Sundaze Farm Blog
Pregnancy Toxemia and Ketosis in Dairy Goats
Pregnancy, kidding, and lactation require large amounts of energy. If a doe is unable to consume enough feed (or the right types of feed) to support the energy needed, her body begins breaking down fat reserves, which produces compounds called ketones. Ketones in...
Breed Deep-Dives: All About the Nigerian Dwarf
The Nigerian Dwarf, smallest of the dairy breeds, is arguably the most popular goat of the moment. People love them as pets for their friendly personalities, and cute, compact size, but don’t be fooled: they can hold their own milk production too!Why are Nigerian...
ADGA Plus in 2020!
It’s hard to believe, but 2020 marks our fifth year raising goats! This year, I’m excited to participate in some of the American Dairy Goat Association’s performance programs so that we can get more detailed information on our herd and then use that data to make...
“Goats Will Eat Anything” and Other Goat Myths
Myth 1: Goats will eat anything. Goats have long been thought of as the ornery trashcans of the animal world. This is by far the most common myth I hear people repeat, and it is simply not true. Goats are actually extremely picky eaters. They are notorious...
2019 Albion Fair Results
Open Classes: Cross-Bred Dairy Our Mini LaMancha, Phoebe, was entered in the cross bred dairy category and did well! She earned 1st Place for Cross Bred Dairy, Birth and under 5 months and Junior Champion Cross-Bred Dairy. Open Classes: LaMancha Toadsknoll Black...
Our First Mini LaMancha
This precious bundle of adorableness was born on May 28th. Her mama, Toadsknoll Prairie Falcon ("Luna"), wasn't due till May 31st so she arrived a few days early and surprised us! Her sire is *B Bramblestone CQ Tiger Tea. This Luna's first freshening and the first...
Kidding 2019: Round 1 Complete!
Last week was a busy week on the farm with lots of late-night barn checks as we waited for two of our Nigerian Dwarfs to kid. We had Maplewood Hill Top Candy due on March 24 and Sundaze Farm Maizey due on March 28th. NOTE: We'll begin contacting individuals on our...
![Unboxing and How to Assemble a Simple Pulse Milker [Videos]](https://sundazefarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/simple-pulse-milking-machine-400x250.jpg)
Unboxing and How to Assemble a Simple Pulse Milker [Videos]
Note: These videos are re-posted from my previous blog, Little Red Farmstead (hence the name on the title cards of the videos). I am no longer updating that site, and I thought these videos might be of interest to other goat-owners, so I wanted to share them here as...
Should You Buy a Milking Machine? 5 Questions to Help You Decide
I get a lot of questions about purchasing a milking machine for goats. While milking machines are a fantastic tool, they are a big investment that may or may not make sense for your farm. If you have the extra cash, by all means, run right out and buy one! But if...
Basic Goat Terminology
If you are just getting into goats and doing research online, you'll frequently see people tossing around all sorts of terms that might confuse you. Below are a few basic terms that are helpful to get acquainted with. Note that I've intentionally left out anatomical...
All About Bottle Feeding Goats: What, When and How Much
Goat owners can be very passionate when it comes to opinions on bottle-raising versus dam-raising kids. We have done both on our farm and I've been happy with the results either way. Bottle feeding goat kids is a lot of work, but if you have the time in...
Getting Started Hand-Milking Goats
It may be hard to believe when you look outside right now, but spring is coming and with that, kidding season has begun. With that comes all the excitement of milking and getting to enjoy all the products of your home dairy! If it's your first time milking, here's a...