# Goals for your 2008 goat herd!



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

To be down to milking 8 by summer. Not because I dried them up but because I sold them.
To keep only 6 doelings.
To get to some shows this year.
To not purchase any goats, no matter how much I want a doeling out of......Robin or Tangy!!!!!! 
To not give back one deposit because I decided to keep the doeling, or the buckling or the milker!
To cull ruthlessly and not keep a favorite just cuz I like her! Vicki


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

Can I just say DITTO!


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

OK. This is my first post on this forum and what a great thread to start off with - a new beginning/goals thread.

To establish my herd and herd name.
To move the goats safely.
To acquire a super herdsire (that is in the works - fingers crossed).
To participate in my first show.
To be a spectator at Nationals.

That's enough for now.

Anne


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2007)

All doe's to kid with ease this spring, and no sickness of any kind.

""""To not purchase any goats, no matter how much I want a doeling out of......Robin or Tangy!!!!!! """" V.
:rofl Yea Right !!! Ain't neither one of you two gonna get pass this one.


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## Josie (Oct 26, 2007)

Hmm… goals… 

To build and finish completely new pens etc at the new house
To go to at least ONE show
To cull without emotion – lol!
To learn as much as I can so that this year is a good one!

I was drafting a letter for one of my bosses, the company’s HR director. She brought it back to me and pointed out that GOALS is spelled g-o-a-L-s not g-o-a-T-s. Ooops! :lol


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Culling and cutting down on most of my herd. 
Building show quality Nubians
Saving my money to be able to pay for the new doeling I have a deposit on.
Get my barns built
Go to shows (which I really hate except to watch)
Get me a small truck that is dependable.


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## Odeon (Oct 26, 2007)

To continue to cull heavily
To NOT second guess my vision
To NOTcovet all of the gorgeous bucklings that are born in other herds


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## Narrow Chance (Oct 29, 2007)

To keep my numbers low, no matter how nice the doe.
To attend more shows this spring, no matter how high gas prices. :rofl
To have LA this year.
To attend Nationals and at least make the top 20.
And.. um.. keep selling milk products so DH won't have a cow at the expense of 'MY' goats. (although we could use another cow)


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## baileybunch (Oct 26, 2007)

To be able to do fecal exams with confidence! :biggrin
To be consistent in decisions and management.
To have a vision! 
To finish all of the unfinished farm projects (fence, barn, sheds, etc.).
To sell (and not buy back) without regret. :?
To buy a refrigerator to store milk from 5 does!
To figure out what to DO with all the milk from 5 does!
To get a good Alpine buck so I don't have to take all the does to the breeder next fall!
To have courage to take my girls to be appraised this spring.
To reduce our feed and management costs. :sigh
To have easy kiddings and lots of healthy doelings! :crazy (doesn't go with the above goal, does it?!)


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## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

To cut back on some goats..
Keep only the best of the best...
Go to Nationals...not sure to watch or to show...decisions decisions..
Fence in more land...
same as Rett...keep selling milk products so hubby won't gripe...

I have more I just have to think

need more coffee....


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## stacy adams (Oct 29, 2007)

I love this Thread! What a great idea.. to put it down on "paper" Well my goals are..

To cull heavily, ruthlessly & without emotion :really
To keep my #'s at a managable one.. (what number is that!? :rofl
To acquire a new herdsire (or two)
Got to more shows
Have the herd LA'd
Build a milking parlor/kitchen/office
Fence more property
& like Baileybunch "To have easy kiddings and lots of healthy doelings"


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## Karen Bailey (Oct 26, 2007)

To keep my #'s at a managable one.. (what number is that!? 

:yeahthat
Only at this time of year I think I can milk more than I do after the does have freshened and I'm doing goat chores 3hrs/day twice a day! Then the number I'm willing to keep for the year goes way down, and I start finding faults with milkers. Last year I sold a beautiful show-quality first freshening doe that had a slightly uneven udder due to the roughhousing of her pen mate.

My goal is to not make that mistake again this year!

The new owner is thrilled with her, beautiful even rounded udder, and she's a knockout that I knew that cross would produce.

Karen


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2007)

To build the pasture fence
To sell any wethers except Demi
To research meat goats
To breed Xenophen with Sandys line 
To keep only one doeling from Ava
To have *all* the goats tested 
To have Demi John trained to the cart


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## prairiecomforts (Oct 25, 2007)

Fence the back pasture and tree rows. 
Build a milk room and make iprovements on the barn. 
(I know it isn't goat related - but first thing will be to finish the bunny barn.

I am promising my self to only buy 5 new animals this year. (_Sounds _ good - doesn't it?!?) I want to take the childern to more shows and finally (if I can get the time from work) go to the SD state fair!


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

To cut to 14 milkers

To get twin does out of Sweetheart (too bad that is out of MY control LOL)

To add a purebred doe

To get registrations transferred and buy a tatoo set

To decide on a split kidding schedule for next year that does NOT involve January!


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## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

I like some of these...so I will steal them as I see fit:

(1) I want to "Cull without emotion". I would make better decions if I could let go more easily. 

(2) Make 2008 the Year of the Soap.

(3) Obtain another deep freeze for milk.

(4) Get 1/2 gallon jugs this year for milk.

(5) Test entire herd again.

(6) Fence in the rest of the back 8 acre patch.

(7) Get free-range chickens under control...put most in freezer.

(8 "Not second guess my vision"...this one is tough. Sometimes I get down and think my vision is just not do-able. Perhaps I am dreaming. But is that not what a vision is? A dream turned to reality with blood, sweat and tears? JFK said, "We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard". 

Sometimes I think it would have been easier to have been an astronaut. We all had our chance when they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up.


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## Truly (Oct 26, 2007)

To do LA and learn where I need to improve.
To build/make adjustments to fence and barn.
To learn to butcher and grind.
To make and market GM Soap.
To make a schedule for supplementing and trimming.
To plant an area for the goats to graze on.


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## Thermopkt (Oct 25, 2007)

1) To have a successful first kidding season. :groan 
2) To fence in the pasture
3) Start improving the pasture
4) Become proficient with fecals
5) Still want to have goats by the end of the year


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## stacy adams (Oct 29, 2007)

Feral Nature said:


> Sometimes I think it would have been easier to have been an astronaut. We all had our chance when they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up.


Diane, you crack me up! :crazy


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

This year, Gabriel's kids will be freshening so I can get a look at the udders he puts on his kids. I need to go through the milkers and keep only the best of them. A few of the older girls will have to go, even though they have become as DH says, "family members". Find Isis a home as a pet/weed eater. I really need to focus on breeding quality Nubians that will command the prices I see the well known breeders getting. Any new goats I acquire HAVE to be ones that will improve my herd. The one goal I'd really like to see happen is to finish a Nubian doe at the shows this year.


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

to balance work with catching those kiddings
to get out to at least 4 goat shows this year.
To have LA again this year. 
To be More successful in making Money with my goat herd so that they support themselves easily.
to successfully breed some girls for fall or early winter and have milk all year round.
to build a Kid Barn with awesome fenced pastures. 
to purchase a trailer
to acquire my Own hay equipment, so I no longer depend on the whims of others.
and to have at least 3 awesome Saanen doelings born this year. and 4 awesome Nubian doelings


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## Theresa (Oct 26, 2007)

To attend some shows and establish my herd name.

To sell the does that I have been holding onto for who knows what reason so that I can add a few better does.

To finish replacing the fences that are falling down. Well falling down with the help of the goats!!

To finish the baby pen.

To get my soap business going so that the goats will pay for themselves!


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## wheytogosaanens (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh boy! This makes me feel like I am making New Year's resolutions...aaack! :biggrin

1. Show at 2-3 Dairy Goat shows this year, possibly show at Spokane Interstate Fair
(This is a big commitment for us...closest show for us, but 5 days of driving back and forth).
2. Retain 10-12 Saanen Seniors. 2-4 Sables.
3. Get another quality Sable buck. Thankfully we are set with Saanens!
4. Work on honing the type of dairy girl we want. We are still in our infancy stage (compared to a lot of you guys), that we need to meld our lines and...
5. Be willing to let does go that are very nice, but aren't a good fit with the above.
6. Practice Patience. 
7. Linear Appraise again.
8. Be happy that a "a good one got away"...because now someone else is very successful and happy and a Saanen convert. 
9. Get our website set up. And this should be first on the list!
10. Remember to get good pics of the girls when they are all gussied up for show so that it is easy to update the above website.

whew...I am exhausted. 
Thanks for the exercise. 

Camille


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## DostThouHaveMilk (Oct 25, 2007)

~*To not purchase any goats in 2008!!!* I have purchased at least one goat every year for the past 3 years......bucks and does
~To expand the pens and put up more housing
~To get more of the perimeter fenced with woven wire
~Along the same lines- train the goats to electric to control them a bit more
~Get some wethers into the 4-H Market
~Cull.....this will be the hardest one
~Get serious about the soaping
~Find a nice trailer
~To work on my management issues- including, but certainly not limited to, timing on shots, cocci prevention, and record keeping


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## Sharon (Dec 20, 2007)

Hmmm...I guess there are no space limits??? :sigh I have soooo many goals moving to a new place with no fencing, no barn, not animal ready...

-find a buck with the lines that I want and hope that he is not sterile and doesn't develop UC(like the one I kept this year!!) :sniffle
-Get areas ready for kids to grow them out well.
-get my milk market going again..customers and such
-find a market for my wethers(think I found that)
-get perimeter of land fenced
-keep only does that will be an asset in my herd and not be barn blind
-don't be so gullible when those eyes look up at me when I tell them they are outa here! :really
-IF I purchase an animal don't purchase it on it's "potential" purchase it on it's present merits
*****Cull hard and stay strong!!*******


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## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

~to sell every doe kid born here (I kept 9 last year and would rather let a kid go that I am not attached to)
~to show at as many of the local shows within 6 or 8 hours of here as possible
~to appraise my herd again
~to advertise quarterly
~to prepare for the National show - plans are already in the making to attend
~to build a new feed room to store my feed in
~to learn the fine art of soap making in order to turn milk into something legal to sell


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## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

stacy adams said:


> To cull heavily, ruthlessly & without emotion :really
> To keep my #'s at a managable one.. (what number is that!? :rofl


OK- how to do that? How do you cull without emotion? I look at my several sets of twin does & think I need to part with one of each set of twins.....but I'm just way too attached emotionally & can't bear to do it.

I also know I have too many goats & unless I part with some of them, I won't be able to keep any kids from this year. I just can't figure out how to do that .


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## Odeon (Oct 26, 2007)

Agape Oaks said:


> stacy adams said:
> 
> 
> > To cull heavily, ruthlessly & without emotion :really
> ...


I think it all comes down to the almighty $. When you look at what it costs to feed and maintain animals, it makes it easier to let them go! I look at it this way.. I would rather make DIFFICULT culling decisions and be able to provide BETTER care for the ones I keep!

Ken in Idaho


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## KUrby (Oct 27, 2007)

Wow what a list of goals I have for the year.
First and formost I want to be successful in this whole new business venture.
I want a great and easy kidding season.
Get good milk, to sell, make cheese and soap with
Increase my customers
Get a website
Get the barn finished and browse paddock completed.
Attend my first show
Continue to learn and grow with Vicki's guidence( that includes having good sales, culling and buying better stock as money prohibits!)
Get my buck
And I will Ditto on all the rest of yall's goodies too.
fun thread.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

survive!

Seriously, tho, let's see...hmmm...

get the dairy up and running

show more--lots more

website functional--but that is less a yr goal and more a this MONTH goal

if it were in my control--add the new kids that I have deposits out on. Too bad I cant control THAT, huh, last buck kid that I added I had a deposit on for two years before I got him!


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## Keeperofmany (Oct 27, 2007)

My goals for this year...
(1) Get my goat barn and milk house built so I can get
my goats out of the new hen house DH started to
build for his hens.
(2) To try and not look at anyone elses goats.
(3) To get my goats tested for cl & cae.
(4) Try to find a nice vet.
(5) Get my pasture fenced in.
(6) Buy scales & learn to make soap.
(7) Learn all I can from Vickie, Sondra, Kaye & Christy.

Guess I'd better stop. I could go on & on. I have so 
much to learn and so much to do. :help


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

Hmmmm- so many things I want to do and so little time :lol

1- Decide whether or not to add another buck this year or to sit and see what I have.
2- Continue DHIR.
3- LA.
4- Build a 'real' barn.
5- Cull every first freshener that isn't meeting my goals.
6- Cull every older doe that isn't showable, giving me showable kids, or kids that are meeting my goals.
7- Take the boys to the 3 ring buck show.
8- Go to at least 5 shows, the 2 local fairs and, fingers crossed, the state fair (can I commit a whole week to a show? :?)
9- Advertise my herd- yuck!
10- Go gung-ho on my soap/farmer's market produce business so I don't need a 'real' job!

Oh yeah-
11- Sell ALL wethers I am not eating by 12 weeks!

Are we saving this so we can see what we actually accomplish?? :lol


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I'm pretty good at culling - but I have only done this one year and I dam raised the kids for butchering!

My first and foremost goal is to get my goats out of the mud! My dh wanted to get a horse for my dd for Christmas! RIGHT! not until those goats have a bigger area and where they can go outside and not be 6 inches in mud!!!! Thankfully he saw reason in this.

Add one more goat shed.

increase milk production.

Get a blasted milking machine so my tendons don't just tear in two!

An additional freezer for soaping milk, rabbit and goat meat.

And last but certainly not least -FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK I'M DOING! It does get better every year, but just when I think I've read about everything and know enough to squeeze by I get a reality check that I am totally clueless!

Bethany


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## Keeperofmany (Oct 27, 2007)

just when I think I've read about everything and know enough to squeeze by I get a reality check that I am totally clueless! :rofl
Love that.

Wendy


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