Goat kids
I enjoyed seeing your new little goat kid. I am glad he is doing so well after a rough start. You write that you put him back with his mother to nurse. I am wondering, do you house your kids in with the moms full time? I am interested in getting into goats and have read that you are supposed to keep the kids and moms separate to avoid disease and udder damage. Is this correct? It seems more natural to have kids and moms together, but I want to do what’s best for all involved.
Ralph Armstrong
Marana, Arizona
We keep our kids with their moms for eight weeks unless we sell some of them as bottle babies. After that time, we take them off and wean them. Yes, it is true that CAE can be spread by the kids drinking the milk from infected dams. But we have never, yet, had that disease in our herd and so continue to raise the babies naturally. In my experience, the only udder damage I’ve seen from letting the kids nurse is when older kids (which are much stronger and demanding) nurse on does with not-so-good udder attachments or butt the udder so violently that the doe develops mastitis. Every goat breeder must make the decision based on his or her own situation. — Jackie
Canning gravy
Well, I read the instructions on making the meatballs in mushroom sauce all the way through and completely ignored them. Accidently, or without thought I put the mushroom soup in the meatball mix and now it won’t form into balls. It is a gravy. Can I can it anyway and if so how? Right now it is in the freezer but can’t stay as we have 750 pounds of beef coming and very limited room…
Nancy Foster
Dallas City, Illinois
If it were me, I’d water down the gravy a little so it is thin enough to safely can, then just mix the meat and gravy and can it up as if it were the meatball recipe. It’ll be great over potatoes, noodles, or rice. I get in a hurry sometimes, too. But sometimes you discover great recipes that way! Sounds like you are going to be having plenty of beef! I’m still working on our half a beef; we have another big steer waiting (and growing) while we use up our first one! We feel so rich! — Jackie
Thank you and I will do that today with the gravy. It does taste good. Yes I feel really blessed with the riches we have in our food pantry and freezer and in life in general. We have a third steer waiting to be butchered and I will be putting a lot of that into jars also.
Chickens and rabbits this year I hope.
Life is blessed. GOD IS GOOD!!
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