August Barn

Wow. The last post is from a frigid February day, and here we are in warm and sunny August. It's been a whirlwind here since February with my mom's wedding, school wrapping up, traveling, landscaping, family, church ......... but the farm family is all happy and healthy and soaking up summer.

I am super pleased with the condition of the goats. Their coats are all shiny and silky, and they are all healthy and content. Last summer I struggled with getting them shined up - I even tried copper boluses - but nothing seemed to get them looking (and that means feeling) the way they should. Plus, if you have never tried forcing something down a 100 lb. goat's throat then you can only imagine how much fun it is!

So what is different this year? Well, the goats were settled into the barn when this winter hit, unlike last year when I moved them to their new digs in January. There is a lot to be said about stress affecting our animals (and ourselves, but that's a conversation for another time) and that is why stability and routine in the barn is vital. I truly believe stress took it's toll last year.

We added two barn kitties to our family, and I am in love (Apollo is not so excited). Leo and Juno are so sweet and playful and joyful and fluffy and curious and purry - I will write about them soon. My barn mornings in the summer are my raison d'etre. I am refilling my spirit each time I am in the barn, interacting with my goats and kittens, sweeping floors and clipping hooves and filling food bowls. If only I didn't have to work to pay for the floors and bowls and hoof clippers! Ah well, I am starting to feel ready for school to start but meanwhile I am savoring my leisurely barn mornings.

As I last posted about my winter routine, I snapped a few photos to share about my summer morning barn routine.

When I first enter the barn I am chastised loudly for how tardy I am regardless of the time, and it is never later than 8 a.m. in the summer. I do a quick visual check to make sure everyone is fine, and then I prepare the grain bowls. I slide the bowls through the Bigs' fence (I think of prisoners, haha!) before I get to cleaning. The three young girls are tied to their "station" so that I can precisely control their feed, and they go right to their stations because it's their routine. The Bigs (which include my old doe Ellie) only get a token amount of grain and minerals so they scramble between the bowls. Imagine a giant game of goat Twister.

After feeding I sweep starting with the concrete outside the barn in the pen (this is where my big boys demand hugs, and they get in the way of the broom constantly), and then I close the Bigs out so I can sweep out their stall. I then open their stall, and close everyone out of the Littles' stall. It's always easiest to sweep without goats.

Here come the Bigs, anxious to check out the clean stall and fresh hay. Will the hay be acceptable? :)

Here is the Little's stall with yesterday's bedding and wasted hay swept in a corner for easy pick up. Note that the hayrack is still full of hay: goats should have access to hay at all times.

I use a snow shovel for efficient pick up.

Here's the stall ready for it's occupants. I have re-fluffed and filled the hay rack, and I always throw a little hay down so that the goats can nibble on it (they prefer to eat off the ground, but hayracks prevent waste and are healthier). I use a bushel basket of shavings per 12x8 stall daily in the summer. Note the desperate goats waiting outside.

The goats are excited to see if this hay is better than that in the other stall (I always use only fresh, mold-free delicious hay, btw)

Invasion

This hay is sooooo much better than the hay in our stall!

Meanwhile the little girls head to the tranquility of the other stall. Eventually they all merge, but every morning it begins with the switch and scramble!

Annabelle nibbles on some loose minerals. The mineral feeder is purposely somewhat challenging to reach so nobody overeats minerals out of boredom.

The Bigs' stall has two buckets of water. Sal is demonstrating.

The Littles' have one pink bucket of water :)

Leo is supervising the morning activities.

Frigid Snow Day

In Niagara County, the temperature seldom gets as cold as it is today: 0 degrees with a windchill of -18. As a result our school is closed and I had some extra time to spend in the barn. Yay!

Keeping your herd warm in these temps can be a challenge. In our old location I had a small shed so I would use an electric space heater during frigid spells, but now that we are in a large barn a heater is impossible. I was concerned that I would have shivering goats this morning but I am happy report that they appear perfectly comfortable. Here is the formula that seems to be working:

1. A draft-free although well-ventilated barn. I open their stall doors on most days depending on the wind direction, but on the crazy cold days like today I keep them closed up.

2. The deep bedding method. I add a new layer of fresh straw each day on top of their bedding "mattress", and I only clean it all out when the weather breaks for a few days. I last changed the bedding about 4 weeks ago so it is really deep right now which is perfect for this frigid weather. The floor is concrete and covered in deep shavings, then loads of straw and the wasted hay build up on top (any goat owner knows that wasted hay is unavoidable - goats are actually very picky about the hay they eat). There is no moisture and no smell whatsoever as it is too cold and the layers of fresh bedding cover it up. When the temps warm up this method is no longer advisable, of course, but in these temps it's the only way to keep your herd warm.

3. Unlimited access to hay. This is true any time of year unless you have enough browse during the growing season, but especially true in the winter.

4. Unlimited warm water. Again, unlimited water is vital 365 days a year, but having warm water available in the winter encourages your goats to drink more and warms them as a hot cup of tea warms us. Heated buckets are a must unless you plan on going out to change the water three times a day. I refill their heated water buckets twice a day with very warm water so they are never without access. I am now lucky enough to have running hot water in my barn, but for years I filled buckets in the kitchen sink and lugged them through the drifts although I have always used a heated bucket. It's worth it for the health of your goats.

A note about coats: I have used them in the past but find them less useful than I thought they would be. First of all I have a goat that likes to pull them off his friends, so I would go to the barn to find goats in various stages of undress! Also, in my experience if the goats are healthy and the above factors are in place, they don't need coats. Of course there are circumstances where coats might become necessary - babies or sick goats - so it's a good idea to have them on hand.

** I am not an expert on goats and I am only writing about my experiences so please do not take my word as gospel. Seek the advice of many, especially your veterinarian.

2.18.15 Update: The brutal cold continues, and my oldest goat Ellie (10 years old) was shivering yesterday. I put a blanket on her - the blanket model with the most velcro so hopefully it will stay in place. She seems much more comfortable now, and I'm guessing her age made he more susceptible to the cold. 

Below are some photos from this morning although the cold made things a little out of focus.

VISIT THE FARM FACEBOOK PAGE TO 

WATCH A VIDEO FROM THIS MORNING'S BARN TIME :)

Annabelle, Lilly and Butternut

fuzzy heads

the ignored hay rack

hay on the bench tastes more delicious than that in the rack

Driveway

This post is a bit dated but here are some photos of the driveway being paved this fall. How nice it is to drive on asphalt rather than dirt :)

Where are you?

I have a suggestion for all who are creating a farm site: clearly put your farm's location on your site, and make it obvious to any of your site's visitors.

As a teacher I can't help but "instruct" people. Truthfully, though, I not only teach students how to make good websites, I am also a consumer of the internet, so I know what I'm talking about. I am always searching farm sites for information and photos and ideas, and I cannot tell you how often I stumble upon sites that do not give their geographic location, only a phone number or email address. Is the farm nearby? 'Across the county? 'Across the country?? It seems like a small thing but it's not.

Okay, I'm done with my web design lesson of the day :)

This map isn't really related to this post but I did find it interesting :)

Biz Card

It's official: Lake Orchard Farm is registered - complete with tattoos for future goats - with both the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association and the American Goat Society. This is so exciting! The farm will have it's first "ad" on St. Andrew's Lenten Fish Fry place mats this year even though we don't currently offer any goats for sale. I guess I'm just proud of the fact that I live on a real farm which has been a lifelong dream of mine :)