I did what I said I wouldn't do - I got a buck. Oh no! He's just a little buckling right now, so he isn't smelly or weird like he will be when he's full grown. Right now he's cute and cries like the thirteen week old baby that he is. He's a Nubian like Peaches, and we've been calling him the Little Buck.
Planning for pigs is what made me finally decide I needed to just bite the bullet, and get a goat buck. Since our pig fence and shelter is complete, I spent a little time researching organic pig food, and realized that it just doesn't exist around here. I want to raise my own bacon, but unless I can figure out a way to feed a pig with mostly organic foods, my bacon wouldn't be any different that the bacon I can buy from the store or from Farmer Joe, who raised pigs with non-GMO pig food and lots of pasture.
There is a way to raise an organic pig, but it means I need to be able to feed the pig organic hay and pasture, vegetables from the garden, kitchen scraps, eggs from my chickens, and milk from my goat. Peaches needs to have a baby in order to make milk, and I think I'm right to assume her chances of getting pregnant are much higher if we have a boy goat. A real boy goat. No offense to the River brothers, but they just don't have what it takes (snip snip) to make a baby.
Don't worry Peaches, he will get taller! There were lots of male goats for sale on Craigslist, but most of the big impressive males that folks were selling for breeding purposes were very expensive, and quite intimidating. I'm sure Peaches would appreciate a big manly goat with a proven breeding record, but I was more comfortable starting with a little guy that I can get to know before he's big enough to smash me with his hard head. He's untested and who knows if he will make nice babies. At this point, I think I've proven to myself that trying to read Peaches body language and work it out to quickly drive her a buck is not very practical for my skill level and schedule. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope they figure it out on their own.
So far, Peaches and the River brothers pick on him constantly. She bites his long floppy ears and the boys ram him with their heads. He cries and runs away, but at night he's snuggled up in a pile with everyone else, so I think it's normal goat behavior. The biggest problem with letting them all stay together is that I will not know the delivery date of the babies, should any be made. Also, when he starts to have that male goat aroma that everyone likes to talk about, he will contaminate the other goats with his stink. Will this be his forever home?
6 comments:
I am biased since gave up all non kosher critters 6 years ago. Pigs are are a crap load of work. They stink if you keep them in a pen. If you put them in pasture they will turn a grass over and eat the roots. Possibly eatting rodents and picking up parasites that can eat your Brains. Alot animal husbandry books give pigs and edge on feed conversion, but those studies are always grain. I want see a pig put on weight on ragweed, and poke weed. Beef bacon is Awesome! One of these days I am going to get around to making lamb bacon. Male goats are pewey smelly also, and pretty much are always on the lookout for ways to kill themselves. I visted a sheep dairy a couple weeks ago. It was pretty cool. Good luck!
Parasites that eat your Brains?!? I have a lot to learn about pigs I think. I hope the Little Buck doesn't try to kill himself. He doesn't seem particularly smart, although he is just a baby. He actually got stuck behind an open gate. He put his head through and couldn't figure out how to back up and walk around the open side!
We've been eating more lamb lately with this elimination diet, and we enjoy it. Maybe growing lamb bacon is something we should consider...
Btw, Joseph, I looked at your facebook page. So many beautiful tomatoes and garden goodies at your farm stand! And baked goods too? I don't have a facebook so I couldn't delve deep into the site, but the photos I could see were super cool. Your donkey looks like my Hattie - adorable!
Here be the link to my blog. Lots of pics I resteamed pics from both my wife Heatherose and Farm partner Ada . https://steemit.com/@josephinky
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/parasites-want-invade-your-brain If you cook it well well you will kill the critters. I think that's like saying it's ok to make woopie with someone with a std as long as you use protection. Yes, it's safer, but why worry about it when burnt bacon sucks, and beef bacon in Awesomeness! Also, mrsa is more and more prevalent in factory farms due to rampant over antibiotic uses. So you risk critters that eat brain with pasture pork, and flesh eating mrsa with factory pork. I am biased, I gave up the poo eaters. Did you know the rabbits eat their own poo. I murder them with my bow, and feed them to my Pyrenees. When my 6 year old was about 6 month's old. I had racoon raid our trash can. It unrolled his diapers and eat the poop out of them. I was thinking it was a wonder I am alive. I ate those every fall growing up. So I been clean critters only eating hillbilly since then. There is time lapse video of clams in dirty water. They make it clear in a matter of hours. It's no wonder the oceans are so dirty, we are pulling out the filters. At one time in England it was against the law to feed your servants lobster more than once a month.
Time lapse clam video https://youtu.be/DxEpyjWDB6I
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