Cottonwood Hollow Homestead

Yesterday I made a post about one of my yearling keepers, Cottonwood Hollow Meadow, along with her older full sister, Vivian, who I'm a l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ *cough* LOT crazy about right now as you might be noticing.

Vivian is like the poster photo dairy goat, and almost exactly my style. Her femininity, length, and balance actually caught me a little by surprise this summer when I clipped her as a FF. As a junior she appeared shorter b***d to me, but apparently she kept all that prettiness hidden under all that baby fuzz! Even though my attention wasn't sn**ched out of thin air by her from the beginning, like some doelings do, there was still something I felt drawn to. Maybe it was just her mom's facial expressions she mimicked so well! I decided to repeat that cross the following fall and I sure am glad I did!!

Everly kidded the following spring with THREE DOES!🥳 Way to go Everly!!!⭐️ Meadow and Willow will be staying here. But I don't need to have four full sisters (or do I?...🤔 NO. I can't keep all the good ones...) So I have decided to offer Fern.

She's a lovely, very dairy young doe who will be slower to mature than her sisters. But, if you are patient I believe she will blossom for you into a beautiful older doe. I don't let many Everly daughters leave, Everly has very consistently produced lovely and correct daughters. She also knows how to express the absolute best facial expressions for every situation, and so do her girls! This is my best dam line in almost every aspect; great structure, great production, great personality, great health, effortless births, oh and large liters...Everly kidded quads three years in a row and 4 of her daughters have kidded quads with their first freshening!😵‍💫

If this is sounding like what you want to have in your own herd, feel free to reach out with further questions about bringing Fern into your own breeding program. Note, however, that this line is all extra special to me, so do expect I will have lots of questions for you as well.🙂

Since ADGA genetics is becoming outdated with awards recognition I suggest starting your research from my website and going from there. You'll find that there is a lot of 88-91 appraising animals backing Fern up along with Elite's, SG's, and finished champions that are just awaiting official recognition. https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

One of my keepers! 🤩 Cottonwood Hollow Meadow....clearly we like nature themes...😆

The second photo of her isn't a great shot since she was just standing casual in her natural form, but I had to laugh when I saw that picture and decided to nickname her "Lady Longlegs" (don't tell her I said that...Meadow is a little self conscious about looking like a giraffe right now🤫).

That's okay Meadow, I really, really, like long legged yearlings and I know you'll out grow it and be equally as beautiful as your big sister or maybe even more so. 😉

Meadow is a younger full sister to Vivian (last photo), who is my favorite first freshener this year.

Check this little man out! He has it all...flash, structure, and milk!... Oh, he also happens to be one of our sweetest, most affectionate bucklings this year. What more could you want in your next herd sire?!
Typically, if a buck hasn't sold by the time he has reached 10 weeks old I wether him. No matter how great his genetics are. Especially in times like this with soaring hay costs.🥴 But sometimes a buck stands out from the crowd. He has to look good to me...good enough I would use him in my own program. So without further ado let me introduce to you one of those bucks...meet Cottonwood Hollow Silas *B*S (pending from the registries)

Dam: Southern Grace J Noel 5*M 3*D (both * pending), VVV+86 (as a FF), First freshening DHI for 297 days: 810 # of milk, 51 butterfat, ​5.2 # test day, 9.9% butterfat high. Second freshening test day high: 6.6 #, 86% PE score. (Sinai Thunder O Jubilee *B *S, 2022 ADGA Elite buck with 94% and sire of elite daughter. x Sinai Thunder Selah 4*M 2*D AR, VVEE88, AGS top ten in 2017, 938 # for 305 day milk test as FF, 4.6 # test day high as FF, dam of two SG daughters)

Sire: Sinai Thunder P Excelsior *B (pending) *S (Cedar View Pietro *B x Sinai Thunder Ex Travagant 3*M 3*D, 1150 # milker as a FF for her 305 day test.)

Further info is on my website, or you can always PM me with additional questions if you're interested in taking your herd to the next level with Silas.😉
https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

Located in Hutchinson, KS.

Tips for dealing with skin issues on goats:

Mites -
These are a very common problem, especially in the winter where these little bugs are brought in on hay/bedding and then move onto your goats winter coat where it's warm. With mites you will commonly see itching and flaky skin, and sometimes hair loss, most notably on the underbelly and legs but also the back and around the neck. Here is a super simple way to deter mites from your goats using garlic and olive oil: https://cottonwood-hollow.ck.page/76135df131 This recipe makes a pour on you use just like the standard chemical treatments, except this won't cause the absorption of toxins into the bloodstream that makes your goat more susceptible to mites in the long run.

Zinc Deficiency-
Zinc is an important mineral for skin and hair health. I don't typically see as many herds struggling with it in my region of the midwest, but if you go east of the Mississippi River it becomes a little more common due to the higher rainfall filtering this mineral out of the soil in the hay fields. Trouble with hooves growing abnormally is also a sign of zinc deficiency. For zinc supplementation I like to free choice Zinpro 40 which I get from Valley Vet or Goat World.

Vitamin ADE deficiency-
If I have determined that the problem is nutritional but haven't had any improvements using the free choice zinc after 6 weeks then I look at vitamin ADE deficiency. This deficiency can present with nearly identical symptoms as zinc deficiency and the only way I have figured out how to tell which one I need is, if I try one or the other first for at least 6 weeks, and watch for improvements. Which one to try first? If you're east of the Mississippi River I would start with zinc, but if you are west of it I would do vitamin ADE. But again, if the one you try doesn't start giving you results in 6 weeks then I would add the other to my program. I like to use the vitamin ADE powder from Advanced Biological Concepts, which I feed free choice to the goat in question. Note that if your hay has lost its green color from being rained on just before bailing or from too much sun exposure all the vitamin A is gone. So make sure to find the greenest hay possible for the most vitamins.

How to tell if the skin issue is parasite related (mites) or nutritional?
If you are seeing the outbreak of flaky/eczema type skin somewhere on the barrel or legs, usually in patches, then I assume mites. If it's nutritional it can show up anywhere, but if it's around the eyes, ears, or underside of the tail I can usually count on the fact that it is nutritional and not parasitic. You can of course have all three problems going on at once so you may have to experiment with all three things until you zero in.

If the skin looks raw or extra scabby, I like to apply either Nu-Stock which works great to heal the skin and regrow hair, or I like to mix 5 drops of lavender essential oil in 1 tbsp. of olive oil which I have also seen repair damaged skin remarkably fast when rubbed onto the area daily.

The list of potential causes of skin issues is certainly not exhaustive, but these are three good starting points to rule out before moving on to more advanced plans such as toxin exposures which I am happy to help you with if you ask. It seems like skin issues with goats have been on the increase the last year, so perhaps there is something bacterial or viral going around, but generally I have seen good results with one of the three things I just mentioned so I am passing it along to anyone that might be searching for help.

Feel free to ask questions down in the comments or add some of your personal experience so we can all learn from each other!😊

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your veterinarian for assistance with any health issue concerning your livestock.

Managing Lice and Mites with Natural Ingredients These pesky little critters are an issue just about everywhere. I have a very simple recipe that has worked for years to get rid of them - without the need for chemical pour-on solutions. And it is just 2 ingredients; garlic and olive oil.

My younger brother has been having fun lately creating videos of our Golden Retriever puppies and I wanted to share!

We are currently down to 4 boys and 1 girl still available. They each come with limited AKC registration along with what we call a "welcome home package" which includes a puppy comfort companion that carries the scent of their mom and litter mates, a comfy cozy puppy blanket, a puppy chew toy, and a bag of high quality puppy kibble.

Both parents have had extensive OFA testing for eyes, hearts, elbows, and hips. There's a scale of average, good and excellent for all four categories and both the dam and sire scored excellent in every area which means that your puppy will be very unlikely to run into any of the the common debilitating health issues that are all too common in large breed dogs.

Feel free to reach out with questions and ask to come visit the puppies! We welcome visitors to come spend time with the puppies even if you don't want to get one right now.🙂

Further info on our website: https://www.cottonwoodhollowhomestead.com/golden-retrievers.html

Send a message to learn more

For only our second dairy goat show ever we had a great day today at the Sunflower Doe-Down Dairy Goat Show! We learned a lot and met some really great folks. We also brought home several high placings in our classes.

I don't remember all of our placings but here were some of our highlights of the day:

Ring 1 under April Hitch
Josie placed 1st in the 4 year old doe class with Lucy right behind her in 2nd. Dottie placed 2nd in the 3 year olds and Vivian placed 3rd in the largest class of the day against 20-25 other 2 year olds.

Ring 2 under Morgan Allen
Lucy and Dottie took second place again and Vivian also took 3rd again in her big class.

Big thank you to the folks behind Sunflower Doe-Down! You guys put on a great show today. Very well organized and great communication.

Also a big shout out to all the other competitors today who showed up to compete! You guys brought some BEAUTIFUL does today! Best wishes to those of you who will be showing again tomorrow in the junior show and safe travels home.

As a bonus, we got to take some new pictures today while everyone was clipped up nice. All the pictures on this post are from today.

Look at this pretty boy!!🤩 Cottonwood Hollow Weaver is looking for a new herd. Weaver's dam showed us how to put milk in the pail the other day with 5 # for her first test as a 3F! Bitsy is a pleasure on the milk stand with nice orifices for quick effortless milking.

Sire: Sinai Thunder P Excelsior *B (pending) *S (Cedar View Pietro *B x Sinai Thunder Ex Travagant 3*M 3*D, 1150 # milker as a FF for her 305 day test).

Dam: Sinai Thunder Pure In Heart *M *D (both * pending) +VVV86 (as a FF) (Sinai Thunder EX Rosh Hashanah *B *S, VEE88 VG89.7 x Sinai Thunder B Still My Heart VEVV87).

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd in Hutchinson, KS.

Further info on our website: https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

After more than 5 1/2 hours of hand milking today I am beyond thrilled to announce these highlights for today's milk test!🥳

Southern Grace J Lucy 6.8 # (3F)
Southern Grace J Noel 5.7 # (3F)
Sinai Thunder Josie 5.4 # (3F)
Sinai Thunder Pure In Heart (aka Bitsy) 5.0 # (3F)
Cottonwood Hollow Dottie 4.5 # (2F)
Sinai Thunder Everlasting Joy (aka Everly) 4.5 # (5F)
Cottonwood Hollow Vivian 4.0 # (FF)

P.S. Dottie, Bitsy, and Noel have young herd sires available! PM for info.😉

Have you ever seen such adorable Golden Retriever puppies?!? They all had a BIG day yesterday playing in the front yard while we took their pictures!

Cottonwood Hollow Oak *B*S is looking for his own herd!
​Born: March 25, 2024

​Sire: D and L Meadows N Zeal *B*S (Sinai Thunder O Nicodemus *B *S, sire of two daughters that milked over a 1000 # as FF x Sinai Thunder O Contentment 3*M 3*D AR, milked 1040 # as a FF, 6.2 # high as a 2F, 90% peak PE to date.)

​Dam: Cottonwood Hollow Dottie 9*D 9*M (pending), 4.7 # milk test high, 85% PE score as a first freshener (D and L Meadows DS Boone *B *S VEE88, 87.7VG, sire of the daughter who won the 2022 AGS National dam and daughter class. x ​Sinai Thunder Everlasting Joy 8*D AR, SG pending, +EVE88, 87.5Vg, 5.9 # test day high, 1070 # for 305)

ADGA pedigree page: https://genetics.adga.org/PlannedPedigreePrint.aspx?SireNum=D002279114&DamNum=D002216747

Oak will be a *B*S when the registries catch up!

CL, CAE and Johne's free herd in Hutchinson, KS.

Further info on our website👇https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

How does some goat berry salad sound?...

LOL, this is actually a delicious salad my mom came up with recently. It uses dried blueberries that look like goat berries on the salad!😂

Here is the recipe:
Fresh Salad Greens
*We used home grown Jericho and Buttercrunch lettuce.*
Diced Fuji apples.
Dried blueberries.
Goat cheese. (Of course!)
Chopped pecans.
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Poppy seed dressing.

So perfect for this time of year!

These three sisters are wishing you a happy Memorial Day!

Update May, 23: ***DEPOSIT RECEIVED***

Cottonwood Hollow Renie is available.
Born: June, 2023

Sire: Southern Grace J Atticus *B (Rosasharn MM Jack 'N' Coke *B x GCH Buffalo Clover Katrina 2*M, EEEE91, 4.6 # test day high, 2x Res. CH Sr. doe, 2x Gr. CH senior doe, best of breed, best senior doe in show).

Dam: Cottonwood Hollow Quinn 6*M 5*D, 2022 AGS National champion daughter and the 2-3 year old senior doe class champion ( ​D and L Meadows DS Boone *B *S VEE88, 87.7VG x Sinai Thunder O My Darling 5*M 4*D (pending), +EV+85, 86.3Vg, 2022 AGS National champion dam and daughter).

Renie is among my most eye catching yearlings! She is very dairy, very smooth, and very much a difficult doe for me to let go of. She has great femininity, flat bone, depth to the brisket, front and rear legs, back, and a long neck that blends into a beautiful head and face. This was my toughest decision. However, with my herd reaching its max capacity it has made me make this difficult cut.
In my opinion, Renie would make an ideal doe for someone who wants to show.

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd in Hutchinson, KS.

Further info on our website: https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

Cottonwood Hollow Sir Malcolm
Born: May 4, 2024

Sire: D and L Meadows N Zeal *B *S

Dam: Southern Grace J Nora 2*D 1*M, VEEV89, 88.4VG, 5.8 # test day high, 890 # for 305, 2022 AGS National class champion 3-4 year old senior doe.

Sir Malcolm will be a *B*S when the registries catch up!

Malcolm is a splendid looking young buck! From my perspective seeing him everyday this is my observations as his breeder: Malcom is rock solid all the way around with his feet/legs set squarely under him, he has tremendous width throughout, but especially in his front end where it stays wide all the way up to the tip of his withers. He is very smooth everywhere on the move, with a long, level, wide, and uphill back. His long neck blends with perfect set into his shoulders. Malcolm has a nice, wide, well extended brisket and a very wide flat rump like his dam who scored an E for rump. Nora also scored V's in head, shoulder assembly, front legs, back and an E in rear legs. In all honesty, I am hard pressed to fault this buck anywhere at this point...

Malcolm is going to make someone very happy with what he brings to the table!

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd located in Hutchinson, KS.

Further info on our website: https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

Bitsy finished off the 2024 kidding season today with 1 doe (left) and 2 bucks (right and center)!!🥳 The doe and 1 of the bucks are retained, and the other buck is reserved.

Are total kid count for 2024 is 45 - 20 does and 25 bucks!

P.S. Bitsy, the ever diligent mother, is giving the camera a wary eye for coming so close to her precious children.😂

Who got to see the aurora borealis last night? This is what we were able to see from our farm!

Love bees!! They even sound a little like me preferring to work with certain people over others, lol!😏😂🤔
We plant a lot of pollinator flowers around our farm to feed the bees and ALL pollinators!!

Cutest. Thing. Ever. 🐝🐝

I would take a whole barn full of does with teats like this!🤩 ⭐️

This is Cottonwood Hollow Liza-Jane (aka Lizzie).

Lizzie kidded last year with a single buck kid for her first freshening, and as you can see by the first udder shot...her first freshening udder was less than spectacular.
I was strongly considering selling her, but Lizzie was still a lovely doe without a big pretty udder so I gave her one more year to prove herself.
As you can guess by the next shot, I sure am glad I did!
This year she kidded quads and that made a world of difference for her udder capacity and shape. 🙌
She hasn't had a milk test yet, but I am looking forward to seeing what she can do this year!

P.S. Want to put these wonderful hand milking teats into your herd? Lizzie has a pending *S buckling available that's listed on our website! He is loaded with width and length, and supercharged with dairy character!! 😉😁 https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

P.P.S. Lizzie's dam is the beautiful Southern Grace J Nora (2*D AR, VEEV89, 88.4VG, 5.2 # test day high, 890 # for her 305, 2022 AGS National champion 3-4 year old senior doe, daughter of Elite buck) who is in my previous FB post.🙌

This lovely doe is due any day now and has reservation slots open!

Southern Grace J Nora 2*D AR, VEEV89, 88.4VG, 5.2 # test day high, 890 # for 305, 2022 AGS National champion 3-4 year old senior doe. (Sinai Thunder O Jubilee *B *S, 2022-23 ADGA Elite buck with 94%, sire of Elite son and two Elite daughters. x Buffalo Clover Paloma 3*M *D)

Bred to D and L Meadows N Zeal *B*S (Sinai Thunder O Nicodemus *B *S, sire of two daughters that milked over a 1000 #+ as FF. x Sinai Thunder O Contentment 3*M 3*D AR, milked 1040 # as a FF, 6.2 # high as a 2F, 90% peak PE to date.)

PM me if you would like to be on Nora's waitlist!

Edit: ***SOLD***

Please DON'T buy this buck...I really want an excuse to keep him, lol!😅😂
Cottonwood Hollow Lodge (will get his *S*B when the registries catch up).

​Sire: D and L Meadows N Zeal *B*S (Sinai Thunder O Nicodemus *B *S, sire of two daughters that milked over a 1000 # as FF x Sinai Thunder O Contentment 3*M 3*D AR, milked 1040 # as a FF, 6.2 # high as a 2F, 90% peak PE to date).

Dam: Southern Grace J Lucy *M *D (both stars pending), VEEV89 (the highest score possible for a first freshener!), first freshening DHI for 305 days: 1030 # of milk, 58 # of butterfat, 4.8 # test day high, and 90% PE score (SG award pending from ADGA), second place 2-3 year old senior doe at the 2022 AGS national show. Second freshening DHI: 6.2 # test day high, 94% peak PE score to date. (Southern Grace Jack Frost, Elite - 96% PE score x TX Twincreeks Evening Primrose).

Lodge is a very sweet boy whose brother is already spoken for. I really like his width and length of body and bone. He puts his legs right under him and has his dam's dairy character. Nice wide flat rump on this young buck.

💲 is on our website! https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd.
Hutchinson, KS.

Yee-Haw! These rootin' tootin' cowboys are looking for their own range to call home!🤠

Meet Silas and Wilder. Both of these young goat wranglers will get their *B*S when the registries catch up!

If you want milk, Noel knows how to milk a river after giving 6.6 # in 1 day last year! Not to mention Excelsior's dam producing 1150 # for her 305......as a first freshener!! If that's not a big enough pot'o beans for ya, how about some meat and taters with Pietro's dam, SG/Elite Cedar View Livia, milking a whopping 1650 # of milk, 114 , 80 # protein!!!😯

Sire: Sinai Thunder P Excelsior *B(pending)*S (Cedar View Pietro *B x Sinai Thunder Ex Travagant 3*M 3*D, 1150 # milker as a FF for her 305 day test).

Dam: SG* Southern Grace J Noel 5*M 3*D (both * pending), VVV+86 (as a FF), First freshening DHI for 297 days: 810 # of milk, 51 butterfat, ​5.2 # test day, 9.9% butterfat high. Second freshening test day high: 6.6 #, 86% PE score (SG pending) (Sinai Thunder O Jubilee *B *S, 2022 ADGA Elite buck with 94% and sire of elite daughter x Sinai Thunder Selah 4*M 2*D AR, VVEE88, AGS top ten in 2017, 938 # for 305 day milk test as FF, 4.6 # test day high as FF, dam of two SG daughters).

More info on our website!
https://bit.ly/cottonwoodhollownigerians

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd.
Hutchinson, KS.

Our girls did us proud on Saturday's milk test!

Here is a couple of our highlights:
Lucy 3F 6.3 # (2 does, 2 bucks. 1 buckling still available)
Josie 3F 5.4 # (1 doe, 2 bucks. None available)
Noel 3F 5.4 # (2 does, 2 bucks. Both bucks available)
Everly 5F 4.3 # (1 doe, 2 bucks. None available)

Pictured is our stellar performer of the day (first freshener photo).

SG* Southern Grace J Lucy 1*M 1*D, VEEV89 (highest score a first freshener can get), 2022 AGS National Reserve Champion 2-3 year old senior doe, 1030 # milker for her FF DHI, 94% peak PE score to date. *SG pending.

Drum roll please!...
Meet the new farm arrivals! We have really been looking forward to raising Golden Retrievers for a LONG time, and we finally did it, or I should say, Olive did!

Olive gave us 9 BEAUTIFUL puppies Sunday evening (2 are tucked behind her in this photo where you can't see them)...3 girls and 7 boys! Woo Hoo...9 puppies multiplied by 4 legs is what equals our 36 'feet' addition!😉

After raising our first set of Beagle puppies last fall, we really caught the puppy fever which makes these Goldens SO exciting for us. Olive is doing great for a first time mom. She was a bit overwhelmed last night with what to do with all of them, but today she is breaking into the rhythm of motherhood.

We may be keeping one of the girl puppies (😅🙄😬😂), but the rest will be looking for good lifelong homes and families to call their own! More info about Olive is on our website, including the link to join our free waitlist if you want to stay in the loop. We don't have pictures up yet, but we will post those later on once the puppies start to open their eyes and get extra fluffy and super cute!! https://www.cottonwoodhollowhomestead.com/golden-retrievers.html

We added a new addition to our farm yesterday that we have been wanting to make for years! Any guesses what it might be before I share?

Hint: The addition is 36 feet.

Dead goat? Poor Quinn believes she will be if her stowaways don't come out of hiding soon!😅😂

Oh Brother! Or, should I say BROTHERS!!! By D&L Meadows N Zeal *B*S and Southern Grace J Lucy *M *D (both stars pending), VEEV89 (the highest score possible for a first freshener!), first freshening DHI for 305 days: 1030 # of milk, 58 # of butterfat, 4.8 # test day high, and 90% PE score (SG award pending from ADGA!), second place 2-3 year old senior doe at the 2022 AGS national show. Second freshening DHI: 6.2 # test day high, 94% peak PE score to date.

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! What a cross, and what a couple of princely young bucks!!👑🤩

We are calling the solid gold buckling Lancelot and the gold and white one Lodge. ***DEPOSIT RECEIVED ON LANCELOT***

In 3 freshening these are actually the first Lucy kids I am letting go of...which isn't so surprising when you examine her accomplishments for a still relatively young doe. That makes these buckos a rare opportunity. Rarer still that I would have TWO available at the same time.

Hutchinson, KS.

More info on our site. Don't wait!🏃‍♂️
https://bit.ly/49TnEXa

Well, aren't you going to be a striking herd sire for someone?!🤩
This is Cottonwood Hollow "Oak"

He is the son of...well...I was about to say favorite homebred doe, but since they are ALL favorites in their own way, I am gonna have to just say ONE of my favorite homebred does (okay she really is actually my favorite homebred!😅).😉

​Sire: D and L Meadows N Zeal *B*S

​Dam: Cottonwood Hollow Dottie 9*D 9*M (pending), 4.7 # milk test high, 85% PE score as a first freshener.

ADGA pedigree: https://genetics.adga.org/PlannedPedigreePrint.aspx?SireNum=D002279114&DamNum=D002216747

CL, CAE, and Johne's free herd.
Located in Hutchinson, KS.

More info about him and other stellar young bucks we have...are available on our website: https://bit.ly/49TnEXa

Wow...you have really matured nicely Holly!🤩

Meet Cottonwood Hollow Holly (first freshener).

While cleaning out the barn yesterday I just so happened to be at the right spot (and have a camera handy!!) to sn**ch this photo before she realized what I was doing and walked away!😆 She is milked out and wearing her work clothes in this photo, but I am pleased with what I can see so far. Can't wait to get her clipped and her udder filled for a really great shot this summer!
https://www.cottonwoodhollowhomestead.com/holly.html

Two does and two bucks for Lucy and Zeal this afternoon!
Three of the four look almost identical with one varying only slightly from the rest by having a little more red in her hair tone like her mother.

Both bucks will be available. More info and pictures will be posted soon on these handsome fellas.

Umm...is it just me or do they look like they are giving me the guilty "I didn't do it" face?!🤔😂