I would like to thank Grace Davidson for her contribution to Winterset Veterinary Center’s blog. Grace has been a long time client of ours and we are so glad she was willing to share her Mini Silkies with us.

It is love at first sight when meeting a Miniature Silky Fainting goat. The mini silkies sweet disposition and beautiful soft hair makes them great for showing and/or pets.

I got my first mini silkies from a breeder in Kansas in 2008. I would add a few more with each passing year and eventually started raising and showing them locally. I now travel to 2-3 shows a year and have been all over the Midwest showing and even into Texas and Virginia. I use natural breeding, but many have gone to AI which means artificial insemination.

Good quality goat feed is needed along with goat minerals, baking soda (to prevent bloat), a good grass/alfalfa hay mixture, and clean fresh water daily. Required immunizations are CD/T and a preventative external and internal parasite program. Trimming hooves is an important procedure to prevent joint issues. Your veterinarian can assist you with other health needs as things arise.

Their long silky hair hangs straight from the body in a range of colors and patterns. The goal is to have a full long skirt, long chest and neck hair, full beard, muff on the face and bangs. Bucks (male goats) are more likely to have bangs and have thicker, fuller coats than the does (female goats) are. There are varying degrees of coat and coat placement. They can be snowy white, raven black, shades of brown, or a combination of these colors. The height limit for a doe is 23.5 inches at the withers and the male is 25 inches. The male weighs between 60-80 lbs and the female 50-70 lbs. Their smaller size makes them more manageable to work with. The lifespan is usually 10-15 years. The oldest buck I have is 9 years. His name is Breeze, and he is retired now. He probably misses the life of a show goat. He had many friends at the shows.

Their coats need to be kept clean and free of tangles and burrs. I use a good human shampoo and conditioner to bathe them the day before I travel to a show. I then bathe them again at the show. We have even been known to offer an oil treatment if a goat’s coat is dry or course. How a coat is cared for depends on the color of hair and type of coat the show goats have.

The goats are judged on conformation, body condition, and length, evenness, and silkiness of coat. The four main divisions are Junior Does, Junior Bucks, Senior Does, and Senior Bucks. Each division are further divided into different classes. If you get 1st or 2nd place in your class, you qualify to return to the ring and a Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion are selected from the division. When all 4 Grand Champions are named, the judge will choose 1 Best in Show. If a goat has won 3 Grand Champion ribbons, it gets a title of Master Champion. I had my first home bred goat earn that title about 4 years ago. Through selective breeding the Silkies have developed better conformation and coats, so the competition is tough.

Fainting goats do not actually faint. There is no pain involved. Some will continue to chew their cud during the spell and after a few seconds their muscles relax, and they jump up like nothing ever happened. This condition is called Myotonia Congenita. This is a genetic mutation. The muscle fibers stiffen for 5-30 seconds and the goats collapse. If the goats are startled or even excited about treats or mealtime these spells can occur.  Myotonia Congenita can be found in other species of animals as well like horses, dogs, and even humans.

September 11-12, 2021, at the Madison County Fairgrounds, we will be holding the Covered Bridge Silky Show in Winterset, Iowa. All are welcome to come and see some of these lovely goats up close. The show draws breeders and goat owners with their Silky Fainting Goats from several states.

If you are looking for more information about these special creatures, please use the website www.msfgaregistry.org.  The Miniature Silky Fainting Goat Association is always looking for more goat fans!  Come check out our show and see for yourself if it is LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

Everyone has told me that being a grandparent is the best. It makes parenting worth the effort when holding your grandchild for the first time. Dan and I got that experience in May. Our daughter, Jaclyn, delivered a beautiful baby girl. We were blessed to get to meet her 5 days later. Jaclyn, and her husband Rich, live out of state so we will need plan for those opportunities to spoil this little girl. We have purchased a pack and play and borrowed a baby swing to use when they come to visit. We have not decided on what names we will want to be called since she may decide for us. I am in love with social media and the ability to see photos and videos of her as she is growing and changing. How blessed we are to have this technology that allows us to be a part of her life even when we are miles apart.

When Dan and I started our family, we lived a distance from our parents as well. I recall finding pleasure in watching our parents enjoy our children and the children interacting with their grandparents. It was a special bond. It continues to be that today. Of course, family are excited to see us, but the grandchildren are still revered as the most “special”! I look forward to each opportunity to spend time with all of them.

It has been fun watching them be smitten with their newborn. I feel she closely resembles her mother as an infant. I may be partial, but comparing baby photos, I am convinced I am correct. Parenting is such an adventure from the moment you hold that baby you are deeply committed to protecting them and loving them unconditionally for eternity. It does not take but a moment to know that this little baby has changed your life forever.

They have a 10 month old Golden Retriever named, Ciggy. There were concerns initially on how he would react to this new family member. Their fears have been erased as you can see. He is calm and patient with her and appears to be anxious for her to start moving around more. He is looking forward to being a big brother to our grand-daughter.

The two cats, Charlotte and Virginia, are slowly accepting the interruptions that come with having an infant in the house. They have taken longer to adjust but are showing more interest in coming around to investigate. I think they have come to terms that just like the puppy that was brought home, this baby will not be leaving anytime soon.

Pets certainly have opinions about the changes in a household. They seem to accept change. Some with ease and others with remorse. There is no way one can predict how pets will react when changes come. The best we can do is try to continue other routines as usual and hope for the best. Rarely do I hear of a situation that did not turn out favorable in regards to a new family addition. It seems that most pets are thrilled to have additional attention and belly rubs. I have heard many of your grandchildren stories over the years and hope that you will be gracious enough to allow me to share about mine!  I am sure she will be the smartest and most amazing of all!

May is Beef Month across the nation so Dr. Jim Pottebaum is the guest blogger this month with information about Cattle. At Winterset Veterinary Center he sees both hobby farm and beef producer’s cattle. We hope you enjoy this article and support our local beef producers by eating Beef.

That hamburger or steak that you’re enjoying came from a commercial cattle farm or ranch near you. But there’s more to the story. Cattle originally were three separate species: Bos Taurus (cattle), Bos Indicus (Zebu) and extinct Bos primigenius (Aurochs). Now there are nearly 200 breeds registered around the world. Cattle tend to interbreed—yaks, gaurs, bison-beefalo, are examples. The largest bull recorded weighed 3840# in 1955, a steer was 4720# in 1910. Cattle in India are revered and respected and processing them is forbidden.

Iowa ranks 7^th in the US for cattle numbers—3.65 million head (Texas and Nebraska lead), and adds $6.8 billion to Iowa’s economy and provides 28,590 jobs in the industry. The most popular dairy cattle are Holstein, producing 75 to 100# of milk per day. The most popular beef breed is an Angus cross which is very well suited to pasture grazing in Iowa.

The Madison County Cattlemen is a strong group of producers here that promote beef, volunteer at many events, help provide free entrance to the County Fair, and give out many many scholarships to youth in the county.

When the entire DNA genome was mapped in 2009, the industry could focus on improving traits for best practices—more milk, more tender beef, more efficiency, etc. Very specific traits can be improved through AI (artificial insemination) and embryo transfer.

With the increases in acreage properties, the Low Line and somewhat exotic breeds have become favorable. These animals have become more of “production pets” than ever before. Australia developed this breed, and has been adopted in the US since 1997. Average commercial beef calves weigh 75 to 80# at birth, the lowline breed average 42-50#. Mature cows are 39 inches tall and weigh 800#. They have a quiet temperament, easy to raise, extremely efficient, and produce high quality meat. They average 30% larger ribeye area per hundredweight than any other breed with excellent marbelling.

The appeal to people in the country with a few acres is that they are an affordable project for kids while grazing extra acres and ties families to farming as their grandparents or parents did. Cattle production has advanced in huge amounts over the years, and the best is yet to come.

When you enjoy a tasty steak or grill burgers, thank an Iowa farmer!