How to Build a Sleeping Shelf for Your Goats

Goats sometimes choose to sleep outside, depending on the weather. But they need to have access to a secure indoor area to sleep in. You meet that desire by building them a sleeping shelf. You can build a sleeping shelf for your goats in an existing barn, garage, or other building. You need very few materials to build it.

Although the directions here are for a triangular corner shelf, you can modify them to fit your particular building, or you can even make one along a full side of your building. This shelf is set 14 inches from the ground, which is a good height for miniature and full-size goats. These directions assume that the corner of your barn is square.

An added benefit of a sleeping shelf like this is that kids like the safety of an enclosed area where they can’t get stepped on, and they curl up underneath it when they aren’t sleeping with their moms.

First, gather your tools and materials:

One piece of 5/8-inch plywood (4 feet x 8 feet)

Four 8-foot 2 x 4s (one for each side brace, one for center braces and one for front)

One pressure-treated 28-inch 4 x 4

Two dozen 1 1/4-inch screws or nails

Two dozen 2 1/2-inch screws

Pencil

Level

Circular saw

Screwdriver (preferably battery- or electric-powered)

Hammer

Here’s how you build your shelf:

Cut the plywood into a triangle with one 8-foot side and two 68-inch sides.

Draw a line from each bottom corner to the top center line. Each line will be 68 inches long.

Place the plywood with 8-foot side across and measure and mark the center of the top (4 feet).

Cut the plywood with your saw along the two lines into three triangles. The center piece will be 8 feet on the bottom (full length of the plywood) and 68 inches on each side.

Cut your first two 2 x 4s.

Cut 65 inches from one 2 x 4 and 63.5 inches from another, making a 45-degree angle at one end of each.

Cut your third 2 x 4.

Cut two 42.5-inch pieces with one end of each at a 45degree angle. Fasten them together lengthwise with five 2-1/2 inch screws, making sure that the longer points of the angles are together.

Cut your 4 x 4 in half.

This creates two 14-inch pieces.

Measure and draw a level line 14 inches from the floor on the walls where you will set the frame of the sleeping shelf.

Using two screws or nails, attach the 63.5 inch piece of 2 x 4 (left side) to the 65-inch piece of 2 x 4, making a V.

The flat end of the 65-inch piece should be level with the side of the 63.5 inch piece.

Attach the 8-foot 2 x 4 to each end of the V piece with two 2-1/2 inch screws on each side through the 8-foot piece.

Sleeping shelf frame assembly.
Sleeping shelf frame assembly.
You now have a triangular frame.

Attach the combined support pieces to the frame.

Mark the center (4 feet) of the long piece of your triangular frame. Attach the combined 44-1/2 inch piece to the frame with two 2-1/2 inch screws or nails on the pointed end and four screws or nails on the flat end, with the 45-degree angles abutting the two shorter pieces and the flat end abutting the center point of the front piece. The center of the two pieces should line up with your center mark.

Place one of the 14-inch 4 x 4s upright on the top corner of the frame so that it is perpendicular to and flush with one side. Attach it to the frame with approximately six 2-1/2-inch screws at angles starting at approximately one inch from the end of the 4 x 4.

Repeat Step 9 for the front support, with your support piece upright and flush with the front of the bottom of the frame.

For additional strength, you can add more floor supports on each side of the frame.

Turn the frame over and place in the corner of your building. Check it with a level, then securely attach with a 2-1/2-inch screw every 10 inches or so in solid wall.

If your walls are not square, use shims between the frame and wall when attaching the frame.

Attach the piece of plywood to the top with 1-1/4-inch screws every 8 inches or so.

You won’t even have to invite your goats to get up on the shelf. Within a few minutes after you finish it, they’ll be jumping on the shelf and competing for the choice spot.

Goat born with 8 legs in Croatia

Meet Octogoat, an eight-legged goat born on a farm in northeastern Croatia .

Veterinarians reportedly told the goat's owner, farmer Zoran Paparic, that the condition is likely the result of an underdeveloped twin. The kid was also born with male and female reproductive organ. 

Clearly its name should be Octavio. Or Octavia. Whichever one it feels in its heart.

How to Hand-Milk a Goat

If you're raising goats as part of a green, sustainable lifestyle, you'll want to milk them. Hand-milking a goat isn't difficult, but you do have to practice to be efficient at it. Some goats are like cows and have teats that are large enough for you to use all fingers on them, while others are so small that you can only use three fingers.

Never pull on the teat. This is not how milk is extracted, and it can cause injury to the mammary system.

You need few supplies to milk a goat:

Milk stand: Although people milk their goats in every situation imaginable, investing in a milk stand will make milking easier.

Stainless steel bucket: Start with a six-quart bucket unless you're milking Nigerian Dwarves or Pygmies, which require a smaller one because they're shorter.

Udder-washing supplies: You can use an old plastic coffee can with hot water and dish soap, rags made from towels cut into smaller pieces, and paper towels for drying. You need to wash the container after every milking and rinse with boiling water or a bleach solution (one part bleach to ten parts water).

Teat sanitizing supplies: You need teat dip and cups or spray teat sanitizer, which you can purchase from a dairy supply company or feed store.

Stainless steel strainer and milk filters: You can buy strainers and filters from a dairy supply company or feed store.

Jars for milk storage: Half-gallon mason jars with plastic lids work great, because the plastic doesn't rust when it gets wet.

To hand-milk a goat, follow these steps:

Get the goat onto the milk stand and secure her in the stanchion with some grain for her to eat.

Wash your hands.

Clean the udder and teats with warm water and soap or sanitize with a wipe such as Milk Check Teat Wipes and dry them with a clean paper towel.

Make sure to thoroughly dry your hands.

Wrap your fingers and thumb around each teat to trap some milk in the teat and squeeze to quickly milk one or two squirts from each teat into a cup.

This step allows you to check for abnormalities and removes any milk close to the surface of the teat that is more likely to be contaminated with bacteria. If the milk is abnormal, dispose of it after milking.

Promptly milk the goat into a sanitized bucket, being careful not to pull on the teats.

If you take too long to milk, the goat may start dancing or causing other mischief.

When you think the udder is empty, massage the back and bottom of the udder and bump it gently with your fist in the front near the teats to encourage further let-down.

Pour the milk through a clean, filtered strainer into a clean jar.

Dip or spray the teats with a sanitizer such as Derma Sept Teat Dip.

If you use dip cups, use a clean one for each goat to avoid cross-contamination.

Return the goat to the herd.

Have some fresh hay or alfalfa and fresh water available for the goat right after milking. She will eat and drink instead of lying down and exposing an open teat orifice to bacteria.

Clean the bucket and strainer and air dry.

Rinse the bucket and strainer with tepid water right away. Wash with warm soapy water and rinse with boiling water or a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water.

To practice milking without fear of injuring the goat, use a rubber glove filled with water and tied shut at the top. This will give you an idea of how closing the teat (finger) off from the udder (hand) traps the water in the finger, allowing you to "milk" the liquid out by squeezing the teat.

How to Protect Your Goat Herd from Toxins

After you finally get the goats you dreamed of to supplement your green lifestyle, you don't want to put them at risk or lose them from an avoidable cause. Goats are curious, and if there are toxins around, they may very well poison themselves. To protect your herd, evaluate items that you have stored or are in use in your yard, garage, or barn with an eye to goat safety. If you're going to drink your goats' milk or eat them, you are also at risk of ingesting any poison that your goats get into. Remove any items that might put a goat at risk, especially.

Lead paint: Goats love to chew and will invariably chew on walls, especially if you don't want them to. Lead paint is common in old barns and other structures. To be safe, assume that the paint on old walls and doors is lead-based, and don't use those areas for goats. Bare, untreated wood is actually best.

Railroad ties: If you are putting up a new structure and have access to free railroad ties, don't use them. They contain creosote, which is poisonous to goats.

Plastic: Keep all plastic, particularly plastic bags and plastic twine, out of reach of goats. Goats that swallow plastic can suffer from a blocked rumen and lose weight or die. Swallowing plastic also causes symptoms such as loss of appetite, decreased milk production, and bloating. Be careful to properly dispose of plastic from mineral blocks or other types of feed.

Solvents and other chemicals: Make sure that you have removed any old kerosene, solvents, or other chemicals that people often keep in garages or barns. These hazards can sicken or kill goats. Even those stored on high shelves within a goat area aren't safe.

Store all feed away from your goats in an area they can't access. If they inadvertently get to grain, they will eat until it's gone — and then you will have very sick or dead goats. If your goats overeat, and you are unaware of it, you may not understand the cause of the symptoms they exhibit. The feeling of panic is terrible, and so is the guilt when a goat dies because of your mistake.

How to Raise a Healthy Bunny

Rabbits are cute, soft, and the most adorable little bundles of joy you've ever seen, and can be the perfect pet if you know how to care for them properly. Educating yourself about this highly intelligent and affectionate creature will go a long way to giving them a long and healthy life.

1. Make sure that the rabbit has a clean, safe hutch to live in and enough room to move around. If it lives outside, it should have a waterproof roof, and in the summer, the hutch should be placed in the shade so that the rabbit doesn't get too hot. The best hutches to buy are those with two 'rooms', one with a secure wire window and a private room for the rabbits to sleep. The hutch should have a good lock so that the rabbit cannot escape.

2. Have a run for the rabbit so it can get daily exercise. It would be best if the run was attached to the hutch, but if this isn't possible, just put a run in your garden. The run should be spacious, but it should be secure in case the rabbit or rabbits try to escape. If its warm, keep the run in the shade and supply water.

3. Clean the cage if you want a healthy and clean rabbit. Eventually you should find out where your rabbit goes to use the toilet, and you could put some newspaper down here, so that you can just remove the paper when it comes to cleaning the cage out. Soiled bedding, food that is not in the bowl or fruit or beg that hasn't been eaten should be removed daily. Clean the hutch out when the rabbit is in the run, so that it can also be getting exercise. Clean out the food bowl and change the food daily.

4. Make sure you have a water bottle for your rabbit. The best kind are those that are placed on the side of the cage on the outside and face into the cage. This is better because the rabbit can not knock it over. The bottle should be cleaned out and fresh water should be supplied every day.

5. Feed your rabbit fresh fruit and veggies and pellets daily and make sure it always has a lot of fresh hay. Feed alfalfa hay for growing bunnies and timothy hay for adults.

6. Grooming your rabbit is also important. If you have a short haired rabbit, brush it every week. Try and find a brush specifically for rabbits and be gentle when you are brushing them. If you have a long haired rabbit, grooming should be done daily. You should trim the rabbits hair or get a groomer to do it so that it does not grow too long. Long haired rabbits should be brushed daily so that their fur does not get matted.

Saanen Dairy Goats

Saanen is among the best dairy goat breeds around the world. They were originated form western part of Switzerland. Many countries in the world like Australia, West Indies, India, Ghana, Kenya, Israel, Malaysia, Philippine etc. are now rearing this dairy goat for commercial milk production. Saanen goats can tolerate almost all types of weather condition around the world.

The body of Saanen goat is covered with white or bright white colored hair.
There are black spots in their nose and ears.
They always keep their ears up.
Udder is very big sized.
They have very small sized hair on their body.
Usually they have no horns over their head.
An adult male goat weights about 70 to 75 kg and female 60 to 70 kg.
Their neck is very long and thin.
They always like to stay under shade.
A Saanen doe produce about 2 to 3 kg milk daily.
Milk of saanen goat contain about 3.5 % fat.

Highland Cattle

Highland cattle (also known as the hairy cow) are an old Scottish breed of cow, bred primarily for their beef. Highland cattle are often bred for cattle shows, and some highland cattle can win many prizes due to the incredible condition of the highland cattle individuals.
The highland cattle are famous for their long haired coats which help the hairy cows to cope with the harsh conditions of the Scottish Highlands. The highland cattle inhabit areas of Scotland close to the Arctic circle meaning that the highland cattle have adapted to endure the most uncompromising conditions.

Highland cattle originally come from Scotland. Highland cattle can now be found in Europe, North America and Australia, where the highland cattle are all commonly farmed for their meat but some people also use the long hair of the highland cattle.

Highland cattle have adapted to living in such harsh terrains as highland cattle have a large, strong build and a thick double layer of long orange hair. Highland cattle also have two horns on the tops of their heads which the highland cattle use to dig through thick snow to find the vegetation that lies underneath and the highland cattle also use their horns in order to defend themselves from oncoming predators and other rival highland cattle.

The highland cattle are also extremely adept at foraging for food and the patience and skill of the highland cattle means that the highland cattle can often be found grazing on steep, mountainous slopes in the Scottish highlands. Highland cattle are herbivorous mammals and therefore only eat plant matter, mainly grasses. Highland cattle are also known to eat leaves from low growing trees and shrubs and the highland cattle are also rather partial to the odd flower!

Due to the sheer size of highland cattle, other than humans highland cattle have very few natural predators in their wild habitat. Depending on the location of highland cattle, packs of wolves are one of the main threats to grazing highland cattle and those highland cattle inhabiting the plains in North America, are also in fear of being hunted by larger animals such as mountain lions, cougars and bears. Coyotes in North America are also a threat to the young and weak highland cattle calves but it is too dangerous for the coyote to hunt a highland cattle calf unless the young highland cattle has been separated from the group.