11 Aug 2013 ... another book by Thomas F. Pawlick. A Canadian slant that scrutinizes the
changes to our rural roots and the possible consequences and ...
VANCOUVER ISLAND GOAT ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Spring 2013 Welcome again to another edition of our newsletter. I’m sure that everyone has been busy with the routines of our daily lives, and hope that any surprises have been good ones. Kidding season being upon us, so far my surprises have all been on the positive side, and I hope to continue in that vein. Twins for one doe, a big buck kid for another (can you say “ouch?”), with no problems. One more to go – no, here’s the update, another single boy. Not a large output, and only one girl from three does, oh well at least everyone’s doing well and it’s not like I’m trying to increase the size of the herd anyways. More like trying to downsize to two milking does, my husband is not so “goaty” (even if I call him the old goat), and he’s the one stuck with the milking duties this year – at least we have a milking machine now, thanks to another VIGA member we were able to purchase a used one last year, the price of new being a tad more than we could afford. Trying to catch up with the plant and veggie side of things – wish I had the physical abilities I had when I was younger, that’s for sure. Things take longer and putting them off only makes it more difficult down the road. A friend has a good approach – take a half hour or whatever works for you at a time, but just get out there and do it. Eventually things get completed and it works a whole lot better than putting it off on the never-never plan. Since the last Newsletter, our Association has been busy. We held our AGM in January, with the following members now holding office: President: Mike Dietrich Vice-President: Kathy Millar Secretary-Treasurer and Membership Coordinator: Bill Johnston Director (Education): Joanne Burns Director (Communications): Marion Woloschuk Directors-at-Large: Vi Brunskill, Leah Parulski, Ruth Thibeau, Janet Thony
Now, some months later, we have met a number of times at the homes of various members and also held a meeting at the Coombs Fairgrounds where we enjoyed participating in the annual Farmers’ Auction. Exciting news for us is that we now have a new and updated website, so look to find us at www.vigoats.ca; we are also on Facebook. We continue to organize some sanctioned dairy shows and other events and currently a committee has reported on our affiliation options with BCGA, with a resolution being on the agenda for the next meeting, May 26th, 2013, to be held at the home of our President, Mike Dietrich. We are trying to increase the educational component of our meetings, and have several interesting sessions planned – the June meeting at Kathy Millar’s in the Duncan area will include a literal “field trip” as she leads a discussion on pastures and forage; the September meeting at Jaki Ayton’s in Fanny Bay will see information on breeding, and the October meeting at Janet Thony’s in Hilliers is scheduled to have a discussion of housing and husbandry. Our Director (education), Joanne Burns, has organized a trip to tour a goat dairy and farm in Langley where they make cheese and is also looking at facilitating a cheesemaking class over on Saltspring Island. And be sure to read Janet Thony’s article on marketing further on in this newsletter. Hopefully we can all learn something new that helps us be better at what we do. Wishing you
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good weather and healthy animals, along with lots of time for fun and relaxation in the upcoming year.
Ruminations: I’m not one to get nostalgic too often, but sometimes doesn’t it seem that it was easier to be optimistic in the “good old days”? Maybe it’s just realizing that there is a limited amount of time left to accomplish whatever goals we have in life (and darn it I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!), but time seems to slip away all too fast and yes, the world at times appears to be going to you know where in a handbasket, as my grandmother would have said. Politics, wars, economic breakdowns, taxes, big brother looking over your shoulder and all the other –mostly serious, sometimes just plain irritating – things that make up too much of our world and sap our wellbeing. I think we can easily get caught up in an increasingly fast paced lifestyle that promotes instant gratification and quick and easy (but often superficial or simplistic) solutions to complex problems. I suppose in many ways the world is indeed much more complex these days, and it often seems that we don’t have much control. Of course there’s lots of “good” as well as “bad” that comes with increasing technology, and I wouldn’t want to turn back the clock and wish it all away. But we can make relatively informed choices as to what we pick to adopt within our lifestyle. And speaking of lifestyle, many of the people I know have chosen to keep in touch with Mother Nature by having a garden or other green spot, and small farming certainly puts us one-to-one with our food supply and the ecological network of the world around us. When I think about global ramifications I try to remember that it all comes down to the individuals that form the network, so as the saying goes “think globally, act locally”….and it sure feels satisfying to get ones hands in the dirt planting good old fashioned seeds or spending some time playing with goat kids. I’m no Pollyanna but it’s a lot easier to feel positive when you see young things springing up, be it kids or seedlings. And speaking of those good old days, here’s a picture of my cousin Ed with a milk goat his family had in the late ‘40s – and this was in the big City of Victoria! His older sister Elsie (I grew up with her kids) sent me the picture with the following note “This picture of my brother and the little goat was taken in 1947. We lived on Forbes Street in Victoria just a few blocks from the Jubilee Hospital. My father also rented the two next door lots because of the orchard. He also rented two lots behind our house for a garden space and barn for the goat and chickens.” It wasn’t uncommon back then for families to grow a lot of their own food – Ed and his family as noted had a large garden, the goat for milk, some chickens for eggs and meat, and did a lot of canning and preserving of what they produced. And the lots were substantially bigger than the houses back then, no McMansions in that working class neighbourhood. My family lived next door from the late 50s onwards, and we also had a very large garden, even a few chickens for a while - until one hen started to crow – even back then things were starting to change a little. I grew up with the idea that it was a good thing to grow some of your own food and on looking back I appreciate the knowledge my parents passed on to me, something that is not always possible in this day and age as we have moved further away from producing or knowing the producers of our food. My husband and I were kind of “yuppie” back-tothe landers in the late 70s, but with both of us working in Victoria and commuting from our acreage in Cobble Hill it grew a little too tiring, so we wound up moving back to the suburbs, and boy
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how I missed the rural atmosphere (didn’t help that we then backed onto a junior secondary school). It took another twenty years or so before we were again enjoying our own small acreage, now we are once more weighing pros and cons as we are both older and the work seems harder and time seems to go faster (thank goodness for tractors, wood splitters and all that labor-saving but pricy equipment). However I shudder to think of what we would give up if we moved to a subdivision or, even worse, condominium (nooooooh…). There are some municipalities allowing people to have a few backyard chickens now – big to-do about it in a nearby town, seems some councilors see the birds as “dirty” and “noisy” – guess we haven’t come a long way baby when it’s okay to have dogs or cats but heaven forbid a hen cackles when she lays an egg – it goes to prove that people just don’t get it sometimes when it comes to priorities. So kudos to everyone out there that’s trying, in small or large ways, to connect to their “roots” and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
To Market, to Market… Janet Thony has kindly written this article on marketing - she wanted to share her experiences as a small farmer and cattle rancher who has worked hard at building up her clientele here on the Island over the past several years. So hopefully this will give you some new ideas to work with as sometimes we fall into the trap of following the same old routine without questioning whether it works well or if there are other ways to try out. It’s good to get input from a variety of people and sources and to perhaps think “outside the box” to optimize our returns. So when you’re looking at selling that “fat pig”, goat kid, farm experience, or any other farm related “product”, here’s a little input to help you effectively market your wares:
Marketing Thoughts By Janet Thony
Markets are not created, they are responded to. For those of us who feel benefited, as opposed to beleaguered, by the level of commitment involved in owning goats, there are multiple blessings. Companionship, lawn mowers, lovely wool for spinning, sales of breeding animals or valuable working grade goats, meat production or milk production, the values are simple to enumerate. So, if we like to keep goats, because we value and like them, and incidentally offset our husbandry expenses by selling goat products, there should be no problem, right? Not so fast. If, in the consuming public's culturally swayed perception, they are convinced that the product is not healthy, tasty or is otherwise “out of bounds” then no amount of marketing will sell the product. Fortunately there are many people who are seeking your products and many efficient ways to market them. Example Number 1. or How not to set up in business..... 3
A good friend of mine retired from the guest ranch business and moved to Wallachin, a desert micro-‐climate near Kamloops on the Thompson River. Indigenous good soil, great growing heat units and abundant water supply enticed her to plant one acre of Whakatai. Yeah, I know! What is Whakatai? What do you do with it? What are it's benefits? No one she tried to market the unending bushels to knew, or cared, either. It's still stored in her attic....., and, by the way, if you want to grow it, you can make tea from it..... Example Number 2. or a good business plan.... A little closer to home this time. Two of our club members conceived a plan to manufacture healthy, delicious gelato, made with their own goat milk and flavored with locally grown organic fruit. They jumped through all the red tape, spent time researching and setting up the business. Although there were no folks queuing at their driveway asking for gelato, they were responding to a very strong existing market, the clamor for an interesting variety of tasty, healthy food, locally and sustainably produced. "That which is not measured, cannot be improved" Somebody important said that, but I forget who. No matter. This, at first, seems to be unrelated to marketing, but it's not, for a couple of reasons. First of all we need a clear definition of what is meant by "measured". Here it is: 1. Accurately and honestly record input costs, even the indirect ones, usually titled overhead or, on your income tax forms, capital cost expenditures. 2. On the subjective end of things, keep a feel for which products cost you the most in time and energy. This cost vs. benefit analysis exercise is essential to your success. 3. Now the hopefully, fun part. Record all direct income, but don't forget to include the indirect financial benefits of what you're working at. For example, running A (or now, G) plates on your vehicle, lower land taxes if you can achieve farm status, and providing yourself with food and enjoyment from the same time, energy and infrastructure as that which turns your profit. How is this related to marketing? Most importantly, you need a tool to determine price-‐point for your products. You also need to know which product, or variety of products are making you the best return on investment of time, energy and money, because if you're losing money, and/or burning out at what you're doing, you are not going to stick with it for long, in which case, you will have nothing to market, and, incidentally, no need to read this! Marketing in its' simplest form To clarify, marketing may consist of all or some of the following: 1. Print business cards and make them available in a wide variety of venues, and liberally hand them out so buyers can easily contact you. 4
2. Purchase advertising space in newspapers, periodicals and/or local newsletters; post on bulletin boards, etc. 3. Paint a personalized farm sign and hang it at the end of your driveway. 4. Buy promotional products with your 'logo' on them, eg. T-‐shirts, mugs, hats, fridge magnets, post-‐it notes, etc. and give them away to customers. Here's a plug for a great site for this......vistaprint.com is a great, easy to use source for all of the above. 5. Create a website. 6. Network with other producers to increase your information base regarding innovative marketing ideas. 7. Consider Farmer's Markets as a sales venue for accessing the most buyers in the shortest time frame, as well as providing cheap advertising. 8. And everybody's favorite.....exhort your workmates, family members, neighbors and friends to buy your goods. Folks just love a good sales pitch! If you don't actually sell anything, or alienate your social group, you will, at any rate, hone your technique. These all can be truly effective tools in the marketing game, but the next section will show you how you can take things a lot further. Ideological Strategies Some of the following ideas and strategies will work better than the others for some products and marketers. 1. Believe in the value of your product. Have short 'sound bite' morsels, or print-‐outs, about it's quality, uniqueness, nutritional benefits, eco-‐suitability, price-‐point, etc. at hand for your customers. 2. Be knowledgeable about your product. Anticipate probable questions and have ready answers. Prospective consumers are not going to feel confident about buying your product if you appear hesitant and uninformed. 3. Be knowledgeable about the current state of agricultural politics. The latest CFIA horror story in the beef industry, the Whole Foods marketing fraud fiasco, the debate surrounding the growing use of GMO's, the ongoing 'green-‐washing' rampant in the production and marketing of so-‐called organic food by large corporate agri-‐ industry, the legitimate, growing fear in the consumer sector regarding food sovereignty and safety, and their parallel interest in local food production, the current state, globally, of raw-‐milk legislation; are only a few of the 'hot potato' topics that help local farmers promote their homegrown, safe, nutritious products. 4. Listen to your customers and fit your conversations with them, to their interests, not your favorite ideologies. 5. Be clear, verbally, or have print-‐outs, or clear signage regarding your management needs. Clear pricing is particularly important, but also, for instance, when you're open for business, rules around 'barn visits', care of returnable packaging, when 5
seasonal product is/will be available, etc. Customers are more likely to be repeat buyers if they feel informed and can plan their purchasing needs and scheduling. 6. Your customers have to trust that you know how to do your job properly. Whether that's milking in a safe manner, breeding and/or training dependable animals for sale as pets, or working animals, growing healthy produce, keeping your hen flock healthy, exercising care in the production of value-‐added products, or raising your meat animals humanely; their perception of your level of expertise and commitment, if positive, is a powerful marketing statement. 7. Adopt a 'perks program'. For example, throw in a jar of home-‐made jam to a customer who just picked up a big meat order. To a long-‐term, loyal customer, offer a 'free day'. All my customers get something free during Christmas week. Source other farmer's products, eg. frozen meat birds, lamb, beef, pork, if these are items you don't also produce, and have some in your freezer to sell to your customers, as a convenience and 'perk' for them taking the time to come to your farm. I don't mark up other farmer's products that I carry, and I have had them sell product for me the same way. The ideas that fit into this category are endless and are always well received. 8. Make sure your customers know that you appreciate their patronage, their extra efforts to come to your farm, their loyalty and their trust in you. 9. Do not apologize for, or justify, or make excuses for your price point. And the corollary to this...... 10. Learn to identify those who won't fit your ideal customer description. If a prospective customer protests your pricing schedule, negatively questions your farming or production methods, asks for credit, doesn't adhere to schedules or commitments, or orders seasonal products then reneges or demurs, send them off....let's see.... to buy from someone you don't like! There is little profit made or enjoyable commerce in you wasting your time and energy in trying to talk someone out of their money. Well folks, marketing is simply about making your customers want to keep coming back to you. You have made them comfortable with your farm management style, provided a pleasant social interaction, addressed their needs by listening to them and fitting your product to them, and appreciated their extra effort. So now, all you have to do is figure out how to keep up with the demand! Spring has Sprung Jaki Ayton, one of our experienced goat owners/breeders who has a small dairy, has sent in some short and easy to understand information on kidding and goat care.
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Check out the website at www.snapdragondairy.com to find out more about Jaki and Karen and their enterprises.
Kidding A quick reference Doe in labour? Acting differently, circling, calling, pawing at the ground, talking to her belly, laying down and getting up repeatedly, wobbly, loose jointed, puffy vulva, tail is loose, discharge from vulva, stops moving and strains, bubble of fluid or toes showing in the vulva… WATCH her, note the time, at this stage of labour she should be producing a kid within 15 minutes once she really starts to strain. If you don’t feel like you can handle this, get on the phone to get the Vet out NOW, or call another experienced (successful) goatkeeper, someone who has experience and lots of it. When the first baby is born, wipe her face and mouth to remove the goo so she can breathe, place her on her tummy on a clean cloth or newspaper or a towel, legs spread out like a frog – this allows her to breathe easily and cough. You will dip her umbilical cord later but try to keep it a little clean now. Does usually have twins, get ready for another, second baby is usually easier and quicker. Once the babies are born, the doe will pass the afterbirth – it can take a while and is mucky/bloody. Don’t pull it out, let it happen naturally. Mum will usually want a nice drink of warm water and some food – not too much. She’s worked very hard and needs TLC. Blanket her if she is shivery. That’s about it. Ninety percent of does will kid this way. THE Remaining TEN percent – Does that need help kidding every labour should be on your cull list, let’s not end up like some dog breeds requiring C-sections every litter. How will you know she is having trouble? No babies on the ground after 15 minutes of straining What happens now is out of the realm of this article but if you decide to intervene remember a few things: • Keep everything clean, wash your hands, wash the doe’s behind, have lots of towels • Only pull baby out if you are sure you are pulling on just one baby • Pull firmly but gently towards the udder – not out toward the tail, pull in an arc • Baby’s and Mom may be exhausted afterward – they will need more care 7
Quick Notes in Caring for Newborn Kids • •
90% of babies will be born quickly with no intervention 10% will need to be pulled and will require more care
The 90%: Place the slimy baby in the recumbent position, meaning on her tummy with her legs spread out like a little frog. It’s the easiest position for her to breathe and clear goo out of her lungs. A quick face wipe helps too. Dip the baby’s navel soon after birth – a strong iodine solution is best (available through feed store/pharmacy) If you are letting the babies nurse from mom, help them get their first meal of colostrum. You may need to strip the doe a bit to remove the normal waxy plugs from her teats. Baby’s wag their little tails when they are getting milk successfully. You can help if the doe is tame, or just watch. If you are bottle raising, let the doe clean the kids off a bit, this will help her pass the afterbirth, then snatch the babies away, dip their navels, and feed them nice warm colostrum. Try to get a couple ounces (60 mL) in the first feeding, more is okay. Bottle babies need to feed about 4 times a day for a day or two and then 3 times a day is okay if you are pushed for time. Keep them clean and DRY! Selenium supplement can be fed to the mom or injected, I also give my babies 3 mg of Selenium/E in an injection in the first day or 2 of life. We are chronically low in selenium in this part of the country (Wet coast of Canada). Call other goat keepers if you have questions – especially the breeder of your does (the person you bought them from), this person is your best resource and you have a relationship with them already. A good breeder will provide you tons of support and they know the animals. The breeder has raised the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, nieces, cousins of YOUR doe and knows what they are like. It’s another reason to pay a bit more and get quality animals – you get all the support with the purchase. Other goat breeders can help, of course, but none will know the breed and bloodlines as well. For the 10% - experience will help; calling for help and your vet will help as well. Quick Notes: Care of a doe after kidding Most does will kid quickly and be up taking care of their babies in less than 1 hour. A first time mom (a first freshener) may need to be confined with her kids to let her get used to them and allow them access to nurse. 8
Once the babies are born, offer the doe a nice big drink of warm water and a bit of grain. Move her to a cleaner spot or place fresh bedding under her. The afterbirth is expelled within the next 24 hours or so. Do not let her eat it; if possible, it may upset her tummy. Once she is standing, make sure her milk/colostrum is flowing, most does have waxy plugs in the ends of their teats. Generally, the babies can manage it but it doesn’t hurt to give them a hand. DO NOT milk your doe completely out for the first 3 or 4 days. Milk enough of the colostrum out so she is comfortable but don’t empty her udder. Milk fever (not really a fever at all) can be a problem with heavy producing does. Taking all her milk can cause her to deplete her body of calcium. Calcium makes her muscles (legs, heart etc…) work – it is a veterinary emergency. Read up on it and talk with your vet if you keep does that make a lot of milk. Once the babies are taken care of and the doe is feed, watered, and somewhere comfortable, leave her alone for a bit. She has worked hard and needs a rest. I check back on mine every ½ hour or so but try not to bug them too much. Deworm your doe the day or day after she kids; also give her selenium/vitamin E supplements (in her feed or an injection). At our dairy, we use pour on Eprinex for internal worms, it doesn’t kill lice. Ivomectin kills internal and external parasites but hasn’t been cleared for use in milking does. If you aren’t drinking the milk, you may want to use Ivomec – either injected or orally. For the next 3 weeks, you want to check her every day to make sure she isn’t developing any problems like mastitis or any uterine infections. Does are very tough but the 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after kidding are when most of them will get sick and die. Daily observation of her attitude, appetite, and overall health is vital. Kidding season is not the time to head out on vacation – regardless of the breed (meat, milk, fiber, or pet). Enjoy the new babies and the lovely milk.
Jaki also suggests we might find the following webcast interesting (don’t know the contents of this one yet – but should be at least “interesting” – there are a number of them on different subjects available for viewing, so check them out if you want: BCCDC May 16 Special Grand Rounds: Nadine Ijaz presents "Unpasteurized milk: Myths and Evidence"
Please join us for a special Grand Rounds on Thursday, May 16 from 12n-‐1pm in the Lane Level Lecture hall when guest speaker Nadine Ijaz presents “Unpasteurized milk: Myths and Evidence”. Nadine Ijaz is an independent researcher and medical herbalist with an MSc degree from the University of Wales, specializing in the scientific analysis of integrative health issues. Nadine was previously staff
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nutritionist at InspireHealth, Canada’s premier integrative medical cancer care center. In addition to her private practice, she has been a faculty member at Pacific Rim College since 2009, and at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition between 2001 and 2012. This presentation will be webcast live and then archived on the BCCDC Grand Rounds web page (with presenter’s permission). http://www.bccdc.ca/util/about/UBCCDC/GrandRounds/default.htm For offsite participants, please join us by clicking: http://phsa.mediasite.com/mediasite/Play/b54b4be24bab4f4581ef0fdd8023d38d1d Please note: you will need MS Silverlight 5.0 to view this webinar -‐
Recipe: Looking for an easy hors d’oeuvre or light lunch? I often make these wraps using my homemade chevre and smoked salmon with whatever “greens” work for you. Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Wraps Take two soft tortillas (or as many as you think you want to make, there are some interesting “flavors” on the market too). Spread with mixture of soft goat cheese (chevre type) and smoked salmon (I mix the two together, adding a little pickle juice if the mix is too dry to spread nicely) to cover wrap thoroughly but not too thick). Or you could use cream cheese and place lox (the thin sliced salmon) on top of the cheese. Add a line of greens of your choice and maybe a little chopped red onion and roll up the tortilla, folding the ends in just enough to contain the filling. Press enough to seal and cut into pieces, discarding very ends if you want a nice presentation – I cut into maybe 6 smaller rounds for hors d’oeuvres, into just two for a lunch meal.
Diane Andiel has sent us this link to some nice recipes using goat cheese:
6 Ways to Cook with Goat Cheese Soft, fresh goat cheese is a go-to for salads and sandwiches, but it works well in hot dishes, too. Check out these six ideas from Chowhound: 1. This farro, black kale,... READ MORE»
Here’s another recipe you can use with goat cheese and/or cream – easy to substitute your favourite veggies: Summer Vegetable Tart Prepared pastry shell, your own or store bought 3 oz small broad beans 3 oz runner beans, trimmed and sliced 3 oz fresh peas
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1 sliced tomato 2 large eggs, beaten 8 oz whipping cream 2 tbsp (or more if to taste) grated cheddar or Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Cook all veggies except tomato until just tender. Arrange in pie shell. Mix eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and pour over veggies. Bake for 45 minutes or until done in 350F oven.
Food for Thought Here are some books/magazines I have read lately that might be of interest to you: Countryside & Small Stock Journal – I like this magazine, it’s pretty down to earth and often has some information on goats – the latest edition covers alternative energy tips, protecting your livestock with solar fencing, open hearth cooking, baked bean recipes and much much more – you get the drift, geared towards what they call homesteaders and the simple life. Island Farm & Garden – Think I mentioned this magazine in the last newsletter but it’s worth another look, you can pick it up free at local Island supply stores etc. It’s new and printed locally by a couple in Ladysmith. As they say in the introduction “our magazine is poised and ready to share (as is the farming tradition) ideas to increase productivity, decrease costs and improve flexibility – the key to market survival.” You gotta like that. The latest issue has an article on community supported agriculture, a recipe for basil, strawberry and goat cheese salad, stuff on canine care and much more. Check them out at www.islandfarmandgarden.ca and you can read the latest issue online. The War in the Country – How the Fight to Save Rural Life Will Shape Our Future – another book by Thomas F. Pawlick. A Canadian slant that scrutinizes the changes to our rural roots and the possible consequences and changes that need to happen. Our Way Out – First Principles for a Post-Apocalyptic World – Marq de Villiers – looks at the global crisis and asks if we can fix anything – sees that everything is linked and the solution lies in the linkages. All related to population, food, politics and the economy. Making It: Radical Home Ec. For a Post Consumer World – Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, Rodale Books. Another one of those little books that covers a lot of different stuff. Good recipes for homemade and healthy cleaning products, food, building stuff and even a little on beekeeping etc. Worth a look see.
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Upcoming events VIGA Display at Coom bs Fair - The Vancouver Island Goat Association is preparing to
host a large display at the upcoming Coombs Exhibition this August 10th and 11th, 2013 (Saturday and Sunday), the 100th anniversary of this agricultural based fair. The unofficial theme of the fair is “just kidding around”, and we are looking forward to working in conjunction with the fair organizers to produce an interactive display that will promote goats and goat products, and be educational as well as fun for all. We will have a display of various goat breeds, cheese samples, goats to be milked etc. and we are seeking help from VIGA members to volunteer their time and/or offer goats and/or decorative and display items for attendees to admire. Please contact Marion Woloschuk at 250-752-8526; e-mail
[email protected] or Janet Thony at 250-7380888; e-mail
[email protected] for more information. Thank you for your support! This is a great little local fair so think about bringing the whole family for an outing.
Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show at Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEX) (Nanaim o) – Saturday, August 17, 2013 starting at 9:00 a.m. The judge is Patrick McLean from Campbellcroft, Ontario. Entries must be in by 4:00 p.m. Friday, August 2, 2013. Chairperson is Diane Andiel (
[email protected]); Show Secretary is Mike Dietrich (
[email protected]).
Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show at Alberni District Fall Fair – September 7,
2013. The judge is Geraldine Goodman of Abbotsford, B.C. Entries must be in by 4:00 p.m. August 26 th . Chairperson is Jaki Ayton (
[email protected]); Show Secretary is Mike Dietrich (
[email protected]). Seeing as its spring and the kids are arriving, we thought it might be useful to you to attach the following diagram and instructions for a disbudding box. Not all goats get horns, but some do. There are many reasons for not having horns on your goats – safety of your family, especially young children, and of other goats, safety of the goat itself (not getting stuck in wire fences etc.), showability, ingrowing horns, etc. etc. I have been accidentally bumped by a very nice gal who had large horns, I was bending down to scratch her and she brought her head up at the same time. Almost broke my glasses and gave me a nice bruise, and goat heads are hard enough without the horn attachment. This happened even before I owned any and I realized it would be better for all if my future herd was all of the hornless persuasion. You especially want to think about dairy goats, as no one wants to see ripped udders or other disasters if a couple of your does happen to have a go at each other. Of course, in some breeds, such as Angoras, horns are considered acceptable (nice handles when shearing etc.), and there is an argument that horns provide some protection from predators (hay, not as much as good fencing, livestock guardian dogs and a trusty firearm). There are several ways to have a kid disbudded, including a visit from your local veterinarian, but if you want to do it yourself here’s a diagram for a box to put the kid in to hold it in place. I get a friend in the goat club to do mine, an experienced hand at this makes the job go smoothly and lessens the chance of scurs (bits of horn growth) reappearing after. It’s a nasty few minutes but the kids usually get a bottle afterwards and all is again well in their world. The friend’s box has no handles as she sits on top of it as
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she’s doing the job. I recommend you get someone experienced to show you how it’s done and go from there. There’s also a little information on tattooing and another diagram showing how to weigh your goat by “heart girth” (measure around the torso behind the front legs) as well as a few other tips.
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Here’s another article from Jaki, good for a chuckle but it’s something to think about when you’re considering what kind of livestock to keep. Many of us have a mixed bag of critters, and they certainly all present different challenges (and rewards). I expect a rebuttal to this from our bovine oriented people!
Why I am glad I raise goats A reflection by Jaki Ayton As I sit here, Monday morning, barely able to move my arms and hands due to stiffness & sore muscles from Saturday’s night pulling a beef calf that was stuck during birth, I distinctly recall just why I have and love dairy goats. When a dairy goat is in labour, you can approach her. Unlike a beef heifer in a field that won’t let you get within 20 meters of her. With a goat, you can tether her to a fence post and not worry about it breaking or the goat pulling down the fence. With goats, you don’t need elaborate handling facilities such as a chute and squeeze, nor do you really want them – unlike trying to help with a heifer, loose in a field, that has big holes in it and thinking nasty thoughts about people having animals and not being prepared. Anyone ever heard of a corral or stall? When a doe is thrashing around while in labour, you may get bruises but you don’t have to worry about being crushed or breaking a bone. Or getting between the heifer and a fence or tree and getting badly hurt. When a kid is stuck, I don’t generally need ropes to pull the baby out, a stuck calf takes some serious muscle – of which I have some, but not quite enough. A calf-puller would have been dandy. It took four women about an hour to pull the bull calf – we had to keep trading off as our hands kept giving out. I think if you pulled on a baby goat for an hour, you would damage it and the doe. I would have called the vet for a goat. With the heifer, we kept making progress and she kept on pushing him out, so we hung in there. We got his head out after about ½ hour, he could breathe, and all of us rested for a few minutes. It still took a lot of effort to pull the rest of him but he made it. Mum and baby are doing fine though his feet/ankles are sore from the ropes. Actually – we used dog leashes because that was all we had – they were nice and flat against his skin and didn’t tear it. There are so many more options with goats – we could have put a doe in the car and taken her down to the vet’s if needed. Four women are more than enough to deal with any goat crisis. I just love my goats and I really love my Toggenburgs, which are the smaller of the dairy breeds. My biggest Tog is about 180 lbs and most are around 130 lbs. A perfect size to handle on your own. With two women, the doe will understand she is out-muscled and give up. Just something to think about if you are considering getting a cow.
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We hope your enjoyed this new edition of the VIGA Newsletter. Here’s a picture of one of my new additions, only a few minutes old. Darn cute but of course he’s one of the boys. Many thanks to all those who contributed to the Newsletter, we really appreciate your time and effort. Marion Woloschuk Newsletter Editor & Director (Communications) Vancouver Island Goat Association e-mail:
[email protected]
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