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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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 Posted - Feb 20 2016 : 8:51:22 PM
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We left our farm in the wee hours of the morning and drove five hours south of here. The scenery was beautiful! Blue skies and even still some snow ...
This is Adora, she is a month old Guernsey doeling. She was in our suburban in her crate ... any time she bleated our son, Owen, comforted her. He is my goat whisperer. Adora slept most of the way home.
Finally, got home ... the other two Guernsey goats that I got were Larkspur, a buck, and Dashi, a pregnant doe who will kid in April. She's huge!
And, sweet Adora enjoying her bottle at the end of a very long day! And welcomed by Mickey, our barn kitty.
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 20 2016 : 9:36:15 PM
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| Tell us more about your goats and the breed! Will Adora stay white or darken like Dashi? How did you bring Dashi and Larkspur home? Who doesn't love Mickey?:) Glad you're home safe. What a beautiful drive. What a beautiful state we live in. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 05:09:48 AM
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oh charlene it is just wonderful! i am so happy you finally got this part of your dream to take place, the Guernsey goats. it almost seems like it was as long as me and the cow plan!
enjoy your sweet new things on the farm, it is what it is all about. and i am sure you enjoyed the "date" with your hubby, we all take the time together anyway we can on the farm ;> |
_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
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Andrea0509
155 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 12:44:00 PM
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| The new additions are adorable Charlene. Looks like you had a beautiful drive to get them! Your son looks like quite the goat whisperer :) Bet he was excited to bring them home. Their names are so unique and I love Adora's pretty coat. I saw the photos when you posted them on your farm's Facebook page and was so happy to hear you'd gotten them. Will love seeing updates on them :) My hubby and I may be making a similar trip this summer to go get a Babydoll ram for this fall's breeding to our ewes, about 3 hours away. |
Hobby farming with my husband & two kids in beautiful Michigan ~ 1 Jersey; Miss Persimmon, 2 Olde English Southdown ewes; Lula & Clementine, and chickens to come Spring 2016. Loving the adventure! |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 12:44:43 PM
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| What beautiful scenery on your trip Charlene. Added bonus besides acquiring your new little goat Adora. Yes, I was wondering about the coloring too. Will it change as she gets older? Thank you for sharing. Congrats on all your Guernsey goats! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 4:19:38 PM
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Golden Guernsey goats are a breed only in Great Britain and cannot be imported to the United States. They are the smallest of the full-sized dairy goats and are incredibly efficient at converting feed to milk which makes up for their slightly smaller size. Their milk is said to make delicious cheeses and is sweet. I'm counting on that! And, will probably mix the milk of both breeds together. These goats are popular among homesteaders with small acreage as they don't need much space. The goat people in the United States have been very interested in saving this rare breed. There is a small closed herd located in New York state of Golden Guernseys as they brought them in via embryos in the early 1990's by the way of Canada. None of the does are sold and you can get Golden Guernsey semen via AI. Today, there is a program in place to breed up ... which essentially means over several generations you can get a goat that is 7/8 Golden Guernsey. I believe that they are called just Guernsey Goats in the United States. It is a new breed that will be able to be registered with the ADGA within the next year or two. It has been approved, just taking some time to get the herd books complete and ready for registration. At the moment, people register their Guernseys with the British Goat Society.
This is quoted from the Guernsey Goat website:
The Guernsey dairy goat is medium in size. The ears are erect and often set slightly lower than Swiss breeds and carried horizontally, or forward in what is termed the “bonnet” position when viewed in profile. Ear tips can be slightly upturned. The ears must not be pendulous. The nose should be either straight or dished.
The Guernsey coat/hair color should be shades of gold, ranging from very pale flaxen cream to deep russet or bronze. Full or partial roaning; white patches; white face; star/blaze are acceptable. The golden body color should be dominant, with no preference shown to any shade or pattern. Hair may be short or long and flowing or a combination of both. A long curtain, skirt, and/or dorsal fringe of body hair are desirable, although not required to meet standard.
Skin color must display a gold tone, ranging from peachy- flesh to orange-gold in one or more of these places; muzzle, ears, eyes, under tail, mammary or scrotum. Swiss facial stripes and/or rump marking; black markings or spots over 1-1/2 inches are not allowed.
So, Adora's dam is very light flaxen color, her sire is much darker. I'm hoping that Adora will darken a bit as she matures. But I love her longer hair and hope she keeps her "shag." Other Guernsey Goats have darkened significantly when they are mature. Adora is considered 75% Guernsey goat and her offspring will reach the HB1 status of 88% Guernsey goat. It is exciting to be a part of a breeding up program and I hope to be able to contribute to it positively with careful breeding and selection. Dashi's (my pregnant doe) offspring will be 94% Guernsey goat FB2.
Here's another picture of my goat whisperer boy:
And, our Mickey has decided he likes bottles!
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 4:55:05 PM
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| So very cool, Charlene. Thanks for the detail. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 5:05:31 PM
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charlene, i am being lazy here and not referencing our friend google so forgive me. do they come from the isle of guernsey just like the guernsey cattle? and do they have higher beta carotene in their milk like guernsey cattle do? guernsey cow milk is very sweet and very creamy yellow, as compared to other raw milk dairies we have been too. although i have to say nothing beats my jersey girl milk, it rocks my world and i am a jersey girl now through and through.
just wondering. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Feb 21 2016 5:07:06 PM |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 5:12:16 PM
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Yes, the Golden Guernseys originally came from the Channel Islands. Any offspring were registered as British Guernseys as there were white dairy goats bred to the Golden Guernseys. Their milk makes a higher percentage of cheese than other goat milk; however, the butterfat and protein levels are similar to other goat breeds' milk. Other people say that the milk is slightly more golden than other goat milk (most goat milk is super white). We shall see. Dashi is dried up now, so I don't have a Guernsey goat in milk presently.
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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Sydney2015
1156 Posts
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Posted - Feb 23 2016 : 10:20:53 AM
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| Adora is adorable! The last picture of the scenery looks a lot like what we saw in our Idaho trip. |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 23 2016 : 12:37:13 PM
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| Just really interesting history on the (Golden)Guernsey goats Charlene, and love the photos. Looks like the cats want to be in on all the action. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - May 12 2016 : 8:38:38 PM
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Our Guernsey Goat Babies:
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
Guernsey Goats!
![Heritage Jersey Organization [logo]](/images/HJO-logo.png){kind=logo}
