Felicity Stockwell

Felicity Stockwell gives a common sense guide to success with goats - part one

A LOT of livestock is available for sale currently and one has to consider if this is the result of rising feed prices due to the economy and a terrible harvest due to the amount of rain we have experienced this summer.

SOMEHOW this year, for most of us, spring has moved to autumn with summer evaporating somewhere in the middle. The summer of 2008 will always be remembered as the one that did not happen.

WITH autumn approaching and winter not far behind it, it's time to consider how best to nutritionally provide for your dairy goat to ensure a winter supply of milk. This is particularly important if you are not planning to mate her again this year and want her to "run through" until next year.

GOATS are browsers, not grazers and appreciate a wide range of plants and herbs throughout the summer, which may not be available during the winter months. This can vary from region to region over the country.

THERE comes a time in your goat herd when you might have produced several females, all producing milk when you think "it would be nice to sell some of this white stuff" or you may be thinking that perhaps you would like to add to your existing goats and get some sort of return from them. This, of course, could encompass meat and skins too. This article is aimed at the smallholder and not at those who might be considering a large herd of several hundred goats. On that subject, no one should embark on industrial-scale goat-keeping without several years' experience of goats on a smaller scale or without the help of a very experienced management team. So, for us smallholders some timely advice for those who maybe innocently but illegally passing on your wares already or for those who might like to do so while complying with the law.

OWNING goats can be fun and rewarding and every year there are shows at which you can show off your lovely caprine friends, whether they are registered pedigree animals or just a good old Heinz 57. Think of it as being a fun dog show for goats and you're there!

MOST of us who aspire to be smallholders have to support our efforts with some kind of paid employment. Our smallholding may well be productive and support all or some of our family needs, but, with the odd very rare exception, we will have to support our activities with earnings from a different source.

ONE of the downsides of keeping dairy stock is maintaining productiveness through out the worst months of the year.

WITH the New Year comes renewal. A chance to start again, to "have another go"