Success with City Goats

If you are considering buying goats, the first thing to do is to research the care of goats.  Before I purchased my goats, I joined this group and spent many hours reading through the archives there:
http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com
I highly recommend it as well as Deborah’s books which are very well researched and contain up-to-date information.  While you may be going to have your goats for pets, be aware they are not like dogs or cats and have very specific needs. In spite of being loving and sweet, they are still livestock.  They are not house pets but need to be outside in the company of other goats.  A goat always needs at least one goat friend or they will be unhappy and stressed which can cause health issues.

Building the Barn and Floor – Decisions

First rule, regardless of what you decide for a barn floor (or barn design), is to locate your barn in an area where water will not “migrate” into the barn.  If the area has poor drainage, that might mean you need to build up the area under and immediately around the barn foundation.

Before we built the goat barn (12×12), I had planned a concrete floor with drains as I have in my chicken house which has served well there.  However, before starting the goat barn, I decided to get opinions from my favorite goat group.  In the nearly two months which followed, I collected dozens points of view.  Most of those opinions included reasons for the decisions and the results as well as “if I had it to do again” comments.

Moonlight for sale $250, Vancouver, WA . . . . . . SOLD

Moonlight is sold and living in Lakeview, Oregon, with his own herd where he will become Daddy to some great kids.
Postscript May 2, 2020:  Today, one of Moonlight’s yearling daughters came to live with us.  With her pedigree, I have high hopes for her milking future.

Registered Nigerian Dwarf, VanEden Dollies Moonlight (D-88143). DOB 4-16-2016

Yogurt

Although I like my goat milk yogurt, I didn’t make it too often. I had one of the yogurt makers that uses the small jars with it being gone within two days!  I had been hearing about the Instant Pot so I joined the facebook Instant Pot Community to learn more.  I was skeptical about another appliance, but when I learned it has a yogurt feature,

Look what we did – My girls and me!!!

Ginger and Dollie gave their wonderful milk for great cream cheese! In the intitial judging, both of my entries received blue ribbons. Later, in the celebrity judging and Judge’s Choice, we received first *and* second!
(This is the recipe in the “Milking and Products” section.)

Some good from heartache

I posted on a local goat facebook site that I was looking for orphans or rejected kids for my doe who lost her babies and really needed someone to love.

Ginger lost her twins

First, Ginger’s due date was February 28th based on Day 143 which is when most of my does kid.  Gestation is officially 145-155 days.  On Monday, March 7th, Day 151, at 2:00 a.m., Ginger started calling but did not appear to be in labor as in no contractions. 

Pregnancy test results

Pregnancy test results are back as of January 14th.   Big disappointment is that Summer is NOT pregnant and was dried up at the end of November so she would have a good three-month rest before mid-March kidding.

Glenna’s ice cream recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Two quarts whole milk (real milk not factory milk, goat milk is best with Nigerian Dwarf goat milk being supreme)
• Two cups sugar (organic cane dehydrated sugar is what I use, have only been able to find it at Costco)
• One dozen eggs (real eggs, again not factory eggs)
• 2.5 Tablespoons of pure vanilla (again, pure, not extract)

Antiquity Oaks 100-yard ice cream

This maple syrup ice cream recipe is from Antiquity Oaks and is so named because all of the ingredients are produced within 100 yards of their kitchen.  Deborah Niemann says if you don’t have maple syrup, you can substitute sugar or honey and add a teaspoon of vanilla after the mixture boils and you turn off the heat.  I have tried this myself with the maple syrup and can say it is outstanding!