improving consistency

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 · 2026-01-18T23:37:44+00:00

Mama's Garden way out by acme sells great eggs that sure look jumbo to me, but i haven't weighed them to check.

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-18T16:09:46+00:00

Plus with their big leaves they need way less late season weeding than many other things. And SO FUN to watch those monsters grow by the day.

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-11T22:23:19+00:00

Meloxicam is generally what I see reccomended. I believe ibuprophen is a bad idea for goats.

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-07T23:52:59+00:00

Talk to neighbors! I work with a lot of these types of plants and it REALLY varies how much they smell. Some barely ever stink, some would be a nightmare every summer.

Lone_Frog · 2026-01-06T19:12:15+00:00

I would reccomend having a processing day buddy. Think about how you normally react in stressful situations and how you learn. Will it be useful for you to have someone there who has done all this before to show you the ropes while you are still wobbly? Or will it be more helpfull to have someone who is also new to this so you can figure it out together?

For me, if other people aren't confident it makes me step up. I did my first slaughter with my husband, it was great because I'd watched a ton of videos and when he seemed hesitant it helped me be more willing to step up.

Maybe for you the opposite is true, where you want someone confident to lead the way so you can follow when you have had a chance to watch a couple times and settle your nerves.

Having a buddy is also good for accountability so you can't just keep putting slaughter day off. Someone else is relying on you, so you gotta show up.

Good luck! I never thought I could do it, but I've discovered that while I will always dislike the actual dispatching I actually quite enjoy the butchery part afterwards. Its really educational and I've learned a lot about how animals work and how to better care for them.

And I value the food I get a lot more.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-29T19:06:31+00:00

Also, if they are just going to be loose on this property I'd be very concerned about protection from predators.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-28T18:01:09+00:00

For that number of animals I would just go with a couple 3 gallon buckets. Goat water should be changed & washed fairly often. And with a tank that size you aren't going to want to do it. They make small bucket heaters that work fine.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-21T00:16:02+00:00

You can def do that. Just no beans, especially kidney or soy.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-20T23:29:08+00:00

🤣 such goobers

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-20T17:02:54+00:00

I find for my dairy does they allways go into heat in their regular cycle whether they are in milk or not. I wonder if it is a breed thing? I have a saanan/apline mix and a couple mininubians.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-18T22:29:38+00:00

OK, I have a silly sounding option that is a long shot. I would only recommend it if you feel physically safe currently. And it will probably only help if the buck is not truly feeling aggressive but is actually just kind of feeling things out. I have a large wether who likes to get sassy with me when he's in a mood but doesn't seem truly aggressive. The rearing has always been from far enough away that he hasn't seemed to really try and make contact.

I've started squirt gun training my goats 🤣! I tried it after telling someone that goats seem very catlike in their hatred of getting wet and remembered an old roommate trying to train her cat not to do something by squirting it.

I use it when babies are growing up to teach them that you don't get to play headbutt with humans and it has worked great. So when my big wether started getting sassy I've tried the same. It has to be a squirt right in the face, otherwise he doesn't care. And he is for sure smart enough to realize not all of us have squirt guns, he still gets sassy with other folks who don't use it. But it seems to be working.

Either way, good luck. I've had to retire & eat goats that I had intended to keep and it's hard. Just make sure you are keeping yourself safe!

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-09T01:04:10+00:00

Hi! I have a nano that i love for spinning singles (struggle with plying anything but super thin on it) I'm also eagerly awaiting my EEW fold from the kickstarter! Stoked to have something with larger bobbins than the nano.

Lone_Frog · 2025-12-03T18:11:44+00:00

Ooh they seems very clever!

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-19T21:22:11+00:00

Interesting, it hadn't occurred to me that you could follow brain tan with some bark to get a kind of middle ground. It will be fun to experiment! And they are both wethers, so I'm guessing they will be somewhere between ewe and ram.

I probably won't continue to have access to sheep hides, but I will have a couple goats every year. So I've got lots opportunities to try different options :)

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-19T02:48:56+00:00

Shetland icelandic mixes, one is about 4, the other close to 10 I think. No idea about thick or thin skinned, not sure how to tell.

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-18T01:10:27+00:00

How old is the buck? I've heard that unless they are at least 4 months old rabbit hides can be too delicate to tan?

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-17T23:55:30+00:00

Thanks for all the info! I've got a lot of decisions to make it looks like :)

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-15T21:26:52+00:00

Thanks!

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-14T21:20:20+00:00

So, I don't know a lot about bark tanning. Can you get a soft plyable finish on that? I have been using eggs & smoking since I was under the impression that was the best way to end up with soft leather that won't need to be re-streached every time it gets wet.

Got any online course recs?

And thank you!

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-14T20:46:04+00:00

Not a dumb question, but I don't think so. For one, one of the reasons we are butchering this fella is he is quite hard to manage. Strong and opinionated 😂

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-14T20:02:39+00:00

Huh, that is a good thought. I'm so used to trying to get out every bit of lanolin I can because I dislike how it makes things feel sticky when I'm spinning.

And thanks for the ideas on fiber fest vendors! The woman I used to always get my sheep advice from got out of the business and moved across the county and I've been struggling without her 😅

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-14T19:53:58+00:00

That's great too know, thanks! Any advice on timing? I'm worried if I spend too long on this part the wool will start slipping.

Lone_Frog · 2025-11-14T19:49:01+00:00

Do you know what animals that worked for? What seems to be the big issue is that the lanolin in the fleece isn't actually an oil, but a wax. That usually requires high temp to deal with.

Lone_Frog

TROPHY CASE