Breeding Plan Update

Hey all,

We have a busy year this year, and some changes to the does we currently own.  This has lead to our choice to breed only two does to kid this season.  Moon is due mid May and April is due mid June.  Moon is showing evidence of having a belly full of kids already.  April not so much, but I'm hoping. :)  These kids will be F2 Experimental and 50/50.  Please feel free to contact us if you're interested in purchasing a kid from us this season, and we'll keep you posted as to the progress of our does and the kids they have.

I finally got all of my registrations completed, and all papers sent off to new owners of our 2017 kids, and that feels pretty great too.  Now all of our mininubians are registered with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA).  It's great to see a little herd of mininubians developing under our patient and thoughtful care.

We have a deposit on a Green Gables Mininubian buckling this year, so we should be able to update on who we get sometime this summer.  It's very exciting!  I've been looking at the Green Gables herd for years, and I'm like a kid at Christmas waiting to see him myself.  If all goes well, we should have four does ready to be bred to kid for Spring 2019, at least two of them sired by our new buck.  Some of the resulting kids next season will be F3, and should be American.  I expect some really nice breed character with them.  Some of the kids will be F2, but if their dams are bred to the new buck, I believe we should have improved breed character with more roman noses and longer, less controlled ears.  It's all so exciting to think about!

Shere Country SH Starlight x North Forest Farm MX Shamrock

Starlight was exposed to Shamrock yesterday and today, October 15 and 16, 2012. She was in a strong standing heat today, so we should see kids around March 9, 2013. Starlight is my best milker, still giving nearly a pint per milking at 6 months as a first freshener. That's not bad for a Nigerian! I like her so much that I still own all of her kids from 2012, two does (Bet and Ginger) and a buck (Aspen). Starlight is a lovely gold and white doe. She's very long and beautiful with a lovely udder. Shamrock is a great buck, and should produce some lovely kids. I'm expecting long, strong legs, strong and correct feet, and level top lines out of him. I don't see any obvious faults in him.
I see I'm going to have to get a new picture of him up, as the one in this post is a baby pic.  He looks a bit awkward in it, but he isn't so anymore.

Shere Country SH Starlight

Starlight's 1st freshening udder, 3 weeks fresh and 10 hours bagged.

Starlight's 1st freshening udder, 3 weeks fresh and 10 hours bagged.

North Forest Farm MX Shamrock

Frostbitty Japanzy x North Forest Farm TR Aspen

Today Japanzy was in heat, so I put her with Aspen again. He seems to have possibly been able to get the job done this time! I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids this breeding produces. Japanzy is sort of a mediocre milker, though she seems to have a steady and long lactation. She is, however, an awesome doe in all other respects. She has awesome feet and legs, and is extremely hardy and resistant to disease. She's an extremely easy keeper as well, leaning toward overweight very easily.  She was pregnant in the photoi below, but you can still see that she's not thin by any means.   She does have a nice udder, as you can see in the photos below.  It is very well attached, nice medial, and nice fore udder.
Aspen is my best milkers buckling from spring 2012.  His mom, Starlight, hasn't disappointed me in any way!  She kidded very easily with triplets her first freshening, all by herself.  She was/is a great mama, still nursing her two doelings who are almost 6 months old now.  She has them with her all day, and I separate them at night.  In the morning she gives me a pint of milk, and I let her have her girls back again.  So far, she's steady on a pint every morning for 6 months now.  I'm pretty happy about that!   I hope I'm able to sell any doelings to someone who will milk them, so I can see if they live up to their potential.

Aspen is the buckling on the left.

Aspen's mama, Starlight

Wren Farm Cupcake X North Forest Farm MX Shamrock for 2013

I just bred Cupcake to Shamrock today, so should see my first 2013 kids on the ground around March 1.  This is pretty exciting!  I didn't think I'd be as excited this year as I was last year, but I am. :)

Cupcake is the White doe

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The strengths of this breeding:  Combining the beautiful dairy looks of Cupcake to the strength of feet and legs in Shamrock's line should build on the strengths of each.  I hope to keep Cupcake's ultra soft and milkable udder in this breeding, and gain width and capacity.  I'm really looking forward to seeing the doeling(s) produced by this breeding, provided there are any.

Twiddling My Thumbs

I haven't posted anything here because I haven't anything to post, really. I'm in the world of waiting and watching. Waiting to find out if the girls are actually pregnant. Waiting to see/feel movement of kids. Waiting to see udders filling. Waiting to (hopefully not) see signs of heat.
So far, all looks good. The girls were with the bucks from December 1 to 23. I haven't seen any signs of heat in any of them. I also don't see any sure signs of pregnancy, FOR SURE. I keep feeling for kids, hoping to FOR SURE feel something that feels like a kid. I keep touching udders, hoping for a swelling there that would indicate that we're gearing up to feed kids.
I'm a bit over the top, I know, but this is my first time, and I'm just super excited, as well as super thirsty for that good milk that we've been waiting so long for. We did get a taste of it with Cupcake, our FF doe last year. It really wet our appetites! Getting goats, and then actually getting to the point of milking, is a long term goal that takes a lot of patience. I'm not big on patience, so...I'm twiddling my thumbs...


The stuff we're waiting for. This is from Cupcake last September.


But while I'm twiddling, I'm loving every minute of having these dear little goats. I'm so far wonderfully happy with our choice of breeds. They're so much fun for all of us. The kids enjoy them, and they're safe for all of us to be around.


our littles with the does