Herd Philosophy

(and other Life stuff…)

 

     Several years ago I came to a point in my Coast Guard career which made it impossible to care for my herd as they deserved.  Funny how being on a ship that travels around the globe can do that, huh?   So between my dear friends Patricia Adams of Starry*Nights Nubians and Mary Lannen of Mik-Mar-Farm the herd was adopted out.  I figured that in a few years when I was able to be home again I could pick up where I left off.

 

     Funny thing, Life.  Sometimes things just don't go quite the way you think they will.  Although I am looking forward to retiring from the Coast Guard I did not expect the major life changes that occurred in the last two years.  I was recently diagnosed with PTSD and Fibromyalgia – neither of which were part of my "Master Plan".  The PTSD was originally diagnosed as ADD.   I didn't expect to be able to describe myself by all a jumble of letters:  PTSD, ADD, FMS, CMP and CRS (which is "Can't Remember S…. tuff").  I thought I'd go right from "USCG" to "VA" and that would be it ('cept for the CRS, of course).  Although I am considered "disabled" I have started on a new journey of "alternate-ability" in a direction I never imagined - as a Sexual Assault Victim's Advocate.  As this subject makes some folks uncomfortable I offer those of you who would like more information to visit "Life Stuff".     

 

     Back to goat stuff:  I pretty much figured that I'd let the girls retire and be pasture ornaments.  Zack, however, has decided that he really likes milking goats (am I spoiled or what???) and wants to show them in 4-H and/or FFA.  So we're going to breed on a very, very small scale and enjoy them as a HOBBY, not a business.  That doesn't mean we don't have lovely, well bred does, it just means that we're going to do this for fun and plan life around the fun part rather than any other profit.   I would love to show the girls off the way they deserve, but we're just going to take some of them to perhaps one or two shows and participate in the 1-day  milk test at the Clark County Dairy Goat Association show next year. 

 

     As a compromise between doing this for fun and being slaves to the work load we've decided to price our 2006 kids on the "incredibly cheap" side so we may be able to place them in new homes as soon as possible.   Most doe kids will be offered at around $150 and pre-ordered buck kids between $75-$100.  Bucklings that are not pre-ordered, unless they're "HOLY MOLY!", will be banded not later than 4 weeks of age and will not be disbudded.  They will be available for adoption.  Kids that are picked up within 2 weeks of birth will also have and additional $25 deducted from their price. 

 

     We raise our kids on a strict CAE prevention program using heat treated colostrum and pasteurized goats' milk.  Occasionally we'll use colostrum replacer and Land O' Lakes kid milk replacer.  We never, ever dam raise kids and every birth is attended.  All of the does receive appropriate vaccinations and annual boosters as well as routine worming and so forth.  I admit I get behind on hoof trimming occasionally. 

 

     So that's pretty much it in a nut-shell.  We have some drop dead gorgeous ladies and gents out there and even as "just a hobby" it would be a shame not to offer their daughters and sons to good homes.  It is only our desire to maintain a lower stress level that makes these well bred kids available so "cheap".