Friday, March 28, 2014

Goats Milk... This is why we are so excited!

We are so excited to have a milking goat again. I have had many people ask us why we are so excited and do we really drink her milk? The answer is yes we are so excited to have our own supply of goat milk and I found an article explaining so well why goat milk is so good for us...

Worldwide, goat milk is the most highly consumed form of milk and, amidst the varying dairy goat types; Nigerian Dwarf goat milk is increasingly popular.  But why is goat milk and Nigerian Dwarf goat milk in particular so popular?

Better For You - Goat milk is easier for human’s to digest than cow’s milk.  It’s naturally homogenized, with smaller fat particles evenly suspended throughout the milk.  It contains vitamins, minerals, trace elements, electrolytes, enzymes, and proteins that are easier for humans to assimilate than similar content in cow’s milk.  For these reasons, it’s typically digested in 20 minutes; whereas it can take 24 hours for humans to digest cow’s milk.

People who suffer from lactose intolerance may find that goat’s milk is a good alternative.  Goat milk contains less lactose than cow milk and since it passes through the digestive system so rapidly, many who suffer from lactose intolerance have no difficulty with goat milk.

Goat milk doesn’t contain the complex protein compounds that stimulate allergic reactions to milk.  People experiencing bloating, diarrhea, asthma, and irritability after consuming milk are usually suffering an allergic reaction to cow milk caused by these complex proteins.  Goat milk; however, can typically be consumed without triggering these reactions.

Because goat milk soothes the digestive tract, is typically accepted by those with lactose intolerance, and doesn’t trigger milk allergies; it’s often recommended for infant nutrition and treatment of coronary diseases, cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, intestinal disorders, gallstone problems, and many others.

It Tastes Better - Among the dairy breeds, Nigerian Dwarf goat milk has the highest levels of butterfat, making it so creamy that it’s often preferred over cow’s milk.  Nigerian Dwarf milk has approximately 6 – 10% butterfat, as opposed to approximately 4 – 6% for other breeds.  Since butterfat is what gives milk its sweet flavor, it’s the sweetest, richest milk of all the dairy breeds. 

Our short lived mink ranch

So Terry came home from work to screw down the roof before a big wind storm. I was out working the ranch to be there incase he fell off so I could call 911 if necessary. As I was cleaning up I discovered a mink living in our junk pile. So I so proudly set a trap and after a time or two I caught us a live black mink. I was raised on a mink farm and know how mean they are so I was pretty careful about the whole situation. Once I caught it I wondered what to do with it. My dad kept trying to talk us into buying 5 females and get started with our little mink ranch with a shed or two. But with Terry's sensitive nose we knew minking was not the right adventure for us. So we found the mink a new home after a week of keeping it and having the kids feed it to realize just how stinky and mean they really are. I was thankful for this short lived mini mink ranch to give my kids an idea of what I was raised with. Of course they didn't have to pelt it, feed it and water it 3 times a day in summer and drag frozen hoses through 16 sheds during the winter months twice a day. Or try and catch the ones that got out. Or have your favorite cat killed by the mink. They didn't even have to sawdust the mink boxes. But they did get to finally see, smell and hear one!

Outside Arena Plans

So this spring we would love to complete our large outside arena for riding in the warmer months. We will be renting an escavator to pull out all of the posts in the middle. Then finding an affordable way to complete the fencing into one large arena. We would love to do all vinyl like the rest of the fence but with the posts being so expensive we will have to come up with a (good enough) idea to fence in the area for safe riding.

Out House Complete!

So this winter we have been busy the first project on the agenda was to add an outhouse to the pump house for all of our riders to have access too. It was quite the project creating a septic tank and installing the toilet and sink but it is complete and ready to be enjoyed by all.
Just remember to keep the door shut before, during and after use. Also the toilet needs you to old down the flush  handle for about 5 seconds to completely flush. Hope you enjoy our addition!

Kid Goat Callie is finally born

We have all been waiting for about 2 weeks of when Princess Cinderella would finally share her surprise with us. She has been pregnant for 5 months and finally on March 25th around 9:00 am she gave birth to a sweet baby girl weighing 6lbs 10 oz. and 12 inches tall. She is the most perfect baby girl goat I have ever seen with darling white bootie socks on the front feet  and a dash of brown speckles on her bottom. Her sweet nose looks like she dipped it in a bowl of milk to match her momma's. Oh yes we will be keeping this sweet baby Callie!

Baby Kittens - Warning it has a sad ending

On March 20th, our sweet kitten Gretel gave birth to 6 tiny baby kittens. Only 3 kittens made it through the first day. I am not sure what went wrong whether she was just to young to provide for all of them, if it was too cold, or if her milk just didn't come in but by the end of the first week they all went home to our sweet Aunt Tonia's Ranch in heaven. It was sad for all of us we were looking forward to little kittens causing trouble on the ranch. They were all so beautiful and different from each other. So lets hope that Gretel gets a little older before her next batch of cuties are born. I am so sorry to pass on this info. But we had a short glimpse of how cute those babies are.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Barn Rules Reminder!


With a new session starting I just wanted to go over some of the barn rules so there is no misunderstandings...

  • All Riders must wear helmet and cowboy boots during riding lessons
  • No Smoking, no alcohol and NO vulgar language
  • No bullying of any kind!!! Always be polite and friendly to EVERYONE & don't talk about others
  • Be nice to your horse
  • Keep Outhouse door tighly closed
  • No Visiting dogs or unattended children, umbrellas, bikes, balls this sort of thing that spooks horses
  • Farm equipment is to be used only by Crazy Creek Family or Employees
  • Riders must clean up manure from their horses while out of the corral
  • Pick up all trash
  • No double riding on horses
  • Riding horses is only permitted in riding arenas
  • Do not turn your horses loose
  • Please respect our home and ranch to encourage continuing of lessons
  • Do not run up to or walk closely behind a horse
  • Don't feed the animals unless your asked to
  • No whining and if you fall off, get back on
  • Have fun and always be nice