Garden crop rotation is one of the most basic techniques gardeners, homesteaders, and farmers can use to assure plant crop success. Everyone should consider rotating their crops, because it helps maximize productivity while minimizing pests and disease. But, the practice of rotating crops can be simple or complex - I like this system because it's simple and easy to follow year after year. What Is Garden Crop Rotation? Farmers have been rotating crops since farming ... continue reading...
Making 2020’s Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)
It's time to start thinking about the garden and starting seedlings (or at least getting seeds ordered); so I’ve created our annual making 2020's seed starting & planting schedule again (see below) to keep us on track. It helps me keep focused on buying seeds, starting transplants, getting supplies, and making sure the garden beds are prepared on time. I start with my schedule from the previous year, copy it to a new spreadsheet tab, consult my notes ... continue reading...
Annual CD/T & BoSe Injections for Goats
CD/T & BoSe injections (shots) for goats are the three typically needed annually for adults. The CD/T injections are usually combined into one shot and are given to prevent enterotoxemia (the CD part) and tetanus (the T part). BoSe shots are administered to prevent selenium deficiency for goats living in selenium-deficient areas of the country. Here are the basics to know about these vaccinations for goats (skip to the last paragraph if you don’t want to know all the details ... continue reading...
Top Ten Most-Read Blog Posts of 2019
I wanted to take a look at the top ten most-read blog posts because it's the beginning of the year and I thought it would be worthwhile to go back and take a look at your favorite posts from my blog for last year. I wanted to get a better idea of what YOU, the reader, are interested in, and give me a better direction for the coming year. Last year, the most popular posts were an interesting mix of topics, so I thought I would share the top ten most-read blog posts with you, in case you missed ... continue reading...
Getting Dairy Goats – Dam or Bottle Raised?
If you have decided to purchase some young dairy goats, still another decision to make is whether to purchase kids that have been dam or bottle-raised. In the goat world, most kids are removed from their dams immediately after birth and bottle raised. Why Bottle Raised? The main reason for this is to prevent the transmission of deadly diseases (you can read more about them HERE) from the dams to the kids through the milk. However, these bottle-raised kids (aka bottle babies) still need to ... continue reading...
Getting Dairy Goats – Disbudded, Horned, or Polled?
Another important decision when starting with dairy goats is whether to choose disbudded, horned, or polled (see What Are Polled Goats) goats. Many people are surprised to learn that most goats are born naturally horned (both males and females), but that most dairy goat owners consider horns a detriment. They’re frequently removed when the goat kids are only a few days old using a process called disbudding. It’s not uncommon for owners of meat and fiber goats to let the horns remain; however, ... continue reading...
Bramblestone Goats Negative (2019) for Small Ruminant Diseases (Again)!
For the ninth year in a row, all the goats in the Bramblestone Farm herd have tested negative for small ruminant diseases! We test all goats to make sure they're negative for small ruminant diseases before they ever come to Bramblestone Farm (or test the babies parents if a goat kid is too young to be tested). And, we also test the entire adult herd yearly to make sure that everyone is still disease free. It makes us SO HAPPY when the herd again tests ... continue reading...
Understanding Dairy Goat Pedigrees
Before buying Nigerian Dwarf goats, it’s a good idea to learn how to read (while understanding) dairy goat pedigrees. That way, you can be confident that the goats you are buying will meet your goals for owning them (see this LINK for determining whether you want registered goats). However, be warned, understanding goat pedigrees can be difficult. That’s because there are multiple registries and each has unique methods of signifying superior milk production, conformation, and genetics on the ... continue reading...