Waiting Game

We are playing the waiting game, waiting for someone to kid during this nice weather spell. Don't they know it is the perfect time to "GO!"? There are a couple of does out there that look close. We will keep you posted....

The kids are coming, the kids are coming....

HBK Lisa 1/2 Kiko doe due in Feb. Bred to BBM Sports Kat V872

It is almost that time of the year (this year) for the kids to start to arrive. We had initially had does bred to kid in Feb, but since our new purchase of goats we should start kidding the middle of January. Fourteen 7/8 Kiko does and 13 commercial Kiko cross does, oh and we can not forget the two we purchased at the Cream of the Crop sale a NZ Blue's Son daughter and a PB Two Time'n Loverboy daughter.

Are we ready... hmmm. I ordered a bunch of color coded tags today, a couple of bottle's for the "just in case" which we don't intend on having any, right and couple this and that goat things you need for new kids to arrive. They will be here before we know it!

NZ Blue's Son daughter bred to Nick's Last Shadow

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch Meat Goats is Growing!

Yup, we are growing. After the Cream of the Crop sale we felt we still needed more goats!

What to do, what to do? We headed up to Double S Livestock and solved our problem.

We would like to thank Duff and Laura Sandness for filling our trailer with 53 more goats. NZ, PB, 7/8 and a some commercial (those were from Blu Sky Kikos - we couldn't fit them all in the little trailer we took to the CoC sale, so Duff took them home for us to pick up, knowing we were coming that way).

We also greatly appreciate them letting us lease some bucks, four to be exact. Kidding season will be interesting, exciting and stressful to say the least.

Photos coming as soon as the sun comes out again.

Cream of the Crop Sale Trip...

I decided last year when I saw the Cream of the Crop sale advertised in the Goat Rancher that I might want to try and make it. After the AKGA National Convention I decided I had to go - I wanted to buy some more breeding stock to add to our program (I only ended up with one goat from the National Convention Sale). My plan was to get just one NZ if possible - more would be nice but I figured I would only be able to get one and then some PB does - I couldn't spend the entire budget on one goat. My other goal was to get a daughter of Blue's Son - I didn't care if it was a PB or a NZ. Every sale I have tried to get one I have been out bid.

We left out Oct. 29th. We stayed in St. Louis, MO (a little more than 1/2 way). We visited the LDS (Mormon) temple and went to PF Changs for lettuce wraps and good Chinese food aftewards. The next morning we had planned on leaving around 8:00 but the rain followed us from Arkansas. We turned on the t.v. to check the road conditions and got the news that there were flooded roads and many accidents.... we delayed our departure time by an hour.

Driving in hard rain is tiring and VERY boring...

The weather started to clear up once we crossed into IN.

South Indiana is very beautiful. The rolling hills with the autumn leaves that were left.

We checked into our motel and headed to the fairgrounds to listen to a seminar and look at goats.

The bucks were ripe and ready! Sheew!

Some of the commercial goats.

The paint was a PB Two Timen Loverboy and the other was a Raiz'n Kane daughter.

Duff and Sky talking about some last minute details before the sale started.

We purchased lot number:

18 - SKY 1107 Sara

NZ Doe

Sire: TNT'S Two Time'n Loverboy Dam: MGR Lightin's Lady T14

22 - SKY 217 Rudy Blue

NZ Doe

Sire: Blue's Son Dam: D7D 9B

Bred to Nick's Last Shadow

59 - DLS TNT'S Two Time'n

NZ Doe

Sire: TNT'S Two Time'n Loverboy Dam: JFK Aristocrat's Agape

90 - DSL Two Time'n Girl B106

PB Doe

Sire: TNT'S Two Time'n Loverboy Dam: SKY S403

Bred to Nick's Last Shadow

We also purchased three 50% from Terry Hankins and several 3/4 commercial does that are bred.

Loaded up and ready to go.

St. Louis was almost 1/2 way home.

Finally home!

Unloaded and expecting the arena.

Better photos to come of the girls.

This and That...

It is the second round of breeding season here. We bred 6 does for Feb and another 10 for March. Today Sports Kat was sold so we will be searching for a new buck to cover the rest of our herd. Maybe we will find him at the Cream of the Crop sale - we will be heading that direction this weekend....

We are trying out a new electric mat that they use for cattle and other livestock. So far so good.

Bringing the goats down to check them out and to continue training the spanish to come when we have a corn sack.

Some of the spanish doelings that have figured it out...

Spanish Goats Update

I got an e-mail from a friend the other day asking how our Spanish goats were working out. My reply, "After keeping them up for a month and feeding them every few days, to gentle them. We turned them out on the 350 acres and we normally only see 15 - 20 of the 52 we purchased." Yes, this is true. They are scattered all over the ranch. Have any died? I don't know - they are usually in groups of 2 - 10. The smaller groups are like deer, you better look quick or you might miss seeing them. Their black color does not help in finding them.

We did have goat hunt a week after we turned them out - we sent out 3 of our employees and Barry to hike around the property. We think we got a count of 40. The other evening one of our employees said he counted approx. w/ the Kiko herd - YEAH!

So they are here -just where is the question. :) To revisit the question, "How are the Spanish goats working out?" Anyway they want to work out is how they are working...

Watching me from a distance - there were about 7 in this group.

With the springs and creeks and all the forage there is no need for them to come out into the open.

Stay Away From Our Goats!

If you are a coyote this is what happens to you if you are roaming around in the middle of the day.