While we had a teenager around, Curt enlisted his help and they cut the doors and adding some additional ventilation holes in the backs of the storage tanks. In the hopes of attracting rain, we have left the tops open for the time being. Hasn't worked yet but we aren't giving up hope. The white color of the tanks also help with the heat buildup. I crawled into one to check out the temperature and it was fine. I am so happy to have some additional shelters for the small pens. I got five tanks for less than the two calf hutches were going to cost me and they are quite similar in use. The tanks are actually larger. The kids have found out that they can stick their heads into the tank and scream and it echoes. They think that is fun. Kids.
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Can always use more small pens.
It is getting close to breeding season here and I have ten, yes, ten bucks. I raise three breeds and I have way too many bucks but then I have way too many does also. Soooo I talked Curt into adding a couple more small pens on the end of the four I already have out front. Four more and I will be all the way to the highway. These pens are really easy to do unless you are trying to dig post holes in ground that is hard as a rock. Or maybe that actually is rock. Didn't get very deep even with the post hole digger on the tractor so we have filled the holes with water and are waiting. And waiting. And waiting. The water isn't going anywhere fast. These pens are 16 x 20 and are the perfect size for the babies or a few young bucks or for breeding pens. Cattle panels are 16' plus 4' for the gate and you can see how easy they are to put together. That is, if we could dig a hole in the ground. CH Patteran YMG Lil Xona is on the right and her 2012 daughter, Whiteoak-Bend Cadette C3, is on the left. They have the #1 and #2 spots in the milking line up. Since Cadette was bottle raised we can't figure out how they decided that they should be on the milk stands at the same time. Perhaps they are way smarter than we think. It was a long trip to Fort Benning, GA and it seemed even longer coming home. BUT we would not have traded our experience for anything. Kyle was exhausted and wanted to eat 24/7 to make up for being in a semi-starvation mode while in the last phase. The boy knows the best places to eat though. I think I gained 10 pounds in three days so I best get back on plan pronto. Even though we had to miss the National Dairy Goat Show to attend Kyle's Ranger School graduation, we have no regrets. There is always next year for the goats but this was a once in a lifetime experience for all three of us. If you have not had the privilege of attending a RS Graduation, I can assure you it was one of the most entertaining and informative graduation ceremonies I have ever attended. Then I got to pin the Ranger tab on my only child............. And this isn't all of them. Saanens, LaManchas, Experimentals. The only Alpine doeling is still in the baby pen. The ones on the left are weaned and the ones on the right will be weaned Wednesday which will leave me with six babies on the lambar BUT I have two does due any minute and another later in the month and one in July. I am actually hoping for bucks. Except for the Alpine which means she will have twin bucks and all the rest will have twin dfoes. Wish me luck!! My newest addition arrived this evening. Lynnhaven LAN Chantilly Cream presented me with a single buck kid. He is an Experimental but I am keeping him. His dam is very growthy and has a lovely udder. Somehow I just knew she was going to have a single buck kid. She was purchased as a bred doe and kidded two days early. Perfect timing. My Lynnhaven KT A Texas Tornado daughters and granddaughter won big at the Central Texas Dairy Goat Association's Spring Fling June 1, 2013. I now have a set of 4 hand thrown coffee mugs in my favorite color. Thanks girls. Whiteoak-Bend TX Dahlia won Grand Champion Junior LaMancha in Ring 2 and Whiteoak-Bend Dreamgirl won Grand Champion Junior LaMancha in Ring 1. Whiteoak-Bend TX Dotcom won Grand Champion Recorded Grade in both rings but sadly there were only 9 entries. This day is very emotional for me because I have a son in the Army. This is my 2Lt who is currently in Army Ranger School and therefore has no means to communicate other than letters. As older parents of an only child, we were not expecting him to choose to attend a military academy when he graduated from high school but he did and graduated from West Point May 2012. He will serve five years to pay back for his college education and he signed on for an additional three years to guarantee that he would branch Infantry. Anything can happen in eight years. BUT we are very proud that he has chosen to serve his country and whatever happens I have to remember that this was a choice he freely made. Love you son. Since my husband is raising bottle calves with goat milk, I thought he needed more milk for them. So I bought him his own personal goat. He actually was a little excited and said he could now buy another bottle calf. He likes her because she is big. She does kind of make my little yearling LaManchas look smaller than they really are. |
AuthorI work part time as well as raise and show dairy goats and make and sell goat milk soaps and lotions. My life is BUSY!! Archives
October 2016
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