ACB Kids Goats

Man oh man, what a wet and wild winter we have been receiving so far. Lots of water and wind, rain and rising rivers. We definitely have been needing the rain, but maybe not all at once. The boys were moved up front to avoid flooding. The mommas are tucked into a nice dry stall. All we can do is hope for the best and ride this winter till she simmers down.

Does are due to start kidding the first couple weeks of March. We are still making preparations in the kidding stalls as this year all 5 are due at the same time. Hopefully all goes well. This year I am going to set up some cameras in the stalls to monitor them while I can’t be in the barn all the time. Should be pretty handy for the “late night check ins” also.

Stop by the Facebook page for more updates and announcements. As always messenger or email for contact. This has been a busy winter around here keeping up with things that status updates are not as often as usual. Stay safe and dry out there.

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We have successfully found all this year’s kids’new homes just in time for the hectic fall season of running like crazy getting stalls and barns cleaned and ready for the colder weather.

We will soon be doing another blood testing day right after Thanksgiving this year to make sure the herd is clean as well as getting pregnancy tests done on the does. Hopefully everyone is bred which would place kidding season to start in March 2023. It will be very exciting to see who is confirmed and who needs a revisit with the boys. I only gave them a 2 week window of opportunity, and feel the odds were fair, but you just never know. Having tried for an earlier breeding, still gives us time for a re-due if needed. So now we wait for November 27th to draw blood to send for testing.

Stay tuned for the next exciting update

This year we started our breeding season earlier than normal in hopes of having more time to be around during the kidding season. Expecting March born kids in 2023 will hopefully lead to more free time to handle all the kids and get them gentler than previous kids. 

With 5 does and 3 billys, this made for some crafty separating pens. Luckily we have the room to have separate breeding with no chance at a “through the fence oops”. 

1. Halo and Raven are with Billy.
2. Itty Bitty is with Shinedown.
3. And Maize and Star are in with the new buck Ranger.

I am the most excited to see how Maize and Star do as they are out of Halo and she is a terrific mother and milker. 

All in all spring 2023 sure looks like it will be exciting and hopefully not overly eventful. 

Stay tuned for all the excitement that is yet to come.

Summer has left the building and fall is starting to emerge folks. The goats are doing well. Drying off the does and beginning preparations for this fall breeding season that is quickly approaching.

This year we had a total of 7 kids born alive and well. Itty Bitty kidded first with one healthy doeling. Next Raven gave us triplets, 2 doelings and a billy who was wethered as soon as he was old enough. Raven did well raising 3 however she ended up with a doeling smaller than the others so we named her Midget. She made her comeback when her 2 siblings went to their new home. Midget is now the friendliest of the bunch. Then Halo kidded last. She was bred by the billy Shinedown that is up for grabs. It was a busy time and I did not keep track so when she kidded it was a surprise. She had 3 healthy babies. 2 boys and a girl. Out of the 3 one grew slightly bigger than the other 2.

All in all it was a fairly good kidding season. Although next year I’m hoping to get the goats bred closer together as this year the 3 does were spread out weeks apart. Also this year that’s exciting is the doelings we kept from Halo’s last kids will be first fresheners. I am very excited to see how they produce as Halo is an excellent mamma and milker as well.

Now I just have to make room for the coming eventful, hopefully not too eventful spring time kidding. So far this year’s first 3 kids went to new homes and are living their best lives. I still have a young billy and 4 kids looking for their new homes.

In other fall time projects, I’m hoping to utilize the extra milk we have stocked the freezer with and make some soap. I have been hoping to get into soap crafting since I got started milking the goats as well as try my hand at cheese making. We will get there. All in the learning process.

Stay tuned. More great things and updates soon to come.

Greetings all. Last weekend I got the test results back on the goats. All 3 does are bred, and also everyone had been tested for CL, CAE, and John’s. I can now say they are “clean tested Herd”. Supper exciting. I knew everyone was healthy and happy as they can be, but just for a better state of mind. Huge relief.

The process of drawing the blood to then send off was a bit of a learning curve for me. I learned by watching a few YouTube videos and then by jumping right in and going for it. After having some difficulty on the does, the boys I saved to do last as they are a bit smelly, the boys I should have practiced on first. They took it like champs and were so easy to do.

In the future I’m sure I will better get the hang of it with more practice. Just one more thing I now know that I can do.

Kidding season starts the first of March. More news and updates to follow.

Greetings everyone, and a happy new year. I apologize my lack of updates, but as the holidays seemed to drag on, now its time to start getting serious and prepared for kidding season. I kid you not, it will be here before we know it. Supper excited to announce Itty Bitty and Halo are bred and due around the first of march. Raven is not confirmed yet as she is still with the Billy for a couple more weeks. following the end of their honeymoon, I will be testing the herd which is a new chapter for me in this project so that’s exciting. I have ultrasound my confirmed does twice now, and cannot get a decent picture to share. Also still have to figure out how to attach files onto this site. Still just all a learning experience.

Another exciting tid bit is I am scheduling an appointment with a photographer to help me capture suitable photos for a portfolio, in theory.

Next on the project list is finish up the kidding stalls and turn out pens, followed by building a milking sanction. The last couple of years I was milking while sitting on the ground. Not very comfortable. Needless to say I am still trying to get the hand of things and adapt.

If all seems to go well this go around I’m really looking forward to trying my hand at making some milk soaps and cheese, but one step at a time. I have been at this project for quite a while, maybe this will finally be the year I accomplish what I have been shooting for all the time.

At any rate I will do my best to keep posting updates as we go.

Today’s date has some recurring numbers as it is, 12-1-21. Tomorrow looks to be just as magical for it will be 12-2-21. There is always a bit of mystery and magic that unfolds if you are open to it.

I am excited for tomorrow because it is finally time to preg-check the girls and see who’s expecting a spring time joy. Typically, if things go as planed I try to breed in the winter to have spring time babies. Still learning and adjusting to getting timing just right. But its a work in progress.

I have 3 does that could potentially be bred. Only one of them was intentional. I kept a beautiful buckling out of this springs kids. Was hoping he would find his own herd by now, but since he is still available, bred him to one of my smaller does that I had bottle raised a few years ago. They were penned together for about a week and a half before he got board and managed to escape and crawl into the pen with the other does. I was wanting to wait and breed them later as my plan was. But, things happen for a reason right?

So tomorrow is the big day of checking via ultrasound. Will post again with more details soon.

Thanks for stopping in.

As of November 20th, 2021, this site is still under construction as I am learning as I go. Please have patience as I take my time trying to get this right. If you have any suggestions to help me improve as I go, feel free to reach out. Thank you.