Goats!

We have six goats at Horseshoe Farm. Betsy and Buttercup are our nubian dairy goats. They supply the milk I use in my coffee each morning, and the rest gets turned into cheese or goat milk soap. The boys, Mo, Dozer, BamBam, and Gigolo, are in charge of lawn mowing. All of our goats spend their days grazing in our big grassy pasture with access to shade, shelter, fresh water, and lots of love. Betsy and Buttercup are leash-trained and know commands like "let's go" and "hop up". All of our goats are super friendly and love being snuggled and brushed. They're like vegetarian dogs.

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DIY Hay Feeder

colorado river toadThis DIY hay feeder project actually began last summer as a toad proofing project. Yes, toad proofing is a real thing. We have enormous Colorado River Toads here – and when I say enormous, I mean toads the size of a dinner plate that could swallow a kitten whole. Although I don’t mind the toads, and in fact, would normally welcome these insect-eating critters, they happen to be highly toxic to dogs. So toxic, a dog can die just from licking one of these puppies.

It turns out toads are fabulous toys according to George, so after a very close call involving a baby toad and our bouncing great dane, I needed to find a way to toad proof the backyard. Enter hardware cloth. Our backyard is wrapped up nice and tight from the ground to 24 inches, and so far so good. The toads can live happily in the front yard and pasture, and the dog is safe in the backyard.

I stuffed some hay between the hardware cloth toad-proofing and the pasture fence one day when I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to fuss with the hay net. As it turns out, hardware cloth works really well wired up along a fence to hold your hay up off the ground, keeping it nice and clean, and spread out so there’s plenty of room for everyone to eat.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how you can make your own DIY hay feeder using supplies you probably already have around the house. If you need to purchase the hardware cloth and wire, I picked up a small roll of 24″ hardware cloth and wire for under $15 total. You can also tie it up with zip ties. This 3ft wide hay feeder took about 10 minutes to make!

diy hay feeder | horseshoe farm
[Read more…]

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Adoptable Mini-Nubian Goats

These two mini-nubian goats are from Buttercup & Betsy’s first kidding. They’re approx. 2yrs old, very well cared for, loved, and in great shape. Their family is having some difficulties, and they are no longer able to care for them, so we’re helping them find a new home. Khaki is a doe, Truffles is a wether. They are mini-nubians (3/4 nubian, 1/4 nigerian dwarf) so they’re mid-sized. [Read more…]

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New Arrivals :)

We’re excited to have three new happy, healthy baby nubian goats! Buttercup and Betsy delivered their kids on March 1st and March 12. Their names are Downton Abbey themed : )

Here’s Branson:

branson | baby nubian goat

Isobel:

isobel | baby nubian goat

 

And Daisy:

daisy | baby nubian goat

Branson has been reserved and will be going to an excellent home where he’ll be a pet and trail companion. Daisy will be staying here at the farm, and Isobel is available to an approved home.

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Gigolo

Gigolo | Nubian Buck | Horseshoe.Farm

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Adoptable Goats

We’re helping the owner of these two goats find a good home for them. They are both friendly, loved and well cared for pets, but their owner can no longer keep them. [Read more…]

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Goat Toys: The Hay Net

Awhile ago, I posted some photos of my goats playing with their water jug goat toy. It’s one of our most popular posts, so I thought I’d share some photos of another one of our goat toys. I picked up a Hay Net and hung it from the roof of the shade structure out in the pasture. It’s like a piñata for goats! [Read more…]

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Goats “Helping” with Projects

We’ve been working on installing some new fencing out in the pasture, splitting it into two separate sections. The goats have had fun “helping” with the project. Betsy, Supervisor: goats helping with projects Dozer, in charge of shovels:goats helping with projects Dozer, also in charge of tools: goats helping with projects Buttercup, chewing on the fence posts: goats helping with projects Betsy, eating the grass off the tops of the clumps of dirt we dug out of the hole. Apparently this is better than “normal” grass: goats helping with projects Mo, standing on the not-quite-dry concrete and leaning on the not-quite-set post: goats helping with projects Mo, standing on top of Goat Mountain: goat-mountain It would certainly be easier to work with this little herd tucked away in their stalls, but it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining. : )