The Mysterious Albino Deer Herd

Throughout history people have been fascinated by rare sightings of albino whitetail deer. In fact, these mystical ghosts of the woods have been the center of many ancient Native American legends and folklore. Encounters with solid white deer were even documented in journal entries by early European explorers in the big woods country of present day Wisconsin. 

The natural intrigue with white deer can probably be best explained by their unusual appearance that catches both the eye and our imagination. According to biologists, the recessive gene that causes albinism in whitetail deer is very uncommon. The chances of an albino deer being born are only 1 in 20,000. 

In addition, the solid white coats of the deer make them more susceptible to attack from predators, which dramatically decrease the overall survival rate of these special whitetails. With that being said, very few people will ever have the opportunity to catch a mere glimpse of these white ghosts. However, there is a unique place in Wisconsin called Boulder Junction that is home to an unbelievable number of wild albino deer.

Preparing Your Property for Raising Goats

Bringing home goats requires some forethought on your part so that you can keep your goats safe and healthy and protect them from predators. Here’s a glimpse of the projects you need to undertake before you get your goats:

Build housing or get current housing ready. Goats need some kind of shelter from the elements and a safe place to bunk down. In addition, you might want a dedicated area for milking or kidding, if you decide to breed your goats.

Build a fence or check your fencing for security. Goats are smart and curious, and they will head out into the neighborhood if given the chance. Furthermore, wolves, wild dogs, and other predators would love to be able to get at your goats, and so you need to do your best to keep them out.

Buy feed and feeding equipment. Goats need hay, grain, minerals, and other supplemental feed, depending on the kind of goats you get, their stage of life, and the way you intend to use them. And of course, your goats need clean, fresh water every day. At a minimum, you need

Feed storage containers

Food bowls

Hay manger

Mineral feeder

Water buckets

Put together a first aid kit. Accidents and illnesses are inevitable, and so you need to be ready for common problems you’re likely to face as you raise goats, from stopping the bleeding from a hoof-trimming injury to giving injections to combat infections or illnesses.

Goat-proof your yard or pasture. Goats are grazers, which means that they move from plant to plant and tree to tree, eating all the way. Some of the common plants that homeowners use for landscaping can poison goats, and so you need to clear them out. You may also want to protect the trees that you can’t or don’t want to remove but adding some protection to their trunks.

Tips for Bringing New Goats Home

If you purchase your goats from a breeder who lives across the country, the breeder is responsible for getting the goats to a shipper, and all you have to do is find out where to pick them up. If you bought the goats from a neighbor and they are trained to lead, just put them on leashes and lead them home. If you’re buying goats in any other situation, you need to figure out in advance how to get them home.

Some of these methods won’t work for large goats, but you can transport goats in the following ways:

Pet carriers or crates with straw or wood shavings for bedding. If you’re moving the goat in an open truck bed in cold weather, cover the crate with a rug or tarp to keep the wind down and keep the goat warmer.

The back of an SUV, van, or the back seat of a car.

Cover the seat with a tarp and towels for those “accidents” that occur during transport.

On the towel-covered lap of a passenger. Goats that are being held and aren’t standing up will not pee on you, but they will poop.

The back of a truck with a canopy. Make sure to put down plenty of straw.

A horse trailer or another trailer with fencing or cattle panels to make it high enough to prevent escape. Cover an open trailer in extreme weather conditions to protect the goats from rain and wind.

Regardless of how you transport your new goats, to make the trip as stress-free as possible, do the following:

Load the goats carefully.

Make sure they have adequate bedding or padding.

Start, stop, and take turns or curves slowly and smoothly.

If your trip will take many hours or days, provide the goats with hay during the trip and stop every 3 to 4 hours to let them eat, drink, and regain their equilibrium.

If you’re getting your first goats, you don’t have anyone to quarantine your new goats from. You just get them situated in their new digs. But if you’re adding goats to an existing herd, you need to quarantine the new goats for at least 30 days.

Breeding Goats for Meat

 Rasing your own goats for meat can give you a greener, more sustainable lifestyle. A lot of people around the world eat goat meat, which is lean and delicious. Meat goats are generally not used for milking, and some even have traits that make them undesirable to milk.

If you're interested in goats to sell in the fast-growing market, to get rid of kudzu or blackberries, or just for your own freezer, you have a growing number of breeds to choose from.

Boer: Boer goats are white and reddish-brown (although some are all red), and many are horned. Their horns are short and curve back close to the head. Bucks can weigh from 260 to 380 pounds and does from 210 to 265 pounds.

Although expensive, Boers are adaptable, hardy, affectionate, and mild-mannered. Boers do have some fairly common genetic defects you need to watch for, including extra teats and abnormal testicles.

Tennessee fainting goat: Tennessee fainting goats are also known as myotonic or stiff-legged goats because of their tendency to go rigid and fall down when they're startled. This is a genetic defect in a recessive gene that probably started in just one goat and then was continued through breeding

Kiko: Kikos are most often white with long, scimitar-like horns and medium ears that stick out sideways. They can gain substantial weight without supplemental feeding. If you have a large range for these goats, they may be more economical than Boers.

Spanish goat: Spanish goats are usually medium-sized and lanky with long horns that often twist at the end. They come in all colors and mostly have short hair but can also have long hair.

Because meat goats are growing in popularity, breeders are crossbreeding the existing breeds to develop newer, better goats. Some of the better-known breeds are

Texmaster: A moderate-sized meat goat and a trademarked cross between Boers and Tennessee Fainters developed by Onion Creek Ranch in Texas.

Moneymaker: Developed by Bob and Dusty Copeland of California by first crossbreeding Saanens and Nubians and then adding Boers into the mix.

Savanna: A heat- and drought-resistant breed with excellent mothering abilities. Savannas are muscular, with long ears, thick black skin, and a short white coat that develops a nice fluffy cashmere undercoat for additional warmth during the winter.

Sheep and Goat Production in Moldova

According to U.N. statistics, there are approximately 1.3 million sheep and goats in the Republic of Moldova. The numbers of sheep and goats, as well as other livestock, does not seem to have declined with the transition to a new economy. In fact, sheep production has increased in some areas, as there seems to be profit potential in the dairy and livestock sectors in Moldova. This differs from other former Soviet states and is probably a result of the dairy emphasis.

Milking a sheepBoth sheep and goats are milked. Goats are milked to provide milk and cheese for the family. Sheep milk is used to make cheese that is either consumed by the family or sold in the open market. The sheep and goats are of mixed genetics. The goats resemble crosses of typical European breeds: Saanan, Toggenburg, Alpine, etc. The sheep are significantly different than the breeds found in the U.S. and Canada. They have a noticeable fat tail or rump. They show indications of Karakul and other Russian breeds.

Lambing typically occurs in February. Single births are most common. Lambs stay with their dams for about three months. Peak milk production usually occurs in May. Ewes are milked twice daily. Everyone in a village combines their sheep to form a larger flock of about 75 to 100 animals. Most farmers have a few sheep, as well as a cow, some goats, pigs and poultry.

Sheep are grazed on public pasture lands. They receive no grain and do not seem to experience many health problems. There are no fences for containing livestock. Everyone shares in the cost of hiring someone to watch over the flock. A fee is paid to the government for using the land. It is assessed per head of livestock. Sheep are usually grazed separately from cows and goats.

There are also flocks of geese which graze the public pasture lands. Geese are very common in Moldova. They have paint marks on them to differentiate ownership. The sheep are brought into a fold every night for milking and overnight housing. In fact, all animals are brought home at night for supplemental feeding and housing.

 There are no restrictions on the number of animals that graze the pasture lands, no restrictions on when the land is grazed, or for how long the animals are allowed to graze. The formation of grazing associations might be a way of managing this important land resource. Otherwise, animal agriculture will be limited by the availability of productive pasture land.

5 reasons goat milk is better than cow milk

65% of the milk consumption worldwide is from goat’s milk, and this popularity hasn’t come about due to high profile marketing campaigns or big-budget advertisements.

The reasons for the worldwide popularity of goat’s milk are multifaceted. First, we need to remind ourselves that “All milk is not created equal.” The differences between cow’s milk and goat’s milk may not seem apparent upon first examination. A closer look, however, reveals several key factors that play an integral part in how milk (from either cows or goats) matches up with the human body in its various stages. All humans have been created to be sustained entirely upon mothers’ milk for at least the first six months of life. There is no other food in the world better than mothers’ milk, and it truly shows both in the laboratory and the real world. But what about after these first few months are over, and one is faced with the rest of life? Why would someone choose goat’s milk products over the far more popular and accessible cow’s milk?

Here are 5 reasons goat milk is better than cow milk.

1. Goat’s milk is less allergenic.

2. Goat’s milk is naturally homogenized.

3. Goat’s milk is easier to digest.

4. Goat’s milk rarely causes lactose intolerance.

5. Goat’s milk matches up to the human body better than cow’s milk.

A new dairy farm in Republic of Moldova

In 2010, Sjack Snepvangers and his employee Jim Boet started to develop a plan for setting up a dairy farm in Moldova. Years of preparation have finally led in 2013 to the start of a dairy farm with the purpose to have 230 cows on average at full production.

In the village Goleni (in the region of Edinet in the north of Moldova) the yard and buildings of an old state farm was purchased (12 ha), with the objective to develop a modern dairy farm. For this purpose, a totally new dairy stable has been constructed with a local construction company. This new stable is based upon dutch design, machinery and equipment. Besides the farm and constructed buildings, Millstream Moldova has 250 ha of agricultural land at its disposal for growing crops to feed the cows.

The operations at the dairy farm are in the hands of a dutch manager Jim Boet who lives at the farm. Together with the employees, the local partners and the local population, the farm will run its operations. 

Main purpose for the dairy farm is to provide high quality milk during every month of the year. This high quality milk will be collected by one of the major dairy producers in Moldova: Lapmol. Lapmol is a innovative dairy manufacturer with strong needs for high quality milk. Lapmol is convinced that with the arrival of Millstream Moldova (with its knowledge, experiance and capital), the overall dairy sector in Moldova will improve and developed to a higher level.