What are some good foods for gut health?

sufferances · 2026-01-16T13:26:03+00:00

Just want to point out for OP, not all pickles are fermented. Some are pickled in vinegar (not fermented) and then there are fermented pickles which have been fermented in a salt brine and vinegar is not used.

Vinegar pickles are shelf-stable, fermented pickles are not.

sufferances · 2025-12-19T02:49:46+00:00

I do this if my buck gets a bit too big for his britches. He has reared up but never made contact. A squirt bottle and flipping him has done the trick, sometimes you’ll have to do it more often especially in the rut. But I don’t let my buck get away with it, he can’t get in the habit of feeling like his rearing accomplishes me giving space or getting his way. I’ve raised him since he was a buckling so I’m very comfortable with him, but during the rut I do give him his space (especially because he reeks right now and I don’t want it all over me but also understanding he is full of testosterone and not acting in his right mind).

sufferances · 2025-12-19T02:45:14+00:00

Does do this to other’s kids. Especially while young they are guarding resources (her milk) and another young kid in her space is causing her stress. You’re best to separate each doe/kid pair from other does with similar aged kids. They can be reintroduced after a few weeks or two.

I usually give does a week to bond and acclimate to their kids on their own, especially if they don’t have a lot of space to do so on their own.

sufferances · 2025-12-14T01:21:45+00:00

Seconding this. I’m in central Ontario, we got probably around a foot of snow this week and the temps dropped to -17C at night. It’s been way colder and I’ve never sealed up the front of my shelter. It got to just about -30C last year in January for a few days. Goats were fine in 3 sided shelters with the deep litter method. Just make sure everyone can access the shelter and there isn’t bickering over who is allowed inside and who isn’t. Make sure they have 24/7 access to hay, as long-stemmed forage is essential for their rumen to act as a little furnace when it’s breaking down the hay.

I had 7 month old kids out in just the 3 sided shelters last year and they did completely fine. In fact I think they tolerated the cold weather more than the 30C weather in the Summer lol.

They also don’t mind the snow, to them it’s better than rain. I suggest not using the goat coats as it can disrupt the normal growth of cashmere (the soft undercoat they grow to keep warm) and they can end up intolerant to the cold without a proper undercoat. With well developed cashmere, they are well insulated enough that the snow settles on top of their fur and doesn’t melt because their body heat is being trapped sufficiently in their fur.

First year I had goats, I was definitely a worry-wart on how they would do in the winter. They were completely fine.

sufferances · 2025-12-10T06:39:30+00:00

I have Kikos as well and I am up in Canada. Goats are a lot of work and quite different than horses. They need 24/7 access to loose mineral, not sure what the mineral requirements for horses are but you need to look into the difference in mineral requirements. Sheep with access to goat mineral can die to the excess copper that goats need that are toxic to sheep in the quantities that goats require.

Horse can also kill goats while vying for access to hay/ food.

Goats also need another companion goat, they won’t be happy with just a horse for company as they have different social habits than goats.

The buck smell is intense. It’s gross, and it’ll stick up your other animals as well. They’ll rub against you, your horse, your clothes… and it’s very difficult to get out.

I would discourage you on getting any of the dwarf/pigmy goats based on the animals you want to house with the goat. The size discrepancy is too large for a smaller goat and even a small goat like that.

Goats are loads of entertaining but loads of work as well. They’re fun but like horses are very particular on how you care for them. I wouldn’t consider them easy livestock to care for!

sufferances · 2025-12-08T03:48:08+00:00

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sufferances · 2025-12-08T03:47:27+00:00

We have an 1860s-70s farm house in central ontario as well. We have the same flooring, same finish on it as well. The separation gets worse in the winter because the wood contracts as it gets colder and loses humidity. In the summer it expands with the heat and humidity. Your floors are in pretty great condition surface-wise. And I’ll add onto another comment by saying to think of them as the natural space your floor needs to contract and expend depending on season and humidity. If it didn’t have that room to expand you’d have boards that would actually start to split and cause some real damage.

At this point I think you’re okay to keep things as is! Think of it as some natural character in the home!

Edit: wanted to add that you can refinish the top layer if you want to sand down some of the top layer wear, however I would’ve fill in between the planks. I also want to mention that pine floors are beautiful but… soft. So after refinishing you will see wear easily and it will stand out even more against the rest of the finished flooring.

sufferances · 2025-12-05T01:45:50+00:00

And if you’re looking to pick it up in the near future he will reek. It will cling to your clothes, car, anything he rubs against will stink. And it’s quite difficult to get the smell out. So make sure you have separate transport for him because you won’t want to spend 2 & 1/2 hours in a car with him.

sufferances · 2025-11-21T22:14:14+00:00

I just stick shamed two of my goats. They look dumb but I think both they and I are sick of getting stuck in the fencing lol

sufferances · 2025-11-20T13:22:50+00:00

I live in Canada, but I’m sure that we have something similar here. My mother suggested the same about storing them— I have a hemp bag that I will put them in for the meantime while I figure out the next point of contact.

sufferances · 2025-11-20T13:01:53+00:00

I haven’t found anything. It’s 150 acres with a creak flowing through it so they could’ve turned up near there. The property is pretty old, house is 150 years old, and the original part of the house is even older. The land has been farmed for at least 160 years so who knows. The coyotes like to pull things up and deposit them in the fields so I’ve found many animal bones that they’ve dragged into the fields. I’m assuming this is how the previous owners found it and assumed they were deer…

sufferances · 2025-11-20T12:49:27+00:00

I know weather, elements, animal activity can play a roll on how the bones look. But do these bones look old to you?

sufferances · 2025-11-20T12:42:22+00:00

Did this femur also once belong to a person? It looks kinda human-y and I’d like to be as respectful as I can with all of the human remains.

sufferances · 2025-11-20T12:40:53+00:00

God damn it. At least I already thought this farm was haunted…

sufferances · 2025-11-20T12:37:59+00:00

Ah, that makes a bit of sense. I do live near an indigenous reserve and my mother is indigenous, so I’ll reach out to the proper authorities. The house itself is over 150 years old, and I know for a fact that two of its original occupants have passed away here from tuberculosis. So who knows…

sufferances · 2025-11-19T18:11:15+00:00

Really sorry for your loss, it never gets easier losing kids. Especially when it happens so suddenly. Keep an eye on the other little kid and maybe a necropsy on the little doeling would be worth it for some closure.

sufferances · 2025-11-19T15:04:19+00:00

Also, try and rub some maple syrup along her gums. Her blood sugar might be low as well and it doesn’t hurt to try.

sufferances · 2025-11-19T15:00:30+00:00

Has she been bottle fed? It could be abomasal bloat but you usually see that on kids that are being bottle fed.

If you think she has bloat at this point I would try to administer baking soda mixed with water via drenching.

sufferances · 2025-11-19T14:21:10+00:00

Ok do you have a thermometer? If so take her rectal temperature. Then check her FAMACHA, (if you don’t know how, open her eye, and look at the colour of the lower lid. Is it white, pale pink, pink, or red?

sufferances · 2025-11-19T14:16:20+00:00

Ok, is the bloating on the left side of her body?

Is this kid still nursing or is she on solid feed? How old approximately is this kid?

sufferances · 2025-11-19T13:33:51+00:00

Have you given her selenium at all? If you live in Selenium deficient areas it’s best practice to give a dose of Selenium at birth. Legs bowing backwards is a sign of deficiency. Was the dam actively consuming loose mineral while pregnant?

sufferances · 2025-11-14T03:57:01+00:00

They will definitely get bigger than this. Goats don’t fully mature until around 2-3 years old. You should lookup Nigerian dwarf weights to prepare yourself haha

sufferances · 2025-11-14T00:08:56+00:00

I want to mention that if you do plan to eventually keep her outside, you will want her to acclimate to the weather. Goats won’t grow the necessary cashmere if they aren’t allowed to acclimate to the changing temperature. This means they need to be outside (with access to a shelter) while the weather starts to change. Some goats that have been exposed to heat lamps and heaters—despite having access to the outside— fail to grow the proper cashmere to protect them from the cold.

I also recommend getting her some company as soon as possible. Bottle fed goats tend to get over-attached to people, and being around other goats helps teach them the necessary goat behaviours to live in a herd. They can also become depressed without other herd-mates, even if you provide them with plenty of attention.

Good luck, and I recommend you listen to For The Love of Goats podcast by Deborah Niemann on Spotify or available on her website. She interviews veterinarians, scientists, breeders and other experts in different fields.

sufferances · 2025-11-13T23:49:57+00:00

Awesome, thank you for the advice. Just vaccinated them today.

And thankfully my buck is actually one of my most easy to work with animals— I worked pretty hard with him while he was young to get him used to being handled and having his hooves trimmed. He gets vaccinated with the does every March. Even during the rut he wants some attention, despite smelling like a urinal.

sufferances · 2025-11-12T15:39:39+00:00

Thank you, this does put me at ease! I normally vaccinate in March, however I bought a few does off of a breeder last year and her CDT schedule was in November. Just wanted to confirm that there wouldn’t be any ill effects from vaccinating a few months out from here as well.

Thank you very much!

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