Skinny Goat

We have been having a typical winter for Maine. It has been chilly but it is getting down right cold now. We had -4 temps when I got up yesterday morning for work and didn't get out of the 20's all day. We had a nice snow shower last evening and everything is snowy white. The ground looks like it should look in winter. We noticed that Isabella had started dropping weight over the last three days. She is usually a chow hound. Pushes everyone aside so she is sure to get her share. Ted said that she was off her feed for the last three days. This lady is special and we love her dearly. We started ProBios and a ration of grain twice daily. We noticed with the cold temps Isabella is more inclined to remain in the barn rather than outside eating hay with the other goats. She is the only one who has lost weight. The other girls are normal weights. We feed grain about three or more times a week and all of the hay they can eat. And now, free choice minerals. We thought maybe Isabella was cold so I gave her my sweat shirt to wear tonight.

She didn't mind the change in fashion. She seems to be into "farm wear". Her appetite has picked up and we are hoping that she will be back to her "big girl" weight. We put both Isabella and her daughter Annie into a separate stall with hay tonight. They can munch and stay warm on a nice bed of hay. That stall seems a bit warmer.
The old chicken waterer has finally bit the dust. It is about 3 years old and had started to rust and wasn't holding water like it use to. I was totally saddened that Tractor Supply only had a two gallon waterer. We had to go to Blue Seal. There we picked up this bright shinny waterer. Now the girls will have lots of fresh water. Onto the water heating pad to prevent freezing. I'm afraid it won't stay shinny long. Soon it will be pooed up like the old one and start to rust. The hens like to sit on the lid at times. Don't know what motivates chickens. Do they have motivation?

An update about the braided rug. My dvd bit the dust. I don't know what happened but it just sat in one spot and wouldn't move. I called Marge and she sent another one out in the mail. I have been at the mailbox daily waiting.

It's back to work for three days. I only had one day off between 6-12 hour shifts. I'm kinda on the ornery side today. Yep, just ornery. Don't even want to hang with me. Just ornery.

Ken from Stony Knolls Farm, if you read this and can think of any other reason Isabella would be dropping some weight and anything we could do please email or call. We want this gal to be a okay again.

Take care and stay warm. Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm and the ornery one.

UPS, No Stoney Knolls Farm Delivery Truck!

It's always exciting when a delivery truck arrives. I'm like a kid running outside when the UPS or Fed Ex trucks pull into the driveway. I must take time to apologize to the delivery men. Sometimes I have on Muck Boots sometimes just slippers. I just love boxes. They hold all kinds of fun things. New clothes, shoes, presents, goats. Did I say goats? Yes the delivery truck came from Stony Knolls Farm with a special package. Isabella and Carina. We fell in love with the two girls while at Goat School last week. Janice and Ken Spaulding were kind enough to deliver both girls after they were bred. Isabella is a registered Nubian and Carina is a registered Alpine.

This is not the greatest picture of Carina's bum but you can see Isabella peeking out. I apologize for the lack of pictures when the girls arrived. I just plain forgot. We were so busy trying to make sure that they were happy and comfortable I forgot to take more pictures. I love taking pictures and end up taking about 300 a month. Sometimes, my brain shuts off when I see goats.

Later in the evening everyone settled down to sleep and I did take out the camera. I don't think that either goat was that impressed. The littles- Bella, Edward and Sophie are used to me coming out at all times of the night to check on them. Even with camera in hand they make soothing mmmmm goatie noises.

We had to work the two previous nights so we got a late start on making the milking stand. We needed it in the morning for milking Carina. Isabella has dried up and completely stopped milking. Alex was able to find plans for a milking stand on the internet. Let me rephrase that. The plans were evidently designed for the small body of a pygmy goat. Not the full bodied physique of a dairy goat. With a few adjustments she was able to re size it for the girls. Talented woman!

The base was 36" long. Heck, our goats are that long. Thank goodness for extra wood laying around from previous jobs. Some adjustments had to be made for height too. It was about 10:30 when we finally went in from the barn.

We got up early for our first day of milking. Oh, yes I have only milked a goat while at Goat School. Poor Carina. We placed an order with Hoegger Supply Co. but our milking supplies would not arrive till Wednesday afternoon. After a frantic email to Janice she brought a can of Fight Bac with her. Fight Bac is a wonderful invention. It helps prevent mastitis in cows and goats. It is cold and when sprayed onto the teat causes a constriction of the milk duct preventing bacteria from taking a free ride up into the udder.

I did have my handy dandy unscented baby wipes to clean the teats prior to milking.

Carina hopped up onto the milk stand like a pro. I took matters into my own hands and pretended like I knew what I was doing. Lo and behold milk came out like it was suppose to. I even remembered to strip the first stream into a cup to check for anything out of the ordinary. Nope, it looked like milk to me. Izzy, the cat, thought it tasted great to her too. She cleaned up any left overs for me. I milked into a kitchen pot. It worked and Carina didn't know the difference. There is nothing so sweet as a warm goat to snuggle with while you milk. They actually smell nice.

We even started putting the little girls on the milking stand. It worked out better than I ever expected. They are a bit spoiled. Yep, they have teeny tiny teats. One day!

This is the bounty we received. It amounted to only 2 1/4 cups and I'm sure that part of that is my lack of experience. We will see what tomorrow brings. Corina was nervous with a different home and sounds. The guineas were making a ruckus in the coop and the chickens were getting loud. Soon she will feel at home and sure of herself.

Later in the day I heard that sound that I love. I was laying down trying to catch a nap before I had to go to work. I couldn't stay in bed. I heard that call from the big brown box on the back porch. It was from Hoegger Supply with my milking equipment. Yes, I even took a picture of it. Nice shiny new stainless steel. Easy to clean. Ain't it purdy?

We ordered new collars like Isabella and Carina for the kids. We want them to act like big girls and boys now.

I had a little fun with my camera here. I could just imagine how our farm looked many, many years ago. I love old black and white photos. They really bring out the different shading that is often lost in color pics. This old farm didn't have electricity, they had to bring water in from a well. See the old outhouse, no indoor plumbing. I guess the give away here is the big tarp sheep shed in the pasture. They didn't have Tractor Supply back then. I can do without a bathroom, but give me my Tractor Supply fix.

Happy milking. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm. I think we have to look into a name change. Mainely Ewes and a Few Old Goats Farm. Maybe not.

Kelly

Cheese and Soap School

Our third day spent at Stony Knolls Farm with Jan and Ken Spaulding was thankfully indoors. What can you do with the all of that goat milk when the does start producing? Well two good ideas to start with are cheese and soap. For thousands of years mankind has milked goats and made cheese. Goats are such a compact animal and easily managed. They are a natural choice for the small family with children. Goat milk is an easily digested source of vitamins and calcium. If you are lactose intolerant, chances are you will be able to drink goat milk and eat goat cheese. The molecules are smaller in goat milk and closely resemble human milk. I personally feel that we have destroyed anything good in cow milk the minute it is processed. Raw milk is safe and healthy as long as you know the person milking is clean and handles the milk in the correct manner. The milk doesn't taste "goatie". I was so surprised at how clean and good the milk tasted. Jan and Ken are very careful and clean while milking and straining the milk. The goats are clean and healthy and produce wonderful milk. However, there is an abundance of milk with a limited lifetime and something has to be done with all that bounty. So, one natural choice is cheese. The class started in Jan's kitchen. It was spotless. After Goat School she made cheese and soap so that the class could see the finished product. We jokingly told her to write a cookbook in her spare time. She has between midnight and 4am as free time. Who needs sleep? When we arrived this big ball of Chevre was already hanging to drain.

Jan then went through the whole process explaining the different steps so we could see this process from beginning to end. The time frame for Chevre is 3 days from start to finish. So the next time you are at a farmers market and you question the price on the Chevre, just remember how time consuming it is. That person really puts their time, energy and love into cheese making. Beats the heck out of buying it from a major conglomerate with giant machines any day in my book.

After the Chevre has drained it is ready to mix with your choice of seasonings. Jan mixed our batch with Herbes de Provence. This with crackers is a meal! This spreadable cheese can be used on wraps, on baked potatoes under the broiler, spread on bagels like cream cheese, and on white pizza. The refrigerator life for Chevre is about 2 weeks.

Jan taught us how to make feta. Feta is the wonderfully tasty cheese from Greece. It takes a whole gallon of milk to make 1 batch of feta. It is wonderful cubed and marinated in canola oil and herbs.

Last but not least was her 30 Minute Mozzarella. I think this is a favorite cheese for most people. Here, Jan is showing us how to stretch the mozzarella. She has gloves, pots and utensils specific to cheese. Stony Knolls Farm is licensed by the State of Maine and is a working farm in every sense of the word.

Jan served a tasty chicken vegetable soup with her own bread for lunch. Most of the students attending Cheese and Soap School were from the Goat School over the weekend. It seemed like old times with good friends. Anyone who wanted to get into the soap making was welcome. Jon was the first to volunteer when asked. Jan hand stirs her soap. It is a process that is necessary. It does take time and stamina to keep stirring so the fat and lye/goat milk slurry mix does not congeal.

After the mixing was completed, Jan added scent, and oatmeal to the pot. She uses molds to form the bars.

John wanted to try to make a soap ball from a bar that Jan had made the night before. The soap remains soft for about 24 hours. It made a perfect ball and he was amazed at how soft his hands were when he washed the soap off. That is one of the true pluses with Goat Milk Soap. If you have never tried it, please, pick up a bar at your next farmers market. It takes time and love to make and you will not be disappointed.

Hmm..... soap ball.

Jan had a tray full of soaps that she is letting cure. Soap has to air dry for about 6 weeks to let the free radicals from the lye dissipate. The bars become hard and long lasting. If you keep the soap dry it will provide many washes.

It was kind of sad leaving all of our friends. Thank goodness for the internet. We will be able to keep in touch. We had a wonderful time. I highly recommend Goat School to anyone who is interested in raising goats. If you get the chance please check out this issue of Hobby Farm. There is an article with great pictures about Stony Knolls Farm featuring Jan and Ken Spaulding. Thank you both for welcoming us into you home. You guys run a top notch operation there. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Goat School 2009 Part 1

This morning we got everyone fed and out where they belong early so we could take off for, Yes.....GOAT SCHOOL! We have been waiting for this since Lisa from pinkporches.blogspot.com
told us about a Goat School that she had attended recently. She highly recommended it for us. It was only about an hour away in Saint Albans, Maine. It is put on by Jan and Ken Spaulding at Stony Knolls Farm. They have been in the goat business for 21 years and are very knowledgeable. Not only are they knowledgeable, but they share this knowledge. They have an informative website Mainegoats.com . We signed up immediately. Today was the big day. The weather was cool this morning, the drive was Maine at it's Autumn best. We will take pictures on the way there to share tomorrow. When we arrived we were handed our text book. All good classes have a text book. What a unique name. Goat School.

Janice and Ken work together to present an informative program. Questions are taken immediately. The atmosphere is friendly and easy going. Attendees are as near as the next town to as far away as Shreveport, Louisiana and Georgia. Much time was spent on the basics of goat husbandry and kid delivery. We discussed the different needs of goats up north from their southern cousins. Medications, wormers, disinfectants and sanitizers were all explained at a comfortably level. The class was made up of people from all levels of goat experience. The mix was very nice. We all shared laughter and experiences that brought us all closer.

We weren't the only ones that were impressed with Janice and Ken's knowledge. They were chosen as a feature article in the Nov/Dec issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Although we are not a hobby farm we do find this magazine very helpful and informative. It mostly addresses farms of a smaller scale. Not the big mega farms with hundreds of goats. Our needs are totally different.

Great picture of Ken working with one of their Boer goats. They have both Boer and several breeds of dairy goats. Boer are short stocky meat goats. They have a very laid back personality.
For lunch Janice prepared dishes that featured chevon. There was stew, chili, lasagna, corn chowder with goat milk. Baby greens salad with feta cheese.

I had my very first taste of goat milk. I didn't know what to expect. It was mild, fresh and clean tasting. I was greatly impressed.
Janice served milk from different breeds allowing us to taste the difference in the butterfat content of each. It was nice having milk to go with the goat milk fudge. Wow what a wonderful combination.
There was apple crisp and whipped cream to die for. I had to stop with the fudge. It was very sweet.

We got a chance to visit with the goats. They all seemed very happy and well cared for. All of their needs were met. The had free choice of hay in this centrally located hay feeder complete with roof to keep the hay dry.

Romance was in the air between this young buck and his beautiful doe. He is young and his hormones were raging. Not unlike young love in the human world. They kind of acted the same. Jumping around, trying to show off and impress the girls.

The Oberhasli were taking it easy in the barn. They are quiet and peaceful goats.

Everyone wanted to get into the picture. They want love and kisses. Such sweet beings. Just look at those eyes and I swear she is smiling.

This beautiful Saanen was all about getting a close up. Very close! See my beautiful nose? Give me kisses now.

This Sable has quite a personality. She is all that and knows it. Can you tell what she is thinking? Yea, just get a little closer.

One of our favorite breeds is the Nubian. They have the most lovely ears. It makes you just want to kiss their noses and rub their ears. And they don't mind at all.

Janice and Ken went in depth about trimming goat hooves. This is a very important aspect of goat care. If trimmed too close the goat can become lame and very painful. They brought in Caribbean, otherwise known as Beanie. She has such a peaceful and loving personality. She stood very still in the fitting stand for the hoof trimming demonstration.

Janice showed how to trim and inspect the hooves for any problems.

Then they provided the cadaver hooves for students to work on. No harm to live goats. What a great experience. Gloves were provided. Thank You.

The afternoon was another treat. We had a chef from The New Forrest Institute come and prepared 2 dishes on the grill. The first was garlic goat sausage on french bread with an oil cured black olive tapenade. It was a nice blend of salty from the tapenade with a rich meaty garlic flavor.

The second dish was Capra Scottadito (grilled goat chops). Scottadito means "finger burning" in Italian. Refers to a joke that in cooking the chops they are so good that you would risk burning your fingers snatching them from the grill. Not an off description either.

We head back tomorrow for day 2. More pictures to follow. Oh and guess what. We bought more goats. Yes, we will have two beautiful girls after they are bred late next month. We will be welcoming Corinna, a registered Alpine and Isabella a registered Nubian. I will have pictures. Somehow I took pictures of every other goat except the girls. They are beautiful. I got to milk Corinna for the first time today. It is harder than it looks. I will have to practice and build up my finger and forearm muscles. We have to get going on a milking stand. We have to train Bella and Sophie to eat in the stand and be still for milking. Hahahahahahahaha......hahahahahaha. Yea right! I can just see it now. Oh, what have I done with the spoiled children? See you tomorrow with family photos. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly & Alex