Welcome to Goat Ownership

Welcome to Goat Ownership! We acquired 2 goats last weekend; A beautiful Buck, named Pepe le Pew, and a Doe named Lily. These beauties are Nigerian Dwarves. Now before anyone tells us, "why did you get a stinky buck????" here's why. Nigerian Dwarf goats are great dairy goats. In order to get milk, the doe has to be pregnant and lactating afterwards. In order to get pregnant, well you know; The birds and the bees after all. Living on a farm,...

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Giveaway: The Photo bomb Betty Contest! Sponsored by Cruelty Free Feathers

Giveaway!!!! 7.15.2013 Let's start Monday Morning with a giveaway! Sponsored by Cruelty Free Feathers, we have some neat products to offer in this giveaway. Please read the rules to play! Happy Monday! Sponsored by Cruelty Free Feathers! This Giveaway is from 7-15-2013 (Monday) to 7-20-2013 (Saturday). Sunday we will announce our winners. The Grand Prize is pictured above:  In this gift package are an "I Brake for Chickens" bumper sticker,...

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Eight Amazing Facts About Coturnix

Now you may wonder, Why Coturnix? They are just quail used for hunting, correct? You may be mistaken for other quail species, as there are quite a few. The Coturnix is a great dual purpose bird, however they are known primarily for their meat. In your 8 facts, you will find out why these birds are so valuable. Stick tight, and enjoy the fun in these fascinating creatures. 8. Coturnix are Cold Hardy Photo courtesy Stoney Creek FarmsCoturnix are really...

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New Mailing Standards For Live Birds

As Many of you know, shipping live birds can be a pain! With the new standards coming out, I am unsure whether this will make the transition easier or worse. The link for you to view the proposed plan is here Now when reviewing this plan, the first paragraph that striked me was: "If this proposal is adopted,  the Postal Service will require mailers purchasing special handing to either  present their mailpieces at retail, or to include an IMpb, embedded with the  appropriate service type code applicable to special handling and...

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Protein for your Chicken and Calculating your Feed Requirement

Protein is important for all animals. But for poultry, in producing eggs and growing to produce meat, the protein part of their feed regimen is crucial. It is also expensive! Finding good quality, cheap protein is one of the challenges of raising and keeping chickens. This is where the small farmer can increase family health through ingenuity. A List of the Protein Levels of Different Feeds FOOD SOURCE %PROTEIN, BY WT Dried fish flakes 76 Dried liver 76 Dried earthworms 76 Duckweed 50 Torula yeast 50 Brewers yeast 39 Soybeans (dry roasted)...

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Feeding your Chicken- DIY

WHAT CHICKEN NEED (It's simple!)1. Grains (whole, living grains are way better than cracked, and a mixture is way better than pure corn) 2. Greens (grass! weeds! fresh veggie parings from kitchen!) 3. Protein (in summer, they get enough bugs -- but in colder weather they need protein supplementation, including perhaps the following: yellow-jackets from restaurant traps, soybeans -- see below, worms, milk, meat --- but sea fish is...

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The Genetics of Coturnix japonica

I admit, I love genetics, but it can be a tricky conversation starter. In my most recently published book Coturnix Revolution, I describe many of these genes and how they came to be. Most of these genes are only part of a variety that we see. A combo of two or three genes can get us one beautiful bird. Coturnix are such valuable birds, it is important to see the beauty among them. EXTENDED BROWN, E Inherit: Autosomal Incomplete dominant Linkage:...

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Starting Our Self Sufficiency Farm

Animals eat a lot. We eat a lot. It is time to grow our own crops to feed ourselves and the farm. Most feed labels contain corn as an add in but with GMO out there how do we know what's in our feed? We raise Tilapia therefore the water is rich in nitrogen. We have devised a watering system attached to the tilapia system to water the crops and provide them with what they need. The first crop we planted was corn. As you can see the crop is growing...

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Setting Shipped Eggs for the Incubator

Hatching eggs is an addiction to many and breeders will ship their hatching eggs to their recipients as a result of this addiction and to promote sales. Although diseases can still transfer through the egg shell, it is much safer and simpler than purchasing live birds, putting them through quarantine, and introducing them to your own flock. Setting shipped eggs should be treated like normal hatching eggs from your back yard with a few tips from the...

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