Goats and Related Info

[DennisArrow]

Back again..........In the rains we had over Saturday, which combined with the week's previous rains of 10.6 inches, we had a road washout that goes to the barn, a 30" oak go over and pull down 3 others, and other run off problems. We live on a forested mountaintop and slope, so protecting the land and fighting erosion is an ongoing effort. Especially with the drought killing/damaging old trees and then deluges undermining the roots....But, what this does do is provide us firewood for the stove. We have 2 heatpumps but burn wood instead as God has blessed us with all of the drought killed trees. I have maybe 3 cords ready to rock and roll; but the clearing and splitting of these new ones will give us 2 or 3 more............ON AND ON.......

Ok, GOATS.....

Kwin.......We gave 4 mommas access to 3 acres of what looks even worse than your middle brushy pic in mid July. You could barely fight your way across it originally due to brambles, muscadine, cats claw vine, poison ivy, and seedlings. NOW.....we just drove through it the other day in the RTV to go to an adjoing pature. Yes, we had to clear out fallen logs and thumb sized tree stems BUT SO MUCH BETTER. In another 6 months pretty much all that will be left is the trees.

Goats DO NOT actually eat wood, they do eat small twigs that they can reach and yes they lean on a tree by standing on it's back legs, bend it over and then go after the leaves and twigs. The tree then dies and one easily cuts it down. Anything larger than let's say a pencil will be left. Perhaps a bit larger.............Again as posted earlier, they WILL eat the bark with relish off of certain species of trees thereby girdling and killing the tree. In our area this is dogwood, cedar, palonia (thank YOU so much), and cherry. They won't eat thistles, poke, or tobacco weed. Pardon the local names..............

Check out: Electric Fencing for Goats - Premier1Supplies

We have several sections of the portable stuff. Its easy to install, remove, and work with. Actually after the goats get used to it, we dont even charge it on subsequent locations. Goats are smart. They HATE rain, loud noises, and getting zapped.

The U.S. imported last year, 15 million metric TONS of goat carcasses.........15 MILLION TONS.........yes, there is definately a market..........

For us, we raise registered Boers. These are a proven meat producer. There is also a market for the milk from goats. We dont try these as they are a seperate breeding program. Yes, with the way things are going we need one for when the "crash" happens for our self-survival program, but that's another thread..........Anyway, getting into a program of raising goats for "profit" can take several routes. Yes, it's a great "farm" tax write off. IT IS A BUSINESS.......
One can have a MEAT herd which takes: good pasture, a market, guard dogs, and of course time. To me, possibly 50 head would make a profit. LOTS of folks buy little ones early in the spring, pasture them through the summer, and then sell them off in late fall when the market is highest price in early December............This uses your grass pasture, clears brush from woods, and takes advantage of the falling leaves and acorns in the fall.....HIGH PROTEIN.........
One can over winter productive mommas to sell the kids the next fall. A momma, on average will have twins. Singles are seldom, triplets often, and quads seldom. So....overwintering lets say 10 mommas will give you perhaps 20 kids more or less. One culls out the promising kid does and less than satisfying mommas to the auction in the fall and then repeats the cycle.
We raise genetically fantastic momma's..........At weaning and ready for market our kids will average 80 to 90 pounds. The average brush kid is 30 or 40 pounds. You have no feed expense with them at weaning, so to take them to auction at that point brings great profit. One can also sell them as registered for breeding which makes even better profit.

Anyway, the sun is up and it's burning daylight.........Gotta get out there and split wood, box blade the new section of road repair fill across the gully (two loads of chert ore), herbicide on the corn field for crab grass........ON AND ON

But ya know, in my "retirement" it really keeps it interesting to not just sit and veg.......GOD IS GOOD..........Dennis

 

[dave1949]

Dennis -

Sorry to hear the rains caused you so much work. Figured you were tied up with something. The drought and then down pours are sure not friendly weather. On the plus side - oak is great firewood! The red and black oaks around here are pretty easy splitters and long keepers too.

The weather has been strange just about everywhere it seems. We had a rain catchment pond dug last fall. It had a 3" layer of ice on it by mid-November when it was half full. Then we had a storm that put down 5" of rain overnight on frozen ground. It went to the pond so fast, the ice floated up underneath the overflow pipe and took it right out.

Weather has been odd all this year too. Nobody had good gardens this summer here, cold, wet, blight, dry - just a mess.

I am really learning a lot from your posts, and UncleDoug too.

I gathered from the alpaca info I sent for that tax advantages for 'gentlemen farmers' were a big part of the pitch. I doubt I could qualify under either catagory

I don't know how the alpaca fiber could pay for the animals from the prices I have seen on eBay. Plus with millions of alpaca in Bolivia, if there were a big fiber fad, they could send it here by the boatload probably cheaper than we could produce it in the US.

Goats seem like a better choice. I think the prices for goat stock are based on their true market value be it breeding, chevron, milk or utility. Is that a true statement?

It is good to learn about the business/tax aspects too. For all the complaining folks do, it is actually not hard to set up a small one-man farm type business here in Maine.

Good luck on those trees and road repairs.
Dave.

 

[DennisArrow]

Dave........Just a note before my afternoon nap..........YES, for me, the Alpaca thing is a "yup/generation X" type situation. A colony of lesbians in a neighboring county raise the stuff and then weave it. We were at the Airstream national last year down by Macon that happened to be having an Alpaca "show" and I swear it looked like a gospel convention with all of the custom buses etc. used to haul the critters.......

By the way, it's CHEVON. Comes from the spanish for Goat.......chivas.........I think. Yes, it's true as to the cost of goats. At auction, the meat buyers pay pretty much by weight, but utility animals, brush goats, are priced accordingly. Breeding stock, whether it is for dairy or meat goes beyond what the slaughter guys are willing to pay.

Auctions though, are THE WORST PLACE to buy an animal that you are going to keep. Goats carry are suceptable to a lot of diseases, and when a guy is gonna get rid of a goat for sure is when it is sick. So, he takes it to auction, exposes it to the 200 or so goats that are there, and the next thing you know you bought that sick critter or one that comes down with what it was exposed to...........

Nap time.......see ya soon........Dennis

 

[dave1949]

Dennis,

I kind of figured auctions to be dumping points for sick, problem animals - goats or otherwise.

I think a good source would be to go to a local region person who is working hard to build a good herd. They probably always have animals they don't wish to breed or would sell for chevon (thank you) anyways.

That should result in a sound animal, local to my climate, and at least I know who I am dealing with. I think most around here would be upfront on the plusses and minuses of their stock if approached the right way. Many are doing it to build a grass-roots industry or hobby.

You deserve the nap! You will live longer too.

Dave.

 

[Uncle Doug]

We went to one of these Goat workshops in the early years (6-7 years ago) that were a big help. I sure that some groups still offer such a workshop.

Goat Gathering CD Table of Contents

 

[dave1949]

We went to one of these Goat workshops in the early years (6-7 years ago) that were a big help. I sure that some groups still offer such a workshop.

That sounds like excellent advise. Thank you for the link - guess I've got some reading ahead of me - it looks very informative. Pretty soon, my wife will claim the computer - unless the Red Sox are playing

Thanks, Dave.

 

[Uncle Doug]

My grandson (then about 11-12) went with us to the goat workshop. It was a 2 day weekend event. On Saturday they had 20 different booths set up serving cooked goat meat. Every thing from traditional cabrito to goat chili. From then on every time we talk about goats his mouth waters. Of course my wife having bottle fed some of the babies wound not even taste any.


Check out the last one with the Cabrito Recipes

 

[dave1949]

My grandson (then about 11-12) went with us to the goat workshop. It was a 2 day weekend event. On Saturday they had 20 different booths set up serving cooked goat meat. Every thing from traditional cabrito to goat chili. From then on every time we talk about goats his mouth waters. Of course my wife having bottle fed some of the babies wound not even taste any.


Check out the last one with the Cabrito Recipes

I know how that goes. I raised white meat rabbits one summer thinking it would help the grocery bills. The kids just wouldn't eat them. Maybe I shouldn't have slaughtered them where they could watch , but I thought I was doing the right thing. They are so lean they don't have much flavor just fried, nothing like the cottontails we hunted, I gave up on them.

Dave.