Merry Christmas all on this Blessed Day.

 

Today is Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is a rain filled day with severe weather coming in this afternoon and evening.  All will be good, we are Blessed by the birth of Jesus and not worried if he takes us home today or another day.

We are Thankful for a great year as it draws to an end.  Our goats are all pregnant, some fussy and some happy.  Udiamond is huge and Oldesouth Blue Alexa is even larger.  Sunra and Scandal are big bellied and want a bit of bellie rubbing.  Udiamond's daughters will probably kid before their dam, lovely Diva already blessed by the mammary fairy.

Very pregnant mom's with the promise of birth for the future are out in their pastures, sometimes grumpy, mostly being goats.  It is exciting to think and contemplate what the future has in store for these yet to be born, god's little creatures, so precious and wondrous.  I love the kidding season and the wonder of new life.  Each kid holds a promise for the future and wonderful milk, cheese and the great personalities which come from these favorite goats.

Our goal and dream of breeding small goats that milk is coming into the light more each year.  It takes the will and work to accomplish anything worth while.  We have focused exclusively for the last 3 years on production, 2013 will be the fourth year and 3rd year on DHIR.  We are going Standard Test for 2013 so we will be able to be included in the top 10 production lists for ADGA and AGS.  We will submit results to the NDGA as well, but the one day tests seem to be their priority.  Perhaps that will change in the future. 

One day milk tests are a 1/305 of what a doe can or can not do.  A Dairy Goat needs to milk the distance to be a true milk goat in my opinion.  A Dairy making cheese and a living off their goat's milk does not want a goat that milks 6 pounds on one day, then dries up by the time they are 4 months into their lactation.  They need to milk over the long haul and that is where the DHIR tested goats show their worth and superiority.

We have been breeding Nigerians for eight years and just received our annual CAE and Johnes testing results.  We are officially our EIGHTH year of a CAE and Johnes FREE HERD!

This is Fred Demo Showing Oldesouth FLA Amber Blue 1*M,*D, +DAR.  She won first place at the Montgomery Fair in a large class of over 4 year old does.

To the right is our add in the United Caprine News.  The website is www.unitedcaprinenews.com.  We are advertising our herd more and highly recommend the interesting articles and latest news the Caprine news has to offer.  It is an all breed Dairy Goat News Publication.  Check it out.















What did we do for Christmas???   My son bought me a 12 gauge shot gun for Christmas.  Yes, I wanted one.  We had to take it out to the farm, into the Pecan Orchard to test it out.

 The aim is very good on this thing... Blew those grapefruit and cans of cheap decaf cola to pieces.

 Tried a Buck Slug, yeah...  Feel it alright... (Ouch!)

Now I am behind the camera...  Oh yeah, caught that can of decaf pop explode....  My son Tim is trying out the 12 gauge...

This took several shots, but caught the smoke of the gun and the shell being ejected after the shot... kinda cool.  Look out pop cans and citrus, we are on the hunt.

 Tim is setting up targets to shoot on this fallen Pecan Tree.  What do you do with that Citrus fruit you purchase for the holidays and never eat...  Great target practice.

Final photo of Tim and his Glock Pistol.  We had a great time being safe and testing the fire arms.  We did this on Christmas Eve before the bad weather was scheduled to roll in for Christmas Day.

Be Safe Everyone this Holiday Season and we at Oldesouth Farm send you BEST WISHES and a Better NEW YEAR!

 

 

November is a month of Gratitude and The Peanut Festival

We love November, an extension of October with a bit of a nip in the air.  November is a month to reflect and give Thanks.  November is Gratitude month.  We are Thankful for all the wonderful folks we have met and for the goats we are Blessed with.  We are grateful for our family and our health.

The Peanut Festival was great.  Everyone got along and we had fun.  We won some, lost some, that is how it is. We are working to improve the Nigerian Breed and step up to the next level with grace, dignity and a passion for excellence.

We give Thanks to God and his son Jesus for the Best Year yet in our goats and farming.  Our DHIR, LA and proving what we breed and strive for is in the show ring.

The Peanut Festival in Dothan had over 60 Nigerian Dwarf Entries.  We won First place in Two to Three year old milkers, Oldesouth Blue Amber 2*M, pending 2*D, 2+DAR.  Amber also won Grand Champion Sr Doe and her first leg toward her championship. 

Oldesouth Sunshine won 2nd under a really lovely first freshener from Desert Nanny.  Will have to research that little darling, because she was quit an eye catcher.  SG NC Promisedland SIA SunRa 3*M, 4*D, +DLT won first place in the 5 year and over class being almost 11 months in milk.  We also won BEST DAIRY HERD which is more competitive each year.


SG NC Promisedland SIA Sunra 3*M, 4*D, +DAR and Clint in the show ring, Peanut Festival, Nov 2012.
















The Spectacular SGCH NC Promisedland Rain-Beau 2*M AR, 3*D AR won BEST OF BREED and BEST UDDER.  SHE IS STILL IN STANDARD and had not grown any since Montgomery...  Imagine that...  (Below)

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We have heard of the loss of Keith Harrell yesterday, who along with his wife Marie bred Rain-Beau and Sunra.  We are deeply touched and sadden by Marie's loss.  We are deeply grateful and blessed by being privileged to be entrusted with both Rain-Beau and Sunra.  Our deepest sympathies to the Harrell family.  God Bless you all.

Alabama National Fair

The Alabama National Fair had some tough competition.  Our milk string did the best with first placements in the Milking First Fresheners, under two years, Oldesouth Sunshine.  First place in the  2 to 3 year old milkers, Oldesouth Blue Amber, 2*M, 2*D, 2+DAR (pending), she also won GRAND CHAMPION RESERVE SR DOE IN MILK!, 3 to 4 year old milkers had our Oldesouth FLA Amber Blue 1*M, *D, + DLT, pregnant and dry won the large class!  The five and over class, we had SG NC Promisedland Sunra 3*M, 4*D, +DLT who was stale, milking since early January won second.


Farm Oldesouth SR Cuppuccino also won First Place in the 9 to 12 month old JR Does over a large class.  She is the daughter of Oldesouth Blue Amber and only 9 months old!!

Oldesouth Sunshine, yearling first freshener.












Oldesouth Sunshine's rear udder to the right.  She freshened in May
and is 5 months into her first lactation at the fair.  The photo to the right is 12 hours of milk.













Oldesouth Blue Amber 2*M, 2*D, 2+DAR (pending) won her class of 2 to 3 year olds.  Amber will be 3 years next February.  She ended up with the Grand Champion Reserve Sr Doe in Milk.  We did not get a photo of her here, but will get one in the future.  We do have udder photos below:

Our lovely SGCH NC Promisedland Rain-Beau 2*M AR, 3*D AR took the BEST OF BREED over 4 Champions and the Grand Champion Sr doe.  She is a sight to behold.  Her lines and dairyness combined with her flowing, perfect udder and fore udder are phenomenal.  Her teat placement, height of udder and overall WOW factor was an easy BOB for her.  We are BLESSED and GRATEFUL for how well our girls did.  Rain-Beau is pictured below:

She will be going to more shows and may even appear at the Nationals in 2013.  We will need to breed her back in a month or two to be able to complete at the National Level.  Being in milk 10 months before the nationals will not be in her favor, especially with a milk out 12 hours before competition.  The does need to be within the first 4 to 5 months of their lactation to be able to compete at that level with the udder to fully recognize their potential.  To get to the point.  They need to be recently freshened to fill up to a competitive level with a milk out. 

The milk out separates the pseudo milkers from the REAL DEAL.  The does on DHIR are at an advantage because they are milked on a consistent bases and will milk for the long haul.  The one day milk tested does fade here due to their bodies not being in the milk mode.  Most  are tested when first fresh and then dried off for convenience or busy schedules, etc. (not to say this in a negative way, but the one day milk test only gives you a 1/305 th of the potential of the doe).  The DHIR girls are in it for the long haul and prove this, milking up to 305 or some even beyond. 

DHIR is an incredible amount of work, but worth every moment of twice daily milkings until you want to die.  In the end you know who your milkers are and cull the rest.  I culled 15 does my first year on DHIR.  The DHIR numbers will give you forcasted lacation numbers.  If your doe is a poor milker, you know it, the numbers confirm it and you can cull her before you waste to much time on her.

But, I must admit one thing, I love my milking time.  Even at 0430 am before I have to be at the hospital, I get to the farm, it is dark, set up, turn on my CELTIC IRISH Music, a disc I have played twice a day for 3 years, yeah...  Rain-Beau and UDiamond love my music and will stomp a foot if it is not playing.  We sing along to the Irish gals, Happy, Happy, we milk along.  Memories and enjoyable moments we experience while we watch the sun rising or the full moon lighting up the night sky in the evening is the gratitude of life.  Life does not get any better then this and I am grateful...

Our Favorite Time of Year is HERE ONCE MORE!

We love FALL, cool, dry temperatures, follage beginning to turn... Fall in Sweet Home Alabama is THE BEST!




Oldesouth Babette 1*M, *D, +DLT, sister to Oldesouth Blue Alexa 1*M, *D, +DAR is enjoying the late summer pastures.  This lovely doe is currently in the Honey Moon pen with +*B Rosasharn MR General B +*S, +DAR.






The two pigs, Baby Back and Pork Chop have enjoyed the summer and are now being Hickory Smoked to perfection.  They should be ready next week.



Oldesouth Farm Nigerian Herd Grazing late summer 2012

Alexa is in the photo to the left, sister to above Babette.  She is pregnant, but I do not think she will kid before the fair next week.

The young buck to the right is *B Oldesouth Cheokee Paint *S.  He is the son of Alexa, sired by *B Lost Valley PG Superb *S.  He will be bred to several does this fall. 

We have been blessed with kids sired by CH Gypsy Moon Sudoku*S.  These are triplets, two bucks and a doe out of Oldesouth Blue Amber 2*M, 2*D, 2 +DAR (pending).  They were born 9-29-12.  One buck is blue eyed and he will be FOR SALE. 

 

 

Our beautiful SGCH NC Promiseland Rain-Beau 2*M AR, 3*D AR had triplets 9-30-12 by CH Gypsy Moon Sudoku *S.  She had two bucks and a doe.  One buck will be offered FOR SALE out of this breeding as well. 

 

Both Amber and Rain-Beau will be going to the Montgomery Fair.  Rain-Beau will be in the Champion Challenge Class. 

 

These lovely kids will be bottle fed and very tame.

 

We have had a lot going on and received our last load of hay.  We should be all set until late next spring for hay.

 

We will be busy clipping goats and getting everyone ready for the Fall Fair Shows.  We plan on attending the National Alabama Fair and The National Peanut Festival. 

 

Dog Days of August...

It has been one HOT SUMMER!!  We have had rain almost daily and would wish the rain would move to areas that need it.  We have 18 large bales of hay delivered for the cows, but it has been to wet to put it in the barn.  Has to dry out enough to move some of it inside or at least tarp it.

We had our first C-Section in 8 years of raising Nigerian Dwarf Goats.  Brush Creek Olive, one of the last of the Brush Creek line kidded without difficulty last fall.  This year a large buck kid was presenting side ways and I could not move him back to bring forward.  I could feel the back bone and ribs.  Took her to a local Vet who could not reposition him either.  Fortunately the Vet was a young, new Vet to the area and he was a large animal and goat Vet.  Olive lucked out that day.

Olive has recovered completely and we have dried her off to rebreed this fall for 2013 kids.  We also have Olive's mother Brush Creek Charlies Angel who is 10 years old.  We have a daughter from Angel sired by *B Lost Valley PS Superb *S.  We have one other Brush Creek doe.  Her name is Brush Creek Liz.  Liz has just finished earning her milking stars and has one ADGA leg towards her championship.  She is 8 years old and LAed 85.  Not to bad for the old gal. 

Brush Creek Liz pictured to the left.


We are milking along and are working on our 2013 Breeding Scheule.  We will be freshening a bunch of first fresheners, so it will be a chance to get kids from outstanding milking lines at reasonable prices.  We still need to clip and photograph our young bucks and post them on line.  To much to do and so little time.

We have just purchased our first French Black Copper Marans chickens and are enjoying the wonderfully rich dark chocolate eggs they are producing.  One of my Black Cochin Bantam hens, broody as ever, is setting on 6 Marans eggs.  She is soooo happy!  Those little hens are amazing and the best moms too!

Put together a Hen Condo to get the chickens off my goat hay.  They love to roost on the hay, which becomes their poo place.  These coups always look larger then they actually are.  This will accomidate probably 6 chickens as long as they are let out daily to graze.  Three large chickens in the pen area including the Rooster they look cramped.  The nest box has two nests, that is nice and the pan comes out to clean the house.

Our lovely UDiamond, Diamond for short has earned her Superior Genetic's award.  Her full name with titles is SGCH Rosasharn GX UDiamond *3M, 4*D,+DAR.  She earned her Grand Champion title in March of this year and earned her milking stars last fall.  The Superior Genetics is a combination of LA scores and milk production.  The doe must rank in the top 85% of the breed listing in order to earn this award.  Diamond's daughters Oldesouth Black Diamond and Oldesouth Diva Diamond will be freshening next spring.  Diamond's son *B Oldesouth Cognac Diamond *S, *DS will be one of the bucks we will use this fall for next spring's kids. Her 2012 son *B Oldesouth ZV Marque *S will be covering a few does as well.

This fall SGCH NC Promisedland Rain-Beau (photo below) will be kidding to CH Gypsy Moon Sudoku *S.  Oldesouth Blue Amber 2*M, 2*D, 2+DAR (pending) will be kidding as well to Sudoku.  We are excited about these breedings, will be some fantastic kids with MILK and CONFORMATION!

Rain-Beau is one of the most beautiful does I have seen in the Nigerian Breed.  She has a perfect udder, teat placement and she can milk!  She is a sweet heart and super easy to milk.  We milked her from May until a week ago.  It took us some time to dry her off.  She is due to kid the end of September first week in October.  We have measured her when the DHIR supervisor came to do our Verification test.  She is within standard and we are considering showing her as a Champion Challenge this fall.

Below is Rain-Beau from the rear with a lovely high udder.  Rain-Beau's kids are spoken for for 2012, a buck and a doe will be retained. 

Summer in Alabama

Summer in Sweet Home Alabama always comes with the bloom of Crepe Myrtles, my favorite summer flush of color.  Pinks, reds, purples, whites and shades in between.

It has been sooo HOT, 105 degrees, humidity off the charts.  Wow the weather has been rough here and over a lot of the USA.

The photo to the right is the enclosing of the west side of the barn.  This will protect our hay, which another 450 bales are to arrive next month and 18 large round bales for the cows, Joe and the sheep.

Left is the West side of the barn enclosed.  Just in time for the heat wave.

 Love my Crepe Myrtles...

 Our pasture is very lush this year.

 A close up of our beautiful Alabama grass.  This is Bahia Grass.

 I had sold my one Nubian Ariel and really missed her in the spring.  She would feed all the bottle babies and I could sell my Nigerian Milk at a premium price.  With her gone, I feed the premium milk to my bottle babies.  So, had to get a couple more to fill her shoes.  Welcome Honey and Roxanne.  These two lovely Nubian does are from Sand Rock Acres.  The Nigerian in the back ground, wanting to be involved is Oldesouth Diva Diamond, a UDiamond daughter.

 Little Roxanne is going to the show ring.  She is sired by CH Southern-Leisure Benedict, her dam is SGCH Sand Rock Acres Fannie Dae 10*M.  Should be some milk in this little angel... 

 Had to include a photo of best buddies, Oldesouth Marques Diamond and Gypsey Moon Hemingway.  Two young bucklings growing out and hoping mom gives them some sugar.

The two girls, Baby Back and Pork Chop are growing like crazy on the goat milk and yum yums mom brings them.  They are being free ranged in the pecan orchard and are so happy, clean and are having the best time ever.  They are grazing in this photo.  The good times will be over we think the end of August, depending if they reach about 200 pounds.

 Thought everyone might enjoy seeing my heifers.  This is one of my favorites, Molly.  She is beautiful and hopefully bred to the Angus Bull we had.  She is half Beef Master and very sweet.

 Guess who this is?  Yes, it is Molly as a baby calf.

 This heifer to the right is Cinnamon, another half Beef Master heifer I raised.

 This is Pepper to the right.

This is Pepper and Cinnamon as calves.

I do enjoy the cow girls...

Summer is close...

Summer is closing in, the temperatures have been HOT and HUMID.  Nothing new in the south.  Today it is raining, which we need and the grass will spring up like crazy.  Sold a couple of calves, one was out of Christi and she had horns.  Christi is heterozygous for horns and this is the one who got the horned gene.  He other two daughters are polled.  I hate horns and she had to go.  Even if we dehorned her, she would pass on the gene.  Her mother is an ugly cow who produces beautiful calves, so she stays for now...

Goats are doing well, the bucks are always in rut.  Got a lot of positive response with this photo below of the boys on face book.  One of the guys I went to high school with made the comment that these three looked like himself and his buddies in college...  He is a hoot...!

The trio of guy Bucks is from left to right, +*B Rosasharn MR General B +*D, +DAR, his son Oldesouth Shell Foop and the handsome CH Gypsy Moon Sudoku *S.  They have their tongues hanging out being nasty bucks.  Does are on the other side of the fence.

The boys are discussing a doe in not a gentlemanly manner I am sure.. (right)










Yes the boys are characters to say the least.  This time of the year does are bred for fall kidding.  The Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats breed all year around.  Many of the large breeds are seasonal and come into heat for fall to kid in the spring.  I have a few kidding in the fall, but plan to take a break and kid mostly in the spring so we can have the winter to rest.

Milk testing is going well and Brush Creek Liz is close to drying up.  She has made her stars on butter fat, not sure if she will make it on milk.  She is eight now and do not expect the world from a doe who like myself is past their prime.  As a brood doe she is PREMIUM though and hope she will have does next year for me.  Her son Lex is looking great, moon spots and all.

Scandal is still milking strong, since last September.  She will more then likely hit the 1000 pound mark and get her AR (advanced registry).  I have dried off several of my regular milkers due to time and not having enough of it.  If the does have earned their stars, lets focus on the ones who have yet to reach that status.  So do not dismay if you see one of my does with less milk this year then last.  She may have been dried off to make room for a daughter or others who have not earned their stars.  Email me if you have questions and are interested in reserving a kid.

Oldesouth Blue Amber is still milking strong and hope to take her to her AR as well.  Amber bred herself to CH Gypsy Moon Sudoku *S, because she broke out and honey mooned with him.  She fell in love with him, seeing him one time and smelling him on the ride back to Alabama.  I found her in his pen one morning when he was in isolation.  She stayed there until his blood work came back clean.  My experience has been they start drying off on their own a couple of months into the pregnancy.  Will see how far we can take her before she drys herself off.  She is pictured to the right winning a large 2 to 3 year old doe in milk class at Clemson, SC in May.






BEFORE GOATS, I did have a non goat life and my son was growing up.  Bicycling kept him clean and focused on positive pursuits in life....

I am not sure how many of you know my son Tim Babb.  He cycled for years as a Junior and was the Alabama Champion for two years.  Tim also competed in the Canadian Jr race which is a JR Tour of France.  I think it was the Tour de l'Abitibi in western Quebec, but will verify that with Tim.  The first time he competed he was one of the last, but finished the 950 mile plus race over 8 days.  The second time he competed he was in the top 50, which was great.  Had he started sooner, perhaps his JR cycling would have made the top 10.  Tim left cycling to go into the Air Force and has just recently gone back to cycling.

I am happy for him, but now he can buy his own equipment and pay his own way, which was not cheap by the way...  He did get some sponsors as a JR, maybe he will get more now...





Tim Babb on his bike May 2012.