Sundaze Farm Blog
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...
2019 Kidding Plans Update
This has been a challenging year in terms of getting our entire herd bred. I don't know if it has been the weather, bad luck, or some other mystery variable, but it seems ours isn't the only farm that has experienced a weird year for breeding goats. We had success...
Does or Wethers: Which Make the Best Pet?
I see variations on this question come up time after time on forums and Facebook groups: I'm new to goats and just want them for pets. I don't have plans to breed, milk, show, or use them for meat. Should I get a male or female? We can rule out one...
Should You Keep a Buck? 3 Things You Should Consider
If you have dairy goats, getting them bred each year is obviously a priority. One of the easiest ways is to keep a buck (or two) on your farm. It is much easier to tell when a doe is in heat when there is a buck nearby. The behavior changes are obvious! You...
4 Signs Your Goat is in Heat
If you plan to breed your goats and can't keep them with a buck for an extended period of time, it's important to be able to recognize the signs your doe is in heat. It's also helpful to identify and track their cycles so that you can determine if a doe is likely...
Welcome, Bramblestone CQ Tiger Tea!
I'm so excited to share with you the newest addition to our herd, Bramblestone CQ Tiger Tea (or "Tiger" for short). He comes from Lesa and Randy at Bramblestone Farm in Ohio. I've followed Lesa's blog, Better Hens & Gardens, for quite a few years and have always...
Sundaze Farm Nigerian Dwarf Kids – 2018
2018 marks our first year with kids being born from our own buck here on the farm. It's very exciting to have some babies that will be registered under the Sundaze Farm name for the very first time! Kidding season started out a bit slow, and then quickly became a...
2017 Albion Fair Dairy Goat Show Results
2017 marks our second year showing goats at the Albion Fair, in 4-H and open classes. This year we took five does all together -- our two LaManchas, and three Nigerian Dwarfs. We still have a lot to learn, and I very much appreciated our judge's thoughtful remarks...
Goat Health Record Keeping
I have a terrible memory. Even if you have a memory better than mine, it's difficult to keep track of all the birth dates, weights, last vaccination or worming dates, and so on for your entire herd. This is why record keeping is so important! Everyone has a different...
