Goats Gone Wild

Like any other Birthday party the road home can be a long one, While Rufus had not had anything to drink, he would not pass a sobriety test if he got stopped on the long road home. Rufus celebrated his 3rd birthday with friends and his brother.

William Windsor - retires as Royal Welsh Regiment mascot

Billy the Goat - Lance Corporal William Windsor - retires as Royal Welsh Regiment mascot with full military honors

From his gleaming headplate to his immaculately groomed whiskers, Lance




Corporal William Windsor looked every inch the proud old soldier as he left camp for the last time yesterday. He has seen service overseas, met royalty and led every battalion parade, but after eight years on the job, it is time for William Windsor to retire. But unlike other old soldiers, this veteran will be spending his final days in a zoo - because he is the regimental goat, better known as Billy.

The regimental goat is considered a full member of the battalion. He marches in front of the Battalion on all ceremonial duties and is much loved by all ranks. He has a full time carer known as the Goat Major who ensures the welfare of the goat at all times. Billy’s replacement will be unveiled in June when a kid will be collected from a herd on the Great Orme, North Wales.

For the most part Billy has served as unbleatingly as a goat can - although he did once butt heads with top brass when he was temporarily demoted for not marching in time.

He spent two-and-a-half years overseas in Cyprus when the battalion was posted over there and has lived in Chester since their return. During his time in Cyprus, he was disciplined and temporarily demoted from his rank of Lance Corporal to Fusilier for not marching in time during a parade for the Queen's birthday.

http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/trackback/567

Goat Major Lieutenant Corporal Ryan Arthur of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh restrains William Windsor, their Regimental Goat as he lurches towards a television report prior to his retirement parade at Dale Barracks in Chester, northern England May 20, 2009. William Windsor will live out the rest of his days at Whipsnade Zoo.

Read More:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk

http://m.cri.cn/681/2009/05/21/541s18227.htm

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

Doe's Secret Code of Honor

To those of you that have never herd the legend of the code.

It is said to be older that domestic goats, written back when man first realized
that goats could be tamed and tasted the sweet taste of fresh goats
milk.

It was then that the code was written. It has been passed from
doe to doeling, hidden first under stones and in hollow trees. Then
later as people begin to house goats in barns and stables it was
hidden in the cracks in the walls and hollows under the mangers and
hay racks.

Even though no one truly knows who discovered "The Code" (I
think they were scared to admit finding it for fear their does would
revolt) It is rumored that it was first found on a small farm in the
mountains of Switzerland early in the 19th century. That copy was
carbon dated and it was found to be written in ancient goat language
dating 437 B.C.

It took scholars years to translate it, late in the 20th century
around 1963 the translation finally completed it began to be passed
from goat keeper to goat keeper. I was given a copy a couple of years
ago by an old goat keeper who took me under his wings and here it is
for those of you who are new to goats and haven't seen it.

Doe's Secret Code of Honor

The doe's secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is
ultimately the species best kept secret.

No doe shall ever kid before
it's time. (It's time being determined by the following factors):

1- No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all
involved. Your owner's house must be a wreck, their family hungry and
desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.

2- "Midwives" must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out.
Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence mean
the time is getting close.

3- For every bell, beeper, camera or whistle they attach to you,
kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they use
an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.

4- If you hear the words, "She's nowhere near ready. She'll be fine
while we're away for the weekend," Wait until they load the car, then
begin pushing!

5- Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of
someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you're
getting close.

6- When you hear the words "I can't take it anymore!" wait at least
three more days.

7 -You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are
mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing
your food around in the bucket and then walking away from it, and
nesting, are always good for a rise. Be creative and find new things
to do to keep the adrenaline pumping in those who wait.

8- The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to
avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear
that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for
another day. OH, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems
fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful
wormings can also be avenged at this time.

9- If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when
to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has
been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe storm warning is
what you're waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump into action!
The power could go out and you could have the last laugh. You have a
good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching
for a flashlight that works!

10- Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time
someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love
you as the extra goodies fall their way too.

Remember, this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly
special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a
beautiful doeling to carry on the Doe Code of Honor for the next
generation of those who wait!"

This is being shared with permission from Tom Kuettner

Goat Lover's Story: A Man and his Quints

Just when you think YOUR Life has been filled with way too much activity- read the heartwarming story of the men with their baby goats-

LOTS of them

The Quintuplets

Three Boer does and 13 newborn kids between them, all bleating at once, “Help us, we’re cold, wet and hungry, Fix it please, Right now“!

Hey, I did not sign up for this !!

I have a long and varied employment history. Stoop laborer in the California fruit fields, cutting Grapes, picking Oranges, and knocking Almonds from the orchards under the hot summer skies.
I have worked in sawmills and as a logger in the cool timber country of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

I have traveled the world, Europe, Japan, Korea, Okinawa and Viet Nam as a member of the United States Army. Infantryman, Communications Sergeant, Radar operator in the Air Defense Command in Seattle, Washington, Combat Medic in the Army, Licensed Practical Nurse, both in the Military and as a Civilian. A Registered Nurse, traveling through out the United States. None of these jobs prepared me for the situation in which I now find myself.
I had settled in Florida after retiring from the Army after 23 years; I had met and married a Nurse while working there, and when she became ill after 12 years of marriage, I retired from my Nursing career to take care of my ailing wife. When she passed away three years later, I deeded our Florida property to her children from a former marriage and fled back to California to the refuge of family and friends and, perhaps, memories of happier times.

So at 74 years of age, I accepted a position as caretaker of a 120-acre ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The new owner had just purchased the property and was going to commute from his home in Central California while getting the Ranch started. After I had worked for him for several months, he told me that he was thinking of getting into the meat goat business and asked if I would like to help him get the Dutch Creek Goat Ranch off the ground.

We both figured that, at the most, it would take only half hour to 45 minutes, twice a day, to feed and care for the goats, as they would return, on their own, twice a day to the feeding stations. We also had two huge Animal Guard Dogs, Bear and Snow; these Great Pyrenees dogs lived with the goats 24 hours a day and protected them from any predators. Therefore, we figured that it would be a quite doable situation. Any extensive problems, such as shots and hoof trimming we could do when he came up from Palo Alto on his periodic visits to fence the property and construct out buildings.

On the morning of February third at 2:00 AM a series of events started that put the lie to all of our well-laid plans.

One of our pregnant does , unbeknownst to me, had decided that the space under the house, right beneath my bed would be a warm and safe place to birth her kids. The thumping, moaning, and the bleating of newborn kids from under my bedroom floor let me know that there would be no rest for me until I had transferred the new mama and kids to the birthing shed about 300 feet away. It was a typical February night here in the Sierra‘s, the temperature was in the 30’s, clear and cold.

Putting on warm clothes, grabbing some old towels to dry the kids off, I crawled under the house where the mama had secreted herself to birth her kids in safety and comparative warmth. I found the mother licking two newborn kids dry. I picked up the kids and crawled backwards from under the house, mama following me and nipping at my hair, trying to keep me from kidnapping her babies. She followed me anxiously to the birthing shed, and then followed me as I placed the kids in a warm stall and then she happily started eating the alfalfa and grain I had placed in the stall for her. After getting mama and babies all settled and making sure the kids knew where the snack bar was, I returned to bed.

Later on that morning, 3 hours later to be exact, I arose from my warm bed to feed the other 59 goats. As I walked down to the feeding area, I found another mama cleaning up a newborn baby, wait, a set of twins, no, triplets, four…, oh my goodness, quintuplets…I could see that moving her to the birthing shed was going to take some time so I congratulated the new mama, admired her kids and continued to the feed troughs and fed her cousins and sisters. I then went back to the house and enlisted the aid of my brother to get the mom and babies to the warmth of the birthing shed. The mom and kids settled in well, so as soon as I was sure they were all comfortable I left to continue my feeding chores.

As I approached the feeding area again, I saw a baby kid nursing from it’s mother as she was eating at the hay station. At first I thought that the young kid had escaped from the enclosed area where we place the newborn kids and mothers prior to releasing them into the main herd. Then I realized that this was a really newborn so I started checking out the area, as twins are the norm in our flock. I saw some movement near a large stump about 300 feet from the feeding area and went down to get the other twin and found instead the four brothers and sisters of the waif at the hay feeder. I again enlisted the aid of my brother and we began the process of getting the mama and her quintuplets to her quarters in the nearest birthing shed. I do not know what the odds are of goats having quintuplets, but I imagine the odds of having two sets in one night are astronomical.

Later that morning we found a very cold and confused kid near the back of our house looking for his mama. Evidently he had wandered off prior to me moving his mom and sister’s to the birthing shed. When I settled him down with the rest of his family for a warm meal and a comfortable bed, I am sure I saw him give a great sigh of relief.

After notifying the boss of his good fortune, I went online and started asking advice from the internet goat raising community…”How do I keep these quintuplets happy with mama’s who are only equipped with appliances for two kids. The information I received was not calculated to calm my jangled nerves.

So much for “30 to 45 minutes a day taking care of the goats“!

Any body out there up to bottle-feeding 10 baby goats five to six times daily, around the clock???
Terry and Bruce can be reached at coldflamingo@wildblue.net
Update on the babies - a Bucket feeder helps to "bottle feed" all these kids
the kids, as you may notice are color coded.


It has been quite an experience for this old soldier. We have extended the night feeding to 6:00PM to 8:00 the next morning. The kids don't seem to be any the worse for wear with the long night break,

Sleep Number® Bed Head Contest- VOTE for your favorite Bed Head Pet

VOTE for your favorite Bed Head Pet- Most people when they see this entry won't realize this is a GOAT, and a very special goat at that. She even has her own website
In order to vote, you need to fill out a form (no purchase or anything and then vote- My BabyGirl is on the 3rd page of the pet Gallery: Kind of a PIA to go through it but sure would be cool if she won her own bed. So Please Get out and Vote for the Goat who deserves a bed all her own.
We need all the votes we can get - I doubt people realize this is a GOAT in bed, unlike all the doggies and kitties you'd expect to be in a bed. :):)

Goat T-shirts Sale at Zazzle

Columbus Day Sale at My Zazzle Gallery
14.92% off all orders! This weekend only! Use code: COLUMBUS2008

My GetYerGoat™ Zazzle Gallery is unique in the sense that you can add text to the designs , and if you see one shirt or item and want a different style you can apply the style you want in the color you want at time of order. I do have a few items in particular to personalize, such as Feed bucket with My Name on it and a place on the bucket to put your name as well as My Bliss is My Goats and a place for your herd name or farm name. The greeting cards are blank inside and you a can add any text inside you want - SO shop and Save this weekend at my Zazzle GetYerGoat Goat Gift Gallery!

Goat Feed Bucket Shirt
by
getyergoat



Goats on T-shirts Personalize
by
getyergoat
Make personalized t-shirts On zazzle.com
See more Animals Pets T-Shirts

Have a Great Weekend!
goatlady


GetYerGoat™ Goat T-shirts and Goat Gifts
GetYerGoat at Cafepress
TotallyGoatally Gift Shop

Goat-Link.com

GoodBye Sweet Boy Willie

With tears in my eyes and a very heavy heart- I lost my beloved Willie - He was my gentle giant and so sweet . He kept my billies company and kept them safe. I don;t have many words right now, but he will be missed terribly by all who knew him. I just now came in from the burial and am trying to get myself together so I can go do evening feeding- minus my pretty Willie. He was the sweetest Llama I have ever known .. Goodbye sweet boy - mommy will miss you.

GetYerGoat Boer Goat Artwork on T-shirts and Gifts at Zazzle

GetYerGoat™ Has Boer Goat T-shirts and Shoes!

Looking for Boer Goat t-shirts or Boer Goat Gifts for your favorite goat breeder or 4H student? These make the perfect goat gift for Holiday Gift giving and all occasion goat gifts.

Back to School Specials for GetYerGoat Blog Readers! Cafepress T-shirts

It's hard to think summer is nearly over and the kids will be going back to school- to help sweeten things up we have chosen a few of our back to school goat designs to ease the pain and give back to our faithful readers a money saving opportunity!

We will Offer these designs for 48 hours and then.. They are Gone Gone Gone! So hurry and grab the up while you can! Additionally you can use these coupon codes at checkout for More Money Savings
on your purchase!

These Messenger bags make great Bookbags for kids and teachers alike! The canvas tote bags are great teacher bags for carrying homework and test assignments to and from the classroom.

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