Feed Bags to Shopping Bags

Hello! I thought other animal owners might be interested in seeing this great post. It tells how to recycle a chicken feed bag and make a reusable shopping bag. I haven't tried it yet, but I think that it would work great for old grain bags.

http://www.communitychickens.com/2012/06/diy-chicken-feed-sack-tote.html#.UsnhSPRDvT9

In Progress: Hay Feeder

I am making a hay rack. I don't really need it. But it will be useful for feeding free-choice grass hay. Why am I making it if I don't really need it? Because we had this old crib piece lying around. I hate seeing things going to waste, just sitting in a corner.

The bars on this thing were too close together, so I cut some of these bars out. I'm saving them - they should be useful in finishing the thing. I'm taking my time on this project, so there is no telling when it will be done. I'll let y'all know how it turns out!

$2 Mineral Feeder

Carina's mineral feeder

A few days ago I had what I thought was a brilliant idea. Ever since Carina moved her goats (and her supplies) out, I've been looking for a mineral feeder to feed loose minerals in. Carina had a lovely mineral feeder with two separate compartments, one side was used for feeding free-choice baking soda, the other side for minerals. But I could not bring myself to pay $15 for one of those things.

So, why not make my own for a lot less? I could get a sturdy plastic container of some kind, make two holes in it, and attach it to the fence with metal clips. A few days later I stopped by at the Dollar Tree store and popped in to see what they had. They didn't have metal clips, and since I didn't want to go all the way to Lowe's hardware store to get some, I grabbed a pack of zip-ties instead. I also found a clear plastic container that would work.

Back at home, I made two small holes in the container and attached it with zip-ties to the (cattle-panel) partition in the goat barn. I attached it on the hay-storage side, for I had no wish for the goats to rest their front feet on it and crack it. This way, their heads can pop through the fence to eat the minerals, but they cannot use it as a playground.

The immediate results? I love the thing! The goats can get to the minerals, and it cost less then 2 bucks! But the next morning when I come into the barn, they have somehow unlatched the gate and got into the hay area. You've guessed it. They have stood up on the feeder and smashed it to bits.

I think that I will pay the $15.

Preparing for babies: Getting your kidding kit.

I have finally got enough time to put together a post on getting together a kidding kit, but I know that for most people kidding season is already over. Oh well, it's better late than never! Anyway, here are some things that you'll want to get:

• Towels - These are for drying off the babies when they come out. You'll need two per baby you're expecting, one for drying and one for wrapping her to keep her warm. You'll also want to bring a bag to take them back to the house in, they're going to get gross!

• Flashlights - If your doe kids at night you will be grateful for a flashlight. Make sure you get two bright ones with fresh batteries to make sure that you aren't left in the dark.

• Navel clamps or iodine - It is ultra important to make sure to dip or clamp the babies cord soon after birth, otherwise the kids umbilical cord might get infected. I prefer the clamps because they aren't as messy as iodine, they are reusable (make sure to sterilize them), and they're safer.

• Baby nasal bulb - You have no excuse for being without this! They're cheap, easy to get, and are a must-have for sucking mucus out of a kids' nose and mouth.

• Weak kid tube - This is for feeding kids that are too weak to drink milk. The soft tube goes directly into their stomach and thus allows you to feed them. This is not a crucial supply, but it might save your kid's life.

• Baby Bottles - Even if you're not planing on bottle feeding, get some baby bottles just in case something happens to your doe or she rejects the kids. I really like Evenflo's classic glass 8 oz bottles, though you do have to cut a small x in the nipple so that the babies can get milk fast enough.

• Disposable surgical gloves - These are very important to have just in case your doe has problems and somebody has to "go in". Just because people tell you that your doe probably won't have problems kidding anyway doesn't mean that you can skip these; be prepared or you'll be sorry.

• J-Lube, OB Lube, Safe-Lube, or K-Y Jelly - This is another product that you'll need if your doe has problems kidding. A really good lubricant helps that hand slip into the doe and might be the only thing that will get the giant baby out of her. Some people say that you can use Vaseline or vegetable oil, but they simply don't work.

• Syringes, needles and Penicillin or LA-200 - If a doe is assisted in labor she needs antibiotic shots for the next two weeks. I prefer LA-200 because you only need to give it every 70 hours, as opposed to Penicillin which is given twice a day.

• Colostrum replacement powder or homemade colostrum replacement - Get this just in case something happens to your doe or her colostrum. It's best for babies to have real colostrum, but sometimes there isn't any available and you'll need something else to give them.

• Nutri-Drench - This is not an absolutely necessity, but I suggest getting it. It works like magic on weak kids, moms, and tired, pregnant does. When Roxy had a very difficult kidding this year a friend gave her a couple pumps of Nutri-Drench; it had her standing, eating, talking, and drinking again in only a couple of hours.

• Calcium Drench - Again, unnecessary but a good preventative measure! Milk fever is caused by calcium deficiency. Calcium deficient does pull calcium out of their bones to put into the milk and can die from it. I didn't use any Calcium Drench this year, but I intend to get it next kidding season!

A Day In The Life with Dairy Goats

I found this 5 Part Video Series called A Day In The Life with Dairy Goats. I thought it quite entertaining and also learned how to make a natural udder wash. Hope you enjoy it too. Here you are: http://www.onthegreenfarms.com/raising-dairy-goats/goats/.

Handy Goat Supplies

Here is a list of some supplies that I especially like. You can click on the picture or name of an item to go to the website that sells it.

Feeding and Cleaning:

Storage crate- When coupled with a bungee cord it makes an inexpensive hay feeder that can be attached to fences. It's handy when you just have a couple goats or if you need a portable feeder.	Rubber feed pan- I like to use this for feeding young kids grain. It's low enough to the ground for them to get to and wide enough to feed four or five at a time. The rubber is bendable, so it doesn't crack if a goat stands on it
6 quart mini feeder - This is easily hooked over the front bar of the milkstand to hold your doe's grain. You can get circular ones, which are narrower and deeper, but I prefer the rectangular ones.	Feed storage bin - Works very well for storing grain and chicken feed; it's easy to open and it seals tightly when closed. You can also use a garbage pail to store grain.
Gerber 9oz. baby bottles - Inexpensive and effective, these are what we used these for Dicey's triplets last year. Carina did have to replace the nipples after the kids bit through them, but they work amazingly well for the price.	Rake - Rakes are handy for raking up stray pieces of straw, hay and goat berries from the yard. I like ones with bendable metal tines best; they rake out the dips in the ground and last a lot longer then plastic ones.

Milking:

Stainless steel pail - These come in a variety of sizes; you can get a Nigerian dwarf sized pail or one that you could milk your elephant into. I got mine from Hoegger Supply but you can also get it from Amazon.

Kirkland Premium Baby Wipes - I like to get these for cleaning goats' udders before milking, and wiping my hands if they get dirty.