Casalinho

Tag: Goats

  • 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 »

  • 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 »

  • 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 »

  • Animal Update

    Firstly, a sad lament for our last pigeon who escaped and went searching for a new mate earlier this week. I hope he finds one. Our other pigeons were taken one by one by what we think we identified as an Egyptian Mongoose about 6 weeks ago. This one survived because Jeroen caught the murdering more »

  • New arrival in the Goat Shed

    Yesterday evening when I went to milk, I was thrilled to find that Horny the goat had finally produced a little one. I rushed off to fetch the boys, and in those few moments that I was gone she had a second one. This photo was taken within minutes of the births, so no apologies more »