Sunday, September 19, 2010

Now what is this?

 
I am an old 4-Her. I have 12 lap ewes, I sit on a cement block and everyone comes up for a chin scratch. My laying hens- you can pick them up and my Silkies come to me to be picked up ( I guess I have a petting zoo- works for me!)This is a milk stand to milk a dairy goat!  Here is the story, grab a cup of coffee..its long..
I had a benign tumor removed from my neck. I can not swallow anything. I have had my feeding tube for 7 1/2 years. You get use to shotting in smoothies...no big deal.
I surfed the net for better foods to use in the smoothies. I found that Goat's milk has everything a man needs to thrive---stating it would just be a boring diet....hey I shot mine in my tube........boring left the building a long time ago. Raw eggs, goat's milk, cooked oatmeal with flax seed.....that's it  I am home every day.......so
milking a goat fits right in  In 1997 I milked 5 does morning and night, and working full time at the bank!we all drank the milk its really good. The Secret to flavor is to fast chill the quart jars of milk in an ice water bath
 I would pour the goat milk into a empty milk jug and the kids drank it up  they would drink cow's milk but not goat milk---ah but they were! Milking and working full time got to be too much. So I sold my Registered herd of French Alpines to Kelly Lund........their kids have dairy goats as their 4-H projects.
 
So I searched around for a good milking doe. Lunds have the best goats at the fair. I sold them a 2 yr old was named "Sherri" out of my doe Sheyanne  Sherri went on to win a lot of trophies. I found Kelly Lund's email on the Fair site. I emailed her. She emailed back that all her goats are from my goats.  She has a 6 yr old milking doe Shilo--- this August Shilo was Senior Doe Grand Champion and she is a daughter of Sherri!  I told Kelly I was on a budget!!
Tomorrow afternoon we go look. Shilo for sure..........
 
So at 1 PM this afternoon we drove the pickup with the goat box on to Brad and Kelly's. They live very close to Brandon. Brad and Kelly lived for 20 years north of Brandon--10 miles on Brad's parent's farm.
Brad's parents wanted to move back to the farm?-why I don't know.  Brad's parents bought this small house near Brandon and remodeled it. In June Brad, Kelly and kids move there. They live only 6 miles from us. BUT now Kelly has no barn. Only a  chicken coop  and four calf poly domes. Kelly sold off a lot of goats this summer. She has about 12 now-- the kids' show stock, all are descendants from my Sherri, Allie and Mona2.  I came to get 6 yr old Shilo, daughter of my Sherri and a second doe (one doe alone is lonely and may cry all day). So I asked Kelly if she had another doe. Kelly said she really didn't have any for sale, but winter was coming and she felt bad for the does. And she knew they would have a great home in Jerry's barn.
We talked of Shilo and a 4 yr old Anna could go. I asked if I could come back Nov 1st and borrow her buck, to breed my does, Kelly said sure that would work. Kelly said next year she would have a new buck . Kelly asked if she could "lease" the does back--just paperwork --so her kids could show my goats next year at the Fair,  I said sure. The does and offspring would be mine, but Kelly would come and show trim the goats and go to the Fair.........this is all leading somewhere so bear with. OK  these goats are Registered French Alpines. Every year Lunds' goats do well at the County and State Fair. Shilo was this August's Grand Champion aged doe, last year she was Grand Champion 5 yrs old---GC the year before that--you get the idea. Same for Anna, she was Reserve Champion this year and last year..
Now Reg. Champion does in the prime sell for $300-500/ a doe or more And who sells Champions?
Kelly said she wanted $100-125 a piece. I said I will pay the $125/ea as I get free buck use every year to Kelly's best buck. Come Nov 1st and I pick up the buck, he breeds my does and I take him back. Kelly's kids can show the goats, I have fantastic goats for milk...both milk extremely well.....its a win-win. 
 
So tonight I milk two goats. Milk stand head stanchions needs to be higher-- tall goats..so I have to do that first.  I figure next Spring one doe is milk for me and the other doe's milk will feed the baby kids. Both does are super tame. They have been halter broke and shown since they were 4-6 month old!
 
Here is Shilo (left) and Anna just in their new pen. The pen is 5 by 16 ft..... Tonight I make their pen 10 x 16...then they will have plenty of room as they are big does.
 
Met Shilo (left) and Anna....

1 comment:

Gail V said...

I think it's nice that you have the time to choose your animals and take care of them, Jerry. You make it sound so interesting.
Enjoy your goaties, it's one animal type I just decided to stay out of, so I will "watch".