"Goat Together"

 One of the wonderful things about raising goats in the gentle hills of Tennessee is getting together with other folks who share common experiences and are willing to help their fellow farmers. Production data is critical in making management decisions and is much easier to gather with the help of some friends. Pictured are some folks helping High Meadows get 90 day weights on bucklings. Results are used in culling and breeding plans.

"Planning session"



"Looking them over"



"Collecting production data"



"What I would recommend..."

An important part of any "goat together" is the sharing of experience, knowledge and an opinion or two. There is always some teasing and maybe a joke or two which makes the hard work go quickly. Thanks to all the folks for helping out!

"Good advice and good natured joshing"

"Crying Time Again"

"Good Mom"





"Bucklings in the weaning lot"



"Where is my mom?"



High Meadows does are selected for strong maternal traits. A doe who neglects her kids in any way is subject to culling. These same traits make the weaning process somewhat traumatic for does and kids. It is not my favorite season but weaning decisions are an important part of herd management.

                                                                                    

"Perennial Problem"

"Goat Pruned Perennials"

Waking up to discover the backyard  full of goats is a pretty exciting way to start the day.We had a windstorm during the night last week and lost a maple tree. Of course it landed on the fence and provided a perfect exit ramp for several dozen does and their kids who made a beeline for my perennial flower beds.

"Clean up Crew"

"New Climbing Toys"

The goats were more than happy to help with clean up. Thank goodness they were in my yard eating flowers and not in the neighbors yard eating their bushes. If you own goats for any length of time you can bet this will happen to you. Never a dull moment at High Meadows.

"Round To Its"



"Fences to build"



"Hooves to trim"

Lists! There are always lists on the farm. Things to do today, things that should have been done yesterday, things we would like to do someday. Decisions need to be made about which buck  goes to which doe and so there are more lists. Who is going to the sale and who will stay home? More lists. Weaning and weighing, who and when....the lists go on and on. Just when you think you are making progress the unexpected happens...farm visitors...number 0161 is stuck in the fence..again...and don't forget to leave some time to just step out on the porch and watch the kids.                                                                                            

Relax.....

"Bill's Big Boy"

The goal of the breeding program at High Meadows is to produce kids with above average birth weights and excellent average daily weight gains. HMK Hilltopper weighed 11.56 at birth and 30.52 at thirty days.

"Bye-Bye Blackberries"

 The goats at High Meadows are involved in vegetative management on several different farms. Landowners have fields or woodlots they would liked cleaned up and the goats are in need of high quality browse. Everybody benefits. Set up is relatively easy with the use of electronet fence, a catchpen and a guard dog or two.The goal is to move all of our goats off the farm for the summer.


 




"Gathering up equipment"



"Putting catchpen together with help from Sally"



"Who booked this cruise?"

"Happy Goats!"

                                                                                

"Shady Siesta"

It has been a very warm spring here in the gentle hills of East Tennessee and napping in the shade is a great way to beat the heat. Most of the kids are still staying behind while moms go out to browse. Kids entertain themselves or sleep in groups until mom returns. After a good deal of calling back and forth mom and kids settle down in a shady spot with a cool breeze and "chill" until it's time to head back out for more browsing.

"Watching for Mom"

"Settled in for nap with mom"





" Sparky grabs a quick nap in a cool spot"

                                                                             



                                                                    

"Stock Options"

"Hilltopper" at 21 days

The goal of the High Meadows Kikos breeding program is to produce "meatier" kids with excellent average daily gains. The buckling pictured weighed 11pounds and 9 ounces at birth. His sire was 9 pounds and 7 ounces and had a 90 day weight of over 60 pounds. It will be interesting to see what "Hilltopper"s 30 day weight will be.




Sire and dam of "Hilltopper"



"Let The Games Begin !"



"Show Me Your Horns"



"Mom Slide"

With 50 kids on the ground there are lots of "goat

games" going on. Some of the more popular games

are "show me your horns" and "king of the bridge".

Who needs playground equipment when mom is so

handy?

"Hop On Mom"  



         



"king of the bridge"



"Snack Time"

"All that playing wears a kid out"

                                                                                                                                                                            

Whew!

High Meadows Kid  



Kids everywhere



  Kidding began on March the 20th and kid number 50 arrived late yesterday afternoon along with a cold front and dropping temperatures. Kiko moms do a good job finding places to stash their kids out of the wind but it is always nice when the sun comes up and everyone can bask in the warmth. 2012 kidding season is almost over and there are babies everywhere. Now the fun really begins.