Happy Little Hooves Farm LLC

08/17/2024

I meant to post this last night - wish I'd gotten better pictures at the time!

The day after we brought our new Shetland ewes home, I noticed Peep had a lump under her jaw. My first thought was "bottle jaw" from a heavy worm load causing anemia. When I checked her eyelids and gums, I was shocked at how white they were instead of a healthy pink. This condition can kill a sheep or goat very quickly.
I collected a f***l sample to examine under the microscope and saw more parasite eggs than I've ever seen before. If I remember correctly, her egg count was 9,300 per gram of f***l matter!
We immediately weighed her to determine the correct dosage for deworming medication. After administering the duel dewormers, I researched anemia caused by internal parasites and developed a treatment plan:

Daily fortified vitamin B complex injections
Daily drenches with nutri- drench and molasses
High protein diet
Iron shots

Yesterday, I noticed her swelling had gone away and she seemed more energetic. This morning there is no swelling either but It will take time to rebuild her red blood cells, but I think we're on the right track with little Peep.
I'll be running another f***l test in a few days to check if there's a reduction in egg count.
Peep is not out of the woods yet, please send your thoughts and prayers her way.

08/16/2024

Sorry all been very busy at the farm the last few days. Will catch everyone up on what has been happening this week. This is Peep last night helping me in my barn office, the whole week has been about her. Will explain later this eve.

08/14/2024

Arapawa Goat Love is in the air today. This is Legacy's first season being our go-to buck for Miss Lucy. Most of you all know we let our does and bucks go on a "date" when the doe is in standing heat. We keep them together until we see 3 successful breedings. It normally takes about 30 minutes to an hour, and we then remove the doe and put her back with her herd. What we look for in those 3 successful breedings is a good thrust by the buck and her hunching; this way we know that she will kid in roughly 150 days. So this puts Lucy's due date as January 11th. Let's cross our fingers for doelings 🤞

08/14/2024

Very good info for anyone that raises goats or sheep.

08/14/2024

Good morning from our new Shetland sheep ewes. It's been years since we have had sheep here at the farm, I swore we would never get sheep again, but these girls are very sweet and friendly.

08/14/2024

3rd stall cleaned but no goats are going back into the bigger stall till kidding season. 1 more stall to clean before sunrise.

08/14/2024

Second stall of the night is done and now working on the 3rd stall. Starting to get a bit tired but it's so nice outside.

08/14/2024

Strange things you find in a hay bale...last night I found a sad find, a tiny fawn. Pic in first comment. It's not gruesome but if things like that bother you, don't look.

08/14/2024

Well, I had a little nap, so I'm thinking about pulling another all-nighter and take advantage of the cool nighttime air. I'm thinking of cleaning the south side barn stalls and main floor.

08/13/2024

I spent all last night, while it was cool outside, moving hay into the loft and counting and stacking our winter supply of alfalfa. I prefer doing this kind of work at night when it's much cooler.

08/13/2024

Thank you Diane Rude for the Scratch Brushes, the boys are loving them!❤

08/13/2024

All the credit for this SO TRUE meme goes to Little Bumblebee Farm!! ♥️🙌♥️

Omgoodness, I feel this deep down in my soul!!! 🤣🤣🤣 If you aren't there quite yet....give it time, young grasshopper. 🧘‍♀️😉😅

Who else out there feels (& knows) all their love, time, attention, & cash goes to their darling goats (or other livestock) FIRST, & the bipeds get the scraps left over lol?! 🤦‍♀️ BUT (like us) that they wouldn't have it any other way? ♥️

08/13/2024

Good morning, & Happy Tuesday y'all! 😊 Abby here...had to share this pic; I took it this past weekend. I was on my way home from running some quick errands, & this sight made me smile. It also made me so happy that my life is what it is. ♥️ It was a beautiful day, I was thinking how blessed we are by these hardworking farmers~ all of us. How lucky we were to be able to buy our farm almost 6yrs ago. Some are born into this life, & others (like me) ended up being lucky enough to come into it. ♥️

I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Not that others haven't also, but trust me when I say I've been thru a lot. Though I'm overwhelmed at times, between multiple parts of what I am fighting against each other in my head, I still feel I was put right here/right now for a reason. ♥️

If you had told little Abby she was going to grow up to have a goat farm & have a business centered around it, I would have laughed & not believed a word you said. Tysm to all of our friends/family/followers (you're all one in the same! ♥️🫂♥️)...your belief in us & what we are doing here at Happy Little Hooves Farm means so much to us! 🥰 Have a wonderful day! ♥️😊♥️

08/12/2024

I was comfortable till you shoved that camera in my face, Now I have to get up!!
Well anyways Mouse says have a great Monday!!

08/12/2024

It's been yet another crazy busy day 😵‍💫🤦‍♀️😅 We got the girls home & settled in, have 50 bales in the drylot to put up in the MOW, but first we had to run errands to Blains & Menards. (I'm already ready for bed 😅)

I snapped a few pictures of our new girls, so I thought I'd get them out here for y'all to see. 😉

🌟SPOILER ALERT🌟 Their names are in the picture descriptions 😘 We hope everyone is having a more relaxing Sunday evening than we are lol! 😅

08/11/2024

Sunday morning WI roadtrip! 😍 What's coming home to HLHF? 🤔

08/10/2024

Happy Birthday Alora who turned the big 3 years old today!! Thank you for letting Happy Little Hooves Farm LLC help make it a special day for you. 🐐🐐🎂🎊

08/10/2024

Its been a long fun few days at the Fair and just got home, nothing like doing chores at 11pm, then tomorrow the goats go to a little girls birthday party, its been a long busy few days.

08/09/2024

Hi from the Carroll County Fair! 🤩

08/09/2024

We just want to say good morning to everyone and hope you all have a great day!

08/09/2024

Hey all, Just got back from the Carroll County Fair. Thanks all for coming out and milking a goat, Its kinda late will try to get pics up tomorrow sometime. still have a lot of chores to do and get all the other goats feed and watered for the night. Hope everyone has a good night. we will be milking again tomorrow 4pm till 7pm

08/08/2024

Come to the Discovery Farm tent from 4p-7p tonight (Thursday) or Friday to try your hand at milking goats! Happy Little Hooves Farm LLC will be here teaching anyone that would like to give it a try!

Come to the Discovery Farm tent Carroll County Fair from 4p-7p tonight (Thursday) or Friday to try your hand at milking goats! Happy Little Hooves Farm LLC will be here teaching anyone that would like to give it a try!

08/08/2024

Elvira's BIO

Brace yourselves, dear readers, for a tale so chilling, it'll have you shivering like a newborn kid on a frosty morning. This is the legend of Elvira, the mysterious mini silky black goat with powers from beyond the veil.
They say Elvira was once the terror of Sterling, her very presence striking fear into the hearts of the stoutest of souls. With her piercing, otherworldly gaze and an aura that seemed to darken the very air around her, this sinister siren of the caprine world was a force to be reckoned with.
Rumor has it that Elvira possesses dark, arcane abilities that defy all natural explanation. Whispers of her casting unholy spells and communing with unseen entities have plagued the dreams of the local townsfolk for years. When the clock strikes midnight and the moon is full, they say you can hear her eerie cries echoing across the fields, summoning powers from realms unknown.
But do not be fooled - this queen of darkness has a softer side that few have had the privilege to witness. For you see, Elvira is also the doting mother of two sons, Rocky and Drago, the latter of which have long since left the mortal coil of Happy Little Hooves Farm. And her two daughters, Wednesday and Raven, remain by her side, bound to her forever by an unbreakable bond.
When Elvira is not busy weaving her dark spells or striking terror into the hearts of mortal beings, she is surprisingly gentle, even affectionate. Those brave enough to approach her are often met with a surprising gentleness, her piercing gaze softening as she allows them to stroke her silky black coat.
Make no mistake, though - Elvira is not a goat to be trifled with. She is the crown jewel of Happy Little Hooves Farm's Halloween festivities, her very presence lending an air of foreboding and dread to the proceedings. When the autumn winds howl and the leaves begin to fall, you can be sure that Elvira will be there, presiding over the haunted happenings with a regal and chilling demeanor.
So, if you dare to venture to the farm this Hallows' Eve, keep your wits about you. For if you catch a glimpse of a diminutive, inky-black goat with eyes that seem to peer into the very depths of your soul, you'll know you've encountered the one and only Elvira - the terror of Sterling, the mistress of the macabre, and the queen of the Halloween season.

08/08/2024

A Goat Festival in Ireland, starts August 10th

The pagan origins of Co Kerry's ancient Puck Fair
The ancient history behind Ireland's Puck Fair, a fun family festival with oodles of entertainment that has its roots in Ireland's pagan past.
Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co Kerry is a firm favorite with those on vacation and Irish locals alike, but many may not know its intriguing history dating back to the 4th century.
As part of Puck Fair, Ireland’s oldest festival, a wild mountain goat is crowned and worshipped as "King Puck" for the three-day festival, a strange tradition that has its roots in 4th-century pagan Ireland.
Jerry Mulvihill, author of the book “The Puck Fair – Ireland's Oldest Celebration,” wrote that in pagan times, the wild goat would have been sacrificed. Now the goat is treated like a prince, the center of attention for the three days.
The festival, which runs ordinarily in August and usually attracts over 80,000 visitors, was said to be linked to the Celtic festival of Lughnasa, which symbolizes the beginning of harvest. The goat was a symbol of pagan fertility.
Every year, locals capture a wild goat in the Macgillycuddy Reeks, Ireland's highest mountain ranges located close by, and bring it back to town. Mulvihill writes that one of the best-known goat catchers was Michael 'Butty' Sugrue, once known as Ireland's strongest man.
The “Queen of Puck,” usually a local schoolgirl, crowns the goat “King Puck.” The goat is placed in a small cage on a high stand for three days as the locals celebrate with markets, entertainment, and pubs that stay open until 3 am. At the end of the fair, the goat is released back into the wild.
(In 2023, however, organizers announced that the role of King Puck would "evolve." The committee unanimously agreed that "rather than remaining on the stand for three days, this year he [King Puck] will be raised on his stand for a short period following his coronation. He will then not be seen again until the final day of Puck Fair when a brief dethroning ceremony will take place.")
Mulvihill grew up just four miles from Killorglin and has only missed one Puck Fair when he was traveling in Australia. He said locals would rather visit Killorglin for Puck Fair than Christmas.
In 2016, Mulvihill told the Irish Independent, "If you're from Kerry, and especially near Killorglin, it's a very exciting time and a real reunion.”
The annual festival attracts visitors from around the country and the world. Day one includes a traditional horse fair in the morning. King Puck is then paraded through the main square where he meets his Queen. The Queen, who wins this honor by writing an essay on the fair, then reads the Puck Fair Proclamation and the new king is crowned.
The second day is Fair Day, the heart of the festival. This sees various types of vendors descend on the town with anything from animals to jewelry for sale. There is also live music and talent contests, a Bonny Baby competition, storytelling, and all sorts of other entertainment. The third day, Scattering Day, sees the King relieved of his duties and returned to the wild after he’s paraded through the town again. Celebrations then continue late into the night.

08/07/2024

Howdy, y'all! Listen up, folks! If you're fixin' to mosey on down to the Carroll County Fair this week, make sure you rustle up the whole family and head on over to P & C Little Rascals setup. They've got themselves a right fine mobile petting zoo, I tell ya - best in these here parts!
These good folks, who we're proud as punch to call our friends, have rounded up a whole passel of critters just waitin' to be fed and petted. It's cuter than a basket full of kittens, I reckon!
Now, me and mine'll be joining the shindig on Thursday and Friday, startin' at 4 o'clock and goin' till the cows come home. So why don't y'all come on out and get your hands on some real live farm animals? Heck, you might even get to try your hand at milkin' a goat!
And if that ain't enough to get your boots scootin', how about this - you could snap yourself a selfie with one of them rare Arapawa goats. Ain't too many of those critters around these parts!
But wait, there's more! We've got a whole barnful of fun lined up for ya:
Mrs. Rosie Rosey Facepaint'll be there, turnin' little faces into works of art quicker than you can say "piglet in a puddle."

On Wednesday after 5pm, Thistle Creek Farm'll be showin' off their soap-makin' skills. Cleaner than a whistle, I tell ya!

And if you're into the finer things, Linda's gonna be spinnin' wool on Wednesday from 3-6pm. It's like watchin' magic happen, right before your eyes!

Last but not least, Dr. Chelsey from Northern Illinois Veterinary Services is bringin' her vet truck on Wednesday from 12:30-2:30pm. Come on by and explore - it's a chance to see how the animal docs do their doctorin'!
So dust off your hat, polish up them boots, and we'll see you at the fair! It's gonna be more fun than a hog on ice!

08/07/2024

Sorry guys, I did not have a chance to do a BIO on a goat last night for a post this morning. I've just been busy getting ready for the fair tomorrow.

08/07/2024

I can't believe how big Buttercup has gotten! Buttercup is on the left next to her mom Peanut. She is a little over 5 months old!

💖

08/07/2024

Today's Arapawa photo shoot