Queen Mum's Dancing in the Rain

[Queen Mum]

Flash Bangs had white bangs on his forehead when he was born. You can barely see it now because he has such big horns. So I called him Bangs for quite a while. Then when he started getting horn buds it was just a little flash of bangs. Thus his name was born.

His twin, Trump Card, was always trumping his brother for everything. Milk, the best spot in the barn, climbing to the highest spot on the tree branch, he always trumped his brother. And he has zebra stripes on his butt. He was first born and the bigger of the two.

Both boys are very exotic looking goats. Almost African looking in the face and body. Nice straight backs, beautiful faces. Long graceful legs. They are tall and stately looking, I think anyway. And they are both gentle and sweet.

 

[Queen Mum]

Well, this morning, I was milking and heard a ruckus in the upper paddock. The bucks were trampling all over a Mini Lamancha who was in heat.

Fifteen bucks of all sizes fighting over one tiny little doe. Poor little thing, she was all curled in a ball and barely able to move.

I picked her up and carried her into Mama's pasture with Houdini and Brownie. She was bloated, probably from running endlessly, and just exhausted.

She is the same size as Houdini who is pretty much a gentleman with the ladies. He made overtures but he left her alone while I got a bunch of stuff ready to tend to her.

She's pretty wild. So I picked her up and put her on my lap and held her tight. I started petting her and brushing her. Her reaction was pretty funny. It was like this: "Oh my God, she's BRUSHING ME! NO. NOT THAT!"

She started to shake and act all panicked. Then she suddenly realized I was doing something good. She relaxed and enjoyed it.

Next I gave her a drench with some baking soda in it, molasses, probiotics, selenium, vitamin B, minerals, red cell, and a bunch of other stuff to help her tummy feel better along with Safeguard. She started to panic again when I gave her the drench and then realized it tasted good.

Then she started sucking it down like a baby with a bottle. She relaxed into my lap and fell asleep!

I gave her a CD/T shot and she didn't even notice.

Afterwards, Houdini bred her. No problem. I'm going to leave her in Mama's paddock for now so she can "recover". I don't think she needs to be in a big paddock with a bunch of bucks competing for feed and space.

 

[Queen Mum]

Oh dear. Another wild day on the ranch in Texas. I got up to milk. Ho Hum. Little Pickle (the newest doe in Mama's paddock) was out in the drizzly rain. She's looking a bit better today. She was up at the top of the hill hanging out.

Houdini came to greet me at the fence this morning looking all dapper and swashbuckling around. I think he was happy to have had a date with Little Pickle last night. He is warming up to me rather nicely and getting to the point where he will actually let me touch him once in a while.

Mama flounced out of the barn, because I was a bit late for milking and Brownie met me at the gate, excited for her morning repast. Mama's milk volume is way down. I'm not sure why. I've upped the hay quality and am feeding more alfalfa. I've changed the feed from sweet feed to a better home mix with a bit more variety that Mama likes. Maybe Ian got to her and she is bred? I'm thinking I should dry her up.

Houdini was pigacious as usual with his morning breakfast and Little Pickle didn't come in the barn. I don't think she knows that the food is in there. I'm hoping she will take a hint pretty soon, so she doesn't stay out in the rain. I'm going to have to fix the milk stand so I can keep her on it. (the stanchion is too big for her head.) I need to groom her and work on her tiny little baby sized feet.

Brownie got a nice brush down as did Mama. Boy do they love to be brushed. Brownie is utterly silent and appreciative. She stands and just leans into me. She closes her eyes and makes baby noises. She is so sweet. Brownie is such a sweet, gentle shy little creature. She is very trusting. Mama on the other hand, just revels in being brushed. She looks up with adoration when I brush her and then she turns around and literally shows me where she wants me to brush by pushing the brush with her nose to the right spot. It makes me smile. She LOVES to have her face brushed. She chases Brownie away if she interrupts the 'spa treatment' she so 'richly deserves' as queen of the herd.

I can hardly wait until I can get Houdini to stand still for a brush down. He would look so handsome all brushed out. It takes a lot of trust for a goat to allow that kind of intimacy though. But it also allows for enough close contact that you can really examine a goat without them knowing it. Eyes, ears, nose, tummy, bottom, legs, feet can all be checked while cuddling and brushing a goat. You can listen to quiet breathing, feel the rumen for sounds, feel the belly and skin for lumps. You really get to know an animal that way.

Of course, after I brushed the goats in Mama's paddock I had gone out to get the mail (about 1/2 mile away) and when I came back all hell broke loose. There was Pecos, our "LGD" on the wrong side of the fence in our neighbors 600 acre hunting "pasture".

Their fence is a mess and the goats get onto their property EVERY day. Every day, more of the herd gets out as the hole gets bigger. The farm hand that works for them won't listen to me about how to fix the problem. Apparently, Pecos, went with the goats today. Up until a couple days ago, only the does were getting out because they have smaller horns. But lately, the bucks have been getting out. For that matter, I could get out. While I was getting the mail, the landlord found one of the bucks with a BIG set of horns upside down and struggling, barely alive, entangled in the farmhands latest attempt to repair the fence.

The boss had to go to work and was swearing and yelling and screaming at his wife and she was in a panic about the dog, who wouldn't come back on to the property. (He does that when he is frustrated - takes it out on all the people around him.) I went and got the dog, who was thirsty and tired. The landlord, was relieved because he loves that dog, and gave him big hugs and a bone and then went to work.

I went and gave the goat a drench, some baking soda, some banamine, pumped some water into him until he was able to pee, got him on his feet, and brushed him down good and vigorously until he was able to stand on his own and walk around without falling over. And I made sure he burped a bunch and pooped. Then I fixed the fence temporarily. He's still weak and shouldn't be with the herd yet, but he's much better. Thank God for Banamine.

 

[Queen Mum]

I forgot to mention! Ian got to breed a girl yesterday. This is Ian Artemis Flan. My foundation buck. 1/4 Nubian, 1/4 Alpine, 1/2 Oberhauslie.

This is the doe, Ding. 1/2 Boer, 1/2 La Mancha.

So the kids will be Nubian, Alpine, Boer, Oberhauslie and La Mancha.

They should be pretty cute! I can hardly wait!

 

[Queen Mum]

Wow! Big thunder and lightening today! TONS of rain. But since I come from a rainy state where flooding is the norm, I prepped for the rain weeks ago after the last flood when the barn was awash in mud. I had set up Pecos pen so that she wasn't chest deep in mud this time.

Last time the mud was so deep she was literally walking chest deep in years of mud that has been allowed to accumulate in her pen. I dug all of it out over about two weeks except for about 4 square feet of it. It is about 18 inches high. That last 4 square feet, I left in and put a pallet on top of it with carpet on that. I figured that she could use it as a "flood pad" like they do in Washington. There the farmers put hills in the flood fields and the cows climb up on the hills when it floods so they don't drown. The next thing I did was clear out the drainways under the corrugated Tin wall siding on the barn in her pen so the water could drain out the sides when it comes rushing in to the barn during a rainstorm. And I trenched around the outside of the barn so it would run around the outside of the barn and down the hill. I also put some sandbags (well mudbags - feedbags filled with dirt) around the door of his pen to direct the water flow away from the opening to her pen.

Sure enough, it mostly worked. Pecos was high and dry on her pallet this morning! YAY Pecos~!

I don't know who put up the siding, but they put it over the bottom of the concrete so when the rain comes in, it's got nowhere to go. The floor is sloped to allow the rainwater to drain out the sides of the barn, but some idiot put up corrugated and blocked the drainage. There should also be a drainway around the sides of the barn.

I can understand why he got overwhelmed with it, but the Landlord didn't understand the engineering of the barn and has compounded the problem causing it to get worse every year. He has allowed the drainway to get blocked with mud and junk and hasn't kept it clear so the stuff all runs into the barn. Then he blocked the back of each level so it doesn't run from level to level and out the back on the lower side so the mud just keeps building up at the top level and all the nasty crap filters through to the next level.

I would fix it immediately if I had the cooperation of the landlord, but he just stands around and gets angry at me for doing it. He makes sarcastic remarks and tells me how useless it is. Then he blows up at me and one day got threatening about it. So I just fixed Pecos' pen because I couldn't watch him suffering any more. I think I'll just work on each pen, one at a time. If I keep working away at it until I move out, at least the problem will gradually get better. He is bound by a sense of frustration and has virtually given up. It makes me sad. I've seen pictures of this farm when they got it. It was beautiful. That's what alcoholism does to people. It robs them of their drive and sense of purpose.

 

[marlowmanor]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

[Queen Mum]

Thanks!

My grandchildren called me this morning and sang Happy Birthday on the phone before going to school. It made my day! This adds more smiles!

 

[Queen Mum]

OK, I think Jelly Bean is a better name for the new little goat in Mama's paddock. She reminds me of a Jelly Bean. She came into the barn yesterday to have breakfast out of the rain and now she is eating out of a feed bucket. She is very shy, but I think she will eventually get over that. She's already looking MUCH better. I love it when the goats start to brighten up and settle in. She seems like a calm little girl.

Brownie was very happy and capricious today. She was hopping around and looking very youthful. When I came into the paddock this evening she was leaping around for joy. Jumping off of rocks and kicking up her little hooves. She looked quite pleased about something. She has taken to coming up behind me and nudging me gently to get head rubs. Then if I don't respond she grabs the hem of my shirt and gives it a tug. She won't let go until I rub her on the head. Then she leans against me with the most satisfied look and closes her eyes. Brownie is very tactile. I really enjoy those quiet moments with her.

I took Ian and the boys out to graze today too. They are getting kind of thin. They need more grazing time. They just aren't getting enough to eat up with the older bucks.

 

[Queen Mum]

I Love to make cheese! So far I have aging in my closet (in a foam cooler) 5 pounds each of Cheddar, Gouda, Robiola and Asiago. I also have 7 pounds of Feta Cheese. In the refrigerator is 3 pounds of Camembert, a pound and a half of Feta/Garlic/herb cheese spread. One pound of mystery/ Sara made up italian style cheese. And something, that I made and can't remember, but it's really yummy, grated spaghetti cheese.

I can't decide what to make next! Romano, Swiss, Gruyere, Roquefort, Gorgonzola or Stilton.

 

[Ms. Research]

Congratulations on your successful cheese making. You are making me No opinion on what you should make next. Looking forward to what you decide.

And Happy Belated Birthday!