Lessons learned (the hard way)

Alice In TX/MO · #1 05/04/14, 09:45 AM

Disclaimer: I am not a goat expert. I google quite well, and as a former English teacher and debate coach, I can sift through websites to find information that looks valid. However, I make mistakes, and they are often big mistakes.

This season has seen a few failures here on Quirky Goat Farm.

1. Bella, my last remaining registered Alpine was in early labor late one night, and I had the flu or something. I set my alarm clock for four hours instead of staying in the goat barn. I returned to find a dead buckling that looked like he never breathed or moved and a very chilled doeling who later died from pneumonia. Totally my fault. Lesson: Even if you are sick, stay with a laboring goat.

2. Lily, one of my Saanen/Alpine does was HUGELY fat when it was time to dry her off two months before her due date. I tapered down milking, reduced feed to almost nothing, and kept it there till she kidded. She had two bucklings, and VERY LITTLE MILK. Lesson: Increase feed for a couple of weeks before the doe kids to help her produce an adequate milk supply, even if the goat is fat and looks like a Macy's parade float.

3. Flora and Fiona, my two new Nubian doelings came directly off their dam at seven days of age. Because I don't like bottle kids, I had the brilliant idea of putting them on the milk stand with one of my does at 8:00, 2:00, and 8:00, and then bringing a bottle at 3:00 AM. What I didn't figure in was that they would keep sucking till their tummies were overloaded and get diarrhea. It took me a week of trying everything ELSE until I figured out (with your help) that it was simply too much, too fast. I was lucky they escaped bloat. Lesson: Bottle kids need bottles so you can control the amount of milk they are consuming.

Please feel free to add to this thread with lessons you have learned. It will prevent me from feeling stupid(er).

(Pony, I know stupider isn't a word.

)

GoatGirl123 · #2 05/04/14, 10:46 AM

Do not let a five month old, stunted growth Angora goat sleep with with a fully grown Nigerian dwarf who loves to head butt really hard. We learned that lesson the hard way; we found the Angora, Lily, laying down not moving, completely shocked. She could have been there all night . . . luckily, she survived, but we sure won't do that again.

CAjerseychick · #3 05/04/14, 11:04 AM

Ummmm if you are letting 2 seperate goatie groups share the same bale of hay dont do it by propping it up against the cattle panel part of the fence- with horned goats--
its a good way to come home to horned goats stuck in the fence...

CAjerseychick · #4 05/04/14, 11:14 AM

Oh and some really stupid beginner stuff we learned--

fence your goats in (even if its cute to have them in the front yard like your dogs)-- they eat the bark off your trees, chew up all your wiring (like the cable connections to the house), get into the garage and poop everywhere, get stuck behind the dryer, jump up on the washer and smash the top,
get onto your cars (may have cracked a windshield)...

Also if you go to purchase them and it takes the owners 45 mins to round them up as doelings in a tiny pen...
they need more than "alittle" handling (these are WILD goats)...

Haha... our first year of goats... and we learned alot...

V-NH · #5 05/04/14, 11:15 AM

I learned not to put baby pygmy goats in with full grown alpine does. I'm still upset that they killed him.

I also learned that goats waste a ridiculous amount of hay. I cleaned out their pen now that all of the snow is gone and I think I pitchforked out the equivalent of 10 bales of wasted hay. Now I'm trying to figure out ways to reduce the waste.

V-NH · #6 05/04/14, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Also if you go to purchase them and it takes the owners 45 mins to round them up as doelings in a tiny pen...
they need more than "alittle" handling (these are WILD goats)...

I am right there with you on that. When we bought our does they were about 8 months old and completely wild. We've managed to socialize two out of three of them so that they run up to us as soon as they see us, but the third one still wants nothing to do with humans and I am not sure that she ever will. I have never milked goats before, so I am hoping that it doesn't become an issue when we start milking.

Goat Servant · #7 05/04/14, 11:41 AM

If clipping a couple of yrlngs to fence during feeding time so the others can get their fair share, never assume you asked the spouse to unclip when done with chores for the night. Especially not on a rainy one.
By morning they were none worse for the wear, but still.

Doug Hodges · #8 05/04/14, 11:50 AM

Don't buy more bucks........

farmmaid · #9 05/04/14, 11:51 AM

Thanks for sharing..."the good, bad and the ugley". That is how we all learn...........

**mygoat** · #10 05/04/14, 03:29 PM

My previous lessons:

Do not use hay nets for goats. It's a great way to hang them to death.

Burning with an iron that is too cool is the cause for heat meningitis in young kids. Use a HOT iron that stays hot - don't ever use an extension cord, don't disbud on a windy day outside.

The hardest lesson to learn is to not cater to your livestock, CULL them. If you have a doe who doesn't settle easily, isn't the best milker because she does x,y,z (excuses), get sick and regularly needs round the clock care/treatments/money/effort, CULL them. Otherwise you'll keep her daughters and end up with a more the same way.

And finally - things will happen while raising livestock. You'll loose some - everyone that has livestock eventually also has deadstock.

A good lesson to learn is that through good management, you'll prevent most of the preventable problems. You can't blame yourself for the freak accidents or the 'learning curve' losses because only hindsight is 20/20. Learn, mourn if you have to, and move forward. It's only a 'loss' if you don't learn anything from it, IMO.

harvestmoonfarm · #11 05/04/14, 10:34 PM

Don't let the kids out with their dams for a day of browsing. One will inevitably find one lone mushroom and end up puking and in severe pain. We went through this last year and couldn't isolate the cause, and ended up with stunted kids, as well as one dead one. It happened again yesterday to one of our doelings, but we caught it early (I knew that cry the moment I heard it!) and she's fine. Another lesson from this - ALWAYS keep activated charcoal on hand. Luckily we're only 2 miles from Walgreens, and Charco Caps, opened and mixed with a bit of water, work wonders.

Alice In TX/MO · #12 05/05/14, 06:49 AM

The words never and always should not be included in the same sentence as goats.

Everyone raising goats has an opinion on how to properly raise them, and no one is more wrong than the other. Do what works for you.

SJSFarm · #13 05/05/14, 07:17 AM

I learned to not assume a pygmy won't go back into heat just weeks after an extremely difficult delivery and put the bucks in because of limited space!

I've also learned that MiniMancha babies can and will jump higher and better than full size breeds! My Cookie has been jumping from pen to pen since she was just over a month old. And if I'm standing at the door, she will jump into my arms! Those tiny hooves hurt when they hit certain spots!

DamnearaFarm · #14 05/05/14, 07:34 AM

The past year has been a ....witch with a B.

The very SECOND you think something is wrong, begin treating aggressively.