UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Nov. 12th, 2009
Wow, has it been a busy and noisy time on the farm! We are going on week 3 of our 2009 Breeding season. It is looking like the majority of the Does have been bred and things are starting to quiet down, yeah! Not only do we have extra added chores during breeding season, but we are also shearing, hoof trimming, and de-worming. We are going by breeding groups with the goal of finishing up by the end of breeding season in 2 weeks. This should give plenty of time for the goats to start growing back their fleeces before the colder winter weather sets in. Don't forget to check out Rainbow Yarns Northwest website at: www.rainbowyarnsnw.com for beautiful Pygora yarns and rovings for sale.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 29th, 2009
Breeding season is now here. We just finished up putting all our breeding groups together. All pens and paddocks have been triple secured and will be home for each group over the next 4 to 6 weeks. We like to keep them together through 2 heat cycles incase they didn't take the first heat cycle. We have put together 11 separate breeding pens this year. We are adding 3 new sires to our breeding program. We are excited about our new breeding bucks: HMR Vitality, a son of our permanent grand champion doe, Divinity. He has a beautiful light grey fleece and a body just like Divinity. Wow! We are looking for him to add this big and stout body to his offspring. HMR Andy Jr, our AAGBA Angora buck. He is 1.5 years old and still has a very fine fleece. We are looking to have him add some beautiful type A fleeces. HMR Good Nite Teddy, an outstanding buckling from our 2009 kids. His dam is an AAGBA Angora Doe and sire is HMR Chester. Teddy is exceptional in both beautiful fleece and nice thick stout conformation.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 22nd, 2009
George rolled in at 10pm last night from his Northern cross-country delivery trip. We are glad to know he is home safe and sound! George travelled 1100 miles in one day yesterday. He totalled 6000 miles round trip. Although our major delivery trips are done for this year, there is no time to sit back and rest. Breeding season is now here. We have carefully gone through each of our breeding Does and have selected just the right Buck to produce the best quality kids for our 2010 kidding season. We are putting together 11 separate breeding pens this year. We are adding 3 new sires to our breeding program this year. We are excited about our new breeding bucks:
HMR Vitality, a son of our permanent grand champion doe, Divinity. He has a beautiful light grey fleece and a body just like Divinity. Wow! We are looking for him to add this big and stout body to his offspring.
HMR Andy Jr, our AAGBA Angora buck. He is 1.5 years old and still has a very fine fleece. We are looking to have him add some beautiful type A fleeces.
HMR Good Nite Teddy, an outstanding buckling from our 2009 kids. His dam is an AAGBA Angora Doe and sire is HMR Chester. Teddy is exceptional in both beautiful fleece and nice thick stout conformation.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 14th, 2009
10:45 am Pacific time:
George just finished his last delivery to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He have a very good trip. No truck or trailer problems and all the animals did very well. George was on time to all his deliveries. Good job George! Comments from George about yesterdays adventures: George got lost coming over the George Washington Bridge yesterday. He ended up in the middle of New York City with the dually and trailer. It took him almost 2 hours to get out of the town. George spent the night in a travel plaza. He got a good nights sleep now that the ram was no longer in the trailer. Next year we may be going as far east as Portland, Maine. Something we don't see very often back here on the west coast are toll bridges. Starting in Illinois to New Hampshire, George spent over $200 on toll bridge fees. The most expensive one was the George Washington Bridge at $38.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 13th, 2009
10:30pm Pacific time:
George is on his Northern delivery trip. He left Oregon on Oct. 9th and will be making his last delivery Oct. 14th. George made his deliveries to New Jersey today. Tomorrow he will be making his last delivery to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Before returning back home to Oregon, George will stop off in New York and visit his son, daughter-in-law, and 9 month old granddaughter, Frances Ivy DeGeer. He can hardly wait!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 12th, 2009
12:30pm Pacific time:
George is on his Northern delivery trip. He left Oct. 9th. George drove 950 miles yesterday and reached the East side of Chicago last night. He said there was lots of construction through Chicago so he drove longer than he expected so he could keep on schedule for Monday's deliveries. George just finished delivering animals to Michigan and Ohio. He is now 80 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio. George is now heading to Barkyville, Pennsylvania and will be spending the night. Next delivery is tomorrow in Hope, New Jersey.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 11th, 2009
11am Pacific time:
George is on his Northern delivery trip. He left Oct. 9th. George has left South Dakota and is now 100 miles into the western part Minnesota. Lots of soay beans, corn, and maize being grown. The temperature is 37 degrees and its a very pleasant sunny day. He has travelled 400 miles today and has about 331 miles left to go before he calls it a day. George is on schedule with his deliveries into Michigan and Ohio for tomorrow. George will be making several deliveries in Michigan and Ohio. He will also be meeting our Canadian customer in Michigan with export papers in hand so she can take her kids to Canada via Port Huron, Michigan. Soon the first Hawks Mtn Ranch Pygora's will be making their new home in Canada! Next stop, New Jersey.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 10th, 2009
3pm Pacific time:
George left yesterday morning for his Northern delivery trip. His first stop was in Spokane, Washington. Today he made his 2nd delivery to Buffalo, Wyoming. He is now heading to Michigan. He should reach there Monday, October 12th. George will be making several deliveries in Michigan and Ohio. He will also be meeting our Canadian customer at Port Hernon, Michigan with export papers in hand. Soon the first Hawks Mtn Ranch Pygora's will be making their new home in Canada! Next stop, New Jersey. Here' s some comments I received from George on the phone just a few minutes ago: Record low of 9 degrees in Butte, Montana yesterday. It's the first time they have seen January weather in October. COLD!!! Constant white (snow) in Wyoming. I-80 was closed last night but fortunately George went I-90. About every 50 miles it gets a degree warmer. He is now in South Dakota. NEWS FLASH! We will be making one more delivery trip to California this Month! Right now we are delivering from Portland, Oregon to Corning, California. Contact us to see if we can head your way!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 9th, 2009:
George left this morning on his Northern delivery trip. He just made his first stop in Spokane, Washington. He is heading to Montana where he will spend his first night and then on to Wyoming. We can now ship to Canada! We will be shipping our first animals into Canada next week! NEWS FLASH! We will be making one more delivery trip to California this Month! Right now we are delivering from Portland, Oregon to Corning, California. Contact us to see if we can head your way!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of Oct. 8th, 2009:
We can now ship to Canada! We will be shipping our first animals into Canada next week! Today we picked up all the certificate of veterinary inspections and an international health certificate for the animals leaving on our Northern delivery. Our trailer is full and we are ready to start our delivery trip this Friday, Oct. 9th. Check out our new video, "Shearing Divinity"
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 9/24/09:
We are preparing for our last big trip of the season. Our trailer will be leaving Oregon October 9th and will be making it's way across the country ending on the east coast. Our trailer is filling up quickly. We still have some space available. Contact us for more info.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 9/16/09:
The kids are coming into their beautiful fluffy fleeces! On 9/14, I took lots of photo and description updates of our kids currently available sale. Our West Coast to East Coast delivery route for October is expanding so please don't hesitate to ask if we will be heading to your location. Lots of space still available due to a large order that recently cancelled. Delivery fees are very reasonable too as we try very hard to keep expenses down. Our goal is to cover fuel costs and any other incidentals that occur along the way. Our Northern route states include but not limited to: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. Contact us for delivery any place along the way.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 8/26/09:
Our Southern delivery trip is only 3 days away! What an exciting time for the new owners to finally get to meet their new family members in only a few days from now! I can hardly wait to hear their reaction when meeting their new little ones in person! We have been very busy preparing for this southern delivery trip. All our animals leaving on this trip have been taken down to the vet for their health exam and all received their certificate of veterinary inspection. Now I'm busy preparing a helpful booklet with information about Pygoras, their fiber and their individual health records. These health records include; their last vaccinations, worming schedule, when hooves were trimmed last, what they are currently eating, etc.). Our delivery route for October is expanding so please don't hesitate to ask if we will be heading to your location. Space is limited. Delivery fees are very reasonable too as we try very hard to keep expenses down. Our goal is to cover fuel costs and any other incidentals that occur along the way. The first of October we will be doing our Northern delivery route. Right now some of the places we will be traveling through are Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Contact us for deliver any place along the way.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 8/18/09:
Check out our Pygora babies playing in a tree on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ-ZjJzchEY ONLY 2 CROSS COUNTRY DELIVERY TRIPS LEFT FOR THIS YEAR! Yesterday we rounded up the kids for our herd health day. We brought in all of the animals leaving on our Southern delivery trip. We hoof trimmed, wormed, and prepared a page for each animal with their last vaccinations. We will be preparing their registration paperwork soon. Thursday they will go in for their health vet checks for their certificate of veterinary inspection.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 8/5/09:
We just got back from our County Fair where our Doe, "Inka", won Grand Champion Doe, our Doe, "Onyx", won Reserve Grand Champion Doe and Our fleece in a box from, "Pretty Face" , won overall Best of Show over all the fleeces in the show wool and fiber show. Other fleeces in the show including sheep and Alpaca. It was a good show season for Pygora's! Today we will be rounding up all of our kids to take updated photos and descriptions for those that have inquired about specific kids. Let me know if there is a baby you would like more information on or an updated photo. Our next herd health round up will be August 17th. E-mail me with any updates you would like to see and we'll make sure to get you on our next list of photo priorities.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 7/20/09:
MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN A PARTICULAR BABY AND WOULD LIKE AN UP-TO-THE-MINUTE PHOTO AND DESCRIPTION UPDATE? NOW TAKING REQUESTS FOR TODAY'S HERD HEALTH ROUND UP GOING ON NOW THROUGH TOMORROW, 7/21. Today we have rounded up all of our kids to take updated photos and descriptions for those that have inquired about specific kids. I can still take your request until this evening as I will be checking e-mails. Our next herd health round up will be August 5th. E-mail me with any updates you would like to see and we'll make sure to get you on our next list of photo priorities. Our cross country delivery trip plans are in full swing. We still have room on both our North and South delivery routes. Our delivery routes are expanding so please don't hesitate to ask if we will be heading to your location. It's a very good chance we will. Delivery fees are very reasonable too as we try very hard to keep expenses down. Our goal is to cover fuel costs and any other incidentals that occur along the way. Our southern trip is in the works and is planned for the first of September. Some of the states we will be delivering to are: Oregon to California, over to Arizona, on to Oklahoma, Missouri, and Tennessee. While these are some of the places we will be delivering, we can also deliver any place along the way. The first of October we will be doing our Northern delivery route. Right now Some of the places we will be travelling through are Oregon, Wyoming, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio (newly added) and Pennsylvania, and newly added: Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts. We can deliver any place along the way. Contact us if you would like information about delivery.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 7/11/09:
"Puffballs" is the best way to describe our baby Pygora goats right now. As the days go by, the babies are transforming before my very eyes. Weaning time is here and they are ready to leave for their new homes. We are continually taking updated photos and giving updated descriptions. If you see any kid you would like an updated photo or description, let us know and we can usually get it for you within a couple of days.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 7/7/09:
How fast time is going by. It just seems like the kids just arrived and now it is weaning time. All the kids were brought in today for their first hoof trim. We also separated out all the bucklings as they will be weaned from their moms. Talk about a noisy barn this evening! We are starting to wean the kids that will be going to their new homes soon. The rest of the kids will be weaned over the next 2 weeks. The fleeces on the kids are popping out and what a gorgeous herd of Pygora kids! We are continuing to take updated photos of the kids as they are changing so quickly. If you would like an updated photo of a particular kid or kids, let us know and we will do our best to get it for you as soon as we can.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 6/20/09:
Today is the first day of summer. We are very fortunate to have had very mild weather this spring as it has extended our pasture growing season. The kids are growing by leaps and bounds. Their fleeces are starting to coming in and they are turning into little fluff balls! How I love this time of year! The kids will have their last of a series of 3 CDT booster shots on Monday, 6/22. At that time we will start the weaning process for the first half of our baby Pygoras and the 2nd half in another 2 weeks. Some of them will be available to leave for their new homes soon. We have been busy taking updated photos of the kids and posting them on our website. Check out all babies as they are starting to get in fleece. Below is a list of events we will be at this summer and fall 2009. Come see and meet our Pygora goats in person and watch the Pygora goat shows. Free delivery available to these events. 2009 Events we will attending: Washington County Fair Washington Co Fairgrounds Hillsboro, Oregon July 30th - Aug. 2nd, 2009 www.faircomplex.com Oregon State Fair Salem, Oregon Sept. 2nd - Sept. 7th, 2009 www.oregonstatefair.org Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival Clackamas Co. Fairgrounds Canby, Oregon Sept. 26th - Sept. 27th, 2009 www.flockandfiberfestival.com
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 6/2/09:
Yeah! Our long awaited sales list is now online! All the kids have had their 2 CDT booster shot and we are getting ready to bring them in once again for more updated photos and descriptions. There is always something going on at the farm! We will start weaning some of the kids mid-June in preparation for them leaving for their new homes. What a beautiful bunch of kids we have this year!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 5/6/09:
Yesterday we had our first herd health day with our baby Pygoras. They received their 1st CDT vaccination and a thorough health and conformation examination. Comments for each of the kids was documented and the information placed on our sales list. Our sales list is now up-to-date with descriptions of each kid along with photos. Our sales list will be going out to our pre-depositors starting Friday, 5/8. Stay tuned as we give updates!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM as of 4/28/09:
Our 2009 Pygora kidding season is now over. We had 112 babies born, 51 females and 61 males. What a beautiful bunch of bouncing baby goats we have this year! I've taken photos of each of the babies and have been busy putting them on our sales list. I hope to have the sales list done over the next week. At that time our pre-depositors will have first view of the list and once they have chosen their kids, our list will become available to the public. Stay tuned as we give updates!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM April 19th, 2009:
It was such a beautiful sunny day today that I decided to take the afternoon off and spend it with the baby goats as they explored their new pasture they were turned out to today. They were hopping and skipped through the lush green grass as mom's were busy munching away on the fresh greens. I took so many photos that it was hard to pick just one for this page. I hope to share the rest of the photos soon.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM April 17th, 2009:
Our last kids were born today! 1 girl and 1 boy were born to our Doe, Chili Pepper. We have ended the year with 112 baby Pygoras. What a happy and playful bunch of kids we have this year! We will be opening our lower pasture to all the moms and babies soon. Stay tuned as we hope to capture it and upload it to the internet!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM April 5th, 2009:
Kidding season is starting to wind down after a very busy last 2 weeks! We are up to 97 babies with 15 more Does left to kid. Although most of the babies are now born, the real work has just begun. We have been busy tattooing ears, disbudding horns, and banding wethers. We have disbudded 35 kids so far and hope to get through the rest over the next week. The weather has changed from rain to sunshine. With it comes green pastures. The babies will soon be turned out to the main pasture. I hope to take a video camera out with me the day we open the gates to our big pasture. I will be posting the video so stay tuned!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM March 29th,2009:
Kidding season is in full swing. The kids are coming fast and furious! We are up to 77 kids as of today with 31 more Does left to kid. Kids started arriving March 19th. Most of my time has been spent out in the barn. It's a very exciting and exhausting time on the farm! I'll be giving more updates so stay tuned!
UPDATE FROM THE FARM March 23rd, 2009:
Kidding season is here! We have 19 Pygora babies on the ground so far. The season is starting slow but by the looks of our Does, we are expecting a population explosion any day now! This is great as we should have lots of babies when the Golden Fleece 4H Club comes up to the farm for a "Hands-on Kidding day" They will learn and actually participate in some of the daily activities we go through when caring for a new born goat kid.
UPDATE FROM THE FARM March 19th, 2009:
We had our 1st baby born on the farm this afternoon! Our doe, Bubble Gum, gave birth to a beautiful light caramel baby boy. We are expecting 100+ babies over the next 2 to 3 weeks. OH MY! Bubble Gum is busy cleaning up her new born baby boy that was born today. This photo was taken about an hour after he was born. What a cutie! White Mahogany, is the sire and his photo was featured in the Spin-Off magazine, Sept 2009 issue and also in Judith McKenzie's new book, "The intentional handspinner". We are expecting great babies out of White Mahogany once again this year!
