Happy Sweet 16 Birthday, Sitka!

We all took a time out yesterday from the fluffy of baby goats to celebrate Sitka's 16th Birthday.  Sitka enjoy her bran muffin birthday cupcakes.

Kidding season is in full swing!  We had 31 kids born yesterday for a total of 69 kids so far.   A HUGE THANK YOU to Julie, Jessie, Morgan, and Erika for all the help yesterday.  By the end of the evening, all 31 kids and mommas were happily tucked away in their pens.

It is a busy time right now so I will try to give a brief update every few days.  You would like to contact me, I can be reached via e-mail, text (503-539-02950 or facebook 

Take care, Lisa

Our 1st 2011 Pygora kids have arrived!

During my night time barn check last night, I was surprised by tiny little squeeky noises coming from the back of the barn. It was our Pygora goat, Fudgesicle,with 2 very curly twin boys! Fudgesicle is the first Doe to kid on our farm this year. She has been the first on to kid 3 times in the last 5 years.That’s all for now. Check out our website or facebook page as I will be giving updates along the way.
 
Take care, Lisa

Annual Scrapie audit done.

Hi Everyone!

Wednesday, 3/9, we had our annual Scrapie audit. Once again, the department of Agriculture has certified us as a Scrape-free herd.
After the Scrapie audit, we spent the rest of the day shearing goats. The momma goats are in great shape under all that winter fleece!
Kidding time is almost here! The momma goats are getting bigger by the day. Soon baby goats will be bouncing around the farm!
Our first kids should arrive around March 19th and continue through the middle of April. I have a very good feeling that this will be our be our best year ever.  I’m feeling very prepared for the first arrivals. All pen cards are printed out and ready to be filled out as the kids arrive. Kidding bags are all put together stuffed with supplies.  Some local school kids have volunteered to come up and spend some nights with us during Spring break. This will be a heavy kidding time for us. It is always really exciting for the kids and I to share this experience.
 We are now on facebook. If you would like to see photos of the baby kids as they are born, we will be posting photos on facebook. You can find our facebook page at: 
 
 www.facebook.com/HawksMountainRanch
 
That’s all for now. I will be giving updates along the way.  
Take care, Lisa

Pygora Does get their annual CDT vaccination

Hi Everyone!
Kidding time is almost here! The momma goats are getting bigger by the day. Soon baby goats will be bouncing around the farm!
Our first kids should arrive around March 19th and continue through the middle of April. I have a very good feeling that this will be our be our best year ever.  I’m feeling very prepared for the first arrivals. All pen cards are printed out and ready to be filled out as the kids arrive. Kidding bags are all put together stuffed with supplies.  Some local school kids have volunteered to come up and spend some nights with us during Spring break. This will be a heavy kidding time for us. It is always really exciting for the kids and I to share this experience.
Wednesday 2/23, we gave our Does their annual CDT booster so the babies will be protected at birth.   At 4-6 weeks of age the babies will receive their 1st CDT vaccine with a booster 2 weeks later, and the last booster 4 weeks after that.  
We are now on facebook. If you would like to see photos of the baby kids as they are born, we will be posting photos on facebook. You can find our facebook page at: www.facebook.com/HawksMountainRanch  
That’s all for now. I will be giving updates along the way.  
Take care, Lisa

Plump bellies on our Pygora mom-to-be's!

One recent misty morning I noticed some plump bellies starting to show on our girls.  A good sign that babies are soon on their way!

The ultimate goat playhouse!

Thank you, Eileen Gates of Falls Brook Farm, Blandford, MA for the use of your wonderful photo!

The slow winter days are now here. Breeding season is over and we are now waiting patiently for kidding season to arrive. Right now we are getting ready for delivery of 18+ tons of hay in the next week.

Recently George has gotten into the holiday spirit and decided to put Christmas lights around the house. A lesson was learned to not plug in 10 strings of lights together. Without going into detail, it is now day 2 and the lights still aren't working. George came home this evening with a bag of new lights, bulbs and fuses and assures me he will have have them working tomorrow. If all goes as George expects tomorrow, our mountain top should be glowing brightly for miles away. Oh what a wonderful time of the year!

Now is a great time to get on our pre-deposit list for the best selection of Pygora babies. We are expecting between 125-150 kids to be born on the farm this 2011 spring kidding season. Last year we sold out of doelings before our list when public in June. Get on our pre-deposit list now to pick your kids starting in April!

Lisa

Black Bo is our top fiber producing Pygora herd sire

Our 2010 breeding season is finally over. All the breeding bucks have been returned back to the "boys pasture" while the girls have been returned to the "girls pasture". Life on the farm is quiet once again.

Next week we will be busy preparing for kidding season. Yes, it's that time already as it's only 4 months away! I'm currently in the process of putting together our Pygora kids list with info on each dam and sire leaving room for their babies photo and description to be inserted once the kids arrive. My goal is to get our kids list out to our pre-depositors as soon as possible once the majority of the kids are born.

Now is a great time to get on our pre-deposit list for the best selection of Pygora babies. We are expecting between 125-150 kids to be born on the farm this 2011 spring kidding season. Last year we sold out of doelings before our list when public in June. Get on our pre-deposit list now to pick your kids starting in April!

Lisa