Doll-- taking a break from the kids |
First, you have the 'pet' goats, like Doll and Maggie, who spent a lot of time being handled when young. They seek ME out, mugging for the camera, begging for pets. But then others, of similar genetics and environment, are stand-offish. This describes Belle perfectly. She is Doll's sister and while she will be 'okay' with being handled or touched, she'd rather not.
The Dans socializing with kids and youngsters |
On Thursday, I attended a Goat Pest Management Seminar in Prairie View and learned a lot more about worms and how to live with them. The International Goat Research Center is located on campus and the staff and Cooperative Extension Agents put on a wonderful day for the attendees, which included dairy, meat and pet goat enthusiasts, one from as far away as Fort Worth. A lot of networking and 'see you next workshop' went on, and I felt like part of the goat family, a nice feeling.
When it comes to internal parasites in goats, Heamonchus contortus is the bad actor, a killer, known commonly as the barber pole worm for obvious reasons. The bad news is that all anthelmintics (dewormers for those just checking in), lose their effectiveness over time and there are very few new products in the pipeline. So, management practices must be properly utilized in order to maintain the safety of the herd. Dr. Niki Whitley from
North Carolina A&T State University was the guest lecturer and she kept us focused for hours. After lunch, we learned some lab techniques we can do ourselves on the farm in order to accurately assess the worm load on a specific goat. Like Dr. Whitley told us, you might have 20% of the goats shedding 80% of the worm eggs, so culling may be in order. I also finally understood the refugia concept and have a better handle on what to do at El Rancho for MY herd.
On another note, we have finally found a plumber for Danny's house--- after trying about eight. All the plumbers are backed up and booked up, but Holman Quality Plumbing is coming through for us! Having the washer and dryer on site will save me hours each Saturday at the laundromat. The Dans are finishing the wiring in the house today, so once the plumbing is done, and some sheetrock is up, we can finish the bathroom and get started on the kitchen.
For Dan and I, the wait to move into 'our' spot seems like forever. The big holdup is getting a well dug, which is currently another two to four month wait. With the demand for water wells in Texas skyrocketing, many new drillers are around, but we decided to wait for a really experienced driller from our area. Like I mentioned before, without water, you're nothin'!
On Friday, I met with Steve Gonzalez from Premiere Environmental Designs. He is a Registered Sanitarian and will design the drain field for our conventional non-aerobic on-site sewer system. Looks like things will be great and we won't have to move parking or driveways! Steve is a great guy and seemed to have a good sense of humor. At the bottom of his business card, it says,
Crapper Mapper.
And that's a wrap.
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