Future Caprine Workshop - MAYBE...

Matua Ranch's herd sire.

I was asked earlier today if I may conduct a workshop on how to raise goats on the island.  I tried to defer the person on the other end of the call to check out the Agriculture Extension Service at the university or talk with other ranchers on the island who have been doing this longer than I have.  But the caller would not consider those recommendations.  They have been there, done that already.  In fact, the caller was referred to me by some of the staff at the extension service.  


I did not commit to the request.  Towards the end of the call, I mentioned that I will consider it.  At the moment, I am currently busy with Safety Training Courses at the college and with my own clients, busy with work as a Site Safety Health Officer, and my own ranch.  As I write this post, I'm thinking to myself...how am I going to fit this into my schedule.  I know exactly what Rhoda will say...pray about it, lift it up.  

A lot of people think conducting a training course is easy...just get up there and talk.  That is not the case.  I have to do lots of research on how to raise goats on a tropical island.  Same as when I conduct a safety course.  I have to research the OSHA website, the Navy's Construction Safety website, check other sources to see if there are any updates on the topic or course that I will conduct.  If there are updates.  Then I will have to update my slide presentation and rehearse the presentation to bring those updates into the training smoothly. 

With my schedule the way it is now, it'll take approximately 2 months to do the research for this goat workshop.  Yes, I have lots of experiences raising goats and I can just talk about that.  However, I do want to give the best workshop to the potential clients, especially when there will be a cost to participate in the workshop.  


ESTA...


KEEP SMILING. 

Working the ranch with Michael.

Did some work on the ranch today.  I put the goat herd out and had them out on their leads along the side of the house.  They're slowly cleaning it up.  Our goat buck was there last week and did majority of the browsing work to clear up the place.  The buckling and doeling were placed along the trail.  

Readjusted the herd buck, Fluffy, and moved him South.  He'll be following the Karabao, two days later as I rotate them in the South Paddock.  The challenge is getting Gera the Karabao his daily water of 15 gallons with all the rocks in the way.  I'm definitely going to have to run waterlines in the South Paddock to make it a lot more convenient to work.  

During the morning chores, I harvested 6 eggs.  It looks like the hens are getting their rhythm  on and have settled down a lot.  That rainstorm last year really messed up their laying capacity.  Discovered that one of the hens was not laying in the nest box but outside by the perimeter guard dog.  I harvested those 8 eggs and added them to today's collection. 

After lunch, my nephew Michael came out from his cousin's house next door and asked if he can come into the ranch with me.  We got a nice fire going to help keep the mosquitoes away.  Then I started adjusting things here and moving thing there.  I showed Michael what type of wood to get for the fire to keep it burning.  He seemed to be enjoying himself with the fire and burning the tips of the sticks he finds.  He maybe another arsonist in the family, lighting fires or blowing things up.  I had him go back to the house to fetch some newspapers to help light up the fire.  When he got back, I had him stuff newspapers on the leeward side of fire pit, in between the firewood.  I did the same on the windward side.  While he wasn't looking.  I took out the lighter and lit the newspaper and returned the lighter to my pocket.  Michael looked up from his side of the fire stack and exclaimed how did I do that?  I told him that I just snapped my fingers and there was fire.  LOL...he tried doing it. 

I did some upgrades in the ranch while the fire was burning.  To protect the ground feeders from the weather, I retrieved two sheets of roofing tin to cover them, making a makeshift lean-to against a tree.  Then placing the feeders underneath the makeshift lean-to's.  That'll work for the mean time. 

Michael was concerned that the roosters were beating up the hens by pulling their head feathers and getting behind them.  I told him, the birds are having sex.  He asked why so rough.  That's how they like I replied back. 

The fire embers got Michael's attention again.  As he was busy playing around the fire.  I went and collected the firewood that I cut months ago and stacked them on one side of a small tree.  There are a lot of felled trees that I need to cut up into firewood lengths and stack them for future barbecues. 

While I was stacking up the firewood.  Michael went wondering about and discovered my live worm bin.  He thought he discovered it on the ranch.  He asked what was inside.  I told him to go look.  And exploring he went.  When he came back.  I asked what was inside.  He said, lots of feathers, wool, and looks like a goat's head.  Also, lots of flies.   He asked why is that on the ranch.  I explained that was where we put the dead animals from the ranch.  We recycle their carcasses into the bin.  He asked how does that happen.  So I had to explain to him that when the animals die for whatever reason.  I put their carcasses in there.  Later the flies will lay their eggs on the bodies and within a day the fly eggs will hatch into maggot larva and start feasting on the carcass.  Some of those maggots will find the drilled out holes at the bottom and sides of the bin and will crawl through it.  On the other side waiting are the poultry.  My Rhode Island Reds, Guinea Fowl, Jungle Fowl all devouring their maggot treats.  This gives my birds the protein they need to sustain them.  So we're doing our part to recycle the circle of life. 

Discovered the wild pig grove are visiting at night again.  They devoured some taro roots.  Will have to make time to go hunting to cull out the drove. 


ESTA


KEEP SMILING 

Getting Better

 

Worked the ranch today. 

Got up early, ate some really runny eggs, had chocolate to chase that down, then out the door to check on the animals.  Normally, the does and ram will be outside in the pen's yard doing their thing.  Today, they preferred to stay in the pen, which is situated underneath the back porch.  They did come out to browse for awhile.  Then went back in.  It maybe the weather since we're supposed to have a rain storm coming.  NOAA Guam states that Tropical Storm Faxia will move North, missing Guahan.  If they don't eat their feed tomorrow.  I'll go ahead and give each of them a dewormer shot, just to be safe. 

I opened the gate to the pen and left it open for them to go in and out as they pleased.  The two kids came out and started exploring their new surroundings.  I put a collar on the doeling.  I picked up both the doeling and buckling to look at them closely.  From their teeth and other physical attributes, they're about less than 2 months old, or right at 2 months.  The horn buds on the buckling is about right for a 2 month old.  The doeling has yet to have her horn buds breakout.  These two kids were weaned to early.  I'm going to have to give them milk bottles to compensate for their loss nutrition. 

I relocated the toro (buck) closer to the house to have him clean up the area.  Once he's done with that.  I'll fence it off and put my garden there.  I trimmed back a lot of the over grown plants close to the house.  The two kids came over and helped clean up the area a bit, just munching on anything they saw, or what I cut or pulled down. 

At the chicken's area, I fixed up some of the blown off roofing tin from the fly pens.  Was able to put them back to the pens that they flew off from.  Today, the chickens got some rice with a mix of grain.  I noticed that they are eating less of the grain and constantly scratching and looking for other goodies amongst the grass.  Which means less feed to purchase from the feed stores in the future. 

Our egg layers have been laying eggs for a while now.  But never at the level that they were laying when we first acquired the lot, last year.  We're currently averaging 3 eggs per day.  That's not bad for family consumption of table eggs.  Unlike last year when we were getting 8 eggs per day.  I was hoping for more eggs.  So I'll be able to sell the surplus to potential customers.  Looks like I'll have to wait until the new egg layers from Hawaii come in to help bring up the egg count.

Worked with the karabao today.  Gera is doing okay.  The grass up here is not helping him though.  The alfalfa hay is helping to supplement the nutrition he needs.  I'll have to get more alfalfa bales and cubes for him.  He likes the cubes a lot.  There is no waste unlike the flakes from the bales.  Trying to get his mass and weight back up.  I may have to do some cut and carry method, for awhile, until I move him to the back ranch.  Trying to avoid moving him to the back ranch until the access way is open.  Don't like the idea of crossing a relative's property to get to mine, even if there is approval to do so.  Don't need the gossip.   

I will replace his lead this week.  The one he has is unraveling due to the constant twisting.  Even with a swivel to keep the rope from twisting to bad, Gera finds a way to do so.  The current rope lead will hold for a couple of days.  But we'll probably change it out tomorrow or Wednesday.  

I do have to admit that the ranch is looking a lot better than last year.  When I restarted the ranch operation after a long break.  Just some housekeeping, waste management, and operations management to tweak to make it better for me and the animals. 


ESTA


KEEP SMILING

New kids on the ranch.

Buckling - White kid.  Doeling - Brown with white. 

Acquired two weaned kids from Quan Ranch this afternoon, a doeling and buckling. I'm estimating their ages to be approximately 2 - 3 months.  The buckling is really tame.  While the doeling is a bit skittish.

Learned that the line is from another ranch who i deal with occasionally.   I know the Rancher and the herd from where these kids originally came from.  Good stock from that ranch.

We'll see how these two kids fair with the does in the next week.  Then I'll introduce them to the herd buck.


ESTA

KEEP SMILING.