk, goats milk and fresh goats milk 4 to 6 times a day in the begining. It is VERY time consuming to bottle feed our kids- we cant go anywhere as we have to be here to feed them. We also keep bottle babies in the house with us the first 5 days, so we have to buy puppy pads to keep their area clean, and if you change your mind, WE are stuck with a bottle baby, and we will expect apropriate compensation for our time and expenses.
Not to mention, its hard on the mom to 'lose' a kid. For that reason, we will NOT pull a kid from its mom if it is from a single birth- we feel its just not fair or right to do that to a new mom.
We pull bottle babies after the first 24 hours of life to ensure they have had enough colostrom from their dam. We keep all bottle babies at least 5 days after birth, possibly longer, so we are positive the kid is doing well on the bottle, is having no digestive issues, and is well established on the bottle. Our goal is try very hard to ensure the kid you buy is in the best possible condition when it goes to your home. We feel that if we simply pull a kid and immediately send it to a new home, we are doing it, and you a disservice. The kid needs stability and routine its first few days, and you deserve a kid that is healthy and eager for its bottle. Training a kid to bottle can be hard and frustrating.... why start you relationship off that way if you dont have too?
PLEASE, do NOT reserve a bottle baby if you are not 100% SURE you will NOT change your mind!! Full purchase price is due within 3 days of birth, and pick up at 5 days of age will be expected. If you change your mind, you will NOT be refunded any money, UNLESS I have another immediate buyer on the list for your particular bottle baby. Once payment is recieved from the next buyer, you will recieve your payment back in full.
Our goats are not 100% organic- we feed regular grass hay, give minerals and baking soda, black oil sunflower seeds, and small rations of Purina goat chow. Our herd does have plenty of pasture that we dont use any chemicals on, and they sure enjoy it! We regularly use chemical wormers IF the goat seems to need it. We also use Pro-Bios to keep everyones tummy working well.
In the event that any goat seems "off" or has any health issues that we think needs it, we use appropriate medications like pennicillian, etc. We also vaccinate for CD&T.
Hoof trimming is as needed as some goats hooves grow faster than others, but usually about every 8 weeks.
Kidding
We attend every birth here. We prefer to just watch, but if intervention is needed, we will step in and assist. Our does get their own space to kid in, and are given warm molasses water after the birth to help rejuvenate them and get their energy back up. Any appropriate injections are also administered.
We prefer to dam raise, meaning we dont want to pull kids from their mother to bottle feed. We will bottle feed if the doe rejects a kid, or has more than 3 kids. But all kids are still raised with each other to help foster the idea of a kid being a goat with a goat herd, not a human herd. We often bring kids into our house (thank God for wood floors!) to socialise them and to just enjoy the antics of silly baby goats.
Bottle Baby Sales Policy
Because of this choice to dam raise, we wont have many bottle babies available for sale. If you really want a bottle baby, you will have to pay for it in full within 3 days of birth. WHY pay in full? Well, bottle babies are EXPENSIVE to raise- we give them whole milk, goats milk and fresh goats milk 4 to 6 times a day in the begining. It is VERY time consuming to bottle feed our kids- we cant go anywhere as we have to be here to feed them. We also keep bottle babies in the house with us the first 5 days, so we have to buy puppy pads to keep their area clean, and if you change your mind, WE are stuck with a bottle baby, and we will expect apropriate compensation for our time and expenses.
Not to mention, its hard on the mom to 'lose' a kid. For that reason, we will NOT pull a kid from its mom if it is from a single birth- we feel its just not fair or right to do that to a new mom.
We pull bottle babies after the first 24 hours of life to ensure they have had enough colostrom from their dam. We keep all bottle babies at least 5 days after birth, possibly longer, so we are positive the kid is doing well on the bottle, is having no digestive issues, and is well established on the bottle. Our goal is try very hard to ensure the kid you buy is in the best possible condition when it goes to your home. We feel that if we simply pull a kid and immediately send it to a new home, we are doing it, and you a disservice. The kid needs stability and routine its first few days, and you deserve a kid that is healthy and eager for its bottle. Training a kid to bottle can be hard and frustrating.... why start you relationship off that way if you dont have too?
PLEASE, do NOT reserve a bottle baby if you are not 100% SURE you will NOT change your mind!! Full purchase price is due within 3 days of birth, and pick up at 5 days of age will be expected. If you change your mind, you will NOT be refunded any money, UNLESS I have another immediate buyer on the list for your particular bottle baby. Once payment is recieved from the next buyer, you will recieve your payment back in full.