rachels.haven's Journal

[Ridgetop]

No. Nope. Uh-uh. Don't even want to know what that kind of cold feels like.

Me either Bay! I figure the only time for that is when they bury me. Or I could be cremated . . . . ?

 

[farmerjan]

One of the reasons that I like Va as opposed to Vermont.... We get the cold and snow, but in small doses most of the time. I like winter for a little bit. I like the slow down, quit the growing/gardening season....take a break from all the push to get the work done...... the cold "stay in the house except for necessary things" weather.... I just don't want to have it for months on end..... I had wanted to go to Vermont when I was younger, and had looked into buying out a guy who did AI on farms.... but couldn't make it pencil out. I mean, I had spent a good part of my life in Vt with family and at a place where our family owned property..... I loved it up there.... but the winters are daunting, and then with having friends in Va, I came south and liked the western part of the state with the Blue Ridge mountains.... 4 seasons, but the winters are shorter and not as severe... the growing season is about 4-6 weeks longer than up there and the mountains do help to keep down the sweltering heat that they get in the eastern part, like where @Mini Horses is. I don't like the cold rain/icy weather, but..... that's part of it. So I came south permanently......
Due to the mountains, we do have a later frost date in the spring, and an earlier killing frost in the fall, then just 75 miles east, but we have some nice weather, and the summers are not as hot or humid as further east.
The NC mountains in the western part of the state also have some nice weather.... and they have actually had more snow the past couple of years than we have....storms have stayed to the south many times.... but again they get rid of the snow quicker and the winters are shorter.
Nope, I'm too old for that kind of weather anymore. Especially since I have been down here, my blood is "thinner" than it was and I have no interest in going back into that kind of cold even though that is where my roots and heritage is.

 

[rachels.haven]

I had 20 minutes before DH had to start an interview to go do the animals and I come out to 40lbs Ava's Lavender pushing out a bubble under the hay feeder on the fence, so I ran in and grabbed the towel I left out for this purpose. When the bubble burst the kid was presenting with only a head, so I reached in and pulled a foot out and delivered-a buckling, 3 pounds, 7 oz. The next thing out was a good, right way up in the bubble, so I worried less. She was preoccupied with baby one, so there was a little time she wasn't pushing. Eventually she pushed out the baby...and the sack just hung there with gravity not enough to make it drop or pop the bubble. So I popped it, and got it out of the bubble that was just hanging there, and much to my dismay it was a premie buckling with no teeth, no voice, undershot jaw, weighing in at one pound seven ounces. So with the towel I dried buckling 1 off with freezing stiff, I grabbed a puppy pad and stuffed the little guy in my coat-mom didn't want it. Mom also doesn't want to let baby nurse. *sigh*

So I strawed the spare stall and divided it off from the main stall, milked uncooperative mom from her cat teat sized teats (she has almost no milk and wasn't uddered up, so we get what we can and wait, I guess) and attempted to bottle buckling 1 in the house, assuming buckling 2 is a goner. Buckling 1 got some and stopped shaking and didn't feel cold any more so I stuck him in a box. Buckling 2 was an ice cube and struggling to breathe and slowing down so I did the "baby in a bag in hot water" trick until he wasn't ridgid anymore.

Then I preheated the oven to 125, turned it off and stuck him in while I took his brother out out to screaming mom. He wasn't done cooking anyway. When I came back in he was properly cooked so he got a dribble/drowning of colostrum in the mouth then I put him back in and I went out to try to get his brother to actually nurse. When I came back he was sitting up, so I gave him the rest of the bottle (HE DRANK!)

Then I went up to check on baby human, who had fallen asleep with my husband, the interview was canceled, and now I have a baby goat in a box and possibly another coming inside if it doesn't get it together with it's dam. The stimulation should help get the milk running, I hope. Both bucklings will need it.

Happy 145 days since I put Durango in the breeding pen as a cleanup buck. My baby is going to sleep and the buckling is asking for more food. I need to go look up how much he's supposed to have.

Snow is now flying. They're saying 16+ inches.

 

[rachels.haven]

 

[Ridgetop]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Quick thinking & action!!!

Take a sock and cut head and leg holes in it for the preemie. It will help keep him warm until his hair grows in more. Don't worry abut the weird jaw, it could be because he is a preemie and once he grows a bit it might be normal. Since he is drinking you will probably be able to save him.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Awesome save there @rachels.haven ....I don't know how you do it, new baby, kids, human kids ....SNOW. .....you rock mom

 

[farmerjan]

YES You are pretty amazing. Hope the little one makes it.... and if momma keeps being a B#$@H she needs to leave...... isn't she the one you were wavering over????

 

[rachels.haven]

Yep. She is Avalon spawn, lol.

 

[rachels.haven]

Oh poop. If I go back to bed, will it go away? Also, Bailey and the goats would like to speak to the manager...

While I complain about snow over the top of my boots creeping up the legs of my overalls and down those boots, the poor dog is up to her belly, so I really have nothing to complain about. Regardless, this sums up how I feel. Bailey and the dwarf goats could probably add a few more

No new baby goats, and you'd never guess it but Phil saw his shadow.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Always a reminder of why I moved to a warmer climate....NOOOO SNOW ....maybe next move will be to a friendlier climate for you and your family, , sending you WARM hugs