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Pescadero now the land of milk and honey
06/03/2010
We have begun to stock amazing local honey and could not resist making a chevre drizzled with honey and flecked with lavender from the garden. Athletes from the first Olympic Games refueled on goat cheese and honey; nibble your classically delicious snack at our cheese counter, on your picnic, or as a wonderful last course.
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Goats can see clearly now
05/20/2010
With birthing over, we have the spring in our step to revisit fundamentals on the farm, and our major project this May has been the milking process. The milking goats used to approach the milking parlor using a 90 degree turn, which they disliked. Goats are not at ease when they can't see ahead; despite using the same ramp every day they would have to be encouraged into the parlor by a second person each time. So, we have curved the ramp into the parlor so that the goats can see where they're going.
A clear path into the milking parlor
Now that the goats haven't been chivvied into the milking parlor, they are more relaxed and produce more milk. We move them through in small batches so that they don't push or nip in crowds. It's the same groups of friends each time, and the same ones to dash through first or dally behind. They have the time to finish their food in the parlor, so that we can be sure each goat gets 3lb of grain a day.
If this person with a camera would move, we would be happy to come into the parlor
The goat on her way to the loafing barn, the milk on its way to the dairy
Milking is one of the fundamental jobs on the farm. It takes up to three hours twice a day, including setting up and cleaning the machine. Goats fed and milked peacefully, though, are happy goats, and their milk will be delicious.
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All our mothers
05/10/2010
Our new mothers and babies begin a summer of play and growth in the pastures, as we celebrate Mothers' Day with a special tour of the farm.
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Only Fifteen More Pregnant Goats
03/22/2010
We've been running around like crazy, but this season's birthing has gone well and there's plenty of spring milk!
Maggie, our Red No. 13, and her ten-minute-old baby
Maggie was born the year Ryan joined the farm. Ryan was showing a party of schoolchildren into the barn just after her birth. One particular child wanted to know what we would call the kid. We don't name all the goats, but Ryan has a lot of flair with ladies, so he naturally named the goat after the child. So, Maggie, if you're reading this, your namesake is well and has just given birth to her first baby of 2010, a little girl. Maggie the goat and several other mothers follow Ryan, or bleat for his attention, just before giving birth. They want his company as they go into labor. Popular with all the ladies!
BabyGoatLand. Starter Shacks for the Discerning Baby
All the baby girls are housed in the starter shacks of BabyGoatLand, each group according to size and personality. There'll probably be sixteen or so groups by the end of April. We've had amazing help from friends, and we're making the spring cheeses of 2010, so do come and visit soon.
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Baby Goatland
02/28/2010
Annie shows a baby how to feed
Valentine's Day saw the birth of our first baby goat of 2010. The babies are an irresistible mix of soft chocolate and mushroom browns, white and black, and a delight to watch snoozing on their straw or leggily staggering after one another. Perhaps a third of mothers need a little help with birthing, an extra hand to gently tug the babies out. We always have the liveliest older babies in Tony's Pen at weekends, so do come and admire them close up.
Like all other best-practice dairies, we separate the babies from their mothers shortly after birth, to make sure each kid is fed well. The mothers have between one and four babies, and will usually feed the strongest more than the rest. We bottle-feed each baby goat fresh, pasteurized goat milk, and formula enhanced with vitamins and minerals, for about six to eight weeks, until they're all at optimum weight.
We can't help but feel regretful at taking babies from mothers, but must follow veterinary guidelines for dairy herds, to ensure best possible health for every goat. This way, too, we limit the spread of complications that can show up in later life. For example, older goats may get arthritis as a result of infections received shortly after birth if left with their mother.
At two weeks of age, we vaccinate, dehorn and tattoo the babies with their identifying code. We use the American Dairy Goat Association code, to let us know the kid's mother and father. The babies will live in "Baby Goatland", separated by similar age and size into little fenced groups of six to seven goats. The larger, more dominant babies won't bully the weaker ones, this way, producing a more successfully social herd.
Since we're expecting more than 200 babies, this is a lot of work! We have a cot in the barn, and some sleepless nights ahead.
Most babies get the idea straightaway
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