Adorable Goat Princess Birthday Card and Postage

As many of you  know, yesterday was my precious BabyGirl's 15th Birthday - her birthday photo was So cute I decided to make it into a birthday card and postage for  anyone who desires to purchase it. :) She is a one of a kind little goat - a miracle goat too - (for those of you who have not yet read her story, Please  take a moment to see why she is so special)  Her name is BabyGirl and her story is Here  make sure to follow all of the links at the pink flowers bottom of each page to see her entire story - you will be glad you did :)
Well on to the cuteness delight of the birthday card I  created :

Goat Princess Happy Birthday Card by getyergoat
Browse more Goat Cards

The text is customizable, so if you like to use it for something other than a birthday - feel free to change the text :)

Sad Times For Goat Owners

This last week has been especially sad for some of my friends and their goats- Personally I lost one of my favorites on Thanksgiving eve. My Bubba was 13 yrs old and his loss leaves an emptiness in my heart that is difficult to describe.
Bubba's classic handsomeness is the focus of many of my goat T-shirts, goat greeting cards, and other goat gifts. He is also the handsome goat in my Cafepress GetYerGoat Shop Logo. He has often been the butt of many jokes, and was the neighborhood mascot, everyone who visited my farm met Bubba and all thought he was a handsome boy. He was sweet and talked to me every day- he was a fence jumper and was constantly getting my attention outside to put him back in the goatyard. I miss sweet Bubba and all of his antics, he will always have a special place in my heart.

My dear friend Judy in Alaska has been battling an untreatable ailment with one of her favorites, her absolute favorite, Jeep, and has made the extremely difficult decision to have him euthanized today- My heart love and prayers go out to her and her sweet Jeep.

And yet another blogger friend the Purple Goat Lady, She lost her favorite mama goat and her last born babies .. my love and hugs to her as well.

Non goat owners sometimes wonder how we can get so attached to our goats- they become pets and family just like a beloved dog cat or in some cases children. :) Losing beloved goats is a pet loss that is as hard on the emotions as anyone else we lose.

Goat Kidding Season

For many of us kidding season is winding to an end- we HAVE SURVIVED yet another year of nights with no sleep, quick dinners, blurry eyes watching goat butts frantically, not leaving the house for ANY reason, wrinkled fingers from hours of making sure we have surgical gloves donned and ready, and the blessing of tiny hooves, pink noses, and the sweet smell of those precious baby goats. I hope your kidding season was successful and all you were waiting for. At GetYerGoat goat gifts, We are celebrating the end of kidding season for the 2009 babies hitting the ground. At the GetYerGoat farm we have had a minimal kidding season, with 6 baby goats born this year; 3 doelings and 3 bucklings and all just beautiful- with 4 of them blue eye'd beauties. For those of you still expecting your precious baby goats I do have a great kidding article to help guide you through the kidding event at Goat-Link.com.

Typical Signs of Early Labor (Not necessarily in order):

1. Appears restless, shys away from herd
2. Eyes glossy or luminous
3. Paying much attention to her sides and smelling the ground
4. Pawing at bedding or dirt
5. Looking behind her and talking to her sides (typically in a voice you have never heard="mama talk")
6. Talks to you alot as if she is telling you she is getting ready (she is, so listen)
7. Gets dreamy eyed or star-gazy (euphoric)
8. Looks less pregnant than she did before-sides have hollowed out, under-belly is full
9. Lifts tail frequently and urinates frequently, usually not much urine at a time
10. Lays down and gets up more than usual-figidty
11. Udder begins to fill more-looks tight and shiny-teats get full
12. Vulva becomes flabby then looks flat and opening looks longer
13. White discharge (this may or may not happen) changing to an egg-white looking discharge, sometimes may have some blood streaking in it.

The Place:
Make sure you have somewhere clean, draft free and warm for your doe to kid in winter and cool,shady and airy (yet draft free on the ground level) in summer. Whether it’s a covered shelter in the goatyard, a place in the barn set up just for her or a spot you are willing to share in the house - don’t laugh! I’ve had many babies born in my house. Some of my more spoiled goats demand it and WILL wait until I let them in to kid!
Here are a few of the baby goats born in 2009 at my farm- these are the pygora babies born, I will try and get a couple of good pictures of the angora goat babies born this year. I do have a spoiled bottle baby as you can see basking in the sun on the bed.

I hope your kidding season is going well and keep in mind I do have a great selection at Goat-Link.com of baby goat articles to help you with everything from feeding bottle babies, to giving enemas to baby goats- how to tube feed baby goats, castration and disbudding. I also have a new article on comparing milk vs milk replacers for feeding bottle babies

HappyNew Year 2008 from GetYerGoat!

Staying home with the goats tonight and wouldn't have it any other way ;) ..
Hope you all stay safe and have a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

If you have not already gotten your 20098 Goat Calendar.. now would be a good time to get one- All Goat Calendars in the GetYerGoat Goat Gift Shop are on sale until midnight central time Wednesday Jan 3, 2008

Stay Safe and don't drink and goat..

hugs goatlady

Goat Gift for Him (or her) - Goat Breed Belt Buckles

Goat Breed Portrait Enamel Belt Buckles $17.99

Nubian Goat Belt Buckle | Boer Goat Belt Buckle | Angora Goat Belt Buckle | Oberhasli Goat Belt Buckle | Pygmy Goat Belt Buckle |LaMancha Goat Belt Buckle |Pygora Goat Belt Buckle |Toggenburg Goat Belt Buckle |Saanen Goat Belt Buckle |Alpine Goat Belt Buckle

Here is a small example of the goat breed belt buckles we have:



Belt buckles measure 3" x 2" and fits up to a 1 1/2" belt strap in width. Made from zinc alloy with crystal clear enamel coating over images. These make a perfect goat lover's Stocking stuffer gift for Him or Her.
Don't See YOUR Breed? Let us know and we can add it to the collection! Makes a cool 4H gift for Christmas too. Goat Gifts for Christmas are the thing to give this year!

Goat Gift Special Blog Reader Sale!

Featured 1 Day in store Sale Goat Gift for Dec 1,2007 thru Dec 2, 2007!
GetYerGoat™ Goat Gifts Blog Will feature 1 day special sales for our blog readers as an appreciation sale from GetYerGoat™
Many of these 1 day sales will be at cost just to say Thank YOU!
(In Store Sales CAN Be used with Coupon codes and Free Shipping Offers!!!)

GetYerGoat™ Members ONLY Rock Bottom Priced Blog Sale! 1 Day ONLY! Grab this funny goat t-shirt at the Low LOW Price of ONLY $16.99!
(This sale is good until 11:59pm Central time December 2, 2007)

The Little Voices in my head Keep telling Me- Get More Goats
Funny Goat t-shirts Goat humor on goat gifts for the goat lover in all of us- cool gifts for you goat ladies.
It makes a wonderful Christmas Gift or Birthday Gift or All Occasion Gift for any goat lady in your group.


Other colors available:
Click to Buy!
A Great Gift for her.

To take advantage of our goat merchandise discounts simply sign up for our GetYerGoat™ Members ONLY Club Newsletter below to become a GetYerGoat™ Members ONLY Member and receive our monthly money-saving discounts on a large variety of unique goat products.
Our Members ONLY Newsletter contains the link to our discounted products exclusively offered to GetYerGoat™ Members ONLY Club
Members.

Free Shipping on orders $50 or more
Coupon code: JINGLE50
Starts: December 1, 2007 at 12:01 am PT
Ends: December 2, 2007 at 11:59 pm PT
Hurry! This sale is only for 2 days ONLY!

Cafepress GetYerGoat™ Goat Gifts Black Friday Sale

Cafepress GetYerGoat™ Goat Gifts Black Friday Sale EXTENDED Thru Nov24 Midnight

It's Black Friday and I know most of you are probably at the shopping malls so I extended the GetYerGoat Black Friday Sales through the weekend.
I have a number of sales for you this weekend :

First of All I have a special Friends & Family of GetYerGoat:Goat t-shirt,Goat Gear,Goat Lovers GiftGet $15 off $50* on ALL items in the shop-
Use this link to enter GetYerGoat™ to activate this special sale
Excludes Gift Certificates, bulk orders, taxes and shipping fees. Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or coupons. Valid through November 28, 2007 at 11:59 p.m
BUT! This offer CAN Be used with the following Sales!

ALL Goat Calendars 10% Off
IN Addition to the Calendar Sale: All Keepsake Jewelry Boxes are $2.00 OFF and All items in the section- Rudolph is Really a GOAT are also $2.00 OFF Until Midnight Nov 24 Only
then they return to their regular prices

Don't forget.....( These $2.00 OFF Specials CAN be used in conjunction with these offers! As they are already marked down in the shop)

What items are NEW at GetYerGoat™?
I added a few NEW Funny Goat T-shirts and Gifts- you can find them in the Our Most popular Goat gifts section -
We have:
1.The voices in my head keep telling me - Get more goats
2. If you want to impress me - be nice to my goats
3. You need a Goatitude™ adjustment
4. Honey, the goats are out
5. When I die the goats get everything
just to name a few..

Go Goat Shopping this weekend at GetYerGoat™ and Save ..

I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as Mine was and all of your goats are happy and healthy.
Goatally Yours
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
GetYerGoat.com
TotallyGoatally. com
JeffersLivestock

Seattle News: Rent a Goat Clears Brush

Craig Madsen's 270 rented goats make quick work of brush at the Metro bus depot in Bellevue on June 6. "They are just eating machines," said Tammy Dunakin of Vashon Island, who also rents out goats. "They suck down blackberry vines like it was spaghetti. I don't understand it, (but) the thorns don't bother them at all."
Rent-a-goats gain foothold
Critters grow popular in city as cheap, chemical-free way to clear vegetation
GetYerGoat Has the Yard sign just for you! Signs have a place for you to put your contact information, (or you can order ahead of time with your phone number to be printed) Let passer by's know you rent your goats for brush clearing!


By COLIN McDONALD
P-I REPORTER

In 24 hours, the goats reduced a bed of ivy to a mat of bare vines. They riddled the once-imposing blackberry thicket with tunnels.

In less than four days, the invasive plants would be vanquished, allowing sunlight to stream through the vacant lot next to the King County Metro bus depot in Bellevue.

With their four-chambered stomachs and insatiable desire to nibble on anything even resembling a plant, goats have gained credibility as land clearers among Seattle-area government agencies and private developers.

"Getting them to accept it is always the hardest part," said Craig Madsen, an Eastern Washington rancher who's part of the urban trend. His rentable herd of 270 Boer and Spanish goats has never been more in demand.

Skeptics, he's found, quickly become converts. Once the hooves hit the ground, few can question the tenacity of these ruminants to devour unwanted foliage.

"It was unbelievable," said John Iwanczuk, a project manager for Saltaire Construction in Seattle. "We've been in the business for 25 years -- we're skeptical about everything. But not only did it reach our objective, we saved a pile of money and made incredible inroads with the neighborhood."

Bringing goats into the city to do what they do best has its advantages: They're cheaper than manual laborers, chemical-free and popular with parents and children. Even the critters' droppings are in demand.

Last month, Iwanczuk was faced with a steep quarter-acre lot on Dearborn Street covered with impenetrable brush. He figured it would take a crew at least a week to clear the lot, filling eight to10 trucks with waste.

When a real estate broker suggested goats, Iwanczuk agreed to give it a try. His colleagues laughed -- at first.

Four days and 60 goats later, the blackberry vines and Scotch broom were gone, and Iwanczuk had risen to neighborhood hero status. Elementary school groups came to watch and pet the goats as they dozed on the sidewalk. Moms brought freshly baked cookies. Local gardeners lusting for free fertilizer scooped the lot clean of droppings.

Iwanczuk estimates he saved $6,000 to $9,000 on the job.

Madsen charges $450 a day for the goats, a $250 transportation fee and extra for setting up their fencing.

"They are just eating machines," said Tammy Dunakin, who runs Rent-A-Ruminant on Vashon Island and contracted with Iwanczuk. "They suck down blackberry vines like it was spaghetti. I don't understand it, (but) the thorns don't bother them at all."

Metro joined Seattle City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation this year on a growing list of goat-hiring public agencies. The trend started in the early 1990s in Los Angeles County, where goats were found to be an effective tool for clearing underbrush on fire-prone hillsides. That practice spread to parts of the Sierra Nevada and the Oakland, Calif., hills.

"It's common as sin," said Frank Pinkerton, who recently retired from Langston University in Oakland, where he researched the use of goats for weed and brush control.

Craig Madsen and his border collie Mac stand guard while Madsen's herd of about 270 hungry goats eat their fill of blackberry vines and ivy at the Metro bus depot in Bellevue on June 6. An Eastern Washington rancher, Madsen spends five months a year touring Western Washington in a semi with a 30-foot double-deck trailer full of goats.

In some places, such as Chattanooga, Tenn., and Appalachian trails, the animals are being used to combat invasive species, Pinkerton said.

When it comes to steep slopes covered in blackberry vines, goats are faster and cheaper than human crews or heavy equipment. Goats can't compete with herbicides for speed but can work in wetlands and along stream banks with minimal threat to water quality or salmon habitat. If allowed to return to an area for a couple of years, they can almost entirely remove English ivy, Scotch broom and blackberries, Madsen said.

"Those little buggers really did clear away a good part of the bank," said Suzanne Hartman of City Light, which used goats last year to clear brush from around the North Substation in the Roosevelt neighborhood. "You could finally see the fence."

City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco saw goats being used near San Francisco before he came to Seattle and quickly approved the idea when his maintenance staff proposed it. The goats will be returning to the Roosevelt site later this summer to finish the work.

Both Madsen and Dunakin, who started their separate rent-a-goat businesses less than five years ago, are now booked months in advance.

Dunakin leaves her island farm once a month for work in Seattle, while Madsen spends five months a year touring Western Washington in a semi with a 30-foot double-deck trailer. Both say demand is being fueled by the growth of the "green" building industry.

Accompanied by their border collies, the goatherds are with their critters 24 hours a day when on city jobs. They sleep in their trucks. Madsen has a guard dog to protect his goats from coyotes on rural assignments.

"But when I'm in the city, I worry about people," he said.

Last month, 15 goats were shot near Oakland while they were clearing land for fire protection.

So far, Madsen and Dunakin have had no such urban problems. After setting up an electric fence to keep the goats from straying, they have little to do but keep watch over the herd and answer questions posed by curious neighbors.

"I read a lot," Madsen said.

As for the goats, "As long as there is plenty to eat, they're happy."

GOAT FACTS

Bet you didn't know:

# A goat's pupils are rectangular.

# Their average life span is eight to 12 years.

# Worldwide, meat and milk from goats are consumed more than the meat and milk from cows.

# Goats can eat up to 8 pounds of green foliage a day.

Sources: Ohio State University, American Boer Goat Association