October 2015 Issue

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IN THIS ISSUE:

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Subscribe FREE now! Monthly issues with new articles and other educational information on meat goat health, nutrition, and management written by Suzanne W. Gasparotto of Onion Creek Ranch and Pat Cotten of Bending Tree Ranch. In all cases, it is your responsibility to obtain veterinary services and advice before using any of the information provided in these articles. Neither Suzanne Gasparotto nor Pat Cotten are veterinarians. None of the contributors to this website will be held responsible for the use of any information contained herein.

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Goat Camp™ 2015

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Oct 26-29, 2015
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BUYING TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT™ AND TEXMASTER™ GENETICS

The Process & Rationale Behind It

Onion Creek Ranch genetics, both Tennessee Meat Goats™ and TexMasters™ are heavily-muscled meat goats that I've developed for use as herd sires and dams by producers who want to improve the meat yield of their does' offspring.

When a prospective buyer inquires about availability and pricing, I ask questions about his operation, experience, and goals so that I can provide the appropriate breed for that particular goat rancher. Because most prospective buyers have never seen these goats and because many people have misconceptions about what they are, the information needed to perform this evaluation is extremely important.

Tennessee Meat Goats™ are fullblood Myotonics out of Onion Creek Ranch genetics that are larger framed and more heavily muscled than others of the Myotonic breed. TexMaster™ is a breed that I began developing in 1995 using both Tennessee Meat Goat™ and Boer genetics. TexMasters™ have been breeding *true* for many years, qualifying them as a breed. (All breeds of all species began as crosses at some point in their history.)

I've been breeding goats since January 1990. My goal has always been to produce the best breeding stock meat goats, and I've been blessed to be able to do so. How these goats perform for you directly reflects upon Onion Creek Ranch's breeding programs, so I have an intense interest in getting the right goats matched with each buyer.

An email or call to me asking only for size, weight, pictures, and pricing will produce this response: I need to know where you are located, how much land you have, what experience if any you have raising goats and with what breeds or cross-breeds, what your goals are, what your market is, if you have a business plan in place, and what is your budget for buying breeding stock. Answers to these questions may in turn bring up new questions -- all focused on helping you make the right choice of Onion Creek Ranch genetics. Please be patient when you call or write, because this process is not meant to be intrusive but rather to be helpful. Buying breeding stock is a huge investment, and once that choice is made, your breeding path is set -- whether it is what you really need or not. Much thought needs to be given to making breeding stock choices.

I try to maintain "sale" pens for bucks but I don't attempt it for does. My goats live in about 30 different pastures over several hundred acres, but there are never enough pastures and pens to separate "sale" goats of various ages and breeds from my "keeper" breeding stock. I must keep as many as 8 to 10 genetic lines of both Tennessee Meat Goats™ and TexMasters™, which means that breeding season often looks like this: 87 does selected to breed to 13 different bucks so that I can continue multiple genetic lines. Sometimes I breed one buck to as few as 3 does. This means that when you want to buy a buck and unrelated does, I have to go through my pastures, check sire tags for does unrelated to the bucks you are buying, determine which goats I have duplicate genetics of, decide which of them I must keep, and figure out which I can sell. This is a time-consuming process, and I do it on an individualized basis for each buyer. I never sell goats as breeding stock that I would not keep to breed.

Hopefully you can now understand why I do not send out photos at every inquiry and why it is necessary to speak with you about your specific goat-ranching operation. A photo of a goat is only a very small part of what you as a buyer need to know about the animal. I encourage folks to visit Onion Creek Ranch to see these magnificent animals, but most buyers send money in advance, have me choose the breeding stock, then send photos, get health papers, and load them on the trailer of the shipper they've hired to transport. I am the person who developed these genetics and know them best.

Each month in MeatGoatMania, the online magazine that Pat Cotten (Bending Tree Ranch in Arkansas) and I own, we both publish ads with photos of goats for sale. Additionally, that month's ad is usually uploaded to my website www.tennesseemeatgoats.com. In 2015, I joined Facebook as ONION CREEK RANCH. I try to post current photos frequently.

If you wish to buy these genetics, please contact Suzanne W. Gasparotto at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas (onioncreek@tennesseemeatgoats.com or phone 325-344-5775) or Pat Cotten in Arkansas (bendingtreeranch@cyberback.com or phone 501-581-5700). Pat's website is www.bendingtreeranch.com and Bending Tree Ranch is also on Facebook. Pat Cotten is as knowledgeable of these genetics as I am, and she is geographically closer to some of you than I am in Texas. Pat raises both Tennessee Meat Goats™ and TexMasters™. She has a similar vetting process to help buyers obtain the right goats for their purposes. We work together to fill buyers' goat orders. Call for appointment and availability. We have a limited number of goats for sale out of each breeding season.

SuzanneW. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 10/4/15

STAY-TITE FENCING FOR GOATS

I am in the process of building a new ranch and have been researching goat fencing.

I've discovered Stay-Tite (aka Sta-Tuff) fixed-knot fencing. It is amazing stuff. This fencing is so durable that a car can hit it and it will bounce back into original shape. Post repairs may be necessary and barbed wire atop it may have to be repaired or replaced, but the fixed-knot fencing material itself is amazingly resilient.

I am using the 949-12 fencing. It has nine strands of horizontal wire, with a height of 49 inches. The "12" represents the distance between the vertical wires. I like 12-inch vertical spacing because horns aren't like to get hung in it, while narrower vertical spacing can result in hung horns. I am using one strand of barbed wire atop the fencing.

This fencing is a bit pricier than typical field fencing. However, on long runs, t-posts and pull posts can be set much farther apart, bringing the overall cost down to very close to 39 inch high field fencing. Also, 39 inch high field fencing needs two strands of barbed wire atop it to provide sufficient height.

Stay-Tite fencing comes in 330 foot or 660 foot rolls. Current cost is about a 15% premium over goat field fencing. Labor costs are similiar for both fences.

My fencing contractor has made sure that all t-posts are placed on the vertical wires so that the 12-inch spacing is not split by poorly-placed t-posts.

This fencing is awesome. I am "sold" on this product.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 10-3-15

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T posts are on vertical wires of Stay-Tite fencing-->

BendingTree Ranch TexMaster Goats

Bending Tree Ranch Tuff Enough, 2015 Myotonic buck (TMG™ Prospect)

A combination of two EXCELLENT herdsires. BTR Tuff Enough is son of
Doublejett Gomer's Sargeant
and a maternal grandson of Bending Tree Ranch Red Cloud.

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Doublejett Gomer's Sargeant

SOLD- improving genetics in Australia

Bending Tree Ranch Red Cloud

SOLD- improving genetics in Australia

This buck as well as others available at Bending Tree Ranch located in Damascus, AR

Contact Bending Tree Ranch in Damascus, AR

Contact Pat Cotten
Bending Tree Ranch
located near Greenbrier, Arkansas
501-581-5700

www.bendingtreeranch.com
bendingtreeranch@cyberback.com

Raising TexMasters™, TMG’s™ and Myotonics.
Let us help you improve your herds.


“like us” on facebook………….Bending Tree Ranch

 

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All information and photos copyright © Onion Creek Ranch and may not be used without express written permission of Onion Creek Ranch. TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT ™ and TEXMASTER™ are Trademarks of Onion Creek Ranch . All artwork and graphics © DTP, Ink and Onion Creek Ranch.Webhosting by Khimaira

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