Did you know that goats burp? An adult goat can carry four to five gallons of plant matter in it’s rumen. The rumen breaks down the plants and acts as a fermentation vat. Gasses are created because of the fermentation causing the goat to burp!
Category: Fun Farm Facts Friday
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… July 31st
Given that we are now in the dog days of summer I felt like it was a good time for this fact about llamas…
We discussed before how llamas are in the same family as camels, so they share many similarities. Like camels, llamas can survive for weeks without water because they can collect water from the food they eat. I have also witnessed our llamas suck up a half a bucket of water in one sitting on a hot day!
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… July 24th
Did you know that llamas are not actually hoofed animals? On each foot they have two toenails and on the bottom they have a leathery pad. This hoof structure makes them very sure footed. It allows them to have better sensation on the bottom of their feet and gives them better contact with the ground.
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… July 17th
What goes into a dozen eggs? We learned earlier in the year that it takes 14 hours of sunlight for a chicken to make a single egg, but more than sunlight is needed… in fact it takes 4 pounds of feed to make one dozen eggs!
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… July 10th
Chickens are incredibly interesting animals to have on the farm. They have huge personalities and are so much fun to watch. Chickens have over 200 distinct noises they can make for communicating. This fact doesn’t surprise me at all. Ours have quite a few calls that I recognize and know their purpose. They have a call they do when they have laid an egg, when they are looking for their flock mates, when they have found food, warning calls, look out calls, etc… and if you are around them long enough you can distinguish these calls yourself.
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… July 3rd
Goat’s ears come in all shapes and sizes. Some stand straight up, like in the case of Alpines. Some are so small it looks like they have no ears at all, like in the case of Lamanchas. Nubians have large pendulum ears. It’s one of the features that attracts people to them the most! Beyond being cute these ears serve a purpose. Much like elephant ears do for elephants, the Nubian’s ears keep them cool in hot climates.
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Fun Farm Fact Friday – June 26th
In last week’s Fun Farm Fact I told you that Nubians are the most common dairy goat breed in the US. Many people ask us why we picked Nubians as the goats for our farm. After all, there are several to choose from. Well after today’s fact you might understand.
While Nubians give less milk than the other standard breed goats their milk has the highest butterfat content! Their milk is creamier, richer, and is ideal for making cheeses, yogurts, other diary products…. and of course soaps!
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… June 19th
On The Freckled Farm we have Nubian goats. While researching for interesting facts for this series I found out that Nubians are the most common dairy goat in the US. It makes sense to me… they are the cutest goats out there
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… June 12th
It’s time for another fun chicken fact!
In studies done on chicken sleep patterns it was found that they experience rapid eye moment (REM). This suggests, like humans, chickens dream! It makes you wonder… what do chickens dream about?
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Fun Farm Fact Friday… June 5th
Goats are social animals and should never be kept alone. A single goat will become depressed and will be far more vocal. So, it’s incredibly important to their heath that they have a companion. Most farms, included us, will not allow you to purchase a single goat unless you already have a companion animal set up, preferably another goat. Goats can also be put in with other social farm animals like llamas, alpacas, donkeys, or horses.
I have had several people tell me that they have heard that a dog can be kept with a goat as a companion… there are several issues with this. People have a tendency to bring dogs inside and a goat’s companion should never be taken away from them. You would have to be ok with leaving the dog with the goat at all times. The other issue is that there are only a few breeds of dogs that are recommended to be with goats. Great Pyrenees is the breed that is most commonly used as a guard dog for goats. It’s important that any dog with a goat have a guard mentality and not a herding mentality. Herders can become more aggressive with goats, especially when they don’t do what the dogs what them to do. Goats are not herding animals and will fight being led. It wouldn’t take much for a dog to kill a goat. So if someone wants to use a dog as a companion for a goat it’s going to require finding the right dog, with the right personality, lots of training, and a wiliness to leave the dog out with the goat at all times… Quite frankly a livestock animal would be easier and more cost effective.