When we bought two milking does,
back in July 2011,
they were already 'in milk'~
(meaning, ready to be milked twice a day).
We really
knew nothing,
but
we built a 3-sided shelter, put up a fence,
bought a milking stand and supplies
and
began.
Trust me~
there's been a huge learning curve!
You can read all you want about animal husbandry,
but until you have your animal and begin
the day to day care...you really aren't sure what it's going to be like.
I think one thing I've learned along the way, is that we've been slowly
developing our own 'philosophy' regarding our animals.
Everyone has one, really~a 'philosophy'.
The way you care for any animal~
your convictions about feed, cleanliness,
whether or not to use herbals, animal health & care...
When we first got our does, they were not in the best of health.
After reading and researching we began to find what we believed
would be the way we'd care for them~
~a good alfalfa source
~fresh water at all times
~a healthy grain
~a good amount of vegetable 'leftovers'
~herbals
~yeast
~diatomaceous earth (natural dewormer)
~free choice minerals & baking soda
Of course we didn't start all this at once. It just evolved over time.
And, now.
Now, we're back in RAW MILK~
and is it GOOD!!!
Tippy, the doe that just kidded barely two weeks ago,
is producing an amazing gallon of milk a day.
Her little buck drinks about a 1/2 gallon
(divided up between 4 feedings),
and
we get the rest.
YUM!
Our journey with goats has been a good one~
(meaning, ready to be milked twice a day).
We really
knew nothing,
but
we built a 3-sided shelter, put up a fence,
bought a milking stand and supplies
and
began.
Trust me~
there's been a huge learning curve!
You can read all you want about animal husbandry,
but until you have your animal and begin
the day to day care...you really aren't sure what it's going to be like.
I think one thing I've learned along the way, is that we've been slowly
developing our own 'philosophy' regarding our animals.
Everyone has one, really~a 'philosophy'.
The way you care for any animal~
your convictions about feed, cleanliness,
whether or not to use herbals, animal health & care...
When we first got our does, they were not in the best of health.
After reading and researching we began to find what we believed
would be the way we'd care for them~
~a good alfalfa source
~fresh water at all times
~a healthy grain
~a good amount of vegetable 'leftovers'
~herbals
~yeast
~diatomaceous earth (natural dewormer)
~free choice minerals & baking soda
Of course we didn't start all this at once. It just evolved over time.
And, now.
Now, we're back in RAW MILK~
and is it GOOD!!!
Tippy, the doe that just kidded barely two weeks ago,
is producing an amazing gallon of milk a day.
Her little buck drinks about a 1/2 gallon
(divided up between 4 feedings),
and
we get the rest.
YUM!
Our journey with goats has been a good one~
 |
| Jonathan milking Tippy~ |
 |
| This is what our top shelf in the refrigerator looks like these days. In the back, in an ice container, we put our milk in glass jars after filtering it and try to cool it to 39 degrees within the first hour. The baby bottle in front is for the little buckaroo as is the big mason jar marked 'baby'. I've switched my kefir over from cow's milk back to goat's milk now. It's a little thin but has all the amazing probiotics and enzymes we love... |
 |
| Olivia getting ready to take the little guy out for a walk~ |
 |
| Tippy, is a good mama, and watches over her baby. |
 |
| The little buckaroo is so fun and loves to jump and run~ |
 |
| Once he's weaned we'll have to sell him. No doubt it will be hard on all of us to see this little guy go~ |
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