I have just been out brushing Fiona the naughty Nubian. She lays flat out on her side and I brush as best I can (did I ever tell you my animals are a mite on the spoiled side?) well, anyway I noticed that there are black plug like things in the holes of her teats. Is this normal? Should I remove them? I have no idea when she was bred so I don't know how close she is to kidding. She does have a fairly large firm udder and her teats are quite a bit bigger. She looked like a beached whale stretched out on her side for her "beauty session."

Also, I know she's shedding her winter coat but what's coming out is a very light grey and a funny texture. Do all goats have an undercoat that is different than the top coat? Remember, I'm used to horses shedding out. She kinda looks to me like she might be part Pygmy, she's quite small and her horns look like a Pygmy's. Do Pygmies have a different coat type than other goats? I'll try to get a picture of her, the horses, and the farm up on the Countryside pictures page soon so you guys can hazard some guesses on Fiona's ancestory.

The snow is almost gone and it's been in the 50's the last two days! Yeehaw! Spring's finally come to Upstate NY. The daffodils are up about 4", and the songbirds serenade me every morning while I do chores. Life is good.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), April 05, 2001

Answers

From a person who started out with a horned hemaphrodite (he she) as her first goat, believe me when I say that there are no silly goat questions! Just silly goats!

My girls hate to be brushed! Lucky you! The plugs in the teat are normal. It keeps bacteria out of the does teats, while she is dry. When she does have her babies you will want to draw some colostrum (first milk) out of each of her teats to make sure the baby can get the plugs out. Sometimes they can be very hard to squeeze!

Do you know that cashmere is not a breed of goat, but something all goats have? Some just have more than others and are called cashmere, really just goats who are bred to other goats for more and more cashmere. Lots of our Nubians when trimmed, we shave them all in May, have this downy undercoat, it is perfectly normal. Slicker brushes you use on dogs will help your doe shed this out quicker if you like. So will increasing the fat in her diet with Black Oil Sunflower seeds, just a small handfull everyday. Not sure if pygmy's hair is different or not, but Nubians have sleek hair, where my LaMancha's hair was thicker and didn't lay as pretty as the Nubians. Nothing prettier than a black Nubian shinning in the sun! Good luck with your doe, and make sure and tell us what she has! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Thanks Vicki!

I didn't know that all goats have cashmere. Learn somethin' new every day. Well, Fiona has a lot of it. I brushed almost enough off her today to make another goat. Her coat is still thick and scruffy looking so I'll add some BOSS to her diet. The hair looked funny all swept up with the bay hair from the mare and gelding. I've never body clipped a goat before- it oughta prove interesting.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

We raise Nubians and yes, they all have an undercoat. Not only that, but the undercoat is almost always a different color and pattern. When clipped a solid color goat can become spotted, or a spotted goat can become solid. Brown can turn black or vice versa. It's really interesting to see the changes after clipping for show. We've been concerned about being challenged as to the goat's registry since part of a Nubian's registration is a detailed description of color patterns. So far, no problem though. And I agree with Vickie. Nubians are particularly silly. That's why we love them so much.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), April 05, 2001.

When my goats see anything in my hands, they go running. I'm ALLOWED to rub them with my hands and can hide a rubber curry but nothing else. I was getting a good grab with the grooming rake I was using too. Gonna start now on the kids so they will be used to brushing.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), April 05, 2001.