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FARM UPDATE
Dexters: Calving season is almost over. We have had so many inquiries about stock available for sale that I sent out letters to everyone that has emailed me. We quickly sold a cow/calf pair with a steer calf, and we have another pair available that has a heifer calf. It's not often you see good breeding cows available, but we since we are small we must manage carefully and we've decided to bring in a few more unrelated cows and must make room. This will be a good deal for anyone who is interested because the mothers are in with the bull and there is a good chance that they will be rebred. We are still waiting on one more calf to hit the ground, and we also have a 2008 red heifer calf that is available for direct trade for another red heifer calf. If you would like to get more information about these Dexters, please email me at trudyawest@yahoo.com.
Nubians: We sold one of our Christmas day bucks to be the herdsire at a dairy farm. The owner was looking for good registered stock that had milking stars in his pedigree. We decided to retain the other for breeding because they were both just very nice bucks. At this point we do have one more good buck for sale, but no does yet. If you'd like to be added to a waitlist please email me at trudyawest@yahoo.com. Nubians are healthy goats, well adapted to our climate, and I've really enjoyed working with them. They are easier for me to disbud and trim hooves than some of the Alpine breeds, and I believe that they are easier to milk by hand due to their teats being more pliable. They are a good choice for your farm if you want milk with a high butterfat content. They make cheese making so much better.
Saanens: We've just started baby season with a set of adorable boy/girl twins. We raise all the kids on a CAE preventative program and I was estatic to discover the greatness of the LAMBAR this year. It is possible to make one from a 5 gallon bucket, and it makes it so easy to feed multiple kids. We picked up that very special buck we had on hold and he is thriving on the Lambar as well. He comes from excellent stock, and we were able to justify the expense by buying in partnership with another breeder. The kids that are being born now and in previous years were all sired out of excellent bucks that we leased, but next year's crop will be out of our own herdsire. One of great things about these goats is that they produce! Saanens are the Holsteins of the goat world and make huge amounts of milk when fed and cared for properly. We have one yearling doe from last year's kid crop that is for sale, and a week old buck. If you'd like more information on these goats please email me at trudyawest@yahoo.com.
Jerseys: We have started the AI process again with Anabel and we will be looking for another beautiful heifer calf February 2009. We use gender select semen, and have a 95% guarantee of getting a girl. We were very happy with the heifer we got in 2007 and decided to retain her. This next calf will be out of the same breeding and we will be offering her for sale. These cows are what everyone thinks of when you say family milk cow. More docile and easier to work with than many breeds, Jerseys produce a creamy milk that is good for making butter, yogurt, and cheese - and don't forget the vast improvement to your morning coffee! Our Jerseys are purebred, but not registered. We AI to superior registered Jersey bulls.
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