Monday, July 28, 2008

Tonka Tails Court Jester, the Bizmark of the 2000s

This is *B Tonka Tails Court Jester. He is arguably the most influential buck of this decade. And he figures prominantly in the pedigrees of elite animals in the breed and in my own herd as well.

The founding buck of my herd: *B FDF-Pleasant Fields Solaris was the last son of two time national reserve champion in the '90s, GCH Destiny Farm Souvenir *M 91EEEE. The sire of Solaris was a grandson of Tonka Tails Court Jester.

My new buck, *B Heaven's Hollow Pistol Pete is grandson of Court Jester as well. His sire White Haven Sousa 92EEE is a Court Jester son.

On their website Dauberts a few years ago mentioned that they still had Court Jester but he appeared to be sterile. That must not have been the case because he sired more kids in the last few years, including a spotlight animal. When someone on OberhasliTalk asked about a picture of Court Jester, Dauberts made a rare post and said that he is still alive and looking great. That was about this time last year. I sure hope he is still alive and kicking. Jester was collected and there is still some semen around that people are using from time to time on their best does.

Just as an example or two, here are some winning animals at 2008 nationals and how they are related to Court Jester. Ober-Boerd Jayda was the eye popping gorgeous yearling daughter of Tonka Tails Tipperary Prince, a Court Jester son. A CJ 3year old daughter was 14 place, SG Tonka Tails's Jester's Vanity. First place 4 year old was SGCH Tonka Tails Violet of Toulouse (a former National junior champion) is a grand daughter out of SGCH Tonka Tails Jester's Mischief who is a high scoring excellent doe but I'm not sure of the score right now. There are more; these are just a couple.

These are my observations and opinions. If you want to agree or disagree or if you know of an euqlly influential buck compared to Court Jester, please post a comment I would love to read it.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Cabbage Leaves!

This is the time of year my goats are the most happy. The neighbor is starting to cut cabbage every morning and then every afternoon, my goat/pigs get a nice pile of cabbage leaves and a few cull heads of cabbage. My neighbors are a family farm, Osswalts (Ohz-walts) and they grow acres of cabbages, more every year. It is a very prosperous farm. Cabbage leaves are my goats' favorite goody and they eat a lot of them, let me tell you.

We park the farm truck at the end of their conveyor belt. The waste cabbage and leaves goes out the barn and into the truck bed. We bring it home late afternoon, dump it and I feed it to the goats two or three times a day. And we take the truck back over and park it for the next day's leaves.

This works out well for both of us. My goats get the added food, obvious benefits for me. Mr. Osswalt doesn't have to dump the leaves in the field and let them rot. OMG they smell like... well, you can imagine. And when they rot they get slimy. Yuck. Much better to put the leaves through goats.

I fork leaves into an old fashioned metal bushel basket and empty it over the fence or into feeders. That way I can keep track of how much I'm feeding. I have several of those hard plastic dark green kids' wagons which are filled up and parked outside the cattle panels. I carry the bushels of leaves and dump over the fence, fill up wagons and even a tote or two. The idea is to get them spread out enough that even the smaller ones can get what they want.

(Jill, Petey loves leaves and he makes sure he gets his fill. By the way, he has had a little bit of a runny nose. You were concerned with the AC at the National Show and I guess it got to him a little, but he is eating good and no temp.)

They still have hay free choice and get feed once a day instead of twice a day, but they will be fat and happy the rest of the year.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

New Friends at the 2008 National Show in Louisville

First of all, I want to apologize that I didn't have a camera with me to take pictures this year. It's a long story. Hubby put the camera somewhere and couldn't find it. I borrowed a camera and it didn't seem to be working. So, I missed some great photo opportunities at the national show.

Today I want to tell you about some of the conversations I had with Oberhasli breeders and maybe gossip a little.

I met one of those sweet little ladies from Tennessee named Arden Ward and her husband Eddie. I really enjoyed chatting with Arden after the show. She only had a few Oberhasli there but they were nice ones. She has a young OberBoerd doe. I was so excited to find out that doe was the grand-daughter of my sweet old doe, FDF-Pleasant Fields Bridgette. I promised her pictures so I'll try to publish those.

Bridgette was such a great doe but it looked like she was put together by a committee. She had a long, level, smooth "national grand champion" body, a lovely udder, milked like crazy. Her udder attachments just weren't the best. It's hard to describe. It wasn't pendulous. It had a large area of attachment. She just needed a tummy tuck, er, udder tuck. Her daughter Garnet, a show stopping doe, classified excellent, a credit to old Bridgette and FDF. Ober-Boerd still has her full sister Tornado in the herd and I think Tornado has the "here for life" deal with the Schnipkes.

Turns out Arden and Eddie, especially Arden, were coveting my new buck before I got there. [See earlier posts.] We're going to see if we can work something out in the future so they can use him or maybe get a son, something. Being one of Arden's goats would be the "Life of Riley" for any goat. She admits she spoils them to pieces. I used to spoil mine, too. That is before I had about 30. So mine don't get much individual attention any more.

I asked Arden about how she got interested in Oberhasli and goats in general. It's a familiar story. She saw some, fell in love and then wouldn't shut up until her husband let her have one. Then one led to two, then three.... But he seemed to be enjoying himself at the show. I couldn't get Bob to come along. He preferred to be home puttering in the garden and making hay. But if he had come along, I think he and Eddie would have hit it off. They both are avid gardeners, married to crazy goat ladies.

I told her I was going to write this blog. I'm also outing her as a lurker in OberhasliTalk@yahoogroups.com. Hi, Arden! Arden's website: www.eponafarmtn.com and email is epona1@comcast.net. Her herdname is Trinity Rose. Isn't that pretty?

Friday, July 18, 2008

More on Shotsi and Pistol Pete!

These are photos of SGCH Heaven's Hollow Shotsi 5*M, 2008 National Reserve Grand Champion, potential 2007 Top Ten List Milker. Pistol Pete, one of her 2008 triplets is our new Jr. herdsire. I'll add more pictures as he grows.

Compared to our bucks, including the one we shipped in from Arizona, Pete is huge. On the other hand Shotsi is not a huge doe so whatever Pete's ultimate size, he probably won't sire huge animals.

For people who really are not "into" goats or Oberhasli, Shotsi classified 92(EEEE) earlier this year. This score is based on the scorecard which has 100 points. The four letters are for: general appearance, dairy character, body capacity and mammary, in that order.

GCH Willow Run Hassida
, three time national show champion and current national show champion, classified 92 last year, the first Oberhasli in history to do so. This year there were two more: Shotsi, of course, and Sir Echo Brickers in Arizona. This is a very elite designation and the fact that two 92 does were champion and reserve validates both the linear appraisal system and the quality of the national show judging.

In addition, the sire of Pete is *B White Haven Sousa, 92(EEE) a Spotlight Sale buck in 2003. The sire of Sousa is the legendary *B Tonka Tails Court Jester (91), arguably the best and most influential buck of the current decade. The dam of Sousa is a doe I've never seen: White Haven Kalliope, but she was winner of "produce of dam" at a previous national show. She also gave birth to White-Haven Precentor a popular buck and sire of one of my own does: Squaw*Mountain Raspberry. I have to look to be sure but some of Kalliope's does may have also been champions in the now dispersed White-Haven herd. It seems to me, off the top of my head that the 2007 National Champion was a Kalliope daughter. I'll look that up and edit this. Stay tuned.

Well, having a gorgeous buck with this pedigree, we feel like we can't lose. However, a "pretty boy" buck is not what we're after. The good or bad (hopefully good) will be on the ground next spring. Good news is that the buck is mature enough to cover does in September for sure. He's got a "let me at her" attitude.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start blogging about herds and people I met at the national show. I attended, without goats, Tuesday for the milking show. As a Board Member of Oberhasli Breeders of America, and since the OBA sponsored the Grand and Reserve, I was planning on handing out awards. I got so involved with the show that I completely forgot.

These are just my opinions. So if I make a mistake or you don't agree with something I've said, leave a comment. It's a bright future for Ohio Oberhasli.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

New Junior Herdsire: *B Heaven's Hollow Pistol Pete

He's out in the yard now, trying to figure a way to get into the doe pen. He is a perfect Oberhasli buck kid. A bit precocious for 4 months. The name is *B Heaven's Hollow Pistol Pete and he is the son of the new national champion Oberhsli, SGCH Heaven's Hollow Shotsi 5*M.

I had ordered Petey a couple weeks ago and went down to pick him up at the National ADGA Show and see the Oberhasli show Tuesday. Louisville is a 3 hour drive, compared to most a hop, skip and jump, but for me and my old junk vehicles it's a major trip. Instead of driving the big truck (aka gas hoggin' SOB), S10 (lights are kind of acting crazy but at least he got the muffler fixed), Ranger (the floor board might drop out any time), I drove the '90 something Oldsmobile station wagon with a large crate in the back.

While I was in the middle of trying to find my way OUT of the fairgrounds Monday night, it started making the most terrible noise. Heart stopped. Oh, no, it's a flat tire! No, it's still rolling. It's the engine. Wasn't overheating, wasn't smoking, wasn't quitting, no lights. Then, thinking back to my Maverick days, it's the donut gasket.

Well, it actually turned out the old girl threw up a spark plug. In my 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme days (Man! That was a beautiful car, silver with maroon vinyl roof.) I had that happen, too, but the Cutless sounded like it had firecrackers under the hood. Anyway, I made it home. It was noisy as heck. I worried the whole way, but it was only 3 hours. Louisville to Indy about 100 miles and about that many from Indy home.

I got home right after dark, stiff and ready to unwind. Get the cover off the hot tub! I hadn't counted on such a big, strong buck so I didn't really have anyplace easy to put him. So we moved the crate into the yard, fed and watered him and left him until morning.

I went out first thing to check him. Here's what I thought would happen: I would let him out in the yard, he would follow me to the barn or at least wonder around the yard a while. I would feed him and put a collar on him. I mean, this is what I've come to expect in 30+ years of having goats.

Turns out Pete isn't tame. He's not skiddish around people, just doesn't really like to be close. Kind of hurts my feelings. No doubt he was left on his dam, Shotsi. That also explains why he's so well grown. He can't really hurt anything in the yard. We fenced in our flower beds last year. You other goat owners will know what I mean. He can come up on the porch but couldn't do much there either unless he decided to nibble on the screen door or something.

After trying to catch him for a while, I gave up but still worried about him getting under the non-goat proof horse fencing down into the woods, or worst yet if he wondered out of the woods and got on the road. What really, really worried me is him getting into Bob's garden. OMG that would be capital punishment! Sends shivers through me.

I still have a few cull buck kids left from this spring and he totally bullied them. I thought they would hang out together. Nothing doing. He was only interested in does on the other side of the fence. What the heck, I needed to make sure if he got down in the woods or weeds he would come back up with them. So I got out one larger doe and two smaller ones, and walked the four of them down into the field, with brush and weeds and a lot of goat goodies.

In regards to the garden, I lowered the height of the electric wire around the garden just in case. Turns out he didn't even glance at that. Thank God he didn't know how tasty cabbages and fresh sweet corn is. Whew!

Then I'm thinking, I'll tether the old goat and that way they'll hang around here. Well, they did for a while. Then the three walked away leaving a very upset Raspberry and disappeared for an hour, a long hour. I had visions of a feral herd in the woods. But all's well, they walked back up to get a drink of water. No creek water for these goats.

We're still debating where to put him. Might have to put the old buck pen back in service, a little distance from the house, since he already has got a little stink to him. Despite the car, and the cost of gas, I had a wonderful time and I just love my new buck. I thank Jill Thomas so much. She not only sold me this buck but she even drove him down, free. She doesn't know it but she has a friend for life!!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Oberhasli type


I was looking around for a picture of a typical Oberhasli for those who aren't familiar with them. The picture I chose is a doe named Sir Echo Snitzi. She is a two time top ten doe. The Top Ten list is the top producers in the breed for the year. Snitzi had quads this year and has currently tested most than 17# a day, which is roughly two gallons. At this rate she is probably heading for another top ten record.

I never thought I would be able to afford a buck from a top ten doe like Snitzi but since she had three bucks and a doe, I was able to snatch up one of them. His name is Fritz and he is a sweet but masculine half grown buck. We're expecting some great things out of him.

Welcome to my Blog about our Dairy Goats!

We have a herd of Oberhasli, which is one of six dairy breeds registered by American Dairy Goat Association, ADGA. Why Oberhasli? Years ago we had nubians and bought an American Oberhasli buck to start in that rather small breed. Flash forward 20 years. I have a "modern" herd of Oberhasli that has been assembled and bred using the finest bloodlines in the country. Oberhasli are gentle, pretty and vigorous goats.

They trace their lines back to Switzerland. Dr. Pence made an importation of a buck and four pregnant does and that was the basis of Oberhasli in this country. Every Oberhasli goes back to those animals. For several decades Oberhasli were called "Swiss Alpines." They were part of the Alpine herdbook. Oberhasli enthusiasts worked diligently and got the Oberhasli out of the Alpine herdbook and into their own herdbook in the early 1980s.

Little by little, step by step the breed has advanced a tremendous amount. I attended the 2006 national show in Indianapolis and classes were huge. However, what was really neat to see if that udders, especially fore udders, were beautiful at least halfway down the lineup.

Last year two time national champion Willow Run Hassida classified 92EEEE. This year we know of at least two more does that classified 92. Those are: Sir Echo Brickers in Arizona and Heaven's Hollow Shotsi in Colorado. We, by we, I mean the Oberhasli community on OberhasliTalk@yahoo.com, are still waiting to hear about more high scoring does. Shotsi is going to be at the nationals next week in Louisville, Ky. I will try to get some pretty pictures.

If you are interested in dairy goats, stay tuned. I would like to start discussing various blood lines and my opinion on these. I would like to discuss my bucks and various animals in my own herd.