The Goat Source Newsletter
Volume 5 Number 8 August 2008

Hi, Here is the August edition of The Newsletter. Hot, hot, hot! The weather that is! Most days have been mid nineties some days low 100’s! My goats aren’t to thrilled with it, I can tell you. And, it has been very dry. We got some moisture from the fall out of Hurricane Dolly, but not enough to make the fire danger lower. I am glad I got the tall grass bush hogged before the heat hit. The place looks much nicer and there is a better fire break. The buck kids are all weaned and gone and the doe kids will be weaned shortly. I have to say, at the rate feed prices are going up and kid prices are going down, I just don’t know how much longer raising goats will be an option. I haven’t even asked how much my hay will be this year. I am sure it will be a shocker!

 Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends.

What’s New This Month?

• Electric Fencing Done Right
  
• Classified Ads
  
• Colorado Hay Report
  
• The Importance of Properly  Stacked Hay
  
• Helpful Hints

Electric Fencing Done Right

Electric fencing is a cost effective and easy  (well, easier) way to provide fencing for your goats and manage your grazing system. Any type of fencing is expensive, but down the road, doing it well will pay off. With the right energizer and the correct installation of electric fencing, you will save money and your animals will have the benefit of a safe environment to graze.

First, you need to select an energizer to power the fence. Unless you have no access to power, a low-impedance energizer that plugs into a 110 outlet is your best buy. Get one with a minimum 5000-volt output. A good unit should produce 35-65 pulses per minute and the pulse shouldn’t last more than 0.0003 seconds, with an intensity of less than 300 mAmps. Be sure and look at how many feet of fence your unit can be expected to power. Always buy a larger charger than you think you will need, because electric fence seems to "grow" as you find out just how useful it is!

Electric fence needs to be grounded. Use a galvanized ground rod, with a good clamps and a diameter of at least one-half inch. Drive the ground rod at least three feet into the ground for every joule of output. Do not place rods closer than 65 feet from ground rods of existing utilities. Ground rod top, clamps and connecting wire must be above the soil surface. Read and follow the instructions that come with your energizer! Failure to do so may result in a fence that doesn’t work properly or is a hazard to you and you livestock!! If the soil is to dry or you don’t have enough grounding rods, your ground system may not work. Consider locating the ground rod in an area that has some soil moisture year round. It doesn’t have to be right near the energizer.

Protection from lightning is necessary, unless you want to replace your energizer on a regular basis!! We certainly have had enough lightning around here this year!  Use a good surge protector on the utility power side of the energizer to protect it against any power fluctuations. In some areas the power can be really "dirty" with lots of spikes that can damage your equipment. Install a lightning choke in the lead-out cable, to protect it on the fence side. These consist of 10 to 12 wraps of insulated 12.5 gauge galvanized wire about 8 - 10 inches across which is attached to the wire that comes from the energizer with a crimp sleeve in two places. An insulator is then place in between the two attachments.

You also will need a lightning arrestor in the lead-out cable that is connected to the powered fence. Then connect the arrestor to the lightning grounding system. Install the lightning protection grounding system at least 65 feet from the energizer grounding system. Use at least one more ground rod in this system that is used in the energizer grounding system. Select site for lightning protection grounding systems with care so that a lightning strike does not go to ground in the middle of a herd of cattle or where people are congregated. Wet spots are great for ground rods, because they provide a better ground. Be sure all the wires in a multi wire fence are connected to the lighting arrestors.

 I will continue this article on electric fencing. Look for more on choosing wire, what tools are needed and installing the fence. I also hope to get some pictures of the installation up, to provide a clearer idea of what I am talking about!

Classified Ads

Get your goat person a great  shirt!  Get Yer Goat

has them!!

I Love Goats! Pocket Knives Laser Engraved folding pocket knife (opens to 6 ¾ inches). Black composite handle with pocket clip. Every goat person needs a good knife!! I love mine and use it all the time!

Order today - $5 each plus S&H. Discount when you order more than one. Email me at

The Goat Source

for more information. Need a good fund raiser? Order these for resale OR get your own design laser engraved (custom orders must be for quantity of 100 or more). Quantity discount on all custom orders!! I can work with you on custom orders, just let me know what your needs are!

Colorado Hay Report

 Greeley, CO    Thu Jul 31, 2008    USDA-CO Dept of Ag Market News

   Compared to last week:  All classes 15.00 to 20.00 higher when
compared with old crop.  The majority of areas are in the early to mid-stages
of second cutting, late for this time of year due to a delayed first cutting.  
Mountain grass areas are almost completed with cutting.  Colorado’s plains
remain in drought-like conditions with the Southeast portion of the state
being the most affected.  Producers noting a reduction of yields across the
state by 33 to 50 percent on average.  Prices reflect new crop values unless
otherwise noted. Trading activity active.  Demand good to very good.
   Quoted prices are dollars per ton and FOB stack unless otherwise noted.  
FOB relates to prices of hay at the edge of field or at the stack.  Delivered
prices relate to final cost of hay delivered to user including freight to the
dairy, feedlot, broker, auction, or ranch.  Delivered prices include all
transportation and handling fees, which vary based on distance of haul and
other factors.  Ground and delivered prices include cost of processing as
well as delivery to the feedlot or Dairy.  Prices are from the most recent
sales.  

Northeast Colorado Areas
   Alfalfa:  Supreme: Large Squares 190.00-200.00 Del.  Premium: Large
Squares 160.00-180.00 Del; Small Squares 200.00-225.00 (7.00-9.00 per bale).  
Good: Large Squares 150.00-160.00 Del; Small Squares 185.00-200.00 (6.50-7.00
per bale).  Fair: Large Squares 140.00-150.00 Del.  Utility to Fair: Large
Squares 140.00.  Utility: Large Squares 130.00-135.00 Del.  
   Alfalfa/Grass Mix:  Premium: Small Squares 250.00-275.00 (7.50 per
bale).
   Grass: Premium Large Squares 150.00-160.00, 165.00 Del; Small Squares
233.00-250.00 (7.00-7.50 per bale), 265.00-270.00 Del (8.00 per bale).  Fair
to Good: Large Squares 135.00-140.00 Del.  
   Haylage:  135.00 Del.  
   Straw:  75.00 Del.
   Oat Hay: Large Squares 125.00.  

Southeast Colorado Areas
   Alfalfa:  Supreme to Premium: Large Squares 185.00-190.00;  Good: Large
Squares 175.00.  Fair: Large Squares 140.00-150.00.  Utility: Large Squares
135.00 Del.  
   Straw:  Large Squares 60.00, 70.00 Del.  
   Oat Hay: Large Squares 125.00 Del.  

San Luis Valley Area
   Alfalfa:  Supreme: Large Squares 190.00-200.00.  Premium: Large Squares
180.00-190.00.  Good: Large Squares 170.00-175.00.  
   Alfalfa/Grass Mix:  Good: Small Squares 175.00-187.00 (6.50-7.00 per
bale).  
   Grass:  Fair to Good: Large Squares 135.00.  

Southwest Colorado Areas
   Alfalfa:  Supreme: Large Squares 200.00; Small Squares 255.00 (7.00 per
bale).  Premium: Large Squares 190.00; Small Squares 255.00 (7.00-8.00 per
bale).  Good: Large Squares 185.00.  
   Alfalfa/Grass Mix:  Premium: Large Squares 200.00; Round Bales 230.00.  
   Grass:  Premium: Small Squares 230.00-260.00 (7.50-8.50 per bale).  Good:
Small Squares 210.00 (6.00 per bale).  

Mountains and Northwest Colorado Areas
   Grass:  Premium: Large Squares 175.00-185.00; Small Squares 180.00-200.00
(6.00-6.50 per bale).  Good: Small Squares 175.00 (5.25 per bale).  Fair:
Small Squares 150.00-175.00 (4.25-4.50 per bale).

The Importance of Properly Stacked Hay

I went out to do chores the other evening expecting to be done and back in front of the computer quickly. When I got out to the doe pen, I found most of my hay stack on the ground in the pen or resting on (what was left of) the fence. We had a "micro burst" of wind, where you get really violent winds that come and go quickly, and it left my somewhat creaky stack of hay in a heap. Thank goodness none of my goats were standing there when the stack came down! The stack had been done really well and was tight, but now that I was down to the last part, it had developed a lean. Then the lean developed into a heap. The gravity was working really well, I guess. So, I spent the next hour dragging 100# hay bales out of the goat pen. I had help, too, the kids thought it was great fun to jump up on the bale I was moving, adding an additional 60# to the weight. Some of the hay was wedged so tightly into the fence, I had to cut the strings and feed the bale right out of the fence. The ones that were jammed into the fence braces, I had to drag out with the pickup truck and a rope. This year the stack will be further from the fence, and will be braced better. I don’t like dragging heavy hay bales!! Not my idea of an entertaining way to spend the evening.

Helpful Hints

I keep a collection of one pound coffee cans with lids around the barn. When I sell a goat, I can give the new owner some minerals, and grain in a nice package. This gets the goat off to a great start and the new owners really like it.

That’s all for this month,
See you next month!!
Leslie, The Goat Source
The Goat Source
13611 NCR 9
Wellington, Co 80549
(970) 568-9622
http://www.goatsource.com
The Goat Source