Work, work, work....

FINALLY we got the goats up again to check FAMACHA and worm who needed it and do a little weighing of the 2010 kids (I think we are off by a month, but better late than never right?).  

I had the great idea of using our two oldest boys as "ranch goat hands" since they were off for Labor Day.  Cody, the almost 13 year old, let me know that working goats was a horrible "vacation" day activity.  Cameron, 16, who owns some of the goats, decided to have a smile on his face (forced) since he owns some of the goats. 

We started at 9 a.m. (if you don't count me getting up at 6:30 a.m. to get them all in before they left the arena/goat catch pen area) and finished at around 5:00 p.m.  There was an hr and half break when I went to deliver the 5 commercial doelings I sold to a near by new goater.  Probably having a not too excited preteen who complained of a sore wrist from rock climbing slowed us down by and hr or two - BUT we did it, together.  

Now we have wormed the ones that need to be wormed and marked the ones that need to be culled - oh and weighed those remaining 2010 kids, late or not, they are weighed!   Now onto breeding plans.  

I pulled 5 does out to put in with the El Chido Quate  (Spanish buck) tomorrow.  I hope we get some nice bucklings for the forage test. (1) PB Kiko doe (3) PB black Spanish does from the Koy ranch and (1) Willingham Spanish doe.   I wanted to breed some AKGA NZ and PB does early too but I do not have the paperwork back on the two older bucks we purchased this year.  So until all the DNA checks out they will stay doeless.  I am sure it all will but the minute I start putting does with them, something won't be right.  I know how it goes for me sometimes in the luck part of the goat business...  

Until next time!

New Bucks!

Meet El Chido Cuate (The Cool Dude or The Cool Man)

I was just minding my own business and here came this buck and I just had to have him.  That seems to happen to me when it comes to nice goats.  We have another young buck (2010 model) coming from the Koy Ranch where we purchased all of our does from.  He will be arriving around the second week of Sept.

A few weeks back we decided to give Ron Polette a visit and returned with AVG'S Ozark Hot Shot.  His bloodlines are known for good parasite resistance. 

More to come.... :)

The Kiko Advantage

Our goats at work

Our spanish goats...

While we were at the AKGA National Convention I had some people ask me how our spanish goats were doing. Well, I really didn't know how many we had left out of the 52 we purchased. Between natural selection and  a few, we are sure, leaving the ranch there could have only been 15 left.  

Today we worked goats, all 245 of them (well except a few 2010 kids that did not come in or slipped through the fence) and 39 of them were spanish.  So if you ask me again I can tell you how many spanish goats we still have left and how they are doing, pretty good I would say.  AND they are still wild as ever when you get your hands on them.

 

A few of our spanish does as yearlings. 

AKGA National Convention and our herd....

We just returned from the AKGA National Convention last week. It was hot but the center had air conditioning which was great and worth every extra penny that was spent to have it. At one point I had to go buy a Wal-Mart special jacket because I was cold.

I didn't get to attend any of the classes for one reason or another but I did get to visit with many friends that I only see once a year during this convention.

The sale went well. There was not a market for the % goats this time around like in the past which was bit of a bummer since I had brought two. Still, their prices were better than at a regular sale barn. I just consider it part of my advertising campaign and let them go for what they went for. If you wan to see all the prices from the sale go to: http://www.hcrhorses.com/AKGAConvention.html

After we returned I finally got out and about and took SOME photos of goats we will be offering for sale and to update our website.  Still have a lot to go but it is a start.  I also need to get them all up and FAMACHA scores and start pulling hair and gathering information to register some 2010 babies....

Commercial doeling 

 Twin - FOR SALE

Commercial doeling

Twin

FOR SALE

Commercial Doeling

Twin

FOR SALE

Commercial Purebred Buckling

Single

FOR SALE

Commerical Buckling

3/4 Kiko 1/4 Spanish

Twin

FOR SALE

1/2 AKGA '09 Doe

FOR SALE

Purebred Buck out of Nicks Last Shadow

We will be test breeding some and then possibly will

be offered sale.

Little Update

It has been forever since I last posted it would seem.  Kidding season is  moving right along.  I think we are nearing the end soon.  I was able to get MOST of the goats up in their kidding pastures but some did not come in or they escaped.  For the does that did not get in a kidding pasture, their kids, who were born out on the 350 acres, do not have tags or weights.  Oh well such is life.....

This kid's dam was kind of an accident.  We had a Myotonic buck for some time.  We were brining goats to separate into breeding groups and the dam's dam jumped out into the Myotonic's pasture. So we just left her instead of trying to catch her again.  This kid then is 1/2 Kiko and his dam is boer/spanish x myotonic.