Ivey Creek Ranch

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Goats, Goats, Goats

My husband wanted goats. I did not. He bought 3, a buck and doe Boer and a doe Nubian are so we were told. We had no clue what we were buying and even less about how to care for goats. Well he was gun ho for a couple of months. I still was not on board. Then a baby was born. Humbug. Another animal to feed. Then I decided to buy a Nigerian Dwarf goat because if we were going to have goats lets have a small cute thing. I still was not enthused. Another animal to feed. OK Then I bought some books to read concerning the care of meat goats, then milk goats. Bought a couple of more Nigerian Dwarfs. More mouths to feed. A year and a half pass. More mouths to feed. Then I got this tiny little black baby that needed me. So I became a little more interested but there was just not enough information in the two books that I had to read. Nothing really was fitting together for me. Now by this time I had met a women at work who raised Nigerian Dwarfs. I bought a polled buckling from her. Another mouth to feed. After a couple of weeks, she ask if I could take her whole herd (22). I had money for feed and hay, with plenty of land they could range on. Now I have a herd of approximately 30 goats, and I am as dumb as a box of rocks on goat management and care. Several people told me that when goats have their first baby it is always a single baby. This was not exactly true. Of all the females, one had a single baby. A couple of people told me that there are no delivery problems. You just walk out there and p**f you have babies. This was not exactly true. I would say 68% of the mothers needed help. The LaManchas and Nubians did not. Some people said you have to breed so the babies will be born in February or early March. This is not exactly true. These people have no idea what it is like to be up and out in the weather 24/7 for 45 days. Not one doe decided to go into labor in the birthing shed or 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. On my first birth, it was on the weekend and I called the vet for help because nothing was happening. The vet said to go in find the baby and pull it out. This is not as easy as the vet made it sound. I lost the baby...I lost to many because I had no clue. This was trial and error at its worst. I contacted the local county extension office, they only work with 4-H meat goats. I found some really good goat groups with some fantastic and knowledgeable people that has helped me tremendously. I found a few friends in the area who raise goats, and they have been great. Starting with my little black baby, day by day I started to fall in love with my goats. They are defenseless, intelligent, forgiving, caring, hilarious, relaxing, talkative, entertaining, mischievous, innocent, and loving. They are the only animal that can say maw and mean it. They can hug you and know they are hugging you. They can physically ask for forgiveness when they have been bad. The does morn the loss of a baby for days. These are not the animals that I was lead to believe they were. To make a long story short, I love my goats. They deserve the very best care that I can give them but I am still as dumb as a box of rocks. A couple of really fantastic ladies and I discussed our desire to attend some educational seminars, conferences, lectures, marketing ideas from local flea markets to auctions, the most goat knowledgeable vet in the area, economics of goat sales, marketable value of milk and all the products that can be made from goat milk, farm/ranch medicine, any avenue that would help us be better stewards to our goats. Meeting once a month to discuss what we had learned, will learn, and plan to learn with the others. What everything boils down to is providing our customers with the best product possible and giving them the ability, skills, and knowledge to become self sufficient goat owners with the confidence to grow their own herd. This is not a competition it is a way of life. Every goat owner has the same product but the ones who will get the sales will be the ones who develop the lasting relationship with the customer. You can not build that foundation relationship if there is no solid ground to place it on. Knowledge is the key but we have to have some idea of where to obtain the knowledge that is what this group is going to try and do.