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Joel & Carol Edelen
10005 Lomax Road
Faulkner,Maryland 20632
Phone: 301-934-4667


Homestead Farm Is A Family Owned And Operated Business Located In Southern Marylands Agricultural District Specializing In Sales Of:

These Breeds Of Goat,
Boer Cross,American Alpines,
Purebred Nubians and Recorded Grade
And
Rabbits For Show,Pet and Meat Production
French Lops And Mini Rex
Tans and Californians


Please Visit The Farms Friends !

Southern States Coopertive
Virginia State Dairy Goat Association
Goats,Goats,Goats!
The Goat Farmer Magazine
International Boer Goat Assn.
Great 4-H Meatgoat Project Info.

If your looking for the best in available goat information that could
ever be found on the internet in one place visit the
National Goat Handbook.
Also, visit
Livestock Breeds,
this is a very good reference site for information on all the different breeds of goats
and could be a valuable resource for determining your next goat purchase

***Official Member Of The***
American Dairy Goat Association
Virginia State Dairy Goat Association
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
American Rabbit Breeders Association



Joel Is Now Serving As The Maryland State Representative
And Is Also On The Board Of Directors For The

"Mid-Atlantic Market Goat And Lamb Cooperative"
Information Containing Meeting's And Membership Information
Which Is Based In Crewe,Virginia And Currently Holds About 41 Members.
Will Be Posted Here As A Link When That Information Is Available
If You Are Interested In Obtaining That Information By Mail , Please
Email Joel At :"jcedelen99@hotmail.com" And He Will Send All Available
Literature To You As Soon As Possible.
You May Also Contact The Co-op Manager , Marilyn Sanford , At :
glenmar@tez.net Or By Phone At : 804-645-8084 For Further Information



NEW !

Are You Looking To Buy,Sell, Or Trade Equipment Or Supplies ?
Maybe You Just Want To Ask A Question About The Topics Of
Goats Or Rabbits. If So, Then Please Come Visit :
"Homestead Farms Message Board !



Here are just a few examples of many awards
in which Homestead Farm has won for the entries at the 1999 county fairs
in the Southern Maryland Tri-County area this year.

At The Charles County Maryland Fair
Best of show : Tan Sr. Buck Black
Reserve Best Of Show : American Sr. Buck Black
Total for Charles : 33--1st , 14--2nd , 8--3rd and 5--4th Place Ribbons
( includes open and 4-H classes)

At The Calvert County Fair
Open Best Of Show : Californian Jr. Doe
Super Grand Champion Of Show : Californian Jr. Doe (same as above)
Totals For Calvert : 14--1st , 5--2nd Place Ribbons

At The St.Mary's County Fair
Best Of Show : New Zealand White Jr. Doe
Reserve Best Of Show : American Sable Sr. Doe
Total For St. Mary's : 13--1st , 4--2nd Place Ribbons

At The Richmond Rabbit Breeders Association
First Show :
Best Of Breed : New Zealand White Intermediate Doe
Second Show :
Best Of Breed :New Zealand White Jr. Doe

Homesteads Goat Ribbon Winners
Charles County :
Champion Dry Doe Recorded Grade
Champion Dry Doe Nubian
Champion Market Breeder Doe

St Mary's County :
Champion Alpine In Milk
Best Of Show Alpine
Champion Dry Doe Recorded Grade

Calvert County :
Champion Dry Doe Recorded Grade
Champion Dry Doe Nubian
Reserve Champion Dry Doe Nubian
Champion Alpine In Milk
Best Of Show Alpine
Best Of Show Market Goat-Boer Cross Doe
Champion Heavy Weight Market Goat

This is just a small idea of the quality of rabbit breeds that we offer at Homestead Farm
We received many more ribbons for all of our breeds ,but, of course we only need to present a few
Competition was really tough this year at all three fairs due to the overwhelming number of entries
Therefore, we can honestly say that we have a great selection of
"prize winners"!


General Information Area


We'd like to share some facts about general rabbit breeds that surprisingly many people overlook and sometimes forget just how important this simple information can be in keeping rabbit breeds healthy.
Let's take a look at the physiological data of a majority of breeds :

Life Span-->The average of all breeds is about 6 years to a maximum of 15 years for large hybrids.
Min.Breeding Age--->4 months for small breeds(ex.Polish),5 to 6 months for medium breeds(ex.New Zealand),and 9 to 12 months for large breeds(ex.Flemish)
Oestrus Cycle--->About 15 to 16 days.Ovulation occurs past coitus.
Gestation Time--->Average 31 days,variation 29 to 35 days.
Weaning Age--->4 to 8 weeks.
Rectal Temperature--->Range of averages is 102.2f to 103.2f, minimum temp.101.9f to max. of 103.7f.
Respitory Rate--->Average of 53 breaths per minute, variation 38 to 60/pm.
Heart Rate--->Average is 205 beats per minute,range 200bpm to 250bpm.
Daily Food Consumption--->0.4 to 1.2oz. of food per pound of body wieght.
Daily Water Consumption--->3oz. during growth, 12oz at adulthood, and 1 to 2 qts. during the lactation period.

***A few very important factors to remember for good health is ALWAYS keep feed and water clean and fresh !!



"GREAT LINK FOR RABBITS !"

For more information and some great links on raising rabbits , Be sure you check out this next page , Don't miss this one ! This is absolutly the very best information that can be found on the net about rabbits

"All You Ever Wanted To Know About Rabbits"


***All of Homestead Farm's stock is fed with
Southern States brand feeds purchased from
La Plata Farm & Home Supply in La Plata,Md. Ph:301-934-4361


Eat Goat Meat ?
Why Should I Eat Goat Meat ?
Well,A diet consisting of Chevon(goat meat)cuts have a fat content 50% lower
than similarly prepared beef,lamb,and pork.The percentage of fat in goat meat
is 40% less than chicken without skin,and 850-900% lower than beef and lamb.
Goat meat contains fewer calories,similar protiens and higher iron levels than other meats.
these are just a few examples why goat meat is especially good for you.

Are Goats Easy To Raise ?
Goats are exceptionally easy to raise and very inexpensive to feed,house and maintain.
Goats are excellent grazers with cattle and horses because they help reduce
parasite eggs on pastures which any horse owner knows the trouble even small
trace amounts of parasites can cause to the health of a horse.
One nice advantage to goats is the small area needed to satisfy their grazing
requirements. Five does can be fed on as little as 1 acre of pasture and that's
great news if you have a limited amount of property.

What Is The Promise For A Strong Future Goat Meat Market ?
There is a excellent promise for a strong goat meat market in the future due to
the ever growing demands for a healthier meat product that has very low fat and
calorie content.The consumer demand for goat meat is essentially immigrants from
goat-consuming regions of the world for example-Mediterranean,Southern Europe
Middle East,Africa,Southeast Asia,South America,Central America,and The West Indies
The demand for Chevon by the people of the regions is very high in demand for the
simple reason that they cannot just got to the local supermarket to purchase their
primary meat products like Americans can by their hamburger.Another great advantage
to the sales of meat goats is the fact that most buyers want to purchase the animal
live to ensure the meats freshness and that means saving alot of money with meat
processing equipment and expensive license requirements,
That's a fact that needs no further explaining we're sure.

But...Who Relies On Goat Meat ?
(This information was borrowed from an issue of the MAMGALM Co-op. Newsletter,Thankyou.)
"A larger demand are the Muslim holidays. Ramadan begins December 9th
and continues until January 8th. This is a period of fasting for Muslim
faith. Eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset are forbidden.
The daily fast is often followed by evening celebrations,feasting and visiting.
During Ramadan, and with the exception of "Id-Al-Fitr", the preferred goat
for Muslims is a baby goat under a year old, weighing 50-70 pounds and must
be lean. Overly fat goats are not acceptable.
The big celebration is the end of "Id-Al-Fitr", on January 8th. and lasts
for three days after Ramadan. For this festival, a yearling of either sex is
required. March 16th is "Id-Al-Adha", The festival of sacrifice, and April 6th
is the Muslim New Year.
The Easter demand for kids and lambs will begin around April 16th, with Palm Sunday
and continue until after April 30th (Greek Easter).
April 15 is the Muslim holiday "Ashura". So, as you can see , the next five months
will be the peak for goat meat market requests and along with a steady demand for
50-70 pound animals are year round."
Alot of the request for goat meat is religion related and as long as there are religions
there will always be a great demand for these animals.

Try these goat recipes and experience the wonderful flavor that goat meat has to offer
you will find that goat meat is just as easy to prepare as everyday beef,pork and poultry
Just remember that goat meat is much more healthy than all three of those too !

"Goat Meat Recipes"

And Just For Fun We Suggest These Rainy Day Projects
Goat Cheese Recipes
Goat's Milk Soap Recipes


For Questions & Comments E-Mail Us!:
jcedelen99@hotmail.com

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