VIGA Newsletter Fall 2013-1

VANCOUVER ISLAND GOAT ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
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Fall 2013
Well folks, I have finally found the time to put together another edition of the VIGA Newsletter.
Sorry for the delay, but you all know how hectic it can be during the summer and early fall
months. We were busy as usual raising livestock and tending the garden, and there were lots
of events to attend, people to see and in general more work than I wanted to pack into the
seemingly short season. Not to mention my regular “paid” job…. And just when I thought
things might slow down the boy has flown the coop for a month or so, so I’m now holding down
the fort on my own – at least we’re down to just the laying hens and goats for the time being.
There always seems to be something on the go though, and I guess it won’t be long at all
before another cycle of growing starts again (does it ever really stop?). Hope you all have had
a fruitful and happy few months and can relax a bit before coming into the holiday season.
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RUMINATIONS: Guess what’s on my mind most lately is the difficulty farmers and others face
keeping their livestock and pets safe and healthy. I’ll write further on this, but we’ve been
plagued lately in this neighbourhood (and elsewhere of course), by attacks by predators of
various sorts. For the first time in over twelve years of having goats we lost one and had
another injured by a cougar attack. Although last year a cougar had stalked our dog and come
very close to my husband, there had been no injuries. This time our luck ran out. And we had
dogs chasing some calves not long ago, fortunately that time no one came to any harm, but
others in our area have lost sheep and various other animals to dog attacks. Just a few days
ago I was faced by a bear in the yard, a not so gentle reminder that we are sharing space with
critters that have a different agenda on their minds. I probably don’t need to tell you that there
is a steep toll paid, be it financial, emotional, or in the energy spent trying to rectify the
problem. As responsible caregivers to our flocks we try our best to safeguard them, however
there is no “one size fits all” solution. We have discussed options that might work towards a
more protected environment for everyone; it’s an ongoing dialogue at this point, and find pros
and cons in everything. Hopefully we may be able to implement some solutions but right now
our plan of attack is pretty much to remain on high alert, with at least one of us on the farm at
all times whenever possible. Wild predators are just trying to “make a living” and we try to coexist as best we can. Wish I could say the same about the dog problem we’re experiencing
here, hopefully educating dog owners and a good look at changing some of the laws might
help, but I know there won’t be an overnight fix for any of it. So take care everyone. I’ll keep
you posted on developments in this area.
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We at VIGA were involved in a number of events over the summer. As mentioned in the
previous newsletter, VIGA was pleased to be able to be part of the Coombs Fall Fair 100th
Anniversary this August. We hosted a display featuring various breeds of goats representing
the dairy, meat, fiber and companion aspects. Susan Walters brought up her Miniature Silky
Fainting goats, a breed that I have not seen before, and they were a big hit, along with others
such as Toggenburgs, Angoras, and Saanens etc. We had fiber displays, with Leah Parulski
demonstrating her spinning techniques, and we handed out goat cheese samples provided by
Sonja Todd, one of the owners of Tibbits and Todd of Cowichan Bay (well worth checking out
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this interesting store, a wine and cheese merchant, by the way), as well as Legato Gelato
made and donated by Jaki Ayton and Karen Fouracre of Fanny Bay. There were also milking
demonstrations where people got to try their hand at milking a goat and were rewarded with
special ribbons, a demonstration of cheesemaking, and lots of informational material on
display and handed out. Jackie Dunham of GoatKeeper fame kindly donated some items and
of course various VIGA members gave of their time and expertise to help make this event
successful. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, it sure couldn’t have been done
without you! It was a lot of work, and special mention goes to Janet Thony, the principal
organizer, and her granddaughter Marina, who even spent nights at the venue to ensure
everything was safe and secure. Also to my better half, who didn’t realize he was going to be
dragged into it, but nevertheless contributed a lot of time and energy to help make things
happen. This was a great fundraising event that we hope people enjoyed and it provided us an
opportunity to showcase the versatility of our caprine friends.
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And speaking of volunteers and hard work, two sanctioned dairy goat shows followed, with
VIEX in Nanaimo, convened by Diane Andiel, attracting 68 entries and the show at Port
Alberni, convened by Jaki Ayton, seeing 63 goats entered. Total prize payout was $5,605 and
$5,390 for Nanaimo and Port Alberni respectively, a pretty substantial chunk of change.
Kudos to all the volunteers who came together to make these shows possible.
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For you novices or people looking into perhaps getting a goat, here’s a “down-to-earth” article
by Jaki Ayton on caring for your dairy doe
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Quick Notes on Feed and Water for your does.
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There are many varied opinions on how to feed goats. You have to try and figure out what is the
best for your animals in your environment. Fiber goats eat somewhat differently than meat goats
and milking does needs are different as well.
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So the basics are:
• Hay is the number one feed for your goats. Purchase good hay. The best test for hay is to
stuff your nose into it and smell it. It should smell nice, not dusty, or moldy. Nice green
coloured hay is good as well but the smell of it is the quickest way to know if it is
halfway decent. And don’t get mad at your goats for wasting hay, its normal and you just
have to find some use for the stuff on the ground. Maybe cows or sheep will eat it, if not;
it is good mulch for the garden. At the dairy I figure we lose about 15% of the hay to
wastage (it is probably more but at the cost I just don’t want to believe it).
• Hay must be available all the time, not twice a day, not running out – all the time. A goat
has a complicated digestion system – four stomachs need to be working fairly constantly.
A belly of hay also helps when the goats go out to graze. It reduces the chances of
poisoning – a hungry goat will snack down on some nasty plants but if she has a belly
with hay in it, she will be less inclined to eat the wrong food AND the hay will help
reduce the nasty effects thru dilution.
• Water – a milking doe will drink up to 3 gallons (approx 12 L) of water a day EACH. It
means, for example, that we have twenty 5-gallon buckets of water for our dairy does
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attached to the fences in their pen. They really like clean buckets as well so wash them
out with soap and water when you can. Bucks and dry does drink less than half that but
still need access.
Grain – I have always given grain to my milkers when they are being milked. It gets them
to cooperate and keeps them busy. How the doe eats also indicates her state of health, a
vigorous eater that starts refusing food isn’t feeling well and you have to check it out.
The standard amount of feed is 1 kg of grain for every 3 liters (kg) of milk. However,
every animal is different and you have to use your judgment. And if you have to increase
the amount of grain you are feeding, so it very carefully. As the goat’s rumen (big
rumbling stomach) digests grain, there is an increase in the acidity of the rumen. A happy
rumen is not acid, it is more to the basic side of the pH scale (7.0 is neutral, like most
water). Too much grain can make a doe sick and make her bloat. Bloat can be fatal.
What kind of grain? Organic is fine but it is hard to get quality organic feed and it is
expensive. I feed 13% Dairy Tex from Top Shelf, not Goat Tex, Dairy Tex. It has a better
mineral profile, basically more minerals. We also feed whole barley to the biggest
milkers. Whole grain digests more slowly so less acid.
Supplements: I mix kelp meal with minerals and the goats eat it. They really like kelp
meal. We also offer them baking soda, which they enjoy. We have salt blocks in their
mangers too (blue, brown, light brown – one of each). I like to feed black oil sunflower
seeds as well, but have to get them on sale and save them for the skinny goats.
If you feed good hay and treat the grain like “candy” (so not too much) you will do okay. Watch
your goats, get a weigh tape, and keep track of their weight if you are worried about them. You
do not want them too fat or too thin.
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All the above is good advice from Jaki. As a supplement I also like to give a little ground flax
with their grain, it provides lots of good nutrition and does it ever contribute to a nice shiny
coat. You don’t have to give a lot, maybe a teaspoon to a tablespoon or so a day per goat, I
purchased a 44 lb bag from my local feed store for about $32. It lasts a long time, however it
can go “off” if exposed to heat, so I break it down into large freezer bags and freeze most of it
(advice I got from Vi Brunskill, thanks), and just keeping one bag out in the barn for immediate
use.
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Member Profile: Cory Spencer
Well, I guess right off the bat I should confess that we’re missing the pictures for this
profile. Somebody near and dear to me was supposed to get them onto the computer
before he left on his extended holiday (with the camera) – oops, sorry Cory and
readers, guess you’ll get to see them in the next issue! Meanwhile here’s a photo of
Cory and some of the girls that I took off his website – find him at
www.thehappygoat.ca.
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Cory Spencer is young and energetic, a great person to talk to and very enthused
about what he’s doing in his life right now. Currently living and working on a leased
farm in the Glenora area (near Duncan, B.C.), Cory happily has made the move from
big city life in Vancouver to a rural setting, learning a lot along the way.
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Experience working at Moonstruck Cheese on Saltspring Island, as well as at a
sheep dairy in France in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains and at a goat dairy
in northern England convinced Cory that he wanted to start into farming. His wife
Kirsten is from the Duncan area and in 2010 he had the chance to lease part of a
large family owned farm in the Cowichan Valley. He soon became a member of the
Vancouver Island Goat Association and was mentored, in part, by Vi Brunskill, a very
experienced member of our group. Wanting to start a goat dairy he found he quickly
had his hands full will a large number of goats from a variety of sources, and a very
steep learning curve, but he persevered, learned swiftly and is still working at
improving herd quality, milk production and herd health. He was soon selling milk to
Hillarys Cheese and also learning how to make his own very tasty cheese, selling
some to Island restaurants.
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His milking and cheesemaking operation is on hiatus for the moment, as he is
working on expanding the facilities and making them more efficient. He currently
has over 100 goats, hoping to cut back to about 75 in the spring, with 60 or so
milking does. He has learned how to cull to keep the best quality milkers, and found
that there is a viable market for goat meat on the Island.
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Part of his farming operation includes raising pastured poultry and on my visit to his
farm he was busy sorting out some pretty spectacular garlic in order to have the
best for planting for the next season. He hopes to be able to expand his use of the
farmland and knows he will have a busy year coming up. His transition to the
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farming lifestyle has been a good one for him, and we wish him many more
productive years ahead. Good luck with everything Cory.
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Here’s another article by Jaki – as she points out, its experienced breeders/owners who can
teach you a lot about the amazing creature called a goat:
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General Goat tips
Or
Those “Old Wives” sure knew what they were talking about
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I did not invent these little pearls of wisdom; just passing on the knowledge of what I think
actually works. My comments are in italics Jaki A. ☺
Regardless of the information in books, and what the vet tells you, the best sources of
information are the breeders who have been at it for years and have been successful.
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Barley is the best grain for goats. Whole barley will aid in digestion and slowly digests in
the rumen.
Feeding grain to a pregnant doe in the evening (only) will get them to kid during the day.
Dorothy Todhunter taught me this many years ago and it really does work.
The likelihood of an animal dropping dead the minute it steps onto your property is
directly related to the price of the animal. The more you pay for something the quicker is
seems to perish.
There is no such thing as a free goat. It is costing about $2.30/day to keep a milking doe
at our dairy. Free just means you are getting someone else’s’ problem.
The more you need the milk, the more likely the doe will kick the bucket, step into in, or
poop in it. The does seem to know, we probably are more tense and they pick up the vibe.
The time it takes a goat to escape from a pen is inversely proportional to the time taken to
build it (5 hours to build, 5 minutes to escape). Goat penning is an art and a science.
The more you rush a goat, the longer everything will take. Don’t try to hurry them, they
just resist, and resist, and resist, and resist. Remember, they don’t have anything else to
do.
A goat will never step on your foot unless you are wearing sandals. Been there, done this.
The better a goat behaves at home directly determines level of embarrassment you will
experience when you try to show them – screaming, throwing themselves on the ground,
choking themselves, biting other goats. Our oldest doe, Duchess, an experienced show
goat has tried to bite a number of judges lately – humiliating to have happen – she has
been retired.
The more you want a doe to produce daughters, the more likely she will have multiple
buck kids, every year, forever. The infamous Harriet kidded bucks for 8 years, twin girls
when she was 10 and then passed away.
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If you have one water bucket, the goats will poop in it, but if you have 10, they won’t.
Why? Because they can.
The more expensive the hay, the more will end up on the ground – wasted. I really hate
this.
The more you love and care for your goats, the more they will love you back, and
produce for you. Goats are very emotional creatures and they will really respond to you
and love you as much as you love them.
I Thought I Saw a Pussycat!!
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Okay, it’s a funny title on a not very funny subject. As mentioned earlier, we recently suffered
through a cougar attack on our little goat herd. Although we already knew a bit about these
awesome creatures, we learned more and I would like to share a little of that information with
you. Vancouver Island, for good or bad, is known as the cougar capital of Canada (some say
of the world). Although these creatures are pretty elusive, they are not necessarily nocturnal
and there are more of them around than you might think. I had never seen one myself until
about ten years ago, when a momma cougar and her two half grown offspring set off our
driveway alert at about 10:00 p.m. at night. We were leaving on vacation the next day and
learned that unfortunately a cat and rabbit turned into snack food for the animals.
Conservation officers were called and they came out with dogs and scared off the mother, she
was resting in a large tree very close to my own Mother’s home. We were fortunate that we
arranged for the people taking care of our chickens and goats to keep everyone locked in the
barn or coop, and things remained quiet after that. Then last year a somewhat more
unsettling event occurred. One day in the early afternoon a cougar came out of the brush to
within about 25 feet of my husband, who was loading a trailer with firewood. We suspect it
had followed our dog from the bush behind a pasture, and it was not easy to scare it off. We
had just moved young goats from that pasture to another one, so perhaps were fortunate that
everyone escaped injury in that case. A few days later I saw it again, early afternoon, walking
very near our free range hens, totally ignoring them (apparently they’re not fond of a mouthful
of feathers). Much screeching ensured to try to frighten it away, it just calmly sauntered down
a path, not even bothering to head into the underbrush, by the time I got to the house to alert
the boy it had disappeared. We kept close tabs on the livestock for a while, and I refused to
take the girls into the “back 40” for any extra munching, which they like very much. After a
while I heard that Conservation had trapped and killed a cougar fairly close by as the crow
flies, so this may have been the same one, but who knows. Stretched thin as they are,
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Conservation Officers generally respond when there have been injuries or in other high risk
situations, but of course they don’t/can’t come out to every sighting. Generally speaking it
tends to be young cougars still learning to hunt or older feebler ones that look for the easy
prey, i.e. your prized goat or lamb.
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The attack that killed our goat kid a few months ago and injured another happened in broad
daylight, in a small pasture right behind our barn and probably only about 100 feet from the
house. George was home and on the phone, heard the free range chickens squawking and
went out to see what was going on – by the time he went over behind the barn the damage
was done and no sign of the cat. We called Conservation who came out and confirmed it was
a cougar attack (we weren’t totally sure, not having seen anything), and they set traps, but
nothing was caught and, as they said, the cat could be 50 miles away or 50 feet off in the bush
somewhere. I have since heard of a number of attacks in the area; don’t know if there are
multiple cats out there or just one or two moving around. Needless to say it is worrisome and
we still are careful when we go out and our animals are monitored pretty closely. The kid that
was injured suffered two deep puncture wounds to the neck and also a rip and puncture
wound to his little backside/leg. Although it cost us a $300 vet bill (many thanks to mobile vet
Tyler Stitt of Winchelsea Veterinary Services for attending to the emergency in a very timely
and kind manner and to my regular vet Rhett Mortensen of Coombs Veterinary clinic who
unstapled the little guy) we were fortunate he healed well and is bouncing around his usual
self, we hope to keep him safe and sound until we can find him a good “forever” home.
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Here are some facts about the cat creatures (taken from the UVIC website “VI-Wilds:
Wilderness and Historical Conservation”):
Of the estimated 4000 cougars in Canada, 3500 live in BC. Of this, nearly a quarter reside
on Vancouver Island (itself only representing 3% of BC’s land area), resulting in the highest
concentration of cougars in the world.
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The North American cougar is a large member of the Felid family, which contains most other
large cats and the domestic house cat. The Vancouver Island population tends to appear
reddish brown in colour and a fully grown male weighs around 70 kg. Cougars are
generalists, eating almost any prey they can capture, but like most top predators on
Vancouver Island, prefer the plentiful black-tailed deer. When deer are unavailable, cougars
prey on smaller animals including rabbit, squirrel, sheep (from farms), small rodents, and
even insects. On the Island, cougars are generally not migratory, but do follow the deer to
lower elevations during the winter months.
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Cougars are distributed ubiquitously over Vancouver Island, with a higher density in the less
inhabited northern half of the Island. Population estimates are difficult with such a solitary
animal, but most estimates put the Vancouver Island population in the 600-800 range.
These animals are very territorial, with adult males controlling an average territory of 207
km2. The cougars on Vancouver Island tend to remain on the eastern side of the island,
where there is less climatic variation, and a higher density of black-tailed deer. Sightings are
common in the rural communities
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Here’s some more info taken from a Ministry of Environment website:
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The cougar, also called mountain lion or panther, is Canada's largest cat. Cougars have long tails which
may be one-third of their total body length.
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An adult male cougar weighs between 63 and 90 kg (140-200 lbs), and a female cougar, between 40 and
50 kg (90-120 lbs). The biggest cougars are found in the interior and the Kootenays.
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The cougar's primary prey is deer. It will also feed on wild sheep, elk, rabbits, beaver, raccoons, grouse,
and occasionally livestock.
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Cougars are most active at dusk and dawn. However, they will roam and hunt at any time of the day or
night and in all seasons.
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During late spring and summer, one to two-year old cougars become independent of their mothers. While
attempting to find a home range, these young cougars may roam widely in search of unoccupied territory.
This is when cougars are most likely to conflict with humans.
From the same site, the following recommendations regarding interaction with the cats might
be helpful:
When in Cougar Country:
Cougars primarily occupy the southern third of British Columbia. Most conflict with cougars occurs in rural
communities, where people live in isolated settlements. People also encounter cougars while spending leisure time in
cougar country.
Cougars are predators - the top of the food chain - and their actions are often unpredictable. We have little
understanding about what might trigger an attack, but following these general guidelines will reduce the risk of cougar
conflict and prepare you in the unlikely event of an attack.
Children:
Cougars seem to be attracted to children, possibly because their high-pitched voices, small size, and erratic
movements make it difficult for cougars to identify them as human and not prey.
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Talk to children and teach them what to do if they encounter a cougar.
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Encourage children to play outdoors in groups, and supervise children playing outdoors.
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Consider getting a dog for your children as an early-warning system. A dog can see, smell, and hear a
cougar sooner then we can. Although dogs offer little value as a deterrent to cougars, they may distract a
cougar from attacking a human.
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Consider erecting a fence around play areas.
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Keep a radio playing.
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Make sure children are home before dusk and stay inside until after dawn.
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If there have been cougar sightings, escort children to the bus stop in the early morning. Clear shrubs
away around the bus stop, making an area with a nine-metre (30 foot) radius. Have a light installed as a
general safety precaution.
Your yard and home:
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Do not attract or feed wildlife, especially deer or raccoons. These are natural prey and may attract cougars.
Pets:
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Roaming pets are easy prey.
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Bring pets in at night. If they must be left out, confine them in a kennel with a secure top.
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Do not feed pets outside. This not only attracts young cougars but also many small animals, such as mice
and raccoons, that cougars prey upon.
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Place domestic livestock in an enclosed shed or barn at night.
Hiking or working in cougar country:
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Hike in groups of two or more. Make enough noise to prevent surprising a cougar.
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Carry a sturdy walking stick to be used as a weapon if necessary.
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Keep children close-at-hand and under control.
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Watch for cougar tracks and signs. Cougars cover unconsumed portions of their kills with soil and leaf litter.
Avoid these food caches.
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Cougar kittens are usually well-hidden. However, if you do stumble upon cougar kittens, do not approach
or attempt to pick them up. Leave the area immediately, as a female will defend her young.
If encountering a cougar, the general advice is to make yourself big and loud, don’t turn your
back, and walk away slowly. If you are actually attacked, fight back hard. Personally I now
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carry bear spray and a big stick with me at most times. Although we have a dog she is not
good at guarding anything but the family room couch, and is more likely to be prey than
effective at discouraging a cougar!
Some further thoughts about these animals:
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I have read that these cats can jump up to 13 feet or so from a standing start, so our
idea of higher fences might not be all that practical a solution.
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Even with someone home and responding pretty quickly, these animals can move fast
and quietly, don’t assume you can prevent an attack just because you are nearby.
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They’re darn hard to see if they’re not moving. The one I saw blended in with the dirt
on the path and it wasn’t until I noticed our calves staring at something and followed
their line of sight that I finally located it, and it was totally out in the open.
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They can and do move about and hunt during the day, the goat attack and the
sightings the previous year were all in the early afternoon.
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They will attack and/or kill multiple animals, especially a mother cat teaching her kits
to hunt.
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Don’t be paranoid and don’t panic if you see one, however be aware they are out
there, especially in rural areas, and can cover a pretty large territory. Do be very
careful, follow the guidelines suggested and do know the phone number to call for
your Conservation Officer. In our area that toll free number is 1-877-952-7277.
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I haven’t totally figured it out yet, but we need to have some kind of system in place
to alert people of cougar sightings/attacks in their area. We alert our immediate
neighbors but cougars can cover a large territory and I am constantly reminded that
we hear about only a few of these. It would be nice to be alerted to the presence of a
cat so one could step up precautions….
I hope everyone can learn something from this article, we all want to think that it can’t happen
to us, but unfortunately sometimes it does.
While we’re kind of on the topic, here’s yet another article by Jaki about her treatment of a
serious wound. Experienced goat owners know they will sooner or later be dealing with
something like this, and (as much as we appreciate and rely on our vets) often try to do as
much as we can ourselves to mitigate costs. It’s good to hear from someone who had “been
there, done that” successfully. Just remember, don’t panic and use your common sense. If
you check the animal out and are not sure about the severity, of course call a vet (yes, you
should have already researched this out, not every clinic treats large animals and not every
vet is familiar with goats). I always try to remember what I was told during the time I worked
in a dog/cat boarding kennel about a teaspoon of blood going a long way. Take a deep breath,
make a decision and act with confidence:
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Successful wound treatment
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In 2012 one of my does cut herself on some metal siding. There was a 3-inch long slice
on her rib cage all the way down to her rib bones. The cut was from above so was about 1.5
inches deep. I have a pretty strong stomach for wounds but looking at the wound and seeing her
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ribs move while she breathed was pretty gross. Being pretty broke, I decided to treat it on the
farm.
I have betadine surgical scrub (an iodine based cleaning solution) and it is good stuff to
have on hand. I have used it on hoof infections successfully. I put a couple ounces into a very
clean container and mixed with a couple liters of warm water. I washed around the wound and
flooded the inside of the wound with copious amounts of this solution. The doe didn’t mind this
too much as the water was warm, almost body temperature but she got soaked. I used about 4
liters of this solution to get everything clean.
Then I rinsed the wound and surrounding area with about the same amount of warm
water with a touch of bleach in the water. We are on a well and I wanted to make sure the water
was pure.
Patted the area around the wound with paper towels and dried the doe with towels. I looked at
the wound carefully and checked of debris or hair. All the washing and rinsing had cleaned it
well. If there was still debris then I would have continued washing and rinsing until everything
was out. Be very careful if you have to pick any crap out, make sure you know what you are
pulling on. A mangled vein can look like hair but if you pull it, you cause more bleeding.
A comment on bleeding – most of the time you don’t have to worry about blood loss with
goats. Blood looks like a whole lot more than it actually is. What you want to watch for is
spurting blood – this is arterial and doesn’t clot very easily. My doe didn’t bleed much; if she
had, I would have placed a folded wad of clean paper towel, closed the wound with the flap of
skin, and pressed down firmly with the flat of my hand for at least 5 minutes. This is where you
have to be cautious about pushing debris deeper into the wound. If it bleeds and slows down then
don’t mess with putting pressure on it. IF there is spurting blood then you must apply pressure
and it will take 15 to 20 minutes to stop, and then slowly clean the wound being much more
careful & delicate.
I filled the “pocket” (the deepest part of the wound) and the whole wound with about 3
mL of Traumeel. Traumeel is a homeopathic/flower based cream and I use it on my skin often. I
recommend you have some at home to use with your goats and yourself. The tube says not to use
in wounds but I have and had great results. I packed the wound full of the Traumeel, making sure
it contacted every surface. You could use what you have on hand – Ozonol, polysporin –
something gooey & mild. I didn’t bandage it as bandaging a goat is generally a waste of time –
they just pull it off and if they don’t their herd mates will.
I watched the wound closely, looking for redness, swelling, heat, or pus – I would have
started her on antibiotics if anything was apparent. Liquamycin is a good antibiotic to have
around for goats – it has good effect for skin and is good for respiratory problems.
I repeated the whole cleaning/flushing procedure 3 days later, no foul odor, and no sign of
pus. There was some bleeding and I had to remove some fur and loose tissue. The doe’s attitude
remained perky, she ate and milked well.
I didn’t disturb the wound after that, just kept on monitoring it and watching the doe for
any signs of illness.
The injury happened on June 14 and by July 19; I could not find the exact location – no
scars or scarring in the underlying tissue. Just amazing.
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I felt I needed the help of a vet for little Ziggy, injured in the cougar attack. Coming home to
this disaster I at first didn’t realize that he had also been injured, then saw just a few drops of
blood on his neck. Closer examination revealed puncture wounds, but I didn’t know how deep
(they were pretty bad). Both the vet and the Conservation Officer were concerned about the
wounds because they were “dirty” wounds, caused by the cougar’s fangs sinking very deeply
into the neck (luckily they missed the main arteries) and claws puncturing or tearing his rump
and leg. Once cleaned out and the rump/leg wounds stapled he was given an antibiotic and it
was my job to keep the neck wounds open to try to drain (not really feasible), re-administer
the antibiotic and keep everything clean. I did all this to the best of my ability and also
applied the Traumeel ointment Jaki used, I felt it wouldn’t hurt and might help in the situation.
He healed very quickly, just as Jaki’s doe did, and I can’t tell you if the Traumeel helped or not
but it certainly was a better outcome, no infection whatsoever, than we anticipated.
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DOGS ON THE LOOSE: On the topic of predator attacks, you may have heard about the
problem we are having in Hilliers (Coombs/Errington) with attacks by dogs on livestock. The
local newspapers and some television stations have recently featured stories about the death
and maiming of some sheep owned by a farmer who lives just down the highway from me. The
dogs live just across the highway from this gal and have been escaping by digging under a
chain link fence. As I write this Animal Control are investigating the matter. However this is
just the tip of the iceberg regarding dog problems. The more people we talk to the more and
more stories we hear. A group of concerned farmers and others are now getting together to
discuss the issue and see how we can address this. There are many layers to this story, some
key points being that dog owners need to be educated about their pets running free, there is
no compensation for loss of the livestock, and the farmer or other citizen who has been the
victim of an attack/harassment by a free roaming dog or dogs don’t know who to turn to in
case of such an event. In part we are concerned that the Livestock Act, and how it has been
interpreted in a recent court case, limits even last ditch attempts to save our livestock from
such attacks. I’m afraid media portrayal may make us seem like a bunch of dog hating
rednecks ready to shoot at fido at the drop of a hat, but nothing could be further from the
truth. We take great care with our extended family of critters, pet, livestock or “wild”, trying
to integrate all aspects of our little “ecosystem”. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when
responsible dog owners could easily mitigate the problem by ensuring their animals are kept
on their own property.
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We are looking at compiling a data base of dog related incidents, as there seems to be little
communication on many levels and it’s kind of scary when one realizes how many bad things
are happening out there. So if you have had the misfortune to come up against an issue
involving dogs, send out a short statement to Janet Thony at Crocker1@telus.net or myself at
mousefieldfarm@uniserve.com so we can show interested parties there is a real problem out
there. We hope there really is strength in numbers so we can initiate change.
There’s a meeting of the Coombs Farmers’ Institute coming up shortly, we’re hoping to
establish a plan of action that will ultimately benefit everyone, not only in our area but
ultimately Province wide. We’ll keep you posted.
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A New Recipe to try – another winner from Jaki:
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Last night I was experimenting in the kitchen. One of the parts of our gelato business I
really get a kick out of is making up new flavours. Working on a couple ideas right now,
one is garlic gelato – it seems that savory flavours of gelato are becoming more vogue.
Who knew? Worth a try anyways. The other concoction is cajeta (pronounced cah-hehtah)– a Mexican recipe for goats’ milk caramel. I am using the recipe from my “Ciao
Bella” gelato recipe book – it is a very good reference if you want to make gelato at
home – all the recipes (except for the cajeta) are for cow milk and cow cream but they
are really yummy.
If you like sweet caramel and have extra milk you may want to try making the cajeta – it
does take a while, so make sure you have the time before you start.
2 cups goat milk
2 cups sugar
½ t. vanilla extract (the real stuff)
½ t. baking soda
In a deep heavy pot heat the milk, sugar and vanilla over medium until the sugar
dissolves. Take off the heat, add the baking soda, and stir until the foaming calms (BTW
– mine didn’t foam until I reheated but watch for it, it is why you will want a deep pot,
otherwise you’ll be cleaning it up). Simmer on medium heat for one hour, stirring
frequently. It will reduce by more than half – now you will need to watch it closely. As the
cajeta starts to thicken you will have to stir constantly to keep it from burning, mine took
about 35 minutes to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. That is the “Done”
point. Remove from heat and refrigerate.
You should be able to keep it refrigerated for about a month but good luck with it
lasting that long. I put some of the hot cajeta in my coffee – WOW! Use it as a caramel
sauce on anything. I am going to try mixing it with our gelato and see what happens.
Yum, yum, yum.
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Diane Andiel suggests checking out this site: www.premier1supplies.com for some good
information.
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She also thought this article on selenium dosage might be of interest:
http://phys.org/news/2013-06-selenium-dosage-boosts-growth-immunity.html
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The photo below was sent to me by Vi Brunskill and taken by her neighbor, Ross McLellan. I
hope the goats were looking for the key to start the tractor so they could do some work,
although I suspect all they wanted was to go for a joyride!
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Thanks for reading this newsletter; I hope you found something of interest in it. Feel free to
contact me at the following address if you have any comment or input.
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Marion Woloschuk, Newsletter Editor
Director, Communications
Vancouver Island Goat Association
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e-mail mousefieldfarm@uniserve.com
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