We Have A Website

I have been raising nigerian dwarf dairy goats since 2013. This is one of my passions.  I am a member of the American Dairy Goat Association as well.  It's amazing to me just how many changes I have witnessed in this industry in such a short period of time.  We show, milk test, and appraise our herd.  We test annually for all the major caprine diseases. We recently started a website just for our goat herd.  It's slowly being populated with members of the herd, our breeding schedule, news and updates.  If you're interested in learning more about these special little goats check out our site here.

In The Beginning...

Alethia HB Cassiopia "TT" 

This journey began in 2008 while attending college for coursework in rangeland management and forage crop production.

Once I realized just how valuable goats can be to a farm I began researching everything I could find about their husbandry. I quickly decided on dairy goats as they can provide wildfire fuel breaks, AND produce some amazing, useful byproducts ie: milk, cheese, compost, and wonderful moisturizing milk soap.  Unsure as to whether or not I was disciplined enough to manage dairy animals, I set up a plan to find out. I leased a couple nubians in milk and began milking twice a day, by hand.  To my surprise I loved it! I was pretty busy, taking a full load in school, managing a household, a large vegetable and fruit garden, beehives, chickens, a high school senior, husband, and three beautiful goats. That led me to the next step... more!

In 2010, I began attending dairy goat shows to learn how to identify the most important traits for dairy animals.  I even started showing goats for friends. That was an amazing experience. You can really learn alot about structure and conformation by standing inside the ring listening to a judge evaluate the animal you're holding. 

Once I knew enough about the importance of structure, mammary attachments, and genetics, I began researching the animals that were available near me.  Many folks do not realize that there is a dairy goat genetics database. That database is invaluable and contained within, are production and type evaluations for tens of thousands of animals and the individual structural (linear) data on many more. I placed reservations on kids and prepared to bring them home.

We have been breeding nigerian dwarf dairy goats since 2013. In 2014 we participated in 305 day milk test for the first time and attended our first show with our own stock that year too. Our foundation doe SG Joyful Hearts Lilyofthevalley, VEEV 89 @ 2.4, went reserve that summer and earned her superior genetics (SG) designation that winter.

The last five years have gone by way too fast.  I lost my Mother, we gained three grandbabies, and have made a few lifelong friends that are more like family.  Our herd has grown too. We have amassed a herd that includes bucks and does from some of my all-time favorite animals including Elite does and breed leaders.  We even have a beautiful sister of one of the ADGA national champions in our herd.

This Spring we attended more shows than we ever have before in a single season, and it was a lot of fun.  The most incredible part of this journey has been the relationships we've made with friends and mentors. We have a small group of "family" that we show with.  We support eachother through thick and thin.

If you've been on the fence about starting your journey with goats, and you have the resources and space to do so, I recommend you begin like I did: research, get an experienced mentor or two, attend some shows to meet other goat breeders, and learn about conformation and production. Then, share what you learn on your journey too.


Heidi

Babies, babies everywhere, It must be SPRING!

Yes my friends, spring is a time of renewal on the farm.  Winter rains cleanse the air, rain moistens soil, seeds germinate and bring forth new life.  SO is the way of things in the animal world too.  So far we have seven new babies this month.  There are a few more does yet to kid before this season is over, and milk test has just begun.

That means show season is also just around the corner, it begins right before our region's linear appraisal.  It's going to be very busy around here for a while and we like it like that.

Here are a few photos of the new kids.  I hope you find them as cute as we do.

Goldie and her new triplets, 2 does, one buck

Elation and her single buck kid Pre-Nup

Macarena and her doe/buck twins

I will share pics of Addy and her beautiful son soon too.

Jerry's DIY Goat Feeder Plans

Howdy FarmGirls!  

My hubby Jerry is always ready to make my farm dreams come true.  That is especially true when I need another structure to house or feed farm babies.

Last year our herd more than doubled in size and I decided that I needed a strong feeder for my dairy goats. A feeder with a roof to keep the hay dry, and with enough vertical structure to prevent grass hay from slipping through and being stepped on.

Within a few hours Jerry built me this wonderful feeder. He made most of it from scraps and a few lengths of cull lumber from a home improvement store.

This feeder has been a great help.  I have a few more on my list once our new buck barn is finished.  

Here is a drawing I made from my feeder, complete with measurements.  

Please feel free to use the plan to construct your own feeders, and by all means SHARE this post.  I'd really appreciate if you would send me photos/link of your feeder once it's made too.  

DIY IS FREEDOM!  These feeders cost almost $300 around here to BUY.  Jerry built this one using recycled wood, steel, and $7 in culled lumber for the slats.  

Save your money to buy more goats!  That's my motto.  

Heidi

I have linked up this post to my favorite blog hop, the Farmgirl Friday blog hop.  You can go back there now, by clicking on THIS LINK!

You're Invited to a Party!

Calling All 

FARMGIRLS!  

We are having a party and you are cordially invited to JOIN our Facebook group (Farmgirl Chit Chat) and to LINK UP your blog for our new Farmgirl Chit Chat Blog Party!

What are you waiting for???

HANDCRAFTED GOAT MILK SOAP PRODUCT REVIEW

CRANBERRY RIDGE FARM

Luxury Goat Milk Soap

When Matt and Rhonda Shaul of Cranberry Ridge Farm offered me the opportunity to review several of their amazing goat milk soap bars I JUMPED at the chance!

They've been making their very special luxury soap bars for more than a decade, and they've crossed this great country doing it.  Read about their incredible farm journey on their website HERE.

My Review-

Jerry and I have used their soaps exclusively over the past 6 weeks. Jerry's favorite has been their bar- The Anvil's Ring (image above). Its scent is reminiscent of balsam and leather.  Our weather has been very cold and dry so far this winter.  Jerry loves the fragrance and tells me that the soap has comforted his dry skin and chapped hands.  He wants more as soon as possible.

I have a small herd of nigerian dwarf dairy goats.  Daily chores are very drying, especially at this time of year.  I have to use strong cleansers and disinfectants to prepare and clean up after milking. My hands often become dry,cracked, and sore in winter months from all the chemicals and frequent washings. 

I have enjoyed Cranberry Ridge Farm's Lavender, Lemongrass, and Lavender Patchouli bars. All three soaps have been very nourishing to my overworked skin.  I could see and feel a positive difference in my skin's texture and moisture in just about a week.  

My impression of their Lavender bar is that it has a very pleasant, lavender fragrance.  This bar is not too strongly scented, which is common for this scent.  It is attractive and would make a lovely gift.  It cleanses well and does not leave a film on your skin or in the shower as many of the handcrafted bars I have purchased have done.  

The Lavender Patchouli bar smells amazing.  It's musky with the calming lavender fragrance blended into it.  This fragrance is calming and relaxing.  I will definitely need more of this one too.

My FAVORITE so far is the Lemongrass bar.  The smell is so pure and invogorating.  It wakes me up and puts a smile on my face!  

There you have it.  I recommend these goat milk soaps. I send a BIG thank you to Matt and Rhonda Shaul of Cranberry Ridge Farm for giving me several bars to use and enjoy.

Heidi

Lily Goes Reserve Grand Champion at Chino LVDGA Show

In our first show of the year, our foundation doe Joyful Hearts Lily of the Valley, a two year old, 2nd freshener, and dam of the first kids born to Tres Rios Farm (quad boys this spring) won her class in Ring 3 of the Lost Valley Dairy Goat Association and went on to take Reserve Grand Champion too.  

This was a VERY competitive show with no less than 27 does in her class.  

We are very proud of our herd queen.

kidding season arrives

On Monday, March 31, 2014, our nigerian dwarf doe "Lily" gave birth to four healthy bucklings.  I was with her as she kidded, though she did not need any help from me this time.  She pushed all four babies out in just seven minutes and was standing up to greet and feed them as soon as she was done.  

These boys are the first born on our farm and will carry our herd name.  They all weighed in above three pounds at birth.  

Hello Tigger!  

We are in the ADGA Performance Plus Program this year which means we are participating in milk test, we are having the whole herd linear appraised, and we are proofing DNA for our herd leaders.  Show season is just around the corner too.  This summer is going to be really exciting, and a big learning experience for us.

We need to settle on names this week and get these boys registered so they'll be ready for all these adventures.

Sweet Dreams

Our FIRST Farm Visit from the Vet

Last week we had our first on site farm visit from our new veterinarian.  It was a real learning experience.

My does had sonograms.  Lily is ripe, carrying atleast two babies.  I got to see their little fast pounding heartbeats on the sonogram screen.  That was so cool.

The whole herd had physicals and had their annual lab tests and fecals.

Our Vet called me back yesterday to share the great news.  The herd's fecals were clean.  All CAE and CL test results were negative as well.

The best part for me, the new goat herd owner, was having the vet tell me that she loved our goat house and yard.  It was the cleanest she's seen, and my herd have excellent body conditioning.  Even with Miss Lily pregnant she still looks great.  Thanks to those great Joyful Hearts/Rosasharn genetics.

They came to me starting in April of last year from healthy, established herds, and it feels good knowing that my hard work is keeping them healthy.

Moving Day on the Farm

The goats and I have been waiting patiently for several months for this very special day at Tres Rios Farm. They moved in to the new Goat House yesterday.

We've still got a few kinks to work out in the arrangement of stalls, who goes where, how to set up what- where, but I can say that everyone is resting well and enjoying their new larger, warmer, more secure home tonight.

Jerry and I also made great progress today in the yard.  We disassembled the old goat yard and began tilling and scraping the new goat pasture area.  We ordered a few bags of pasture seed mix for small ruminants and are prepping the soil on about an acre of relatively flat hillside for our new goat pasture.

We've got big plans for our little farm this year. We joined the ADGA Performance Plus Program for the first time.  I got my tester certification card this week, and am preparing for our first year on milk test.  Our veterinarian will be making a farm call next week for routine physicals, sonograms on our two pregnant does, and annual herd testing.  Things are sure going to be exciting around here for a while, and then begins SHOW season... Oh, and BABY WATCH is just around the corner!!!

Have a HAPPY week friends.  

FARMGIRL PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT NOW!!!

That's right!  All day today I am posting clues hourly.  PRIZES every hour!  

All you need to do is HOP on over and JOIN the group if you haven't yet had a chance, and SHARE your favorite photos that match our clues.  What could be simpler than that?  

Whatcha waiting for?  Hope to see ya there!  HERE'S THE LINK!

Wow. That's Moving FAST.

The GOAT BARN continues to take shape

 thanks to my boys

when finished, it will be home to my little herd 

 My boys have managed to construct most of this barn from recycled construction materials found here at the farm

Everything but the nails, roof boards, and exterior plywood siding on the back are re-purposed.  The siding on front and the two sides is re-purposed fencing from the back yard.

If the weather holds out, we may have goats inside sleeping in another week or so.  

Friday on the Farm

My boys have been busy the last few days working on a goat barn for my herd.

The Addy and Moonie Show...

Our First Year With Dairy Goats

To ring in the New Year, I compiled a short video full of pictures I've taken during the last ten months of my first baby nigerian dwarf dairy goats, Addy and Moonie.  They are the precious kids that started my addiction to goats.

They sure grow FAST.  The first picture is from the beginning of April 2013 and the last image is from November 2013.

I hope you enjoy it.

Heidi

I am linking up to share my farm babies on The Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop this week!

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year

We've been making steady progress toward a few of our long term goals for the farm.

The goat barn is almost done.

We've placed reservations on two livestock guardian puppies due in spring.  They come from a farm with goats and chickens.  The parents are experienced LGDs.

The goats and I have embarked on a daily exercise ritual.  We spend about 30 minutes each afternoon jogging up and down the mountainside.

Jerry and I have been auditing local stockyard auctions trying to get an idea of the FMV for a few healthy feeder calves.  After talking to a few bovine experts we've got a plan to purchase two calves from a CL/CAE free herd. We just need to find one nearby.

I am taking my DHIR tester training course online this week and have prepared the paperwork to start our first year on milk test.  I am very excited.  I hope Lily earns her star.

Since bringing home our sweetheart buck Trump Card two months ago, we expect Lily to be bred for Easter babies.  I am taking her for an ultrasound in two weeks and I hope to know for sure then.

I plan to have Joyful Hearts CB Adelaide and DesertNanny BE Trump Card linear appraised.  I am still working on finding a host herd within a short drive.

We have plans to repair the irrigation system in the 5 acre pasture above the house and I hope to begin re-mineralizing it and seeding it with good forage for the goats and cows.

The last year has been the best year I can remember.  I learned so much and enjoyed many new and exciting experiences.  I hope that 2014 is full of more new adventures.

Meet "The Trump"

We are proud to announce the arrival of our future herdsire "DesertNanny BE Trump Card" aka "The Trump".

Photo courtesy of Sharon Warren, DesertNanny

The Trump hails from the great state of Arizona and the awesome DesertNanny herd belonging to Sharon and Glenn Warren.  You can check out their amazing animals HERE.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Warren, DesertNanny

His pedigree is full of milk and good conformation.  I am really looking forward to seeing the beautiful babies he will add to our farm.

Desertnanny BE Trump Card

We are making plans for The Trump and our girls to get better acquainted.  

My First Batch of Goat Milk Soap

 My little yearling dairy goat Lily has me a little overwhelmed with milk.  She may be a dwarf dairy goat, but she milks like a much larger doe so I have been challenged to find new uses for her milk.

This week I made my first few batches of goat milk soap.

I started with (Beekman Boys) Dr. Brent Ridge's basic unscented goat milk soap recipe which I found on Martha Stewart's website HERE.  I added a few herbs, raw honey from my bees, vitamin E, and ground oats into the dark bars for me.  Then I ran it through a soap calculator online just to be sure my ratios were good, and Voila!  We have soap. The light colored bars contain a few drops of peppermint oil in them for my hubby.  

The soap still has to cure for a few weeks to be sure the lye has cooked out, but I used to make cold process soap often- and this soap was so mild after initial processing that I was amazed.  

We have soap for a year in under two hours.  

Do you make soap?

What is your favorite soap recipe?

Grand Opening!

Welcome to Three Rivers Farm

This is my new blog.  The place that I will be discussing all things related to animal husbandry and herd management.  I am a newbie to farm living.  I was born a city kid, grew up in the suburbs, and got bit by the "rural living" bug in my thirties after a job took us out to the country to live on a 30 acre dairy farm.  Those were the most exciting years we've spent and I loved every minute of it.

Later, I spent years in college learning about crop science, forage crops, and rangeland management.  With our move to the new farm last December, I have determined to start implementing the skills I developed through all those wonderful farm classes.  It may not be a pretty sight just yet, but things will fall into place.  One piece at a time.

I hope to realize my dream to be attached to the land and animals that feed me, and to treat both with dignity and respect.

Thanks for stopping by the farm. Come again soon!

Heidi