Welcome!

I hope you enjoy reading this blog. I will never claim to be an expert on cheese making, goat milking or farming (everyday I learn something new). However, I have learned so much from others who have generously shared their experience in books and on the web and hope to use this blog to pass it on to folks considering goats. I am completely enchanted by these creatures and how they have enriched our life. The amount I have learned since we got our first two goats has been exponential. Now our herd of 21 Nigerian Dwarf Goats is a big part of our daily life and I can't imagine it any other way. This blog will chart the seasons of milking and cheese making as a record for myself and a resource to others who are looking for a window into what it is like to own these adorable mini dairy goats.
For more information about our farm, please look us up on: Our Farm Website
Or LIKE us on FACEBOOK and check often for creamery updates: http://www.facebook.com/sunflowerfarmcreamery
Showing posts with label kidding season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kidding season. Show all posts

Sunday, May 6, 2012

First Kids of the Season

May, Stella, Greta

Mama out on the first adventure with her kids

Pretty Greta

Tiny Stella
If you are getting a dairy going, during kidding season doelings are the equivalent of hitting the jackpot, a slam dunk, a hole in one! Imagine our joy when Sonnet, the first to freshen, delivered 3 healthy doelings! Stella, May and Greta are perfect little angel goats. Each of them is completely different in attitude and appearance. Greta is a big girl with an amazing zebra face. Stella, the last to be born, is tiny and a mini version of her mother. May looks like a cross between a barn owl (sweet arched hair over eyes) and a deer. She loves to be kissed and to nibble noses! To top it off, their mother is a great milker, so hopefully we have some future stars to look forward to! They are three days old and have already had 36 visitors, so they are very used to human love and attention, something that makes our kids extra special.

Sonnet delivered at 147 das bred. She looked ready the night before, so I sat in the barn from 4:00 in the afternoon until 6:30 in the morning when she finally started serious labor. It was well worth the wait for these beauties. With three does in the bank it looks like we will have both does and wethers to sell this year. If you're interested in buying a goat, feel free to stop by in May to visit the babies. Last year they went fast, so deposits are a good idea if you want your pick. We will likely keep these three, but there are lots more to come!

Next up this week Chianti and Tiger are due. Can't wait to see their kids.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Dreaming of Kidding Season-The Naming Game Begins

At least once a day now someone in the family says, "Oooooh I can't wait any more for goat babies." Half way through the 5 months we always get absurdly excited, and this year is no exception. The funny thing about goats is you can never be totally sure that goats are pregnant or how many kids they will have until they kid (unless you do an ultrasound). We are hoping we have 7 bred goat mamas which means we could have anywhere from 7-28 kids.
Most of them should now be 75 Days bred.  A great deal of growth will occur during the next stage, and by this point each kid weighs about 4 ounces and is 2 1/2 inches long. The kid's first hairs have sprouted around its eyes and mouth. It has little legs!
So no time like the present to start thinking of names! We are requesting the help of our blog followers around the world. Perhaps the word goat is adorable in your language, or you have a lovely great aunt with a wonderful old name. We are open to all suggestions.
Please leave comments on this post if you have any cute ideas or think any of the ones below are a must.
So far we have the following list:

Tumnus
Persephonie
Basil
Feta
May
Penelope
Mabel
Max
Bailey
Guinness
Stella
Sylvia
Ruby
Arthur
Vera
Marjorie
Buttercup
Radish
Alfredo
Cheddar
Clover
Pepper
Matilda
Milo
Otis
Sylvester
Fern
Rocky
Pearl 
Chai