Queen Mum's Kidding Adventure (Up NEXT - JELLY BEAN)

[EggsForIHOP]

What no playpen in the living room? I thought EVERYONE had a goat filled play pen in their living room at night! Blockaded with a laundry basket filled with shoes on top....oh wait...that's just me

Seriously though - why not in the house exactly? You can get playpens CHEAP at thrift type stores and Criagslist and yard sales...I line the bottom with weewee pads, than pine shavings, than hay, and every couple days just roll up the weewee pads and dump that stuff and re-line.

If your place is secure enough, you could even do the playpen on the porch, or close by the front or back door...and maybe that would help to keep them close? Just a thought...

Or build them a temporary thing like we have off of our porch - it's just plastic step in type poles (like for electric fencing) and cheap plastic mesh garden fence zip tied to it - the goats go out there in the daytime and in at night (because I have over protective issues) but it cost about $30 or $40 to throw up and took me like an hour...and for young babies does just fine and can be removed when all the kids are grown (until the madness begins again next year...)

That's just my 2 easiest temporary fixes...just sharing a thought

 

[Queen Mum]

I usually do the playpen thing, or rather a little home built enclosure/playpen with weepads in the kitchen. And then have the babies outside in the front yard in an enclosure during the day where they can't see Mama and she can't see and smell them. I don't like them out at night. Too much chance of a predator or dog snatching them.

 

[redtailgal]

lol, I am the opposite. I wont have livestock in my house. Esp not the goats. They have a barn and they are gonna use it.

Goats can be hard to keep in a fence. Teach them the the house is where the food is, and I'm afriad it would make it even worse!

Funny how we are all so different!

 

[PotterWatch]

lol, I am the opposite. I wont have livestock in my house. Esp not the goats.

I'm with you. My livestock stays outside. When we learned we would have two bottle babies, I was glad to hear people say I didn't have to have them in the house. They were in a dog crate in our garage for a few days until I got an area set up for them in the goat pen. Now they are in the goat pen to stay!

 

[EggsForIHOP]

LOL - I USED to be a "OUTSIDE WITH YOU" person...but then we moved to the boonies...we have lionsandtigersandbearsOHMY!

well...not really...but they are WAY too many coyotes and owls and hawks for my comfort. So babies get to come inside...after all our house IS part barn

(No really...they used a barn to build the middle portion of this place and added on rooms as they went)

 

[PotterWatch]

I used to brood chicks in the house but I'm glad I don't have to do so any longer. I love that there are different options for reaching the same end. We can all do what works best for us!

 

[Queen Mum]

It's not an "attitude thing" it's a matter of practical reality. I don't have a garage, and I don't have a barn where I can keep them separate from the mama and where I have quick access. If I had one, I'd use it. Just don't have one. And when you raise packgoats, it's different than raising regular livestock. They have to be people socialized like a guide dog. If the babies had been separated at birth it would also be different, but that wasn't possible either.

 

[EggsForIHOP]

I don't have a garage, and I don't have a barn where I can keep them separate from the mama and where I have quick access. If I had one, I'd use it. Just don't have one.

After we moved I ended up like that - no more barn, no garage...just WAY more property with WAY more predators! It certainly adds a different level of "challenge" to things that were once easy - like deciding where to house kids. At our old pace we had good "facilities" so to speak...but not enough land. Now I have land for what feels like days and no facilities!

Right now I have the bigger doelings (7 and 6 weeks) out in their "goat tractor" because even at 25 lbs I worry something will cart off my biggest of the 2 like that darn owl that swooped in and stole a chicken MIDDAY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Once the chickens hit the freezer the goatlings were relocated to a scrubbed out disinfected tractor and scooted around the lawn like the chickens Soon enough they'll be big enough for CAE testing and clean results = in with the big girls...until then we are winging it so to speak One day I will have everything I need always at the ready...ONE DAY...

I can't wait until DH and I get things straight around here...of course by then I will change my mind and start re-doing everything

 

[Queen Mum]

Updated pictures of my boys...

Aren't they handsome...

I Hyeon (pronounced EEE H'yun)

And Hyeon Seo (prounounced H'yun Saw)

OK, I came up with names.

I Hyeon's ear straightened right up once I gave him some BoSe. And Hyeon Seo perked up considerably. They both are very calm, easy going boys. Very sweet and gentle and QUIET. I like their temperament.

Brownie's kids are more lively but also much more noisy. However, Brownie, since I took her babies away for a day has gotten a tiny bit better about keeping an eye on her kids. Polka and Dot are just the sweetest girls. Very playful and "happy". Brownie gives TONS of milk in the morning and it is VERY NICE milk. Creamy and sweet. She has a wonderful udder too. Round, straight teats and no "shelf".

 

[bonbean01]

Now aren't they just the cutest little things...awwww Thanks for the pics...can't get enough!