What you’re going to be looking for/dealing with throughout the breeding and goat gestation process. Plus, a free Nigerian Dwarf…
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Homestead Animals
Imagine if your breakfast came right from your backyard homestead? With the help of some livestock, that dream could easily become a reality. I start every day milking the goats and, on my way back from the milking parlor, I swing by the coop for some fresh duck, chicken, and quail eggs. Throw in some homemade bread and bacon from a local farmer and I am able to serve my family a breakfast for champions.
Animals are an integral part of the homestead. Regardless of the size of your homestead, there are probably animals you can keep that will help you live more self-sufficiently. If you are just getting started or you have a smaller backyard homestead, quail, chickens, and rabbits are a great start. If you have some experience under your belt or you have more land to spread out on, goats and ducks are great options.
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Chickens | Ducks | Goats | House Pets | Quail | Rabbits
How to Get a 60% Hatch Rate with Duck Eggs
The same principles that apply to hatching chicken eggs can be applied to duck eggs. With the last batch of 18 duck eggs I incubated, 12 hatched, 1 died sometime in the last week of incubation for unknown reasons, and 5 were clear eggs. I didn’t candle the eggs, so I didn’t remove the clear eggs. This was a 66% hatch rate. A 50% hatch rate is considered very good.
A Simple DIY Strip Cup Trick for Milking
In the first few streams of milk, any abnormalities such as blood or clots will be detected. The first few streams of milk contain the most bacteria and dirt. That’s why you need to use a strip cup.
Goat Hoof Care: How to Trim Hooves Correctly
Goat hoof care is a task you sign up for when you bring home cute baby goats. Goat hoof care begins early in life and is a regular part of a maintaining a healthy herd. You have some time before the kids are big enough to need an actual hoof trim, but getting them use to having the hoof touched and examined early, will make it easier when necessary.
Naming Your Dairy Goat for ADGA Registration
How hard can naming your dairy goat possibly be? Well, if you are planning on registering your goat with the ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) it might be a bit harder than you think. The American Goat Association (AGA) has rules of it’s own, but ADGA’s policies for naming your dairy goat are a bit more strict, so those are the ones we are going to discuss.
Choosing the Right Duck Breed for Your Homestead
Over the years ducks have been bred for different purposes, primarily meat production and egg production. If you plan to raise ducks on your homestead, it is important to choose a duck breed that best suits your particular needs. All domesticated duck breeds originated from the mallard. The male mallard has a couple of curled tail feathers, called sex feathers. No other non-domesticated ducks have these sex feathers.
