To be down to milking 8 by summer. Not because I dried them up but because I sold them. To keep only 6 doelings. To get to some shows this year. To not purchase any goats, no matter how much I want a doeling out of......Robin or Tangy!!!!!! To not give back one deposit because I decided to keep the doeling, or the buckling or the milker! To cull ruthlessly and not keep a favorite just cuz I like her! Vicki
OK. This is my first post on this forum and what a great thread to start off with - a new beginning/goals thread. To establish my herd and herd name. To move the goats safely. To acquire a super herdsire (that is in the works - fingers crossed). To participate in my first show. To be a spectator at Nationals. That's enough for now. Anne
All doe's to kid with ease this spring, and no sickness of any kind. """"To not purchase any goats, no matter how much I want a doeling out of......Robin or Tangy!!!!!! """" V. :rofl Yea Right !!! Ain't neither one of you two gonna get pass this one.
Hmm… goals… To build and finish completely new pens etc at the new house To go to at least ONE show To cull without emotion – lol! To learn as much as I can so that this year is a good one! I was drafting a letter for one of my bosses, the company’s HR director. She brought it back to me and pointed out that GOALS is spelled g-o-a-L-s not g-o-a-T-s. Ooops! :lol
Culling and cutting down on most of my herd. Building show quality Nubians Saving my money to be able to pay for the new doeling I have a deposit on. Get my barns built Go to shows (which I really hate except to watch) Get me a small truck that is dependable.
To continue to cull heavily To NOT second guess my vision To NOTcovet all of the gorgeous bucklings that are born in other herds
To keep my numbers low, no matter how nice the doe. To attend more shows this spring, no matter how high gas prices. :rofl To have LA this year. To attend Nationals and at least make the top 20. And.. um.. keep selling milk products so DH won't have a cow at the expense of 'MY' goats. (although we could use another cow)
To be able to do fecal exams with confidence! :biggrin To be consistent in decisions and management. To have a vision! To finish all of the unfinished farm projects (fence, barn, sheds, etc.). To sell (and not buy back) without regret. :? To buy a refrigerator to store milk from 5 does! To figure out what to DO with all the milk from 5 does! To get a good Alpine buck so I don't have to take all the does to the breeder next fall! To have courage to take my girls to be appraised this spring. To reduce our feed and management costs. :sigh To have easy kiddings and lots of healthy doelings! :crazy (doesn't go with the above goal, does it?!)
To cut back on some goats.. Keep only the best of the best... Go to Nationals...not sure to watch or to show...decisions decisions.. Fence in more land... same as Rett...keep selling milk products so hubby won't gripe... I have more I just have to think need more coffee....
I love this Thread! What a great idea.. to put it down on "paper" Well my goals are.. To cull heavily, ruthlessly & without emotion :really To keep my #'s at a managable one.. (what number is that!? :rofl To acquire a new herdsire (or two) Got to more shows Have the herd LA'd Build a milking parlor/kitchen/office Fence more property & like Baileybunch "To have easy kiddings and lots of healthy doelings"
To keep my #'s at a managable one.. (what number is that!? :yeahthat Only at this time of year I think I can milk more than I do after the does have freshened and I'm doing goat chores 3hrs/day twice a day! Then the number I'm willing to keep for the year goes way down, and I start finding faults with milkers. Last year I sold a beautiful show-quality first freshening doe that had a slightly uneven udder due to the roughhousing of her pen mate. My goal is to not make that mistake again this year! The new owner is thrilled with her, beautiful even rounded udder, and she's a knockout that I knew that cross would produce. Karen
To build the pasture fence To sell any wethers except Demi To research meat goats To breed Xenophen with Sandys line To keep only one doeling from Ava To have all the goats tested To have Demi John trained to the cart
Fence the back pasture and tree rows. Build a milk room and make iprovements on the barn. (I know it isn't goat related - but first thing will be to finish the bunny barn. I am promising my self to only buy 5 new animals this year. (Sounds good - doesn't it?!?) I want to take the childern to more shows and finally (if I can get the time from work) go to the SD state fair!
To cut to 14 milkers To get twin does out of Sweetheart (too bad that is out of MY control LOL) To add a purebred doe To get registrations transferred and buy a tatoo set To decide on a split kidding schedule for next year that does NOT involve January!
I like some of these...so I will steal them as I see fit: (1) I want to "Cull without emotion". I would make better decions if I could let go more easily. (2) Make 2008 the Year of the Soap. (3) Obtain another deep freeze for milk. (4) Get 1/2 gallon jugs this year for milk. (5) Test entire herd again. (6) Fence in the rest of the back 8 acre patch. (7) Get free-range chickens under control...put most in freezer. (8 "Not second guess my vision"...this one is tough. Sometimes I get down and think my vision is just not do-able. Perhaps I am dreaming. But is that not what a vision is? A dream turned to reality with blood, sweat and tears? JFK said, "We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard". Sometimes I think it would have been easier to have been an astronaut. We all had our chance when they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up.
To do LA and learn where I need to improve. To build/make adjustments to fence and barn. To learn to butcher and grind. To make and market GM Soap. To make a schedule for supplementing and trimming. To plant an area for the goats to graze on.
1) To have a successful first kidding season. :groan 2) To fence in the pasture 3) Start improving the pasture 4) Become proficient with fecals 5) Still want to have goats by the end of the year
This year, Gabriel's kids will be freshening so I can get a look at the udders he puts on his kids. I need to go through the milkers and keep only the best of them. A few of the older girls will have to go, even though they have become as DH says, "family members". Find Isis a home as a pet/weed eater. I really need to focus on breeding quality Nubians that will command the prices I see the well known breeders getting. Any new goats I acquire HAVE to be ones that will improve my herd. The one goal I'd really like to see happen is to finish a Nubian doe at the shows this year.