Nubian Dairy Goats

Check out my Horses and Such Page

2012-01-18T08:21:00.000-05:00

After long last, I've updated this page to include pictures of Lorch's arrival. He's our second black Tennessee Walker. It just happened this way. We didn't care what color they were as much as we cared about their temperament and ride.

Bob has ridden Bentley and both of us have ridden Lorch. He took good care of us but I was more uncomfortable with his height than his ride but then again, I haven't been on a horse in over 10 years. It'll take me a bit of time but I'll come around. After all, we moved here in 2000 so that we could get two horses and live happily ever after.

Thank You Natalee for All You Have Done

2012-01-14T10:50:00.002-05:00

You are truly an angel. Watching you grow is pure joy. You gave me the time to heal that I so desperately needed. There was no way I could have continued caring for our critters with this foot injury. Thank you so very much.

Into week four of the broken ankle is so much better than the first few weeks. Walking without crutches is easier than trying to maneuver with them. Now I just wobble along with Big Foot. But that's a good thing.

Most of the pain has subsided so I'm pretty much to doing what I had been doing ... except for ... just a few things. Like standing several hours a day, walking in the barn, getting up slopes is a challenge, and going up and down steps is a hoot but Big Foot protects the ankle nicely. Together we make it around the ranch pretty well. I just have to be super careful not to fall again.

To that end, we have ordered more rock so we can expand a walkway in the chicken area. No more muddy, slippery spots. However, the chickens do make that challenging because of the way they love to dig. Those chicken holes do cause problems, don't they. But they are signs of happy chickens.

Once the tractor was started, it's business as usual. But to start it I have to use my left foot to hold down the clutch. THAT smarts so I've learned how to start the tractor with my right foot (not a good idea but necessary). Whew, at first we thought the tractor was broken because it wouldn't start. Nope, it was just that I couldn't press the clutch in as far as I used to. Sigh ... figured it out though.

The family has been an incredible support (no pun) throughout this ordeal. Soon, boys, soon I'll be back to normal. Ah hummm, my definition of normal.

I've missed working with the animals, they being so much pleasure to my life. Love them all.

Natalee, thank you for caring for them so well while I was unable. They all look good thanks to your tender care.

Please keep in touch. I love watching you grow. Keep smiling and study, study, study.

Love always,
Pat

Brooks and Natalie are together

2011-10-06T06:31:00.000-05:00

Natalie and Brooks are pets -- not just goats. They're together because Natalie has been sold and her new owner wants her bred before she moves to her new home. Normally I wouldn't do this but Natalie's new family is well versed in goats and knowledgeable with goat birthing. I'm comfortable that Natalie will be well cared for during her delivery and in the future.

I don't sell goats; I place them in good homes.

Here are a few photos of the twosome:

Brooks hasn't been with a lady before. It looks like he's asking what to do.

As any good mom would say, follow your instincts.

He and Natalie are getting acquainted.

Yup, getting acquainted.

He's getting the idea.

THAT's my boy.

Isn't he wonderful. Natalie likes him, too. She isn't running away. THAT's my girl.

Cody Struck a Pose

2011-09-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

Here is another black and white doe for sale. I say black and white but her coat has a golden tint to it. This little darlin' is about 18 months old and ready to breed. Her exact birthday is on her papers but I'm guessing here.

Black and White Goats For Sale

2011-09-26T08:09:00.000-05:00

For this go-round I was able to capture pictures of two goats: Emily and Loretta. I have others but these two cooperated.

Emily is in the green collar whereas Loretta is in the purple collar.

Emily in green collar.

Emily in center.

Emily in green collar.

Loretta in purple collar.

I have others but they would have nothing to do with me that afternoon. They stayed in the crowd. As soon as I can isolate them a bit more I'll upload photos of them.

I appreciate your interest in my goats.

How I Feed My Goats

2011-09-22T09:57:00.000-05:00

Folks who have bought goats from us quite often ask how I've cared for then so they can continue the regime. The answer is somewhat detailed and lengthy so I decided to put it here for everyone to read. Besides, this way I can update my notes from time to time.

First and foremost, I care for my goats depending on what the individual goat needs at the time. Whenever possible I separate the herd by feeding needs -- ah, except for the boys and girls separation, that is.

For the over all herd:

Shelter at all times because goats don't do rain and need shelter from strong winds
Clean water at all times
In the summer we have fans in all the barns so they'll have moving air.
In the winter we have heat lamps for them. They can choose to get under it or not. But it's there.

Everyone is are free fed the following:

Sweetlix Minerals; goats need copper
Apple Cider Vinegar
Backing Soda
Kosher Salt (without iodine)

For lactating does and babies:
In addition to the above, they are fed a sweet feed with 14 to 16 percent protein.

For the babies:
When the babies are about two-weeks-old I set up the baby feeding area with a creep gate. This magnificent gate keeps the larger goats out and away from the food so the babies will have a chance to eat without being mobbed. These little babies are figuring out what solid food is and don't need the competition.

When the babies are weaned at about 12 weeks, I can either continue milking the does or gradually dry them up.

If I continue milking, the does receive 14 or 16 percent protein so they'll have plenty of energy. I feed this percentage until their milk begins to diminish then will gradually reduce the percent protein until they are back to 10 percent protein.
If I dry them off, I gradually reduce their protein to 10 percent over a period of time described below:

To start, I milk every day for about a week;
then milk every other day for a about a week;
then milk every second day for about a week;
then milk every three days for about a week, and so on until the doe isn't producing much milk. Then I let her dry up on her on.
I do this because I don't want her udder to get too heavy. Besides, it's painful with they're not milked regularily.

The ultimate goal is to have the doe back to 10 percent protein without upsetting her system.

The herd overall:
IF the pastures are plentiful then I will probably feed only hay (our pastures are relatively small) but without feed. However, I do supplement feed when the pastures are really thin. They are fed hay daily based on 3 percent of their body weight.

I did one detailed weight analysis to get an idea of how much hay would be needed. I weighed every goat then did the math to find out how much hay to feed. This was nice to know and gave me an idea of what to expect.

Now I guesstimate based on how quickly the goats eat the hay. If it's gone in 3 hours, then I didn't feed them enough. But, if it lasts over 5 hours and they're off lounging and they're chewing their cud, then I've probably fed about right. However, if hay remains in their feeder the next day, then I've way overfed and need to cut back.

Nubian Dairy Goats

2011-09-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

Follow this link for photos of my herd

2011-09-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

Most of the goats are grown now. I just haven't had time to update the pictures.

http://www.grannannysgoatmilksoaps.com/SDR%20Web%20Nov2009/DoesforSale.htm

I appreciate your inquiring about my goats.

Sincerely,
Pat Allen

Our 2011 babies have started arriving

2011-05-10T14:02:00.003-05:00

This little lady arrived this morning around 9:30. Being born in the daytime is soooo much easier on the care giving humans. Thank you for this one.

We name our babies after country western singers. I'm open for suggestions.

Her mama's name is Pearl. She was the last baby born AND the only girl born to us in 2008. She's definitely my little pearl. An excellent mama, Pearl is all over this baby.

More Gardening with Goats

2011-04-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

Research has taught me which foods are cancer-friendly so the family will be eating those foods more frequently. We're a busy family so everyone needs to eat the same thing as everyone else. Or else fix it yourself. :) I"ll also be using Dr. Andrew Weil's cookbook The Healthy Kitchen. His philosophy fits within my thinking.

I might drink a bit of wine ever once in a while. But no more several glasses of wine a night. (Darn, I enjoy my wine.) I can live with out it. (This is no longer a pun). Although I do miss my wine; giving up coffee was easy. My stay in the hospital was long enough for me to lose my taste for it. Guess more good things came from that hospital visit. Husband Bob poked fun at my coffee by calling it 'Chester coffee.' It might have been strong but it had flavor. Sigh ... .

Our son, Don, and I put up the garden fence today. It's taken several, several months to get the garden going again. I'm pretty strong but some things require more muscle than I can muster. Don's being here is a gift. Thank you.

Next we need to remove all the weeds, finish building the raised beds, then fill them with quality soil. The basic layout of the raised garden beds was set up last year but summer came before I finished it. It just got too hot to work outside. I'm all for working outdoors but not in July, August, or September. You could easily call me a fair-weather gardener. With this trait in mind, it will be interesting to see how long the gardening lasts. I digress ... .But then again, I've never had cancer before nor needed/required the freshest and healthiest produce available. Not that I've considered grocery store produce unhealthy but this time I know which chemicals, or not, have been applied by our food.

With over a year's growth of weeds, this is a job for the professionals: our goats. Two of my boys were put in the garden area this afternoon but all they wanted to do was get back with their buddies. Tomorrow I'll put two ladies in there. The pregnant does will be hungrier than the boys. But who ever goes in the garden must be an easier catcher ... just in case the fence doesn't hold. It isn't electrified yet.

While the fence seems secure, one of us needs to observe them at all times. Goats have no defense against predictors so if a stray dog wonders on our property, we'd lose the goats. Not pretty. Not happy. And NO, they will not be sleeping in the garden area at night. They're be secure in their barn..

I took a few pictures of the garden area, complete with fence and goats. Be on the lookout for the pictures. I'm excited about gardening with my goats. This will be fun.

With all these goats and one horse, we'll have plenty of microbial material to fertilize the beds. I can hardly wait to get the beds finished.

More later ... .

Goats Trimming Willow Tree

2011-04-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

This willow tree was planted long before the fences were built. Naturally, it's in the wrong place but we really don't want to cut it down.

Unfortunately, it gets too willowy for us to use the gate so we need to trim it often. This year I decided to let our goats do the work for us. Why should I do all the work then toss the limbs over the fence to them.

My son, Don, and I made a temporary fence around the willow to the goats could come and go at their pleasure. This time we let the ladies do the work. Since we have about 25 of them, they made short work of the willow then napped for the rest of the afternoon.

Here are a few photos of their efforts:

They made the tree trimming so EZ for us. I'm thinking of how to get them in the new garden. It's full of weeds.

Goat Milk Bath and Beauty's photostream

2011-04-14T05:48:00.001-05:00

Goat Milk Bath and Beauty's photostream on Flickr.

Goats are terrific gardeners

Getting back into the swing of things

2011-04-10T23:29:00.001-05:00

I moved a few goats around yesterday. Two particular doelings are too thin so I put them in the back barn so I can watch them more closely. Besides (our horse), there are fewer goats back there so they'll not be pushed back from the hay stack.

The two transferees, Natalie and Ginger, haven't met Bentley yet so they'll be uncomfortable around him for a couple of days. He's super gentle with the goats so I'm not concerned about him stepping on them.

The farrier comes tomorrow to care for his hooves. I haven't been able to pick up his feet to clean them out; guess they're full of mud because he's been stomping his feet. But then again, the flies have arrived and naturally they get on his legs. Poor baby.

I made the time to brush him today. I'm not sure which one of us enjoys it the most. Being solid black, he get's hot in the sun. I can see why he enjoys rolling in the mud so much. It probably cools him off.

More later, pat

I'll be taking medical leave from March 7th through March 30th

2011-03-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

I'll be happy to respond to your comments upon my return to the office.

If you are inquiring about purchasing goats, please call 704-699-3531.

I'd appreciate your prayers.
Pat Allen

Migrating Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubian website to this blog

2011-02-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

As with my Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soaps website, I'm migrating my goat information to this blog. It's easier, faster, and offers affordable stats.

All I have to do is work within their design constraints and that appears to be relatively easy. Easy is good because that means FAST, too.

I'm working on managing my time better so everyone receives more attention and I spend less time on this silly computer.

This computer has owned enough of me. I have other things to do. Join me as I reacquaint myself with life away from the computer.

See you later ... . Pat

We're all making tracks in the ice

2011-01-12T18:11:00.000-05:00

This snow/ice storm is taxing on everyone, including me and Bob. Sigh ... just like everyone else in this storm. We're thankful that our families are warm, safe, and comfortable.

But the babies will be warmer in the back barn. It has smaller stalls for critters that need more attention. THEY may not want the attention but they're going to get it anyway. Most everyone gets a Red Cell/Power Punch cocktail everyday along with free feed hay and feed laced with Deccox for coccidia. It pains me to lose because of these parasites.

But earlier that day before we moved a few of the ladies to the back, they were faced with a dilemma. No one had a path to their hay feeders. All the pastures were iced over. The little boys were slipping and sliding across the ice, not being heavy enough to break through. The larger boys, on the other hand, were are to break through the ice and make a few tracks to the hay. Those little guys were all over what to do then. I love watching them learn from each other. Goats are quick studies.

Husband Bob went to Bucky's pen to help out those goats by making tracks to their hay.when he noticed that the little girl goats in the next pen were watching him. Once they 'got it' that they had to break through the ice, they marched right over to their hay in their own path. These goats are so much fun.

But later that afternoon we noticed that the cold was getting to a few of them. Those are the goats that are now in the back barn. Everyone is looking better after only one night. We're thankful that we have enough shelter, hay, feed, water, and minerals for everyone.

We're lALL ooking forward to melting ice, and the mud. Oh, yes, the mud. goodie ...

More snow! Mother Nature WHAT are you thinking

2011-01-10T09:52:00.003-05:00

Is this snow/freezing weather gonna kill pasture bugs? If yes, then OK, I'll 'happily' deal with it. BUT if not, then I'm not gonna be happy. I know you don't care, and you're gonna do what you want anyway. But I'd like to think there's a good reason for this snow/freezing weather.

We have put heat lamps in the goat barns and have just given them plenty of fresh hay and water. So they're secure. That silly horse still goes outside at times. We just brushed the dried mud off him yesterday. Hopefully, he won't roll in the snow. Stupid he's not but a horse he is.

We love living with this guy. The Husband and I have wanted horses since 1994 so we have tons of catching up to do.

When we first got him, he stayed outside for the longest time. His previous home didn't have a barn for him, so I'm thinking he was used to being outside. But when he did get comfortable inside, he stayed inside -- especially during the summer. We have 4 foot fans blowing into the common area. Silly horse, he'd put his face in the strongest wind then stand there for the longest time. He's a hoot.

OK, I've thawed out now. I'm feeling better. Should I mention, Mother Nature, that it's still snowing. Sigh ... . Thank you for the fresh, clean snow. I'll shovel that into the goat water buckets so they'll have clean drinking water. Their buckets are heated so it doesn't take too long for it to melt.

Thinking of you fondly,
GaNann of goats (aka Pat Allen)

Now that you have poop in your hand, what's next?

2011-01-06T17:25:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in Internet land is a comment about falling in muddy pasture dirt in the chicken area. Lost it. Can't find those comments anywhere. In lieu of starting over, I'll just move on.

Last year we had several paths of rock strewn around the barn. No more falling in the chicken yard for me. I still cringe at the thought of what I had fallen into. ughhhhhhhhh. No, those clothes did NOT go into the washing machine as is. They were hosed down in the barn first. Then put in the washing machine a few days later; after I made sure no 'clumps' had dried on them. One of these days we're gonna get a heater for the barn. It's cooolllllddddd.

At the time, I didn't think about the micropisic critters in the barn mud that were crawling all over me. But my poor goats live with them 24/7. I had briefly mentioned parasites, in particular coccidia and how it had killed several goats. (I'll always be sad about this. But each goat death has lead to a process change, barn enhancement, or new/different/upgraded something.) This past snow storm has ignited the need to flatten my learning curve on fecal testing. OK. I'm on it. Fecal testing is my game. Come to find out, it wasn't as difficult as I had thought.

Now all I gotta do is conduct enough tests that I'll be an expert in identifying the parasites. Husband Bob is famous for his researching skills. He has collected the best equipment along with the most in-dept text books on parasitology. These tools should allow me to better care for my goats.

That's how I know coccidia are in the pastures. After identifying the parasites, then I had to figure out which deworming chemical to use. There's more than one for each little critter. I tested the herd not individual goats, this time. As I learn more, I'll be able to more quickly go through the herd and identify a goat's individual needs.

I'd used Corid for years and had given my poor doomed goats Corid drench, albeit it too late. Only recently have I become aware of its side effects. In searching for more information I turned to Fias Co Farms. Here's their link http://fiascofarm.com/goats/coccidiosis.htm. I also researched the Merck Veterinary Manual, and several deworming suppliers. Now I have several options for coccidia instead of only Corid, which I will not be using any more. And I have confidence in my research. I know which chemical to use and how much to use. Since most goat meds are 'off label' dosage can be tricky. But I always check with my vet before using a new anything.

After weighing several options, I've decided to feed my goats food medicated with Decoquinate through the winter months. Corid didn't work for us, maybe the parasites had built a resistance -- which happens. Now I have options for coccidia and will be more aware of which animals have the most parasites.

Now that the coccidia are being handled I get to focus on the stomach worms I found. While my goats have fewer stomach worms than they did coccidia, those little critters still need to be addressed. I'll address them, all right. My little goats will be dewormed then in 10 days I'll be conducting fecal tests again to make sure the meds are working. I'll no longer rely on watching for diarrhea or of wishing I could find out which parasites were taking over my little goats so I'd know what to do next. Checking their eyes is critical. The FAMACHA methodology helps me there. It works.

I'm still of the frame of mind that I want to care the best for my goats and not let the weak ones die out. I want to give them the best chance possible, even if that means picking up poop every day then putting in under a microscope. After all, look what Mike Rowe has done with a career of picking up poop.

Goat Frenzy

2010-09-30T07:31:00.000-05:00

If you've ever been inside a goat frenzy, you know to extricate yourself -- and FAST. The following pictures show just how forceful a herd of goats can control of a situation.

Bentley, the horse, and I didn't have a chance. We were out muscled. Each goat weights more than 140 pounds; multiply that by nine or ten goats then you'll know how much muscle controlled this frenzy. This 'herd' clearly out-weighted us.

It all began when I fed Bentley. One goat, Sherry Red, stuck her head in his bucket. Usually I can retrieve the feed bucket with a little bit of effort; but, not this time. She was determined to get that grain; I couldn't budge her. In a heart beat e-v-e-r-y goat ran to the bucket. Their cumulative herd-think clicked in and they owned that bucket.

Silly me, I FINALLY let go. There was no way I could get that bucket. So, I grabbed my phone camera and clicked away.

Normally Bentley can control his feed but not today. His size meant nothing to the 'ladies'. Mine either. Sigh ... .

Don't worry about the goats being too slim or mistreated. They get plenty of food; you can see how fat they are. Besides, I'm with them every day. My mistake was feeding Bentley first instead of them. Lesson learned.

Oh yes, Bentley eventually got his feed. That horse is well cared for. Me? I wear steel toed shoes. HA

Baby goat breaks his toe

2010-08-25T09:07:00.002-05:00

Mama Crystal comforts Gene when he returned from the vet's office.

My heart breaks when one of my babies gets hurt. So naturally I scoop them up and head to the vet. Here, our 2.5 month old buck is photographed with his cast on. Luckily he only broke one tie. But a bone break still hurts.

Be on the look out for more photos of him as we turn him into a pet. He'll start by learning to be a pack goat, carrying our water with we go hiking.

The sauna is working very well.

2010-08-11T09:47:00.000-05:00

You just gotta love this humidity. That's why I look forward to cleaning the barn every morning. Morning is the ONLY time it could be cleaned because it's the coolest time of day. Apparently I'm the only critter out there who suffers.

We have two very large fans, ceiling fans, and a gentle breeze flowing through the barn most of the time. I can always tell when it's cooler in the barn than outside. No one is in the pasture. ALL the critters are not only in the barn but they're in front of the fans.

A site to see is Bentley, our horse, with his nose in the biggest fan. Watching the air flow through his thick main makes me smile. Our vet told me how spoiled he was. One of these days I'll send her a picture of him with his nose in the fan. THAT's spoiled horse. That's OK. he's worth it.

He's not suffering the heat. Today is Gatorade day. Gotta keep the critters hydrated. Everybody enjoys Gatorade.

gotta go,

Just returned from my morning exercise

2010-08-06T10:59:00.000-05:00

My morning activities begin around 7:30 a.m., just like most businesses. The big barn houses our does and kids. Actually, the big barn is where the babies are born and kept until they're about three months old. With so many critters in there and the surrounding pastures, it's a challenge to keep it clean and healthy.

When we first built our big barn we put sand in as the flooring. The good thing about sand is that it doesn't harbor bacteria so the goats could live in the barn more comfortably. But, on the surface, no pun intended, what seems like a good idea caused us to dig out the barn floor every year. We've grown tired of digging.

In addition to the sand, this past winter tons of hay, poop, and other unknown materials had built up and up and up. Cleaning the barn manually, like we did last year, was no longer an option. This year we hired our favorite landscaper/land-grader and his front-end loader to help clean it. I've learned that big jobs require big tools. We could move the contaminated sand but the urine smell was deadly -- we couldn't breathe. We quickly rounded up every fan on the ranch and turned them on full-blast to give us some relief. Sigh ... . Those living conditions had to go.

Well, the barn is now clean, most of the sand it out, and the odor is, although not fragrant, it won't kill you. The trick is to clean it every day. What may take about 30 minutes a morning, if neglected for even one day, takes more than an hour. I don't have to do the math for this one. Cleaning every day is much easier. Besides, I need to check out my goats every day anyway. This gives me more time with them.

We're looking for a new flooring material. One that will be comfortable/healthy for our critters while allowing the humans to maintain it easily and quickly. Got any ideas? Please let me know.

Released new family into common area in barn

2010-07-19T05:57:00.000-05:00

New baby is spunky, jumpy, and ready to run everywhere. This little lady is a power house. She and mama did well with the other goats and babies yesterday. Other babies checked out the new lady, with mom an inch away. Fun was had by all.

That is until ...

New baby got separated from mama. Then the squealing never stopped. Neither one of them could yell loud enough. That lasted all of about 5 minutes. but sounded like a lifetime. It's fun watching their relationships.

With this confusion between mom and baby, I put them back into their pen for the night. Do NOT want them to get separated at night. Not good.

Three days is just a bit too young to be released in the common area. More bonding is needed, along with stronger legs, voice, and self-confidence. Yes, goats need self-confidence, especially the babies.

Looking for gift ware sales firm in the southern region

2010-07-18T14:18:00.002-05:00

We've decided to expand our market and are looking for a sales firm to pick up my line of handmade goat milk bath and beauty products. If you know of anyone in the Charlotte, North Carolina region, please let me know.

Sales firm must know gift ware industry in the southern Region with possible expansion to the west.

Independent representatives are encouraged to contact us.

Make that 16 babies

2010-07-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

Finally Wynonna had her baby. Her first and all went well. Her instincts kicked in a bit faster then some of the other goats. Apparently she had an easy time during delivery. She had her daughter while I was at the grocery story. Thank goodness she had no complications. Even though I checked her before I left and was gone only about 2 hours, she could have gone into stress while I was gone. Enough of the 'what if's'.

We'll announce her name as soon as we come up with one. Gotta go finish feeding the barn critters.

Just got in from the Barn Sauna

2010-07-16T08:46:00.000-05:00

What may take a spa sauna about 20 minutes to heat up took my barn about 10 minutes this morning. I was wringing wet while feeding our critters. The humidity was so overwhelming I had to stop feeding and come inside the house and cool down.

The critters seem to have adjusted quite well, though. They show no signs of stress. But then again, they have two huge fans, cool water, and shade to loaf in. After stressing out so quickly with the heat/humidity, we make an extra effort to make sure our goats and horse are comfortable.

Seeing Bentley, our horse, with his nose in the fan, his mane gently blowing in the breeze is comforting. Our vet would call him spoiled but we love this guy and want him to be as happy here as possible. After all, I'm still sucking up to him 'cause he's only lived with us for abut 6 weeks. We're still getting acquainted. But I will tell you that he is so gentle around the baby goats, it's remarkable. His foot could squash a baby but so far he's made no aggressive gestures. Actually, he's very gentle with all the goat and they can move pretty fast.

The goats, on the other hand, would suck his grain out of his mouth if they could. They are so funny. As far as staying cool, they curl up on either side of Bentley catching the wind from the fans.

Keeping the poop picked up has reduced the flies and cleaning twice a day makes the chore go fast. Now if only we could air condition the barn, I'd be as comfortable as our critters. Sigh ... .

Dairy goats for sale

2010-07-12T05:35:00.000-05:00

Many new babies are ready to be weaned and move to their new homes. See what our goats look like at our website.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne have joined our merry band

2010-07-05T06:24:00.000-05:00

I've always said that if we have triplet girls, we'd name them after the World War II trio. We've been so graced. Triplet goats are not as common as twins but we've had our share. They've been any combination of boys and girls so we feel like we've hit the jackpot with these three ladies.

Ah ... my cell phone was fried last Thursday so the photos are a bit delayed. But as soon as I get a new phone, I'll take pictures then upload them for you.

We also had a little boy born about the same time so we put all four of them together. Over the past two weeks, they've become fast buddies and are inseparable. We can't decide on a name for him. Should we call him Andrews to complete the trio's name. Or should we name him after one of their songs. I'm think Boogie Woogie or Bugle Boy.

What do you think?

Make that 15 baby goats

2010-07-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

Two mamas delivered twins today. Even the one I didn't think was pregnant. Silly me.
Only one more doe in waiting. I'll keep you posted.

We're up to eleven baby goats

2010-07-02T06:06:00.000-05:00

... with two more does in-waiting. Yup, I promise. This is the absolute last year that I breed this many goats. While I get great joy in working with the mamas and the babies, caring for them (a labor of love) is wearing on me. On day one (the first 12 to 16 hours) I make sure the babies get their colostrum by either milking mama then force feeding baby, or by holding baby on mama's teat for about five minutes.

I've seen too many babies become weak before getting their colostrum. To keep them healthy and on the right development track, helping them with this task is an easy fix. Colostrum is truly a magic elixir.

Having said all that, feeding them every three hours is becoming a bit too much for me, especially the night-time hours. I've asked the ladies to deliver in the mornings around 6:30 so I'll have daytime hours to help them. Naturally, there was no response but I'll keep asking.

The second night is every four hours so I divide sleep time in half. That's easier on me.

Do I have to do this? Well, yes, most of the time. In a real world, babies are standing and nursing within minutes or they die. In my barn, I do what I can to help them. As long as I personally observe the babies nursing, I'll leave them alone. But putting a little mouth on a life saving teat is a small task to ask.

I do love my goats.

Little Man moves in

2010-04-15T10:05:00.018-05:00

Meet Little Man. He's our new horse and will be moving in Friday, March 26th.

Bob and I have wanted horses for several years but never found the time nor the right horse. That is until ... Monday. Jordan, my goat-helping-angel, mentioned that Little Man was for sale, thank you very much. The voice inside my head screamed, "Little Man! For sale!"

I remembered that husband Bob had ridden Little Man, a TWH, a while back during a visit with our vet Amy and her family. Bob and Amy rode her horses in a nearby field while the rest of us stayed in the shade.

Following his ride on Little Man, Bob was aglow for days, babbling about how smooth the Walker's ride was. He had fallen in love with his smooth ride. We had to get this horse before anyone else did.

I immediately called Bob to tell him that Little Man was for sale. I didn't know the facts yet but would keep him in informed. Then I talked to Amy about LM. She confirmed that he was for sale and told me the price. Without hesitation I said, "Fine, I'll take him." She asked if I was serious. "Well, of course. Does this price include delivery?"

She said that she could have him ready by Friday, if I could wait that long. Hey, it's better she come to closure by preparing him, than me rushing in. "Fine," I said. After all, health checks and current records are important.

Minutes later I called Bob back to let him know that LM would be delivered sometime Friday. Wonderful, we had wanted horses for so long, now we were getting one that we had been introduced to. Another dream is coming true.

I'll keep you posted on our progress. We have much to learn and Little Man is the horse who can do it.

Check out the view

2010-02-28T02:41:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the arbor view. Getting the arbor up took a few years but it's there now and we love it. Isn't it nice when visions pan out.

I bought it about four years ago and had visions if it on the north side of the house. This side of the house is extremely windy so without exception every time we'd put it up, a wind would knock it down and into pieces. I got tired of rebuilding it so it just sat for a while.

Well, one thing lead to another ... rust set in just a weeeeee bit and the iron rods started warping. Sigh ... .

Welding it together was one answer and anchoring it was the other solution. Terrific! All I wanted to do is have a nice arbor leading to the secret garden. Now I've got a bigger project.

You can hardly see the welding spots and the crooked lines make it look more Art Nouveau-ish

We have so many projects out here it's hard to keep up with them. At least we were smart enough to not put a time line to all our projects. After all, the goats and soaps come first.

Goat Garden Compost

2010-02-26T02:39:00.001-05:00

The north pasture is closed right now because we're cleaning up THE poop pile. What a mess. Maybe we ought to clean it out more than once a year. But it stinks and no one is looking forward to working with it -- including me.

We clearly need a better solution to our barn waste management. Maybe turning it into a compost. That might work.

But the main use for it will be our new garden. Yup, we're going to build a garden so the barn poop can enrich our veggies.

The two pictures show the site we've chosen. That red structure is our well house. So placing the garden in this field was a natural decision.

I'll keep you posted on our progress so please check back.

Dealing with goat barn waste

2010-02-24T01:42:00.015-05:00

The goats got their hay in their back pasture yesterday. Those guys are barn sour.Of course the weather hasn't helped any either. But they just MUST get out of that barn.

My regret is that we don't have a feeder in that pasture so I had to toss their hay on the ground. That isn't a good feeding practice because they'll more than likely poop in it then someone will eat the hay that's been on the poop. Yup, there goes the internal parasite infestation cycle -- again. We've worked so hard to keep the parasites down and I go and do this. Shame ... ! But I had to get them OUT of the barn.

Guess the hubster will be building a feeder for that pasture pretty soon so we can keep our little guys healthy. He's asleep right now so it's safe to write this. Come to think of it he asked if we needed a feeder in that pasture. What a guy!

Feed Plan for Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians

2010-02-20T14:51:00.001-05:00

For the most part we feed orchard/fescue grass every day as a supplement to grass. Ah ... we'll be reseeding this spring or as soon as it quits raining, which ever occurs first. Our pastures have been divided into goat management needs. For instance, our foundation does are with Bucky, our main buck. Then we have two up and coming new bucks that we wanted to test so one each has been pastured with three yearling does. Next we have four bucklings who need to grow more so they're by themselves. These groups get hay every day and receive medicated grain every other day.

Last but not least, our retired does, new babies, and a few wethers are in the back barn. This group gets plenty of hay and a bit of grass.

But above all, each and every goat has our free-feed supplements available at all times: minerals with copper, Kosher salt, baking soda, and Apple Cider vinegar and fresh water. When the water lines aren't frozen they're filled automatically. Otherwise, we (me and I) haul water out to them.

We frequently check everyone's eyes to make sure they're bright pink. Any less than that receive a Red Cell/ glycol cocktail based on their weight. Herd fecal tests are taken as needed based on their eye color or the rainy weather. Internal parasites are our biggest killers. So, we always on the lookout for trouble signs.

Parasite prevention is an every day affair

2010-02-18T11:47:00.001-05:00

More wet weather. Terrific. My little goats haven't been out of the barn in months. Or, so it seems.

Goat don't do wet. Nor do they do well in wet weather. But staying in the barn isn't good for them either. We clean it as often as we can. But in wet weather, we end up putting the poop in a corner. Sometime they get into it; sometime they don't. Sigh ... we definitely need a better poop management process. I'm working on it.

Because of this wet weather, we've increased our parasite prevention. They're eating feed with Decoquinate (Deccox) in it. Deccox is a coccidiosis preventative. Coccidia is my greatest enemy when losing goats. Winter time or moist grounds increases their growth rate thereby increasing the odds of infecting goats. I have lost more goats in the winter than any other time of year. Each winter I say 'this year I won't lose anyone.' So far ... so good.

This year we started 'winterizing' everyone back in November. Everyone has been dewormed and vaccinated. Their eyes are nice and pink (see Famacha articles) and they have all the free-feed essentials: minerals (with copper), kosher salt, apple cider vinegar, and baking soda. Keeping them healthy with a strong immune system seems to be our best defense against parasites.

Sleeping Dog Ranch website now with Goat Milk Bath

2010-02-16T09:46:00.002-05:00

After several years of maintaining two different websites, I've decided to incorporate Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians with our Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soap website. Working with two sites was just too inefficient! KISS is a successful business strategy; staying on target requires constant monitoring. Hey, we're all about goats any way. One website is a natural progression.

If you use the www.SleepingDogRanch.com address, you'll be forwarded to our Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soaps masthead. Beneath the masthead is the navigation area, look for the Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians button. Select it to go to our Goat Home site. It's masthead follows:

Once on the Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubian site, you can preview the goats for sale, our goat cart, pack goats, as well as a few barn activities.

Being a small business owner, new lessons show their faces every day. Having had our two businesses for six years now, we're continually improving our efficiency by adding a few services, streamlining our products, enlarging our facilities, and selling a few goats (very few goats). I'd rather find them good homes than sell them.

Being a better communicator is always a desirable trait. After all, we want our customers to know more about what we're doing. We really have two initiatives: We raise Nubian diary goats and make goat milk bath and beauty products with their milk.

It appears that another one of our lessons this year will center on sustainability. For example, how can we keep up this pace and for how much longer? To that end, I'm streamlining where ever possible. Combining the two websites is my first improvement.

I'll keep you posted on our successes.

Purebred Nubian Dairy Goats for Sale

2010-01-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just put an ad on craigslist for purebred nubian goats for sale.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/grd/1567956011.html

Our website has photos: www.SleepingDogRanch.com

check it out!

Freezing temperatures, internal parasites, and our goats

2010-01-08T09:46:00.006-05:00

www.SleepingDogRanch.com

For the most part goats handle freezing temperatures quite well. That is, if they have shelter, food, water, and are healthy. Our focus for the past several months has been to boost their immune system, reduce their internal parasites as much as possible, and put a bit of weight on them for added insulation. Next we added a few heat lamps and several large dog houses so they could huddle together and keep each other warm.

So far they look fine. Our efforts are paying off. BUT ... winter is just beginning. We have to keep up these businesses practices throughout the winter so MAYBE we won't lose any body this winter.

We lost two breeding bucks last winter. Both had internal parasites and lost their battle against the winter weather. Coccidia and Barber Pole parasites have been our main killers so far. Maybe ... just maybe, we'll win this battle this season. I'll keep you posted.

Redesigning a coffee table

2010-01-07T17:51:00.000-05:00

We have a square coffee table that extends into a major aisle where everyone can run into it. We're a busy family with four dogs, two humans, and two cats. With this mix of family members someone is always either chasing or being chased.

The table measures about 42 inches square and is about 18 inches high. Each corner has a drawer on it that is seldom used but we like the look. Although, we would gladly sacrifice one of the drawers to have one corner cut off.

In the first picture you can see the fireplace hearth; we want to open this aisle. In the second picture you can see that this aisle leads to the back door (a door that is used almost every 15 minutes. Or, it seems like that.)

I'm thinking that the sacrificed drawer face could be used on the cut off part for design continuity and new legs could be turned to match the existing legs. We'd like for the re-designed area to match as much of the existing table as possible.

The finish is a distressed white oak -- worn, very worn or ranch rustic. We're a working goat ranch and need tough stuff.

However, I eventually want to refinish this table to a turquoise washed effect because we are Native American fans and have decorated our home with many Native American artifacts.

Ah ... do you refinish furniture, as well? If so, this piece and a dresser in the bedroom both need to be refinished in a turquoise wash effect.

I am open to design options if you have better ways of redesigning this table. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you about redesigning our table.

Did I mention that we got a barn cat?

2010-01-07T09:58:00.003-05:00

The mice were running off with too much goat food, leaving too many nests, and otherwise terrorizing us ... flashing throughout the day and night. Brazen little hussies. Chewing parade halters and scaring the barn help is not nice! They had to go!

Mr. Dillon came from a friend's home who had just had their first grand baby and the cats were too much. Hey, I understand just 'too much.' I was happy to have him. Thank you.

His name is Mr. Dillon 'cause he's in charge of protecting all the food supplies in the big goat barn. We figured since he was marshaling the area, he needed an appropriate name. Mr. Dillon stayed in the barn for about a month, never leaving it and always greeting us at his food bowl. He was getting fat and the mice became scarce. Perfect!

Anyway, Mr. Dillon looked kinda lonely making his barn rounds by himself so I was on the lookout for a companion. Mother's apartment complex, for some reason, always had stray cats roaming around so I started looking their first.

Within the first week, the cutest kitten just walked right into my arms. Keeping within the theme of Dodge City, Mr. Dillon's new companion would be named either Festus or Ms. Kittie. Didn't know; didn't care. Mr. Dillon needed a companion.

Ms. Kittie is home from the vet stay (being spayed, of course). Now I had to contain her for 10 days so her stitches would heal. Terrific. Now the winter weather was settling in and the barn would be too cold for cats. (The goats would be fine in these temps but the cats would be too cold.)

Did I mention that we have two basement cats?

Bucky's Merry Christmas 2009 Injury

2010-01-05T13:04:00.166-05:00

On December 23, 2009 our buck, Bucky, ripped several inches of skin off his shoulder. I had gone out to feed when I noticed that his shoulder was bloody. Upon closer inspection, I found that a strip on his shoulder about 10 inches long and from 2 to 4 inches wide was missing. AWK!!! MISSING!!! Bob and I searched everywhere for the missing hide but couldn't find it anywhere.

Needless to say, I was on the phone to our vet, Dr. Amy Betka. With goats, your vet should be on speed dial. She's a 7. We decided to take him to her hospital because it was about 20 degrees in the barn.

She sedated him then started sewing him back together. Yup, she found the skin. Luckily it was still attached but had folded under his skin.

Following are photos as of January 5, 2010.

Following her stitch-work, her instructions were to clean his wounds daily, give him antibacterial shots for seven days, then keep her posted on his recovery. Here we go ...

EVERYTHING is covered with a chlorhexidine-medicated salve to help keep his would clean. All-things chlorhexidine are wonderful. I say 'help' keep his wounds clean because, hey, it's breeding season and there are clearly no ends to which a buck will to go reach his does. Sigh ... .

On the shoulder part without skin, I thoroughly cleaned it daily with warm water and a surgical scrub, coated it with a heavy layer of salve, covered with gauze, then secured the gauze with a clever bandage devised by Dr. Betka. The strings you see are for a 'shoestring bandage' that helps hold the gauze cover the raw muscle. After covering the wound with gauze, I gently tie a shoestring criss-crossed over the bandage to hold it as securely as possible. It works! Well, most of the time he leaves it along.

His stitches look good; he has no fever, and his energy level is as high as ever.

Bucky has been our main buck for years and although this is his first/only major injury, we've decided to nurture a few more bucks as replacements. He's given us several handsome boys that are vying for the job.

Yes, we're late in the breeding season but health first is our motto. Besides, I prefer late spring babies anyway. I like that the babies will be inside their mama during the LAST frost.

Happy New Year,
Pat Allen

Hole In The Net: Finally with my family!

2009-12-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hole In The Net: Finally with my family!

Happy Holidays from the Critters at the Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians

2009-12-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

Whew! That was close but ALL the custom orders have been shipped and will be received for the Holidays. Making those custom orders was a whole lot of fun.

It's exciting when you care enough about our products to give them as gifts for your friends. We are humbled and honored. Thank you for the opportunity.

Happy Holidays from all the critters at Gran’ Nanny’s Goat Milk Soaps.

Breeding Season Approaches

2009-12-03T09:33:00.010-05:00

It's that time of year again. Breeding Season! I know this without looking at a calendar. The bucks are pacing up and down the fence line, peeing on their faces, and grunting with an exaggeration you hear only this time of year.

The does, on the other hand, aren't helping. They're wailing like cry babies, strutting their stuff along the fence lines (driving the boys crazy), and otherwise being obnoxious.

I chose this line of work as a profession only AFTER having completed graduate school NOT in the animal sciences. My graduate work was for me. I needed to know I could do it and do it well. But once you learn how to learn, you can tackle any task.

This learning task wasn't a curve but a spike for the first few years. You know you've growing as a breeder when you don't have to call your vet every time someone gets hurt or bleeds, or needs annual shots because YOU know what to do. But it's nice knowing she's a phone call away.

So why do I do this? I'm passionately in love with my goats and their milk. Goat milk is nectar from the Gods. Besides being delicious, its beneficial properties are almost endless.

Birthing the babies every spring is exhilarating. Observing the bonding between mom and babies, ignites a flame within me that warms the entire barn.

Watching the babies grow, identifying the best confirmation and future breeders impacts our herd's integridity beyond measure. We're getting closer to producing the goat confirmation that I like. Imagine that! Being able to do that is truly a miracle.

So from not knowing how to milk to breeding goats for a specific look/confirmation is quite an acomplishment for this city girl.

Several pictures have been uploaded to our website for your preview.

Family is always first

2009-11-16T13:54:00.003-05:00

Family is still the most important thing in the world to me. Like many of us, I lose sight of this from time to time: Thinking of my businesses, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, milking, laundry, and other day-to-day tidings.

Absentmindedly focusing only on the now and could be, I was immediately reminded of family when I received a call from the manager of my mother’s apartment wanting to know what happened last night. That's a scary question coming from anyone but from where my mother lives, it became a sharp, significant concern. As the story unfolded I became acutely aware that mother could no longer live alone. She's 86 and has dementia.

For the past four years, she has been surrounded by wonderful people. Neighbors who dropped by for a chat, visited for a few minutes, took turns checking on her, calling her to see how she was doing, and offering to do something to help. Many kept her company until her next nap or the next football game came on TV. Thank you all for what you have meant to mother. But a time comes with neighbors can no longer provide the care and concern that is needed. It is time for family.

I received my call this morning. By the time I arrived at her apartment, the nightly puzzle began fitting together. Mother is getting more confused in the evenings than during the day. Her frequent falls aren't helping either. Sometime she doesn't remember falling much less remember whether she's taken her pills or not.

She took the wrong sleeping pill last week. I so carefully counted each and every pill as I put them in the her weekly organizer but she managed to pick out the pill she wanted to help her sleep. Trouble is that it was a strong pill. We decided to let her sleep it off while we talked about increasing our care. We hovered over her for three days. She's fine -- just confused and forgetful.

She's home with me now so I can watch her more carefully. Between the four dogs and our alarm system, we'll know where she is every minute of the day.

Mother is taking a nap now but when she awakens, will she remember where she is. Apparently dementia strikes in the blink of an eye as her memory fades and she becomes confused. I’ve seen a bit of it in her but I suspect her confusion will increase. Hopefully slowly but it will increase.

I’ll continue producing my goat milk bath products whenever possible. But please know that when mother calls, I will be with her.

Prayers are most appreciated.

Dehorning season has begun

2009-10-21T05:34:00.005-05:00

I still haven't decided which is the best technique to use when it comes to removing horns from our babies. In the past I've disbudded when they were 5 days old with a iron. That takes time to learn how to use and the babies are taumitized for about 10 seconds.

This year I thought I'd try cutting them off after the babies were about six months old (in the fall or winter so there will be no flies). Well, yesterday was our first day. Mind you, I have never done this before. (Like so many things out here this, too, is a learning spike.) The first horn I cut was at a slant. Terrific. Now we have to fix that. OK, I clearly need more instruction. Off to the vet we go ... .

Dr. Betka removed horns from three of the four little boys. Jordan and I got our lesson on the fourth little guy. Oh, she makes it look so easy. sigh ... .

Anyway, the boys were so bloody that we left them at the vet's office for about three hours so the blood would dry. They're home now, bloody faces and all. We'll start cleaning them up as soon as we can catch them again. They're a little sensitive right now; and, did I mention mad at me?

I might get within camera range. IF they let me take pictures, I'll upload a few.

Seeing how this process is going, I'm not sure how I'll do this next season. We'll see how dehorning the rest of the babies goes. Check back ...

God's Country Outfitters Albemarle, NC Oct 3 2009

2009-10-06T05:52:00.020-05:00

We had a delightful time at GCO's festival: donated products to hospice for their auction, met customers, spent the day OUTSIDE in the fresh air, and got to play with our little goat, Natalie.

Kids of all ages came to 'pet the goat'. Many folks said they came by looking for the crying baby when they noticed that the sound led them to a GOAT. Imagine their surprise!

I'm amazed at how many folks had goats in their youth. Love your stories! Yes, goats are truly amazing creatures.

Natalie wasn't in Jordan's lap all day. It just looks that way. But this time Jordan didn’t leave Natalie’s side. (Thanks Jordan) At the Badin Festival Natalie had a meltdown when she ran into a metal chair trying to get away from several children who came running to pet her. My back was turned working with customers when I heard the metal chair fall and ruckus.

NOTE: Hey guys, you scared the baby! Remember, she’s a baby (only six months old). Parents: Please ask your children to approach the goat slowly so she’ll be curious and want to approach them. I know, easier said than done. When I was their age, I ran everywhere, too.

Anyway, the rodeo happened so fast we just waited for the ride to settle down so we could help everyone relax and untangle themselves. No one got hurt. Everything worked out well and Natalie settled down quickly. Lessons learned: Keep a closer eye on the goat.

Natalie is a professional now. She’s attended two festivals where folks came to see her and pet her. She’s a real show-off, full of herself and absolutely wonderful.

Nope, she’s not for sale but a few of her herd mates are. Some goats are forever-goats; Natalie is one of them. She's a lap-goat for now but soon, very soon, she'll outgrow Jordan's lap. Hang in their Jordan.

Sour Mouth Within Goat Herd

2009-09-22T05:39:00.012-05:00

In the general scheme of things, I'm relatively new to goat breeding. My first two goats arrived in the fall of 2003 (or there 'bouts). You can imagine how steep the learning curve was! Well, we lost the first two ladies to tetanus; a devastating disease and sure death – no recovery – slam their dead! I'm amazed at how quickly/easily these little guys die; but, that's another story.

Now, I panic whenever anyone sneezes, coughs, has diarrhea, doesn’t eat, or separates herself from the herd. Coccidia are another red flag, but, again; that’s another story.

The first time I saw sore mouth I thought ugh what now. It’s a good thing I have a wonderful vet. Anyway, I called her and described the sores on Willie’s mouth. She calmly explained that sore mouth was a virus, it’s highly contagious, can limit the goat’s ability to eat because the sores are painful, and nothing can be done about it. You just ride it out. Noooooooooooo, I didn’t want to hear that.

We have to do something! All of my boys are at risk now. Do you have any idea how hard it is to do nothing! Sigh … .

No, I was going to do something! But what? I could catch sour mouth. I could spread it to the dogs! This thing is nasty! To top it off, Willie was in rut. That in and of itself is nasty (rut is when the boys come into ‘season’ and attract the ladies by peeing on their face; I’m not a goat, don’t see the romance here, but the goat ladies love it.)

Quarantine. I’ll quarantine them! A quarantine area is an absolute must on a goat ranch! Once you have a designated quarantine area, you will love it. A quarantine area is a space where no noses can touch; where no sneeze splatters can reach anyone else; well lit, good ventilation, and where the entire space can be sanitized.

Now, what do I use for sanitization? That depends on the cause for quarantine. My favorite sanitization tool is fire but you really have to be careful with this one. Clorox is good, but by all means check with your vet.

Well, my vet was right, again, (thanks Dr. Amy) we all made it through Willie’s sour mouth, no one else got it, and Willie is doing fine. We figure the sour mouth came from an outside goat that I had purchased a while back. At the time I hadn’t heard of sour mouth (rookie). Sigh again, since we’re going to certain issues as long as we have goats, the quarantine area seems to be a ‘requirement’.

Concrete floor, washable walls, good ventilation, fresh water, close to the ranch clinic, and isolated from the herd. Just what you needed, another project.

Happy Goating!
I’ll get ready for the next story …

Goat Milk Bath and Beauty at Badin Festival

2009-09-21T08:57:00.012-05:00

Festival season is always my favorite time of year. We attend as many local events as we can because they are so much fun. I get to meet you and talk with you about your skin care needs; and thankfully, many of you share your beauty care regimes with me. Skin care is important to all of us, at any age.

Most of these venues allow us to bring a goat so we double our fun.

This year we brought Natalie. She's five months old and was a perfect lady. We didn’t know how she would react because this is the first time she’s been off the ranch. She met oodles of new friends who wanted to pet her and even allowed a baby to play with her ears – for a moment. However, when she did get stressed, she jumped onto Jordan's lap. Yup, Jordan was a busy lady, too. Natalie was exhausted and slept all the way home.

A special 'thank you' goes to Jordan's friend, Mia, who helped with the soaps and the goat. Mia, you made our event even more fun and stress-free. Thank you for being with us.

Our goat milk bath soaps and beauty lotions were received very well. Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. As usual the favorite essential oil aroma was lavender. I'll make more lotion today.

Lemon was introduced as our newest soap and coordinating lotion. Most folks liked it for its citrus sensation and agreed that it would feel tingly on their toes.

I'm working on our festival schedule and will publisher it as soon as it's more organized.

Thank you for coming by our booth. It was fun to see how many of you used the magic word and received a free soap sample. Be on the lookout for the next magic word so you can get your next free soap sample.

Happy soaping, Pat

Favorite Goat Games

2009-09-17T11:04:00.003-05:00

We all have favorite photographs. This is just one of mine.

Meet my husband Bob and Sherry Red. It looks like she giving him an ear smooch but she's REALLY after his hat. It's straw.

The good news is that it has a metal band around the rim and has survived many a goat mibble. The bad news is that the goats outnumbered him one day and got the hat.

Bob likes his new hat almost as much as he had become accustomed to his 'other' hat. It's a new straw had so now we have a new game to play.

Let's see how long the new hat looks new. Shall we?

New Boys are in Town

2009-09-02T05:21:00.010-05:00

Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians has several handsome guys growing into their upcoming jobs. Ah, that would be breeding with the ladies. Interesting how so many fellows were born for this work. However, our breeding program is highly competitive and only a select few will be chosen.

These two little guys are in the running and they have no idea how lucky they are. Boys are selected based on their mama’s udder, their confirmation, coloring, and disposition.

The cream colored guy, Swift, is my main selection from the 2009 babies. That is, if he continues developing well.

The brown buck, Wilson, is another strong contender.

Swift is a little skittish and hard to catch so we’re all holding him as often as possible. I don’t chase goats so if he wants to be a breeder, he’ll have to settle down. Wilson, on the other hand, is easy to catch, is a good smoocher, and a true lover.

Our main man, Bucky, is getting older and will be retiring soon. He’s earned his retirement. Ah … that is IF he will retire. We’ll see.

But these little guys must make it through the winter. We lost two promising bucks last January. Even though we’ll be applying every lesson learned to keep the guys alive and developmentally on track; in the end, they have to be strong enough to make it -- on their own.

Their ability to survive is part of the selection process. Tuffffff, I know, but a requirement. As a breeder, I want these little guys to survive and be strong but I can only do so much. It's that strength that we're building into our herd.

Also, we have three more boys in the running but right now they're just a little too young to know for sure. We'll be watching them, too.

I’ll be happy to let you know how these guys develop over the next several months.

Stay tuned,
Pat Allen

Our Foundation Goats (aka Our Teachers)

2009-08-24T06:27:00.019-05:00

Meet Minnie and her first born, Lester. She came to us when she was about 8 months old because her previous owner didn't want her to get pregnant. Well, surprise of surprises, she delivered Lester about four months later.

Minnie is a purebred nubian (a dairy goat) but his father is a boer (a meat goat). That makes Lester a boer/nubian cross. I remember waking up one morning noticing 'something white' in Minnie's pen. Mr. Wonderful was hours old, but already on his feet.

This photo is of Lester taking in his new world as he takes his first steps out of his birthhut.

Since this was Minnie's first delivery, she wasn't too sure what this little white thing was.

The look on her face told me that she was still thinking about it. If I were in her place, I'd wonder, too. Ladies, think about it. We know what's happening. Minnie didn't. How you explain the concept of pregnancy, or babies, or birth pains to a goat?

Lady Minnie has had several kids since Lester. She has become so versed in how to push those kids out that her most recent baby went flying about six inches. She has never needed help during her deliveries. She in complete control.

Other dams have needed my assistance, though. I've learned how to be a mid-sife with Minnie's help. She's as good at teaching me as she is in raising babies.

Thanks Minnie.

The Lester Lessons are worthy of an article alllll on its on. More later ...

Honoring Bucky Our Breeding Buck

2009-08-21T07:10:00.023-05:00

Father's Day may have come and gone this year but we continually honor our big guy. He receives the treatment of Kings so he can keep taking care of his 'ladies'.

Our neighbors knew I had been talking about getting a buck so they called when he arrived. I went to, as I told my husband, 'just look at him'. Thankgoodness I had my checkbook. (Imagine that.)

Love at first sight does exist. My eyes saw him and my heart became mush. I know a good looking guy when I see him. For a two-year-old, he was outstanding. My heart was still beating fast when the words came out of my mouth, "I'll take him. How much do you want for him?" Not the usual order of smart questions, but it worked out.

Knowing that we didn't have the facilities to house him, our neighbors agreed to 'room and board' him until we could properly care for him.

On the way home, I thought about how I'd tell Bob what I had done. Thinking of that, what HAD I just done? The reality of not having goat housing stung -- hard.

Geezzzzze, I've done it again. Husband Bob has (and still is) asking that we do the construction projects first then get the animals. Oh my, maybe he'll be understanding just one more time.

Six months later Bucky moved into his new home and met his mates for the first time. This photo was taken on his first day here. I know now that two-year-olds are not fully developed but I got lucky. He's grown into one super hunk. His disposition is gentle. Apparently he had been a lap-goat in his youth. It showed in his gentleness.

Here he's full-grown and living with Penny, a super lady. What a handsome couple.

He went from living with three ladies to living with eleven. It took it's tole, he lost so much weight and hair, we thought we were going to lose him.

That poor boy was exhausted! The women did their part; so did he.

Just look at his beautiful babies.

Bucky has been with the other guys for several months now. He's rested, eaten, rested and groomed. His hair has grown back and so has his weight.

He'll be ready for more ladies in October. But for now, he's eating well and gaining weight. Bob and I spend as much time with him as possible. He was gentle when we got him, it's up to us to keep him that way.

We honor you Bucky. Thank you for the beautiful babies.

Goats first taste of tree branches

2009-08-17T10:51:00.004-05:00

Last week we trimmed a few plants back to managable sizes. It's been a while since we've worked on the landscaping so we had bazillions of 'left-overs'. Not wanting to toss the plants aside, we fed them to our baby goats.

They're amazing. They are so curious and cautious it took them longer to decide whether to approach the strange plants than it did to eat them. Contrary to the rumors, goas do NOT eat everything. They TASTE everything because that's how they sense their world. But it's been our experience that they are picky eaters.

After a very slow approach, the oldest goat in the group (Johnny) took the first sniff. Ashley stepped up slowly and tasted one leaf. OK. Got it. Decision made ... everyone was in on the treat. Needless to say they devowered all the plant trimmings.

We did make sure that these plants weren't toxic. Actually, we don't grow ANY toxic plants on our property. This way we can toss all our garden trimming waste to the goats.

How 'green' is that?

Goat Advertising for Local Parade

2009-08-14T12:04:00.004-05:00

Lester, Lester, Lester what has Jordon done to you? This picture is priceless because if anyone is a bully, it's Lester. He soooooooo deserves this treatment.

I say this with affection because Lester was our FIRST little surprise. We got his mama, Minnie, because she was little and her previous owner didn't want her to get pregnant. Little did we know that she would deliver a little gift.

Minnie was our first doe who taught us how to care for goats; the deworming, the feeding dry matter versus grain, coccidia, parasites, hoof trimming ... all those things. She's my best goat friend.

One morning I looked out in her pen, as I usually do every day, when I noticed 'something white' in her pen with her. I ran out to the front pasture, in jammies of course, and found this little bundle of joy. Oh yes, we have pictures of himself. Tons and tons of pictures. He was our first goat baby. Of course, we have pictures.

Lester is almost six now and still growing. He's up to over two-hundred pounds and owns the pasture. Being a boer-nubian mix, he has an extremely thick coat that we shear every spring. Otherwise, he'd fry in the summer months. Actually, we shear all the goats for this reason. It's just HOT here in North Carolina.

Any way, Jordan was feeling fiesty, as usual, when she got a bit goat-creative. All for the good because her designs inspired me to offer advertising to a few local merchants for a parade. It didn't sell because they wanted ME to walk him in the three-mile up-hill-down-hill parade. ah ... no thanks.

Apparently we need to re-think this concept. Once we get the bugs out of our Lester Advertising program, I'll let you know more about it. Who knows, you might want to advertise on Lester one of these day. :)

FAMACHA testing saved our goats

2009-08-09T09:05:00.003-05:00

Today is really a day of rest. I'm the only awake; Bob is zonked out and the dogs are sleeping (two at my feet, one in the living room, and the other on the porch).

Naming our place Sleeping Dog Ranch was a stroke of genius, even though we didn't realize it at the time. Our pace setters are sleeping dogs, napping cats, and dozing goats; the chickens are the only ones out scratching. What a perfect time for relaxing, renewing, and reflecting.

Last week's work load was steady. That's always good because we can pace ourselves for the next week. The goats are looking good, firm body condition, pink eyes, and steady appetite. Their coats are shinny and healthy looking. Their weight is holding.

I get the feeling that our FAMACHA program is working. That’s refreshing because we’ve put so much effort in maintaining their health. I had no idea that we had such a BAD internal parasite infestation. I just couldn’t understand why our babies died. They looked good to me.

Duh … the light finally went on. Unfortunately it took the life of a 7-week-old baby and a buckling to cause a major response. What ever we were doing wasn’t enough.

We’ve had the equipment and chemicals to perform FAMACHA for several months but we didn’t have a place to put it. (Didn’t count: You GOTTA DO THOSE TESTS -- REGIOUSLY.)

OK, need established. Bob and I bought two counter base units and a 6 foot counter top on Saturday. He found a place near our soap factory to put it and built the workstation on Sunday. On Monday Jordan and I were collecting fecal matter.

That was ab0ut two months ago, maybe three. My days sort of run together. Anyway, we sorted about 30 goats based on care need: eye color combined with body condition (gender of course, we already had 18 babies to care for).

No ONE was clear of internal parasites. Jordan discovered that coccidia was a major issue; our vet told us that if you see ONE coccidia in the microscope, you administer Corid to that goat. Fortunately or not, we found many, many coccidia so the entire herd was treated – immediately. We medicated them in their water and with their feed.

Jordan also discovered several different types of internal parasites. (She’s now an export.) I’ve kept records of who-got-what-when for years so we administered Cydectin to everyone; it was next on the list of rotation dewormers.

Ten days later everyone received their Cydectin dosage – again.
Ten days after this, Jordan started taking fecal samples – again.
From these records, we know which goat has a propensity for getting internal parasites; some immune systems are stronger than others. This will make a difference in our breeding program.

We’ve divided our pastures into paddocks so we can manage the grasses better.

Lessons Learned:
· Implement testing procedures immediately
· Maintain records
· Manage pastures (rotate, fertilize)
· Maintain Goat Exam Calendar in barn where everyone sees it
· Reduce population (This is the hard one for me.)

Barn activities continue ...

2009-08-04T10:03:00.004-05:00

Sure we have enough milk (freezers are full). The goats are delivering milk faster than I can make soaps and lotions. But we just can't stop milking them. We want our does to develop thoroughly. Our goal is develop the best goats we can. By best I also mean healthiest.

The first picture is Jordan giving Minnie a bath. After Minnie is dry she'll be sheared for the summer. It gets HOT here in North Carolina. Ah, while Minnie is on the stanchion Jordan will retrieve a bit of fecal matter for testing. Jordan has really gotten good and fast in that retrieval.

We employ the FAMACHA technique and guage eye color weekly. We conduct our own fecal tests, do the math, and record the data.

Moving data from Excel to Access will further help us manage our herd better. It's amazing how much better goats look and feel when they're parasite free.

The other pictures of of Ashley catching babies for their fecal testing. Here Ashley is holding Natalie following her fecal contribution.

The third picture is of Natalie following Ashley to the feed bin. No stress here. We're very gentle with our goats. All of them.

If you're interested in a baby nubian, let me know. Many yearling does are for sale.

Trace broke his leg

2009-08-04T09:56:00.002-05:00

What a heart breaker! Trace hobbled around the common area all day before I realized that he wasn't putting ANY weight on his leg. But he moved around quite well on three legs. Mind you, this little guy is about 5 weeks old; his whole life in front of him. I had to help him.

Needless to say, catching his wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. He could move on those three legs. But catch him, I did. Our vet Dr. Amy Betka xrayed his leg to locate the precise break. YUP, Trace had broken his leg BUT it was a good break. (That had to be good.) Even a 'good break' still hurts.

She put on a cast, gave some pain medication, then sent us on our way.

Back at the ranch ... everyone was curious about his cast.

Cheesemaking with Goat Milk

2009-08-03T15:33:00.005-05:00

With so much milk in our freezers, I've turned to making cheese batches everyday. One or two gallons of milk yields about 1.5 pounds of cheese, sorta maybe. Wanna guess what our friends and family will be getting for Christmas? Didn't think so.

So far I've made soft or cherve-type cheeses. Some have pepper, some have added cream, but all are goat milk cheeses. What fun these are to make and it is so easy.

If you're interested in learning how to make cheeses, contact New England Cheesemaking Supply company. Ricki Carroll is knowledgable and shares information in her newsletter. They have a nice beginner supply list, books, and equipment. (www.cheesemaking.com)

Working with goats, we always have plenty of milk. That's why we make goat milk bath soaps & beauty lotions professionally. Check out our website: Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soaps (www.GranNannysGoatMilkSoaps.com).

Working with milk everyday is kinda cool. I'm either making soaps, lotions, or cheeses. What fun!

Let me know if you're interested in learning how to make goat milk soaps. I'm thinking about adding a Recipe section to my website.

Thanks for visiting,

Pat

2009-08-01T07:58:00.004-05:00

We have so much milk now that I'm making cheeses almost every day. Whew! What fun!

Goat milk is my drug of choice so this is a wonderful experience. Imagine making goat milk cheeses in the morning and goat milk soaps in the afternoon. Need I say how much we love it out here.

It's also nice to share our passion with friends and family. For example, I'm a member of the Stanly County Art Guild and we're having a contest on decorating shoes. (It's an art thing and a whole lotta fun.) Any way, I delivered my entry last night and took some goat milk cheeses for the gang. To my surprise, the Guild was hosting a reception for a summer art explosion and the cheeses came in handy on the refreshment tables. (I definately need to be more efficient with my calender events.) We have some outstanding artists in Stanly County. I'm honored to be a member of the Guild.

Our gallery is Falling Rivers Art Gallery www.fallingriversgallery.com
Check it out. We're good and having fun.

2009-07-31T08:07:00.004-05:00

Our freezers are FULL and almost busting at the seams. But, we've got several months remaining in the milking season. What am I going to do with all this milk?

EZ solution ... I'll make cheeses. It's been while but cheesemaking is fun. My cultures have been frozen so they're OK.

First I'll start with soft chevre-type cheeses. These will help refresh my memory. Then I'll start with gouda-type cheeses. They're delicious.

Since I'm not licenses to sell these cheeses I'll be preparing them for gifts (Christmas, birthdays, justbecause gifts).

I'll take pictures then put them online for you fellow hobbiests.

2009-07-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

We're in full milking focus now. Whew! Have we got tons of milk! My kitchen frig is already full and we're only into the milking season ONE DAY.

Think we need to put several babies BACK with their mamas. I need help with all this milk.

2009-06-30T07:01:00.003-05:00

Losing goats is never easy -- especially when they're babies. Rascal was 7 weeks old and died from cocciddia; Judd was two years old and died from excessive stomach worms. Both incidents were preventable.

But, you know, I observe the herd several times throughout the day and both of these little guys looked healthy, alert, and ate along with everyone else. They gave me no clue as to what was going on with them. No clue from the edge of the fence, that is.

Lessons learned: get in there, get a hold of your goats, physically check their eyes, their poop, and their temperature; maintain the logs, watch for trends; know which goats have 'tendencies' or 'weaknesses' then retire them. The emotional and financial devistation will be worth NOT breeding these guys again.

OK. We've had goats since 2003 and have learned things I didn't know existed. Just to mention a few: Didn't think I could give injections, didn't think I could pull a baby, didn't think I could sleep in the barn, didn't think I could ... . (You fill in the blank.)

The objective for having goats is to have goat milk for our skin care products (soaps and lotions for now). The objective is NOT to have so many goats that they don't have room to run, graze, and be healthy. We're reckoning that we'll be reducing our herd production next year.

We'll be making a few changes next year; but we're not really sure what they'll be yet. Please stay tuned so you can help me decide.

Thank you for all your support.
Warmest regards, Pat Allen, MidWife

2009-06-25T07:26:00.002-05:00

The White House is clean. Whew! what a job. The poop accumulates so f-a-s-t that we lost track of how long and how deep it was to dirt in there. Special thanks go to the team who dug to dirt. Those guys are wonderful. We ranchers just couldn't do much if it weren't for the younger folk. Thanks guys!

PS We call it The White House because it is white, houses the new and the old goats, is full of hot air (the fans run 24/7 just so everyone can breath), and is living quarters of the poop-makers -- our beloved Nubians.

2009-06-15T05:29:00.007-05:00

I had noticed that one or two of the babies had been limping over the past few days, but didn't know what was going on. I never saw how they hurt themselves. I did, however, know that they had been jumping on the barn walls because metal is noisy when it gets hit -- especially with 17 baby goats hitting the walls at various speeds and all times of the day and night.

I'm guessing that Trace jumped on an interior fence and got his leg caught in one of the holes in the fencing. I first noticed that he had been limping for a couple of days but NEVER put his weight on that little leg, while the other kids had been walking on all fours, sorta.

It was time to check it out. Sure, with a ginky leg he'll be easy to catch. Ha, that little bugger could move. Finally, I caught him then started examining his little leg. He fussed big-time when I moved his wrist/ankle.

These guys have an incredible pain threshold when they want to. Other times they'll scream at the top of their lungs if you touch them. Anyway ... a trip to the vet was in order. Field trip!

Two x-rays told the story: YUP it was broken. It was, however, a 'good break'. If you consider broken anything as 'good'. I believe that means 'it will heal well'. Hope so ... .

The vet wrapped his little leg in heavy gause then covered it with a bright lime green vet-wrap. Terrific ... hey, if you're gonna be ginky, you might as well 'look good.'

Back at the barn ... the photos tell the story.

When he first entered the Mall, everyone seemed confused. Little sister, Emily, was the first to greet Trace.

Then, as the others noticed something different, they began hovering around him.

The crowd grew!

Finally, mama came in and all was right with the World.

Yeah, mama!

Mr. Trace gets two baby asprins in the morning and evening to help with the pain. By the way, he does like his cherry flavored asprin. We go back to the vet weekly for a cast change.

At this point, we don't know how long it will take for his leg to heal. But, Trace's mama soothes him at night and his sisters nap with him during the day. We keep the siblings in a pen so he won't have to run and jump with the others.

Little guy needs his rest.

2009-05-25T17:43:00.001-05:00

Many of you have wanted to know more about the goats. What an honor it would be to introduce the herd to you. But first, allow me to give you a timeline for the past year. Just to quickly get you caught up.

The barn (aka The White House) was finished in early November 2007. It's a metal building with a partial concrete floor, water (complete with an outside drain), electricity, and fans, fans, and more fans. We designed it with ventilation in mind 'cause we have hot, humid summers here in North Carolina. When mama is hot, ain't nobody comfortable!

We used a PremierOne panel system throughout and it's working well. It's a 2 x 2 inch welded galvanized steel panel based on a 4 foot module. Modules are efficient in many ways, for us anyway. The Husband is an architect and thinks 90 degree angles and modules.

We used livestock panels to make our own hay racks. Since the goats mob each other, we made two hay racks so they can run from one to the other. What a hoot. When one goat moves the the other rack, they all have to move to the other rack. But, surprisingly, one or two goats have learned that by staying put, they have the hay all to themselves.

We have two handsome bucks: Bucky (dad) and Vince (son). Vince bred Bucky's daughters in the front pasture while Bucky bred his favorite ladies in the new barn. Then, like magic, the babies started arriving 155 days later.

What a georgious group of babies! We are blessed with 6 girls and 5 boys. Some are black, like Bucky; and, some are brown, like Vince. All are doing well, growing as usual and sucking up the milk like little pigs.

They've been disbudded, too. Actually, Dr. Betka disbudded the first batch while I disbudded the second batch. Since this was my first attempt at disbudding, I was unnerved quite a bit. Scarry is a mild word for what was going on with me. Imagine putting a branding iron on the top of a baby's head, smelling the burning hair and flesh, and listening to them scream! Holding them still while burning the top of their head wasn't an option so having a helping hand is mandatory. Terrific! now I could burn my helper, Cody. She's a high school student who help us our here. Cody is indespinsible. Without her, we'd be wayyyyy behind on our cleaning and managing chores.

It's baby feeding time. More later ...

2009-05-24T14:54:00.005-05:00

Whew! What a trip the past few weeks have been. Baby goats have come into our world right and left. Seriously.

Seventeen little darlings have arrived so far; with one more doe due any day, ... the wait continues. Kidding season demands that someone be at the ranch 24/7. In the past, it's been me and my barn cot. But this year we have Jordan and, it's been the best season ever.

Jordan has been sleeping in the barn for the past two weeks. As well as one can sleep with 10 mamas and 17 babys bouncing off the metal barn walls. Oh yeah, the babies love rumnning UP the barn wall ... guess they like to see how high they can go. Either that or the like the noise. This photograph shows the walls and will give you an idea of how they could run UP the wall. The ridges help them go higher, and the sand gives them a soft landing pad.

The babies are on top of these dog houses more than they are in them. Not quite what we had in mind but, hey, their creativity is what makes the barn such an interesting place. The mamas are not too happy with the dog houses because their babies get inside and go to sleep -- out of sight. We're always lifting the houses to locate a baby so mama can stop fretting. Oh yeah. the mamas do take care of their babies.

It's a good thing Jorday already has a pet mouse. Otherwise, she'd probably want to take a few of the barn mice home with her. Instead, she's just been feeding them. Go figure.

The babies are a hoot. They run and jump in spurts then nap in clusters.

Mama Gayle is feeding her 5 pound baby Moon while she looks for her OTHER daughter. Watching these mamas care for two or three babies makes me want to help them even more. We keep the families in seperate pens for the first 3 or 4 days so they can get to know each other before we put them in the mall area.

It sort of goes without saying that my days (and many nights) are devoted to the goats instead of making soaps. But we're almost through this kidding season so soap production is back on the daily life schedule here at the Sleeping Dog Ranch Nubians.

We hope you enjoy reading about our life in the barn.

More later ...
Pat Allen, aka Gran' Nanny (It's wonderful loving on the babies then putting them BACK into the pen with their mamas.)

2008-11-10T15:48:00.009-05:00

Working at the Agriculture Awareness seminar is always fun. After all, I get to play with my goats all day long for three whole days. What a treat!

Ag Awareness is sponsored annually by our Agriculture Extension office for all third graders in Stanly County, North Carolina. This was our fourth year to participate and I hope I can always be part of this event.

The first two years we had goats in-milk so the kids got to milk a goat if they wanted to. What fun for everyone ... except the does, that is. Pam Leonard bravely brought two of her does for us. They were super goats who tolerated the youngsters quite well. Most of the kids wanted to milk a goat but a few passed. It's a good thing we had two goats, too. This way, we could swoop out between the does, giving them a much deserved break.

While milking the goat was fun for most everyone, the real fun came when a milk squeeze went a rye and squirted on someone. We all had great laughs at that and everyone was scampering for their cameras to catch the moment. I imagine that dozens of photos are neatly placed in scrapbooks for folks to revisit throughout the ages and remember their milking goat days.

When Pam and her family moved we had to come up with a different approach. That was tough to measure up to that experience for the kids, but I believe we have done it. For the past two years, we've had two different types of goats: Boers (a meat goat) and Nubians (a dairy goat). This way the kids can compare the differences between the goats. While that's all good fun and educational, what the kids really like is the ten minute pet-the-goat-time. Another perfect photo opportunity for scrapbooks.

The boers are owned by Brenda and Larry Todd of the Circle T Boer Farm in Aquadale. Brenda is very knowledgeable and loves her goats about as much as I love mine. Needless to say, we had a good time working together and talking about goats for three days. What a pair we made. A few of our photos are included in this article. Hope you enjoy them.

2007-05-17T14:35:00.000-05:00

The latest developments on the barn.

2007-05-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos of the barn FINALLY being built!!!!!

2006-08-15T05:40:00.000-05:00

Here's our latest challenge. It looks awful! Wayland is my handsome black boy but I 'burned' these photos so you could see the sores. He isn't really brown.

I've done a bit of research on soremouth. Mostly everyone who has experienced this said that nothing could be done to help the animal's discomfort nor to thwart the condition.

However, I did find two different ointments that offered relief: 1. one part glycerin mixed with an equil amount of iodine, or 2. apply B12 (injectable) on the skin (this is said to hasten dryness and more quickly cause the scabs to drop off - which I understand can carry the virus -- another ugh -- do they carry it FOREVER?).

I thought about using these but when I went out to the barn, Mr. Wayland was busy peeing on his face. If that rich nitrogen doesn't help/kill/thwart the scabs, at the very least it will wash off either one of these ointments. I decided against wasting my time and risking exposure.

Just came in from my morning "howdy". Now I see spots on Bucky, Kris, AND Wayland. Oh sigh ... .

It's my understanding that this virus must run it's course (1-4 weeks per animal--ugh). Then:
1. Everyone who had it will be immune from it for a time period (About how long is this?). Although they will be 'carriers'. Is this true?
2. The scabs carry the virus. You know, the itty-bitty scabs that will fall off somewhere within their pasture. In twenty years, when I touch one, will I get this virus (Orf?)?
3. The virus can be transmitted via equipment used (e.g., fences, water buckets, feeding troughs, housing). Holly Molly, will clorhexidine in a garden sprayer work to wash the fence along with everything else?

How to I keep the virus away from the girls and babies? There'll be NO breeding until I'm sure the ladies will be safe. I can KNOW this. Right?

I've ordered a larger garden sprayer AND a flame weeder. I've been wanting the flame weeder for a while so when you mentioned that fire would be a good sanitizer, I jumped on it. :)

Oie veyhhhh ... .

2006-08-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

If you're interested in exploring the benefits of goat milk soap, then this site is for you. We created Gran' Nanny's Goat Milk Soaps, Inc. so we could make this incredible soap! It's healthful, it's soothing, it's healing, and with extended use, it makes your skin feel soft and creamy smooth.

Join us as we discuss the benefits of goat milk soap and as we explore its possibilities. As I, Gran Nanny, discover more benefits though my research, I'll share them with you.

So, if you or a loved one has an annoying skin condition that needs soothing, if you want to learn more about soaps and their benefits, or if you just want to pamper yourself, join us and we'll share our knowledge and experiences with you. Please join us in sharing information. After all, our ultimate goal is to benefit from this fabulous soap.

One important thing you should know, we use milk from our own Purebred Nubian Goat Herd. This way we know the milk quality and goat health. We'll share our experiences with the goats, too.