Goats
I currently have a herd of 2 purebred, registered Nubian does (female goats), one a retired old lady and the other a young girl that's still producing. I will be posting about my amazing girls and their babies, maybe the occasional dog or cow. Feel free to comment, ask questions, and just talk about anything animal related (doesn't have to necessarily be about my ladies, just about goats or animals).
We probably wouldn't breed them if they weren't all purebred, registered, and high quality. Goat populations can grow quickly, so it's not responsible to breed a ton of pet grade animals. Plus, a well bred baby is worth more to buyers, and we aren't able to keep most our goats, so we need to make them valuable to others. But we're also breeding cos I'm lactose intolerant and their milk is easier for me to digest. Plus they've got to be in milk to show, which I enjoy doing.
LINK: To look up my goats, or the bucks we breed to (check pedigree, inbreeding, past kids, etc.), go ahead and click right HERE, and type in their full name. All goats registered via ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) are recorded here.
Urban Acres Stunning Stella: Stella is Bean's mom. This girl has the best breeding of all my ladies. She's got a great general appearance and stature, but her mammary system (udder) is a pretty major weakness of hers. Her brother is Castaway, the buck we use for some of our does because of his good lines. Her mother was a champion, and she's won champion while she's been with us, as well. She's retired, so no more Stella babies, but we'll continue her line via Bean.
Cali Coast Majestic Jellybean: Bean is Stella and Watson's Daughter. We can't tell much about her looks yet, but her general appearance is very beautiful, and I look forward to seeing how she grows into herself. I'll update on mammary system when she kids in March 2023 (hope it's better than Stella's!). She's won junior champion, and champion, like her mom.
Credits for all images on this thread anywhere go to ME, unless stated otherwise
Doe's Name | Buck's Name | Date to breed | Due Date |
Stella | N/A | Retired | N/A |
Bean | TBD | Late Summer/ Fall 2023 | Late Winter/ Spring 2024 |
2) Goats are actually rather intelligent, most being about as smart as your average dog. But, like all creatures, some are duller, and some are brighter. Put the mind of a toddler in a hooved creature, and you're given a goat.
3) In most locations, goats need a mineral supplement to keep their health at 100%, as the land tends to be lacking in some mineral or other. In the case of my goats, since I'm on the southern central coast of California, they need a whole mineral that mostly comprises of copper (a pretty common one that's needed).
4) Goats only have bottom teeth in the front (8), meaning they need their hard foods to be cut or shredded so they can fit them in their mouths. Their molars are on both top and bottom, so, if a food fits in their mouths, they can chew it with their molars if they need to.
5) If a goat is chewing its cud (food spit up from the rumen, which hasn't been fully digested), that means that it is a content or even happy goat, and calm.
6) If a goat puffs up, and it isn't cold, then that means that it is angry. It most likely saw something that it believes to be a threat or even simply a nuisance. Destiny can't puff up too well, due to her thick fur, but she used to step in whenever anyone acted aggressively towards Catalina (our deceased doe). (I know this because a group of three Brazilian men, afraid of goats, temporarily stayed at my house. I was walking the does, and I told them to watch out for Catalina, because she didn't like strangers, so they decided it would be smart to try to scare her before she goes for them. Destiny got very huffy, and they decided to give the goats some space.)
~~~~
Herd Pecking Order:
- Like most animals that live in groups, goats have a pecking order. There are those that are above the rest, those below the rest, and those in the middle. Below is my herd's current pecking order.
~~~~