Pygmy Goats in Florida - Oak Haven Farm

News Kids on the Farm

2008-11-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

As of today we have eight new kids on the ground and do they look awsome! The great confirmation on these kids comes directly from the outstanding sires we used and the exceptional quality of our dams. The sires we used were PGCH Oak Haven Farm Quinton, PGCH Kabill Farms Zachary and 3x Grand Champion Gunsmoke. Our dams included Possum Hollow Spirit, Cover Girl and Roxanne.

These kids are THE best kids we have had in our 21 years of breeding and showing our herd. Thank you to Andy and Janet Nash and Jason Overmann for letting OHF take these animals home from the convention in June.

Our next crop of kids are coming soon and are out of our new red caramel buck King Farm Kids Eli. We can't wait for these little ones.

We are accepting deposit on our new kids. We would prefer for you to come to the farm to pick out you next champion rather than blindly leaving a deposit. Our bucklings are in demand, so hurry to make an appointment to get your hands on these muscular and confirmationly correct little guys.

Don't forget the Sun Coast Winter Classic Show on Dec 13th at our farm. Get your entries in soon to make sure you are in the showbook.

Also, I will be conducting and presenting at the first every Sarasota County 4H goat school this coming Saturday (Nov 22). It will be at the Sarasota County 4H office at Twin Lakes Park located just east of I-75 on the Veterans Memorial Parkway (formally Clark Road) Hope you can make it.

Fall Means Babies!

2008-11-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

We're back! After a long blog layoff, the Oak Haven Farm blog in online again. Busy days at school and around the farm have kept us too occupied to blog. But here we are again, ready to inform, enlighten and educate.

Our fall crop of kids are starting to arrive. In the past three days, three of the new does we purchased up at the National Convention are giving birth. Two of our new Possum Hollow does have each given us a single girl and a single boy birth. Great looking kids to boot. LomaLinda Farms Charitity dropped twin girls yesterday afternoon before I got home from school. Super looking does; a light grey agouti and a grey agouti with a belly band. Carol named her Panda. We tried to breed all of our does right after the convention to kid in the cooler weather in our part of Florida. And it looks like most of our breeding age does will kid in the next couple of weeks. Udders are getting milk and we are planning for less sleep to be there if they kid at night. We have a baby monitor in the barn and the constant hiss makes it difficult to sleep but it is a trade-off for making sure the kids are born without incident and dried for the cooler nights.

We will toot our own horn over our success at the convention. PGCH OHF Quinton was selected the second best buck in the nation at the National Champion Challenge show (1st runner up) and 3x Grand Champion Possum Hollow Gunsmoke won grand in the first show and reserve grand champion in the second show on Sunday. Our young junior does made the cut on the first day of showing and the young red caramel buck we traded a OHF Fever Pitch buckling for won his class both days. Thank you to all the folks who organized this great event and made it go off smoothly and without incident.

A Pygmy goat show is coming back to Sarasota on December 13th, 2008. The Suncoast Winter Classic will be held at our Oak Haven Farm beginning at 10am. 4H and FFA showmanship classes will be held and a master champion youth showman will be crowned. We will also bring back "Goat Poker" for a terrific prize. And don't for get it will be you only chance to dine on Pork Wings! Come and find out what they are and show a goat!

See you at a Pygmy Goat show!!
g

School Days

2007-08-19T08:36:00.001-07:00

The time is here...back to school. Yes, it's back to work for this goat farmer. Well, it will actually be a bit of rest from all the work around the house, pastures and barn. At least I will be in air conditioning for the better part of the day. The barn sure holds the heat, even with new fans installed. Ah...smiling faces, eyes full of wonder, staring back ....and that's the parents!

Has Hurricane Dean woke you up yet? It may not get to Florida, but it should get you all off you butts to complete you preparedness kits and supplies just in case we do get a big storm. Do you have a weather alert radio? It might be good to get one along with some extra gas cans, water, food and batteries.

Our big sales list is in the works. Some of the newborn babies are listed on the webpage. At weaning we will have some super nice bucks and does. The buckling crop so far is tremendous. Thick muscled, great legs and bone. Their confirmation is the best we seen yet. If you want a ring competitive animal, look no further than here.

We have some PGCH Quinton kids on the ground and they look GREAT! More are on the way toward the end of August through September. Our brood doe portion of our sale will highlight some great bloodlines in easy kidding does. Although they are retired from the ring, their worth as brood does is great. They will make you many nice kids in the years to come.

Have a wonderful day.

g

Two weeks left of fun!!

2007-07-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

The beginning of school is only two weeks away. That still leaves plenty of time for summer fun. Like...painting a bedroom, moving some pens around, and delivering babies. Well we have had a jammed packed summer so far...a family trip to NYC and Jersey...and two weeks in Cali. Boy oh boy is Sacramento hot! 112 degrees! "But it's a dry heat" Yea right! Hot is hot. We did manage to get to Tahoe for some 5 card and San Fran for sourdough. We also rented bikes and pedaled over the Golden Gate Bridge. That was cool. Really cool....60 degrees in foggy surrounds of the Bay Area. Carol and I even got to go up into the Sierra's for some gold panning with our brother-in-law and our three nephews. AND I did find some gold flakes. Not much to be rich, but enough to appreciate what those prospectors did back in the 1850's.

We are glad to be home again and watching our does begin to usher in our summer kidding season. So far so good. Four kiddings and lots of nice looking kids out of PGCH Quinton and 3- time Grand Champion Fever Pitch. The doe kids are winning the kid race by one over the bucklings born so far. We have about 10 more does to kid before the end of the summer. Our Quinton kids will be born later in August.

Andy Nash announced that he will not be running again for NPGA Director. Too bad, he is a great director; a sane voice with a lot of common sense. Andy is a great guy. If you ever get to a show and he is there, just walk up and introduce yourself. And if you can, hang around the barn at night, sip a cool slush puppy with him and listen to one of his stories.

Remember to make sure to take a rest from your fun summer and get your hurricane and storm kit ready. "The storms, they will come."

Keep the faith.

g

Hurricane Preparedness Part 2

2007-06-13T12:19:00.001-07:00

Well, I hope you have at least made a start to plan for when a hurricane comes to town. Don't overdue you prep for your animals at the expense of your personal and family plans in the event of an evacuation. You need to get your "stuff" in order so you can get out if you need to. If you have taken the basic steps to keep your animals safe, you need now to focus on YOU and YOUR FAMILY. Your animals can be replaced, not you family members. I personally would not stay around to "protect" my animals in the event of an evacuation. I would get out of Dodge!

Here is another good tips in the event of a hurricane. Do not lock the animals in the barn in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm. Always have a way they can safely get out of the barn in case the barn gives way or blows away. The animals will do ok in the rain and wet. During Hurricane Charlie only one or two head of cattle did not make it through the storm. I would safely say the none of use have a hurricane proof barn. So make sure if you keep them in, because we all know goats do not like the rain, make sure they have a safe escape route or two in the event the barn does sail off. If you have horses, halter them with your phone or address in the event the fences blow down. I saw a few horses during Charlie that were spray painted with the owners phone numbers. Never try to keep a horse inside during a hurricane.

Cool heads and rational decisions will help you during an impending tropical storm or hurricane.

Be Smart

g

Hurricanes and Corn

2007-06-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

With the Florida hurricane season only a few days old, it is time to review some of the things you can do to get your barn and animals ready...just in case. It is predicted that at least three names storms will hit our state this season. So let's start our list:

1. Make copies of all you goat paperwork; registrations and all other important paperwork relating to you goats. Put you files on a CD or DVD data storage disk and off your computer. Put all that information in a waterproof container and in your "must take" waterproof rubbermaid container in case you have to evacuate.
2. Take identifying pictures of all your animals; goats, dogs, etc. Put them on disk and print the photos out to put in the same container as above.
3. Make sure you have all your animals identified; tatoos and microchips are the best. This will help you find you animals if you have to leave without them. BTW the pet friendly shelters will not take goats.
4. Water...the most important thing for our animals. When the power goes out, will you be able to get water? Now is the time to store as many containers as possible that will hold water. Clean out that big horse water trough and make sure it can hold water. The goats cannot reach it to drink out of it, but you can scoop it out into a smaller trough using a bucket.
5. Don't think about stockpiling feed. Let the feed store keep it for you. Hopefully their store will suvive a good blow. If you old barn blows away so will your feed. In the least it will get soaked and be usuable.
6. Make it a habit now to throw away the junk around your barn and house. They become deadly projectiles during a hurricane. Old pieces of fence or pieces of wood you were saving for that project you will never get to will bite you in the butt later if you don't take care if it now.

Well that should get you started. More on hurricane preparedness in my next post.

Corn...the basis for all our feed is going through the roof. Who is paying less than ten dollars for a bag of goat feed out there? I guess no one is. That the ethanol proponents for this mess. It is driving up the price of corn. If you do your homework you will find that corn based ethanol is not the answer to our fuel problems. Corn based ethanol is difficult to store and transport and we cannot produce enough corn for the automobile needs of the United States and feed our livestock. We just don't have the farmland to plant enough corn at the expense of other food
crops. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is the world's largest producer of corn based sweetners and corn products. It has been a decent stock trade if you got in early with the ethanol craze, but that has been the only good thing about this almost universal cry for ethanol. I say, do some research on your own on ethanol production and you will start to get alot madder about our current feed prices.

Well...time to sit and watch the rain clouds slide over the house... 60% tonight...the grass is growing again!

g

Sum...sum...summertime!

2007-05-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

With less than two weeks left in the school year, we are planning our summer activities. It's nice to be in education with the summers off. This year we have an additional two weeks due to a new state law governing starting dates for school districts. Kind of nice for some additional days.

We are watching our pregnant does get bigger and bigger from week to week. July and August will be busy for us with the prospect for a load of bouncing kids. After our kidding and weaning this summer, we will be liquidating about 75% of our herd. If you are looking strong and healthy brood does and herd sires, consider coming to the farm and reserving your buck or doe; and even reserve a kid. Now may be your best opportunity to get a terrific deal on an animal to improve you herd and make a splash in the showring. We will be putting out public flyer of our available animals in August, but if you would like to get on our private emailing list, please drop use a note and we will get you all the information on our herd first! Take advantage of our 19 years of experience. We will "deal" and starter herd packages will be available.

Finally, it is officially rain dance time. Wow, we need recover some pasture and in a hurry!

g

So Where's the Fire?

2007-05-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

So where is the fire? Apparently too close for my taste....or smell. An idiot smoker apparently threw their butt out the window on I-75 this afternoon and stated a brush fire in the median that because of the wind, hopped over the highway and got about 200 acres going aflame. We had ash falling on the house and the pastures. Twenty four homes were evacuated closer to the fire zone. Almost all of the horse owner got their animals out. Fortunately the fire was quickly controlled by the local fire departments, state forest firefighters and air water drops from our Sheriff's Department and state helicopters. It was a smokey and scary afternoon. All is bright and sunny now.....we just need a good amount of rain to feel really better.

Speaking of heat.....I have not cooled off regarding the hiring of a registered sex offender as a judge for the last FPGA show. I strongly feel that he should not be judging anywhere, let alone having the club fund his travel expenses and judging fee. All of the club membership should have been notified of his backround....period. It is a family event....right??!! Go read Megan's Law.

So I out of here and let's say a prayer for rain and common sense.

g

Take a stand.....

2007-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

What animates your moral conscience?

Do you know that right now the NPGA does not have a system in place for making backround checks for those who represent the NPGA as judges, directors or committee members? Do you know that it was proposed by the current NPGA President, but the board did not act to put backround checks into the organization's rules? What is the board afraid of...offending an offender....a lawsuit from a felon?

The NPGA Code of Ethics states that: "AS A MEMBER OF NPGA, I PLEDGE: To realize my moral responsibility to the public, to my associates, and to the animals in my care. " Is it not the place of the NPGA Board to make certain that the very first thing, when the organization sanctions a show, is that it is a safe place for everyone attending the show? "Moral responsibility to the public................". Come on directors, take a stand! People come first, not the goats.

If you don't mind having a sexual offender among you children, fine, your choice. I do mind. As a teacher for 28 years, I see victims in front of me, in my class, every year.

Goat shows are fun. But you must agree that providing a safe environment for ALL who go to them is THE issue. It is the moral responsibility from the NPGA President and Board of Directors down to the local show secretary to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all showmen, their families, their friends and the general public attending the show.

Do you want a someone with bad check convictions handling the NPGA treasury account? I don't think you do. How about someone with theft convictions handling the merchandise department? That is potentially a bad business decision.

I am not saying that the people presently in those positions have those issues, it is just good and proper business practice to check the backrounds of those representing our NPGA.

Contact you director and ask them why the NPGA does not have a system in place for checking the backrounds of all those who represent the NPGA.

Your dues go for far more than just a subscription to MEMO. You have a voice. Exercise that voice and get mandatory backround checks a part of the NPGA by-laws.

Take a stand.

g

Spring Break Reflections

2007-03-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

School is letting out for Spring Break and the old goat herder is off to Vegas for fun and relaxation with some good friends. The new kids are growing well and some have gone off to new homes with excited owners. Our baby boys are looking good and our only girl kid is looking mighty "showy." We do have a couple of nice bucklings left ......Harvey and Shirley Spann of CrackerJack Kids are very happy with their Oak Haven buck. OHF Outta Control won Grand Champion at both shows at the Rocky Top Showdown shows last weekend. Now IS the time to get an OHF buck.

Rumor has it that after a long run the Georgia National Fair Pygmy Shows have been eliminated from the GNF show schedule. The Southern Pygmy Goat Club should replace the event with one of their own. Announcements on that will be made by the SPGC in the near future. Sad to see it go. But we look forward to an even better event hosted by the premier club in the nation, the SPGC.

On the subject of rumors, Oak Haven Farm is not selling out. We will continue to show and support Pygmy Goats. We will be limiting our shows a bit though. As far as our relationship with the FPGA is concerned, if you have any questions regarding that, please contact us for the straight dope.

Off to the airport. Sin City baby!!!!! Take the Butler and the points, and the over... the Gators will not cover. But they will win.

g

Great show in Wellborn

2007-01-29T15:59:00.000-08:00

Mike and Becky Swafford of Swafford's Sunny Acres did it again with a super show this past weekend at their farm. Sixteen exhibitors and over 100 goats made it one of the largest FPGA shows in it's history. It was great to see friends from TN, GA, SC, NC, and AL make it to the show despite the threat of rain and impending cold weather. The weather cooperated and the shows (2 in one day) were a great success. Congratulations to all who participated and especially to the champions.

Kidding season is about done here with two does left to kid. Plans are finalized for the start of our next breeding season which will commence on March 12th. These will be August kids. I finalized the breeding pair last night and they will produce awesome kids! PGCH OHF Quinton with be the main man on this go-around.

We are expecting a chilly night, tonight, with temperatures getting near freezing for the first time in a while. Everyone in the barn was huddled when I last looked tonight. I saw four kids squeezed into one feed bucket. Cute and warm.

Congratulations to Alexis Houghten who showed one of our former does to a grand champion win at the Goats-R-Us 4H goats show in Ft Myers this past weekend. Way to go Alexis and Crystal. Alexis also place second in Junior Showmanship.

Bundle up everyone tonight.

g

A HUGE Single!!

2007-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you have a doe in labor and nothing happens? What kind of skills do you have in pulling a kid? Should you pull or leave her alone? Those are very serious questions to ponder. Your overall experience should be you guide. If you are at all uncomfortable...by all means call your vet. I cannot walk, talk or guide you through the procedure to pull a kid, so trust your instincts and leave it at that. There are just too many kid presentation sceanios for malpresentations and distocia to take a chance if you are not experienced in getting a kid out of a bad situation.

I had one of my long line Oak Haven Farm does go into labor the other night. She pushed a for about an hour with nothing but her water sac presenting. She had a great kidding history of twins in the past. No problems. But when I pulled on the gloves, I found a foot and the nose in the birth canal. I had no way of knowing that this was to be a single, five pound doe kid. I just helped a bit with a gentle downward pulling and eventually the head emerged and then it was a bit of a struggle to get the shoulders through and out. She pushed hard and WE were able to get the amazon kid out. Since I pasture breed I have no way of getting a definite breeding date, but from the size, I expect this single kid was a few days late in getting out. This is typical with some single births - large kids and the potential for problems. Twins and Trips tend to be smaller and on time. Although my all time favorite doe; Oak Haven Farm Beffy-Q (now 11 years old) had an easy time with a set of XL twins; both four and a half pounders! They slid out like butter.

Good luck and trust you instincts with your does at kidding time.

g

Happy New Year !

2007-01-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

We're off and running into the new year. A time for new plans and change on the farm. We have sold off all our four Boer/meat goats and some of our Pygmys to make room for Zebu cattle. We purchase a trio of two heifers and a cute little bull. We won't be expecting babies for a couple of years so we may be adding a few bred cows as the year progresses.

Our show season kicks off soon...January 27th to be exact, at the FPGA Super Bowl of Pygmy Goats show at the Swafford's home in Wellborn. It will be a two shows in one day event and it should be quite fun. The pizza and storytelling the night before is always the highlight of my trip.

Our babies are almost all on the ground now. Just two more does to kid. We had some disappointments and heartaches, as usual, but for the most part the kiddings went great. Too many bucks to does though. Two of the best little ones so far is a little buck and a doe kid out of Gunsmoke and Dream Catcher Total Eclipse+. I expect him to be following in the hoofprints of his half brother, PGCH Oak Haven Farm Quinton, and the little doeling to be as competitive in ring and in the kidding pen as her mom.

If you are looking for a nicely confirmed buck kid out of Gunsmoke or out of HBF Primal Attitude, we have several great looking little studly bucklings to choose from. The light caramal guys from Primal Attitude will turn heads in the ring. I am going to wether very late this season to see how the different bucklings progress. PGCH Quinton took a while before he came into his own.

I hope the new year brings you great kids. More soon.

g

Moving Forward

2006-12-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

School is finally out for our CHRISTMAS vacation! Woo-woo! Boy did I need it. Lots and lots to do over the next two weeks on the farm; fixing fences, cleaning the barn, BABIES!!!, and liquidating the Boer/meat herd. Yes, were cutting back. The plan is to cut down to only three bucks and a only a few brood does and raise the babies that are coming this week and next. Time to vacation and have some fun.

We will be posting the names and photos of our does for sale as soon as they kid. But they will not be available until we wean the kids in late winter. PGCH Black Knight is still available if you want to get the special someone in you life a really nice Christmas present. So is OHF Michaeleen O'Flynn. I'll even tie a nice bow on them for you.

We are going Zebu shopping this coming week......more later on that.

Remember....if nothing changes, nothing changes.

g

Winterfest Show News and Views

2006-12-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who attending the 10th annual Winterfest Show back on December 2nd. It was a great success. I cannot thank my wife, Carol, enough for the long hours she put in to make the show a success. I also need to thank the weatherman for cooperating with the beautiful weather - we saw clouds but no rain. And how about the food?! Chef Bert Spagnola provided the vittles for our lunch. Who could resist the smoked turkey, pineapple/mango salsa and the rice and pigeon peas? He is planning for next years lunch already.

Congratulations to Andy Nash for finishing his buck Kabills Farm Zachary. It is always nice to be at a show where an animal finishes and records their last grand for their Permanent Grand Champion status. And a big WHO-HAA to Jamie White for winning Best Wether with HBF Christmas Elf and for winning grand champion doe with her HBF Tinkerbelle.

Colton Clark was our champion youth showman this year. Colton won the Winterfest Youth Showmanship Challenge and the huge ribbon to go with that honor. Way to go Colton!

And a final well done to the Plush family for winning our very first Goat Poker tournment and the basket of cheer, with a strongest hand of three Jacks. What a great no-draw, straight poker hand! Thanks to everyone who played. I doubt we will ever get on ESPN for our poker tournment, but it was fun.

Oak Haven Farm is cutting their herd down and if you are interested in quality brood does, they will be available after they wean their kids in early March. We are expecting about 10 does to kid between Christmas and New Years Day. Yep, my Christmas break from school will be a busy one. Hopefully we will have more does kids than bucklings this season. If you are interested in Boer or meat goats, we are selling out the entire herd. There are registered and unregistered animals; Does and bucks. This is a nice opportunity to get into the growing meat goat biz.

More later.
g

Welcome

2006-11-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Oak Haven Farm blog. This blog will inform you to all the necessary and important information about Pygmy Goats here in Florida. We have been raising Pygmy Goats here in beautiful Sarasota since 1989. The heat and humidity offer some challenges but be have a thriving herd and we have experienced success showing our animals in NPGA sanctioned show throughout the years. Again...welcome and we hope we can help guide you to all things Pygmy here in Florida.
Our show season got off to a super start with the FPGA Fall Brawwl in Lecanto last month. We had our very first Oak Haven Farm animal earn it's Permanent Grand Champion status at the show. PGCH Oak Haven Farm Quinton got his fourth win under judge Tom Hallquest. "Q" is a quad kid out of three time Grand Champion Oak Haven Farm Fever Pitch and Dream Catcher Total Eclipse. The the same show we one Reserve Senior and Reserve Grand Champion doe with Moonlight Ridge Farm Chigger, Reserse Senior and Reserve Grand Champion buck with Possum Hollow Gunsmoke, and Best Wether with Oak Haven Farm Boomer. The day also included a Reserve Junior Champion buck rosette for Gunsmoke's son Oak Haven Farm Michaeleen O'Flynn.
You can say we have quite a stud farm with PGCH Quinton and his pen mates: PGCH R & R Acres Black Knight, 3 time Grand Champion Oak Haven Farm Fever Pitch, 1 time Grand Champion Gunsmoke and the little guy with the Reserve Junior win, OHF Michaeleen O'Flynn. In with wings waiting to make his debut is our newest little show buckling, Oak Haven Farm Joey. He is quite a looker with a pedigree to just die for, Possum Hollow Gunsmoke and Oak Haven Farm Quinella (PGCH Quinton's full sister!)
Our next show is on November 11th in Lecanto at the Goats R Us Holiday Frolic. Email us for details on how you can get to this show.
For those of you looking for Christmas babies, we are sorry but they won't be available until weaning in late February of 2007. We will post when the kids are on the ground so you can look them over and place a deposit on them to hold them for you to start you spring 2007 show season off right with a OHF kid.

"A foundation built around quality genetics"