What did you do today?

[hihobaron]

Hello Nanno
Glad you survived blood letting of the critters.
I had a emergency call from friend with a jennet mini yesterday.
She was supposed to be PG and got "thin" all at once over 24-36 hours.
He wanted me to come over and check her out.
No sign of foaling, no real bag, no mess around her back end.
False Pregnancy, is my call. she is acting normal for a donkey.
Has a yearling jennet of her's with her.
I have had it happen with horses, so what happens, happens.
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New topic:
Do Goats Sweat like us or horses?
Or have other means to get rid of body heat?
I know about the horns being used as heat Radiators.
Mine are polled so don't have that option.
They have been panting more than normal here with 70 degree weather and sun, looking for shade etc still in what I consider "Winter" coats not shedding.
Supposed to be in the 70-80 later this week here.
Should I think about clipping them out? Or what?
I don't want to clip them,or are they both that"Soft" from no work untill I got them?
Happy Trails
hihobaron Pete and Sam
Thanks to all

[Nanno]

Goats do not sweat. They pant to cool themselves like dogs or deer. If I find that some of my goats are panting too often on our walks I'll usually clip them with a 5/8" clipper guard to shorten the hair but not remove it. It makes them look really sharp. The winter guard hairs sometimes linger well into June and they look course, dry and faded. A trim in late April or May gets rid of these and makes room for a healthy new summer coat to come gleaming in.

Phil and I took Finn and Sputnik with us to the "Color Run" 5k to support the girls' high school soccer team. We did not run. But we had a pleasant walk around the golf course and soccer girls squirted us with colored water and threw colored dust at us. We told them not to squirt the goats, but they could put colored dust on their coats. Everyone was very excited when we went by. Some wanted to pet the goats who were very dusty by the end of the walk and went "poof" when you patted them. Finn and Sputnik enjoyed showing off their tricks from time to time. Sputnik does not like to be petted by strangers, but he loves showing off his tricks for them, and he even "kissed" one woman when she bent down to say hi. I recently taught him to kiss but I was surprised that he did it to a stranger. She was surprised too but got a huge kick out of being kissed by a goat.

[hihobaron]

Hello Nanno
Thanks for the info on Goat cooling systems
I'll get the horse clippers out and oiled good, put the card you recommend on and have at them.
May need to put them in the neighbors milking stock to make it easy on my old body.
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Did I mention, I had to clip horses for"Show" and always hated it?
I always do a good job, but consider it a pain in the rear.
74 degrees here today and into the 80's by mid-week.
The boy's are going to loose some hair fast.
No "Expedition today" Boy's were panting even early this morning on the walk up to the horse barn.
No use pushing them to hard and "Souring them" on the follow along training.
They did follow on fine, but as soon as we got back to camp and I settled down in the shade they both "Flopped"down on the Paver blocks on the "Deck" in what shade there was. cooling off I figured.
They have trims coming very soon I think.Maybe even "pointy little goat tails"  
RE: Dusty Goats.
The boy's here have taken one of the spots the dog's like. and worked it into a dust bowl.
Pointy hoof work well you know I am sure.
Max like's the same spot to sun and it is a over watch for keeping BC1 under guard.
Now the goat boys are using it too.
They get up shake and make a "dust" storm that is red from our soil type here.
So I can well imagine the rainbow cloud of color Finn and Sputnik shook off at the end of the run.
Are you sure they are not trying to fly their own version of the Rainbow Flag?
Happy Trails
hihobaron Pete and Sam

[Nanno]

Yeah, sounds like they do need a trim if walking short distances is making them pant. In your climate you could probably use an even shorter clipper guard, like 3/8" - 1/2". You want enough hair that the bugs won't bother them and to pad them a bit when you start using saddles. You also don't want to trim them so short their coats feel bristly. In summer around here I usually use a 1/2" guard, but I use 5/8" in the fall or if I trim as early as April (which I will likely do this year in preparation for the Weld County Goat Extravaganza). It's amazing what 1/8" more or less can do.

I generally hate clipping too. It's a messy, tedious task and we're all tired of it before it's done, but the results are worth it. It helps that Cuzco absolutely LOVES getting clipped. He's at the age, though, where I have to give him breaks from time to time because he can no longer stand still that long without his arthritis bothering him. This makes the process take even longer. If it weren't for that super-thick undercoat he grows the job would be a lot quicker. But the stuff is like dryer lint and the clippers have a hard time wallowing through it when I have to clip as early as April. Thankfully once he's clipped, the undercoat brushes out easily. It's the long, stiff guard hairs that trap it down where I can't brush it out.

[Charlie Horse]

When I had a llama, I once had to trim her.  I just did her back and sides which left her looking rather stylish.  Thing is, I borrowed the neighbor's high quality clippers and I bought a 35 dollar blade for it so I thought I was set.  Worked great, but about 1/3 of the way into the job it started choking.  Hair was working its way in between the sliding pieces and making it cut slowly if at all.  I had to keep fiddling with it, oiling it, and taking it apart.  The llama was so pissed.  It was a brawl, more or less, and quite honestly after that her bad personality turned toxic.  I eventually gave her away.  Stick with goats, people!



Isllama (looks like she's wearing a burka).

[hihobaron]

Hello Charlie Horse
About 3cc of ACE IM would have fixed that.
Also a GOOD Bath to get the dirt out so it did not dull up the clipper blades.
SOP for clipping horses, bath, dry out with NO rolling in the dirt, then depending on the horse Clip.
If needed depending on the horse Twitch or hit them with some "Happy Juice" IM.
Question for you????
Goats Hate water I am told at least crossing it and Rain?
How big a fight do you think it would be to give Pete and Sam a shampoo bath before clipping? WW 3???
A twitch will not work the way a goat is built, and I have no idea about Tranquilizers to use on them.
Don't want to do it "That way any how."
Comments appreciated
hihobaron Pete and Sam

[Nanno]

My goats don't generally mind baths too much as long as I use warm water. They're spoiled--I have a warm water outdoor spigot that came with the house when we bought it. They do hate getting bathed with cold water, but most show goats have to deal with it since there is never warm water in the wash stalls at the show grounds. When it comes to goats, there's not usually much "fight" to put up with since they are so small. Once you tie them up and turn on the hose they just have to stand there and take it.

[hihobaron]

Hello All

Well the first kid of the season is here.

Neighbors Nanny has a single Buckling.

Saturday Afternoon.

Both are doing good only 10 more to go now.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.


  Who me 5.JPG (Size: 51.68 KB / Downloads: 43)



  Who me 1.JPG (Size: 40.04 KB / Downloads: 42)



  Can I keep him SS.JPG (Size: 36.59 KB / Downloads: 42)

Could be the first of local bred Pack goats here to start things up here in the East

Happy Trails

hihobaron Pete and Sam

[DownUnder Gal]

Very cute little kid HHB. Are you going to buy that one?

I also give my goats baths in summer and clip them. After an initial protest they end up leaning into the brush and sponge with dreamy looks in their eyes - provided I use warm water or the ambient temperature is over 35(ish) degrees celsius. This summer most of my goats needed a second clip due to it being so hot and dry for an extended period. Already their cashmere has started growing thickly in the goats who have that type of coat (the ferals/"rangelands"). Winter is coming ...

HHB can you post more kidlet pics please ... they are so darling

[hihobaron]

Hello DownUnder Gal
I don't know about this "Kidlet" he is OK but the Nanny in a FF, First kid and bred young by a young Alpine Buck they had last year. I have a couple "other" Older nanny's that are much bigger body wise that to my eye have OK feet and legs. IF they throw bucklings I think I would go for them first because I can see the size and disposition of them better than the young doe with this kid. Also the bigger does are the best milkers in the herd. 
Good Mannered.
Although I found out this does name is "Bloom" my last name is "Bluhm" pronounced the same.
A good indicator this kid was cooked just right for me???
Last year they had ALL Doeling's so they were kind of surprised the first one out was a buckling.
Maybe they will get more bucklings this time around.???
They are already planing to market all at local livestock auction barn just to "Get Rid" of them ASAP.
I only want 2 more goats for (Wethers) and I want them to be raised on the bottle. I can do that here at my place with milk from their dams. it is just a walk across the road to get fresh goat milk rather than use $$ milk replacer..
Not ready to start a "Breeding" program YET.
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Story Time:
I "Acquired" a Welch Cob Gelding for them, He needed a good home. 
Pony club horse for 15 years/family pet that had to be re-homed. More Brains the a lot of people.
I took him in and they fell in love and they are not "Horse people"
So we made a deal, JET now is out with their goats and they LOVE Each other. Jet and the Goats.
They were a little worried about kidding with him in the field, took him out to next door paddock and he had fits,as well as  the goats, so they put him back in. Next day the first kid arrived in pasture. They have it on video he walked over took a sniff and lick, walked back 10 feet or so and stood guard.
They went out put the nanny and kid up and he stood most all night at the gate to the shed or close to it watching.
So I think Jet even if not used as a riding/driving horse anymore (He is good at both) Has a home as a LGH.
Livestock Guard Horse.
OBTY: They also have 3 Great Pyneries LGD's on farm.
Jet and  the LGD's work together.
They bark he comes running. I do believe he would stomp/ kick anything the dogs were having trouble with.

I sometimes have problems telling the goats from the dogs they are all White, and have a favorite tree (pine) in center of pasture were they all "Gather" for a afternoon nap with Jet in the center on over watch duty. Jet is Steel Gray. he Has enough "Dapple" in his coat to "Blend" into shadows well.
At times I have to look hard to spot him in the shade.
I figure Jet is pushing 20 years old and still a tough bird.
Happy Trails
hihobaron Pete and Sam