Swiss Frau Farm Products

As I sit in my recliner I can see my small herd of newborns playing and romping in their nursery pen on the remote barn cam. . Three does kidded and each kidded one week apart. So, big Hugo, the first kid has great skill at climbing on top of the dog house they sleep in. The twins, Heidi Beth and Hansi are just learning to climb on top of the house and then yesterday Bluma and Victor’s Berg (Berg means mountain) were added to the mix. Victor’s Berg was the first to appear and he presented in a very unusual way but still made it into the world in good shape. He had one leg back and one forward but the forward leg was staged a ways behind his head so his huge head had to deliver without help until I could get the hoof and work him out. He was huge and then his little sister popped out easily and in proper position. All are doing well and eating well. They are all Saanen/Toggenburg crosses and have all the hybrid vigor one would expect. All are white. Now I am done. Yet the work just begins. Each newborn gets it’s own mothers colostrum, fed back to it. This means heating (tempering) the colostrum to 130 degrees for one hour to destroy any disease that could be transferred. We do not have any of those diseases in our herd but it is still a desired practice. Then after the colostrum has finished and the does milk starts to come there is pasteurizing and feeding. I go through more than a gallon and a half of milk fed to kids each day. One of the new mothers is producing 10 pounds of milk a day. Washing milking equipment, bottles and buckets takes up a big part of my day. What used to take 45 minutes a day now takes a few hours each milking. Goat kids get three bottles a day for the first month, then two, then one until weaning at the end of three months or more.

This Saturday 4/18/15 we are having an open house at the farm from 1-4. If you are reading this the week of the open house you are welcome to come visit us. We will have goat cheeses made from our fresh goat’s milk, crackers, refreshments and soap on sale. Baby goats will be featured! Come and visit us.