Casalinho

Category: Animals

  • Pass the rubber gloves …

    Many times over the past years I’ve marvelled at how much life has changed since coming to Casalinho. Sitting at my office desk ten years ago, the idea of pulling on the rubber gloves and sticking my hand up a goat to assist her giving birth would have been pretty alien, but that’s what I found more »

  • Ronaldo, our Billy

    We’ve had a new arrival this week, Ronaldo. He’s unbelievably stinky, and he’s our new Billy goat. When a friend mentioned that she knew of a male goat seeking a new home, having been abandoned once and now unwanted, I grabbed the opportunity. Until now we’ve been borrowing the services of a Billy from goat more »

  • Save me from the Tyranny of Goats!

    In this part of the world every village, large and small, has it’s annual festa. It’s an excuse for some music, perhaps some dancing, certainly some drinking, and an opportunity for the community to celebrate together. The festa of Aradas, organised by the Comissão de Melhoramentos de Aradas, will be held this year on the 30th more »

  • Terrorists, Feline Style

    We’ve been so caught up with other things over the past weeks that I’ve failed to tell you about the newest members of the Casalinho team. They’ve terrified the dogs and the cat is so horrified that she won’t come in the house.  They keep us awake half the night playing tag on our bed more »

  • Cabrito Assado: In the Kitchen with Your Goat

    Those of you who have been following the blog will know that we recently killed our young goat for the table. If not, check out Goat Butchery for Beginners. So now that you have goat meat, what’s the best way to deal with it? Chop it into chunks. Pop it in a dish with a lid more »

  • Cabrito Assado: Goat Butchery for Beginners

    The deed has been done and Assado, our young male goat, is no more. Those who would prefer not to learn about how to butcher a goat should probably not read further. From experience though, I know that many of our volunteers are really interested in learning more about the process. I salute them, because more »

  • Mix and Match Goats

    We’ve done a trade with a neighbour. Branchina, our lovely older goat, has gone off to pastures new and we’ve just welcomed Bonita to our little flock. Bonita is a much younger goat but we decided it was a good idea to introduce some different blood as all our goats have been one family group to more »

  • The Nursery Wing!

    There’s a nasty disease that I’ve been unable to name which kills rabbits around here. Unfortunately a case of it hit here last week and we lost most of our rabbits with no warning 🙁 It was particularly upsetting as three of the adults who died were fairly new mothers with litters still tucked up more »

  • Casalinho’s Maggot Breeding Enterprise

    This is my attempt to provide additional protein for the poultry, giving them a better diet whilst reducing my feed bill. Stop reading now if you’re of a delicate disposition, but before you dismiss maggot breeding as feed just consider that it’s a free product produced out of something that would be otherwise wasted. Until more »

  • A Pressing Question about Goats

    All the goat advice is to ensure that your animals have access to fresh, clean water at all times. Otherwise they will refuse it. My own experience of goats back this advice up. So why then, when I give our goats a bucket of fresh, clean water, do they conspire to crap in it within more »