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

Goat School Part 2

Today was the second day of Goat School with Jan and Ken Spaulding. We hit the road at about 8:30am after feeding our animals and of coarse making coffee for the trip. There is no Dunkin Donuts between here and Saint Albans. We had a beautiful trip as the sun peaked out from behind clouds. The autumn colors were bright and intense with these bursts of sunshine.

Up and down winding country roads with peaceful views of lakes and woods.

We arrived to a breakfast feast of homemade muffins, chevon sausage and egg bake, coffee, tea, and apple cider. After we ate and socialized with our new friends class began in earnest.

Jan and Ken started with a discussion of vaccinations specific to goats. There is so much information available on the Internet that it is easy to become confused and not know which way to turn. I like to keep it simple. Limit our selections to medications that are specific to goats and are effective in our climate. Jan introduced the class to the vaccinations that goats need on an annual basis. CD&T (Clostridium Perfringens Types C&D with Teetanus Toxoid) is one of the main vaccinations for goats. It protects them against Tetanus and Overeating Disease. Then Jan got on her soap box, literally. She is a strong proponent of providing the correct and necessary nutrition for goats. Not using the same feed for all livestock. Goats dietary needs change through out the year as the season changes, gestation occurs and after delivery.

We welcomed Mr. Andrew Beals, Technical Manager- Speciality Feed for Poulin Grain. He discussed how to obtain a hay analysis, how to understand and apply the information to your herd. We learned how to supplement with the proper minerals specific for goats. Sheep and goats are not interchangeable. Sheep are very limited on how much copper they can ingest, goats need this included in their daily feed. Mr. Beals discussed where Poulin Grain obtains feed components, how the mix is done. I think we may be switching to Poulin Grain in the near future. They work pretty hard to meet the customers needs and provide a valuable service in a rural setting.

All questions were answered and I think we all went away feeling that we had a better handle on goat nutrition.

The weather was cool but not as windy as the previous day. We were all bundled up and sitting in the sunshine.

The farm is located at the bottom of a ridge surrounded with woodlands. It was so peaceful.

Jan works very hard canning all sorts of vegetables from pickles to salsa. She even makes goat milk soap. What a treat to the senses. They sell these items along with chevon, baked goods and cookies at local farmers markets in the area and at the Common Ground Fair. This fair is a unique fair that occurs every year in September. It is sponsored by MOFGA. Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. MOFGA is the oldest and largest state organic association in the country. No midway just agriculture and green technology. Our kind of fair. We love it but didn't get to go this year. We had to work. Next year we will have that weekend off.

Before we knew it lunchtime was here. Again Jan went to great lengths to provide a healthy and delicious menu to please all. We had chevon with cabbage which was a comfort food to warm us

Chevon with noodles in a tomato sauce.

Macaroni with cheese made with goats milk. It was so rich and creamy. Goat milk is an excellent base to start with.

Chevon lasagna. What can I say. It tasted wonderful. No we did not stop with just one. I tried to get a little of everything.

So when desert came, I took a small white brownie. I couldn't hold another bite. There was the goat milk fudge calling to everyone, cake with that bowl of whipped cream. It all disappeared with such speed.

Even the goats were taking it easy in the sunshine.

As promised we got pictures of our new girls. Please meet Isabella, a registered Nubian with long flowing ears. Isn't she a dream? Her personality is as sweet as her face.

She is a rich brown with that typical Nubian nose. I just love those eyes.

This gorgeous lady is Corinna. She is a registered Alpine complete with beard and wattles. Wattles are little pieces of skin complete with hair that are located just under her jaw. They are soft and she looks great with them. Both girls will remain with Jan and Ken at Stony Knoll Farm until the are bred. We didn't think we would have kids next spring. Sophie and Bella are still too small to breed this year. What a treat we will have with new babies.

Alex the Alpine buck was still in a tither over this Toggenburg doe. We were able to observe a breeding at the farm. Time will tell if she took or not. If not she will come into heat again in about 3 weeks. To have milk you must have a baby. That is the goal of this whole process. It's is nature and we try real hard not to make it complicated. Keepin' it simple. We had another question and answer session after all was done. We feel that we left with so many more answers than questions. We may take the class again when we find out that we have so many more questions than answers again. It's a process. Learn, do, learn, do and repeat.

After class we headed over to Skowheagen, Maine where our favorite store is located. Tractor Supply. We needed to pick up a heated water bucket for the goats inside the barn. Our water freezes solid in the winter and the animals must have a fresh, clean, and continuous supply of water. They are not good at eating ice pops. You never just pick up one thing at that store, we also got more goat minerals, new feeding buckets, a big tank water heater for the sheep. New Toys! We stopped at Thunder Road Farm on the way home and got winter squash.

To much to resist. We were exhausted when we finally arrived home. We fed all the animals and tucked them in for the night. I am going to tuck myself in now. And by the way, the acorn squash was so good. Fall is such a comfort time of year. Warm and cozy inside and chilly out. I love Maine. Thank you to all the new friends we made at this years Goat School. We will keep everyone in our thoughts and prayers for a safe trip home whether it was close or far away. With the internet we hope to keep in contact with everyone. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm. Goodnight to all.

Kelly

Meet Fuzzy

We were at one of our other favorite stores last week looking for a water trough for the sheep, minerals, feed, treats. Ok, so they don't need treats but I do. I got me a new pair of shoes! Yehaw! I love Tractor Supply. We are getting one in Bangor and I think I might just have a fit. I will try to contain myself but it will be very difficult. Boy did I get off subject. See what Tractor Supply does to me. Anyhow, what I was trying to get at was we met this very nice sales lady named Tracy and being the shy quiet type that I am, I started telling her all about our new sheep and the goats and how excited we were. We got on the subject of guardian dogs and how we now felt that we needed to protect our loved ones as much as possible. Sadly, she is having to downsize her animals. Happily for us she has a guardian Llama that she would like to find a safe and happy home for. I almost came off the floor. Her llama is names Fuzzy (from the Muppets) and she if four years old, very protective of her fiber goats and needs a home. So we made a play date!

Please meet Fuzzy. She loves goats and sheep, does not like dogs, likes cats and tolerates people. She was a bit shy at first. She is staying at a friends farm in Harmony, Maine temporarily. She has just been shorn and I think she is a bit embarrassed at the new do. Haven't we all wished we had a rock or two to hide behind with that terrible perm era known as the 80's?

She is not a cuddly llama, she was not imprinted by people early in her life. She doesn't spit or bite people but will spit and bite dogs. Just our kind of llama.

This little guy with her is not her cria. He will remain with Tracy. Fuzzy does not like the little one. He is a sweet cuddly llama. But not what we are looking for.

We have to get shelter for Fuzzy ready. The five foot tall sheep shelter just won't do now. We need more space for her height. She has had her CD&T and been de -wormed, but we have to have the vet come out and give her a rabies injection and check up. We have been busy putting up electric fence insulators but we ran out. Darn, we will have to go and pick up more at our local Blue Seal. Not nearly as much fun as Tractor Supply but a heck of a lot closer. The pasture is beginning to take on a Fort Knox look to it. The weather here has been stormy with on and off showers. On our way home we came across the most beautiful scene. This is another reason I love Maine.

And this.......

and this......

and this......

Boy am I glad I'm not standing under that rain cloud. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly