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  • From: KNat <knat AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Goats and Hay
  • Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 06:03:45 -0500

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
Our approach is to forget that agribusiness ever existed and approach husbandry from a completely different angle. Given a chance, goats know far more about raising goats that goat experts do. This type of husbandry works to provide the most natrual condition for goats and let them find their way and their niche rather than working the goats directly. It is similar to how the organic gardener farms the soil rather than the plants with the latter following naturally if given half a chance.
I appreciate your reminding us, especially new folk about the difference. This list was very patient with me while I integrated my sheep (and other lifestyle changes.) Since I started from books I was cookbook farming. My local support came from small farm sheep hobbiests (my version of goatarist.) They did not have enough animals to be profiting from them and spend amazing amounts of time and money, made off their farm, to support their sheep. They followed books like Bibles. They imported much of the sheep's nutritional needs and barely used their offerings. Any event like lambing was potentially traumatic and required farmer intervention w special supplements, controlled diets, antibiotics, invasive poking around internally, surgeries, and equipment.)
Those methods were a struggle for me and had me puzzled 'til I followed advice like this goat advice on this list and watched the sheep to learn about sheep. I've shared back with a number of those hobbiests that my flock has midwifes and nurseries. Isolating a ewe in the "jug" every book (even homesteading books) had me building defeated their flock care system. If I instead provide a safe area for a few pregnant ewes and a midwife ewe (basically clean, out of weather, with material for nests, and dad outside until after birthing) they handle remarkable things up to and including turned lambs. The older ewes coach first timers and return their lambs to them. I now believe those small farmers in their fussing and isolating to control everything about feed and temperature are causing much of their heartache losses at delivery. The nights of alarm clocks and "checking" instead of sleeping are unnecessary if animals live more of our lives together. Our ewes call if they want me (which they sometimes do even if they don't want me to do anything particular, that's okay.) It's not that we never lose one. But, when we do, it is a group effort and a group loss. It's also much less often than my first mentors, who accept a few losses every year. Much more where I choose to fit in. I only started with raising meat because I was concerned about the lives of commercial meat animals. It doesn't work to think of them as a market commodity for meat or shows. Trying to do a commodity model didn't fit me (but we also don't spend anywhere near the costs of those sheep hobbiests so it is much more affordable.)
Thanks all.

Peace,
Kathyann




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