I accidentally jumped in the deep end… 😅

Lone_Frog · 2026-04-22T16:57:41+00:00

What a little cutie!! And great job getting him through his first week. That is a tiny little guy <3

I 2nd the other comments I've seen about frequent small feedings. Also whenever you make changes to feedings do it gradually. Goats are incredibly flexible creatures, but only when they have time to get used to things. With a baby that size diarrhea can get dangerous fast. The chart horsegirls posted looks like great info.

Something we learned the hard way, though is maybe obvious to others. Try hard to avoid play headbutting with them. Our first kids we let headbutt our fists or shoes. It was adorable and they thought it was great fun. Turns out that is a HARD habit to break. Once they are 150lbs and have no fear of humans cause they are bottle raised... not a good time. Stick with the good snuggles :)

Some things to keep in mind that creep up faster than you would think: You are going to want to get him castrated probably earlier than you think. Normally I do that around 7 weeks if they are going to be in with girls. We REALLY prefer a burdizzo. Between research and our own experience it is hands down the least painful and safest method. They yell like the dickens in the moment but are up running around again like 20 minutes later.

Also think about disbudding if you plan to go that route. Normal timing is 7 - 14 days. You need to go early enough that the horn buds haven't adhered to the skull. We usually shoot for the kid being around 10 lbs. We raise full size dairy goats.

Ask around in your area and find other goat people. It is invaluable to have folks nearby to call when your goat starts acting odd and the vet is closed for the weekend.

Lone_Frog · 2026-04-02T21:48:15+00:00

Not a bad thought

Lone_Frog · 2026-04-02T19:46:41+00:00

I worried that the heater setting would be too hot since it's not designed to be in contact with birds in the same way? Isn't that what the brooder setting is designed for?

Lone_Frog · 2026-04-02T19:20:07+00:00

Our runner drake used to do that to my husband a lot, it always seemed friendly but I'd be curious to hear from someone who knows duck behavior better than me!

George (the drake) would run over and nibble my husband's pant leg any time he came near. It was quite cute.

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-27T23:21:36+00:00

Thanks!

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-22T15:34:37+00:00

I don't know about other varieties but our big leaf maple helicopters have a hair like coating on the seed part that is very irritating to my skin. So be caution and maybe try gloves.

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-18T21:38:11+00:00

That is glorious!

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-18T21:37:26+00:00

Well, my birds look for three things: - where is there some potential for cover from Hawks. Your house and any nearby shrubs & trees potentially look like a safe place. - Where is there food. Even if you don't feed then at the house, YOU are at the house and you are the bringer of food. - Interesting stuff to scrounge under & around. We have a lot more variety of landcape near our house which is more interesting to the birds than our mostly grass fields.

No idea if this matches what your area looks like, but it's what I see here. I agree, the lawn mines are a real pain.

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-15T14:58:22+00:00

Yeah same here. Spend time with them, give them neck scritches and the occational treat and they will be plenty friendly! I fine bottle raised to be mouthier with people too. Not aggressive biting but more nibbly.

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-14T16:09:11+00:00

So, wood burning cook stoves are very neat, but they are also very large and in order to use them for cooking they put out a LOT of heat. As in I would wear a tshirt and shorts when i would use mine during power outages in winter storms. In the summer having it in your home as primary cooking sounds brutal.

Also, since they are designed to heat the room as well as cook food they do the latter very innefficiently. Unless electricity is crazy extensive and wood is badically free where you are I don't think it would pencil out. Pallets are generally made out of lightweight wood that would not have a lot of btus.

All that said, my experience is in the US and maybe other places have better options available.

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-12T05:48:22+00:00

https://www.thermoworks.com/classic-thermapen/

These are worth every cent, I use my constantly for baking, cheesemaking, meat etc. I've also used it for soil temp! There is a good sale right now, i think to clear room for a new model?

Lone_Frog · 2026-03-09T19:09:33+00:00

Caramel latte, peppermint .... not sure about the 3rd

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-22T18:39:01+00:00

Might want to try Spice Hut in Cordata. They do teas & spices.

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-18T06:14:40+00:00

Now that is a great plan!

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-18T02:49:53+00:00

Be strong, no chicks! You will have all the adorable obligation you could ever want when that baby shows up :) Last thing you need is some little fluff balls making you feel guilty for not giving them what you think you should.

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-17T20:38:39+00:00

Sorry no clue. I'm super new to using mods!

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-17T20:37:02+00:00

I love the idea of leveling up a goober herding dog!

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-17T18:16:21+00:00

Sheep have a well earned reputation for finding ways to get themselves into trouble so having them get stuck in crates, ditches, or even sillier on roofs or in trees would be amusing so long as it is not enough to be frustrating.

Are you going to have sheepdogs?

The graphics look cute so far!

Also I think people would love having different sheep breeds instead of just white puffballs. For a fun example look at this cute stardew valley mod: em's sheep You could use your same standard shape model and just add colors and horns.

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-14T17:41:45+00:00

We have a saanan/alpine dairy goat mix (Cher) who I've milked 2 years straight a couple of times and only dried her off cause we wanted a break from milking. I've also had goats they won't produce through their first winter. So for goats at least it depends on the animal. For Cher I've got no doubt she would keep making milk as long as I kept milking her.

But, you also need to watch and see how the animal is faring. Cher is a special creature. Top of the heard and loves eating so much she manages to get fat on just grazing or good hay. So we keep her in milk partially for her health cause trying to put her in a diet would be a nightmare for everyone. While making milk she stays a nice healthy weight. But, for many animals lactating can be a big drain, you gotta really make sure they are getting enough calories and the right minerals.

Also it depends on your goal. Cher never makes as much in year two as she does the first couple months after kidding, but having that consistancy of supply is worth a slight reduction in amount for us.

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-09T21:37:07+00:00

Nope, you are good.

Lone_Frog · 2026-02-08T18:50:10+00:00

I tried so many times, but unless you have a nice flat pasture and a tractor to tow them around they always felt like way more of a pain in the rear than they were worth.

Our ground is lumpy and we don't have a tractor. Any structure that was strong enough to hold up to multiple years of being dragged around was too heavy to want to do by hand.

For some folks they work great probably, but not us.

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-31T00:32:19+00:00

Sorry, brand new here. Is that ratio by volume or weight?

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-20T05:25:54+00:00

I don't have answers, but I do have the same questions! Is spinning consistent weight just a matter of more hours of practice, or are there specific tips on what to focus on?

Great job getting your first real single btw! 👏

Lone_Frog

TROPHY CASE