reply to whole herd

[allenslabs]

It wouldn't let me reply for whatever reason so I'm gonna try just starting another thread and see what happens

Ok gonna try to respond to the questions.....

He isn't a fly by night. These are his pets and I think he's just overwhelmed (he's in his 50's and lives with his parents and does this all alone) and he takes really good care of them. They are all friendly and wanna see what you have to offer. They ate leaves out of my kids' hands and my kids are 3,6 and 8 and were running around and stuff.
Hay~ There is a guy up the rd that sells round bales at $10 a bale and he has enough (I'm gonna need about 50 for the winter including horses and stuff) and they're clover/timothy. And then there's another guy with nice round bales that I might just speak for what he has and let him keep em in his barn as he keeps everything under roof whereas this other stuff is outside.

The buck is HUGE!! I'm sure he'd look different if he were shaved like the pretty ones online but still he's a good sized boy and there are 4 of his daughters there and they are gorgeous. Nice long ears which I really really like. I'm not as big a fan as the shorter floppy ears although they're still pretty I like those really long ears. I'm thinking of selling him and getting something completely unrelated but we'll just have to see I guess. He's reg with ABGA as 100% and a red head with white body and big ole horns.
I got the funds available and just have to go get em as soon as I can cause he said he's about out of feed and doesn't wanna buy any more if I'm going to take them which makes sense but man short notice as I thought I had about a week to get everything done not 2 evenings! HAHA!! And of course it's turning cold so this should be really really fun. Lots of work but I think I can do it. If worse comes to worse they can all (minus the big ole buck) stay together in the big part of the barn which is about 40x40 or so. There are mangers and stuff in there for hay and I've got a couple hundred square bales available right in the loft above them all.

I think I covered all questions. I'm ordering wormer here in a minute to have mailed and then also plenty of CDT so I can just do everyone and I also need to get another bottle of BO-SE and make sure everyone has a shot before they get off the trailer so I know everyone has been done. And I'm also gonna order those little white collars to put on the babies with mommas names and then get those collars with numbers for the mommas so I can tell em all apart till I get to know them. Geez ain't even here and the bill is compiiling! HAHAHA!!

See yuns!

[plain vision]

Watch the collars on the kids. If the moms horns get caught in the kids collars, it could break the kids necks. I remember how somebody told of how that happened to one of their kids. I also heard of it happening to a buck. They put a collar on the bucks neck and then they had a little horned wether in with their buck and he became all entangled somehow in the bucks collar and the buck was strangled.

sonja
www.aopv.com

[dosthouhavemilk]

The little white collars she is referring to will tear before anything can seriously be done...
I assume she means the Jay I.D. collars seen here;

[TexCountryWoman]

allenslabs, sounds like you have a great plan! You probably have thought of this already, but I will throw it in anyway, while you are working the goats, take a look at the feet also, just in case someone has a badly overgrown hoof or two. Other than that, you seem to have everything well covered. Good luck, sounds like you are getting a nice herd.

[GrannyCarol]

You said that him not wanting to get more feed puts you in a hurry - is it possible to just take some hay over and gain a few more days to prepare? Or would they need more than can conveniently be taken over? (Or perhaps too far away.)

~ Carol

[Milk n' Honey]

As long as you have creep feed area somewhere in the barn, you'll be fine. The kids will starve or be severely weak and stunted. The older goats will not let them eat. They have to have grain, hay and water in the creep feed area, at all times. We have had some problems in the past that I believe could have been prevented if we had a creep feed area. I wish I knew then what I know now. Those poor kids were getting pushed out of the way and were starving. They were near as big at two months as what they should. With meat goats, you better be able to grow em' fast!! Creep areas are pretty simple to build though. Well, it sounds like you are on your way. Have you talked to him recently? Have you made plans on when you are getting them?

[moosemaniac]

I use dairy chain collars for all my goats, even the boers. They work quite well for me and you can easily hang a tag from them.

Good luck with the herd. As I said in the other thread, sounds like a deal and as long as they look healthy jump in and don't look back!

Ruth

[mammawof3]

Originally Posted by dosthouhavemilk

The little white collars she is referring to will tear before anything can seriously be done...
I assume she means the Jay I.D. collars seen here;

am jumping the thread..such CUTE babies!!!! AHHHH~~

[dosthouhavemilk]

Thanks.
That was most of this year's January kid crop waiting to be disbudded and an April buckling.

The kids shouldn't starve if they are being dam raised.
We now creep feed for a month or so only because I need somewhere to kick the little beasts when their dams are being fed their grain. At a couple days of age those kids start climbing in their dam's feed pans. So I lock them up and offer them some Primer. After a month or so of age they eat only what their dam gets. I allot an amount for the entire family unit (depending on number of kids and age) and feed all the goats together as a group. Our kids grow quite well.
I do end up having to feed kids born in March and their dams separetly from the ones born in January and their dams due to sheer size and pushiness on the older kids part. They also require more than those older animals need.
For the previous 7 years though the kids were never offered any form of creep feed. They ate alongside their dams.