Hi from the best place to be in the country....the West Coast

Hi there, my partner and I live with 3 of our children on a 10 hectare block just out of Greymouth. The weather has been perfect here all week so we definitely have the best of it. We have 3 cats, 2 dogs, a lot of chickens, 4 Muscovy ducks, 3 Pekin ducks and 5 cows, one due to deliver shortly so might need a bit of advice about that one! We want to get some small ducks to have in a pond in the little paddock next to the house for patting...any advice? We are also looking to get some small goats also for patting, so no billy goats!

Hi, yes I was surprised when I rang my favourite wee homeware store in Greymouth on Tue and they said there was no snow! He said it hadn't snowed there in over 50 years! ... Guess you cop it a wee bit with the rain though :confused:

I'm beginning to love the coast more and more as I come over with my husband though []

I have muscovy's...some aren't friendly because they were older when I got them, but I got 6 (now down to 2) that were very small so the had daily handling as I moved them outside every morning and inside at night helped...unfortunately they are Huey and Luey, so my other drakes will have to go to make way for them. I can still pick them up and they are beautiful boys. Another 3rd one almost made it to "duck" age and I think it was a she because it was a little bit smaller than Huey and Luey, but she drowned in the wee pool I had for them...so be wary, even those wee clam shell kids pools can be a hazzard [}]

The lightning is the fun thing on the Coast. My SIL has lost all her electrical household gear at various times, even though all the poles have lightning conductors.
Whether you have problems calving depends hugely on the bull that you have used. Jersey, Angus, Murray Grey, Red Devon, Galloway are likely to have no problems. Other bulls can cause variable problems from minor to major.
The thing is is not to let the birthing go on too long without helping the cow to calve. It should take about 20 minutes from the waters breaking and a membrane streamer showing. They can do it themselves in 2 hours with no trouble, but I've had dead calves, too, from waiting that long. So I help after about 60 minutes.

Hi, I might be able to help you with the goats. We are also close to Greymouth in the Grey Valley. Not sure that I agree with you about the best place to live. The electrical storms in the Valley are amazing.

I milked my goats last season and by the time they dried up I was making a great hard cheese. I still have the young goats from last year. A lovely
sable neutured boy who would make a great pet. He has a very sweet nature. If you are interested.