Thursday, September 26, 2013

Goats: A love hate relationship...



What I enjoy about the goats:
1. Putting together breeding pairs.
2. When they are out brushing and just being goats.
3. Kidding season ONLY if the weather is ideal, doesn't have to be perfect, but it can't be deathly.
4. Watching the kids bloom
5. Taking the kid crop to the USDA buying station. A- It tells me how I am doing with my program and B- I get a check.  :)

Things I don't enjoy about goats:
1. Bad kidding weather.
2. Bad kidding situations: Two or three does kidding in the shed together.  Goat dogs that want to protect the kids from EVERYTHING including their dams, bad mothers...etc.
3. Bottle babies!  I don't get many but if you raise any amount of goats you are going to have some if you choose to not let them die.
4. Worming day
5. Handling the bucks, especially during breeding season...shweew!  

THE END 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

New Buck

I decided it was time to add another buck/bloodline to our herd.  My first plan was to figure out who raises goats closets to my "style".  Second, see who had bucks for sale.  My search ended with Troy Lohman of TNT Farms.


 It was a beautiful morning as I headed to Troy's farm.  I wished I had my "real" camera.



 I am not sure what little town this was but it had this neat older house, I love stuff like this.


Headed back home on the 6 hr drive.  I saw this old car place and thought of our 10 year old son who LOVES all kinds of cars.  So I snapped this for him. 


Can't pass up a photo of the arch. 


You can see his silhouette in the rearview mirror.  I had an Asian family ask if they could take a photo of him, they took several.  Another time driving down the road I kept wondering why the person in the passing lane had slowed down and was not passing.  They were snapping photos as well... I am sure he is now on some college girls Instagram or Facebook page with a quirky comment. 


This is TNT'S ZAPPADA 
He is a purebred AKGA registered buck.  When I was inquiring about him I got all the up and up on his bloodlines but alas I have forgotten them, you know me!  As soon as his papers come I will update our website with his bloodline information.  We are excited to cross him on Zipper's daughters and some of my favorite crossbred does.  Look for his kids in 2014!