Timber Rose Homestead

                                       Buying a Goat 101 Note: In this post you will find info on buying mainly Dairy and or pet goats. It can apply to meat goats as well though.          So, you've got the urge to buy a goat! You've been scrolling google at all the cute pictures of goats. Goats running, goats jumping, goats sleeping in the sunshine, goats doing yoga, goats wearing sweaters, goats being adorable, baby goats, miniature goats, Let's just face it, you've fallen in love with goats and you just have to have one! Don't worry! I've got yo back! If your heart is just set on gettin' a goat, keep reading, cause I've got 5 tips just for you on buying your first goat! Tip #1 About the Breeds First things first. What do you plan to do with your goat? Are you wanting a goat for meat? Are you wanting a Dairy goat so you can have loads of milk and cheese at your fingertips? Or, do you just have to have one of those adorable, cuddly goats

  Got Milk? It may sound kinda odd, I mean drinking milk from a goat! I know it's not your average 2% cows milk, but I think you will find the nutritional benefits are definitely worth giving goat milk a try! And the great thing is, you can have your very own milk goat, right on your own homestead!  Nutritional Benefits: Goat milk has the ability to:  aid in weight loss  reduce inflammation  optimize digestion  improve bioavailability of nutrients  strengthen bones  boost heart health  strengthen immunity  increase metabolism  prevent toxins from accumulating in the body and  benefit overall health. Wow sounds pretty good right? Did you know that approximatley 65 % of the United States propulation drink goat milk? What about the Lactose? Lactose is in all animal derived milk. It is "natural milk sugar". However goat's milk is slightly lower in the amount of lactose it contains, compared to cow's milk. It's about 12% less pe

                                ~What is Beet Pulp? As per Wikipedia  Beet Pulp is a byproduct from the processing of sugar beet which is used as fodder for horses and other livestock. Beet pulp is the fibrous material left over after the sugar is extracted from sugar beets. It comes in both flakes and compressed pellets. Despite being a byproduct of sugar beet processing, beet pulp itself is low in sugar and other non-structural carbohydrates, but high in energy and fiber.  It contains: 10 percent protien, 0.8 percent calcium and 0.5 percent phosphorus. It has no vitamin A so additional forage is required to provide complete nutrition.  So why would I feed it to goats? Beet Pulp is an excellent source of added calories and energy. If you have a goat that is needing to put on some extra weight, beet pulp can be helpful for doing so! Beet Pulp is not suitable for a whole feed, as it does not have all the nutrients required, however, that being said, If your goat is just n

I absolutely love my Saanen Dairy Goat Firefly! Not only is she beautiful with her white coat, floppy ears and beard, but shes so sweet and a great milker! This year she gave us a beautiful little doe kid!  And the question always comes up! To keep the kid or sell the kid?  Tilly is half Saanen and half Boar. She has her moms beautiful white coat and her dads adorable "baby doll" type face and ears. After some thought, I have decided to go down the road of dairy/meat goat cross and keep Tilly as our next milk goat!  You may be wondering if a Dairy Boar cross is a good milk goat! If that's you keep reading! What is a Boar Goat? Boar Goats are a Meat Production breed. They were developed in South Africa in the early 1900's. Boar goats were bred for meat, rather than milk. They are hardy animals, are generally docile and are fast growing!  What's a Saanen? The Saanen is a Swiss Breed. They are a Dairy goat and are heavy milk producers. In

~This Dish is Dinner all in one!~ Your family is sure to love this dish! It is absolutely delicious paired with green beans or your favorite vegetable. The wonderful thing about this recipe is, you can probably find everything you need right in you cupboard! *For the Biscuits  You can substitute Rice Flour for AP Flour to make this dish Gluten Free. Just make sure to add plenty of sauce to your biscuit, as the Rice Flour Biscuits can be a little dry. 2 Cups flour                    3 T. shortening 4 tsp. baking powder       3/4 milk 1/2 tsp salt Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening; add milk. Roll half inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter (a mason jar works great!)  *For the Sauce Preheat oven to 400 degrees  1 can diced tomato's            1 lb ground turkey, beef, goat meat (whatever you have available) 1 tsp salt                              1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp Basil                           1 tsp Parsley  Brown the meat. In a

~Raising Chicks 101~ Ever just git the baby chick bug after you see those adorable fluffy balls of cuteness at the farm store? And you just have to have one... or maybe five?!? Well if that's you, I've got you covered! I'm gonna tell you just how to raise chicks from little's to laying! First off, when you set out to buy baby chicks at the store, you will want to choose what type of chicken you are wanting, whether you are wanting meat chickens, laying hens or a dual purpose chicken. Then you will want to pick the breed that best suites your wants. There are all types of laying breeds, meat breeds and even adorable bantam breeds.  Sometimes the store will have "Pullets" which means all the baby chicks will be hens, and sometimes they are all mixed in and you just take a chance on getting some roosters. One time we ended up with four roosters! lol But usually you will get mostly hens and a rooster or two. You will need some supplies before bring