[Di]

Lori, do you shear your Cashmere goats after you've combed out the cashmere? And, my buck (he's about 8 mos. old), is slow to blow his fleece...the girls are almost done...older buck was done in March. But, the little guys cashmere is still hard to comb out. He has a lot of patience with me, but, it's obvious it's not ready to comb out yet. He's acting hot, but it's still in the upper 40*'s at night. Should I shear him? :roll:

 

[sweetgoats]

DI, I am so sorry. I went with my Husband and Daughter to her State FBLA, so I have not had a chance to get on the internet.

Ok, just to tell you. I NEVER sheer my goats. I comb out as much that I can get out, and then I just leave them. I can not sheer them like that because I show them and it would not grow back in time for the shows. Now I do know that a lot of people do sheer them. If I did it would ruin our chance in shows, because they really do not take in account that they were sheered when they see all the guard hair, (they look at what the value of the Cashmere is in the bag, not what it will be after it is processed) plus when you send it to be processed it is so hard to get the cashmere out and not waste so much. The place I send it to they go by incoming weight, so we have to keep as much guard hair out as possible.

I would say wait, when it is ready to blow it will and then it will be really easy. If you can get it right, it will all come off in one days of combing, it should not take several. I still have one boy that is full of fiber. I should be able to get him combed out now, because some of it is hanging. All my other goats have been combed out for months. Most of them blew in Jan and Feb. We are the only ones in the 4H group that had the goats blow that early.

 

[Di]

OK, I'll just be patient then. I got such beautiful kids this year. The boys are so friendly! They will jump up on my lap! The little girls are coming around too, but are a bit more timid. My does came from a farm that just treats them like livestock, so they were pretty wild, but are getting better. Amazing how tame they get when I take the animal crackers out!

 

[sweetgoats]

I tell you I have Never been happier with my babies. They are the nicest babies I have ever had and I had a ton of them. They are all just beautiful but I would say two does, and I have already sold them. Matter of fact I have sols all my babies this year that I am not keeping but one, and I am still looking for a home for him.
I have to say it has been really hard to sell them, but I have to. I am only keeping one boy and he is a new Herd Sire.
The hardest one to sell this year is one of the does that I said was not one of the best, but I tell you she is just the cutest baby. When she heard the door open at the house she is yelling for you to come see her and when you do she is all over you, she jumps on you like a dog. That is going to kill me when she leaves bu the good thing is she is going to one of my 4Hers, so we will see her all the time. :clap: I just fell in love with her personality as soon as she was born.

If you go to my web site and go to the 2008 babies you will see them. I think I still have one group of babies that I have not put on there. They are sold and are going to their new home on Saturday.