rachels.haven's Journal

[B&B Happy goats]

Is

lol.
If you're allergic to wheat do not bed a stall down with straw (or even the baby goat box inside). Just as itchy and slightly asthmatic as last year. Plus it's $12/bale.

That $12 for a square bale ? ...hay here is $8, and I complained about that price!

 

[farmerjan]

Try to find some RYE straw. It is a real bright yellow color and is not near as dusty or coarse. I used to get it for my horse years ago, she was midnight black and after a bath before a show, I would bed the stall and she would roll and it would just shine her up more. It is flatter stalks and much more pliable. Might not create an allergy reaction.

 

[rachels.haven]

The two unregistered does I have kidded today within hours of each other. Now we are up to six bucks this year. One buck feels polled and his mom has the softest, easily drained udder I've ever milked and is also polled. Durango, the buck I bred them to also had a dam with a similar udder. Pity the buckling probably going to be a wether.

Chip, the smaller unregistered doe had a tougher time getting the kid out, so I think I'll get her into a no-breed pet situation.

 

[Baymule]

Are your babies in the barn or in the house? I'm not set up for bottle babies in the barn, so my 2 are in the house in a dog crate. I don't keep a heat lamp on them. One of them is a runt, undersized and so small that her mom's teat wouldn't fit in her mouth. They are 5 days old now and doing great.

 

[rachels.haven]

Mine are in the house because they need special attention at their size and I don't want to keep going out to the barn.

Today the heat lamp is outside with the babies that stayed out. The little guy got two buddies to snuggle now because 10 was just too cold so he doesn't seem to need it anymore. One is his size now, but wasn't as weak but again, got too cold.
The other is polled (and he got too cold, lol...but seriously, he started freezing up). The breeder of the unregistered does is going to try to register them as of this morning and if I keep nigerianing I may try breeding in some polled goats because his mother's udder is exquisitely soft and empties so fast and the buck I used had a butter udder mother too, but with bigger teats. Not that it matters at that softness. Or I may just sell him later, who knows? So we have 3 in the house, 2 under a heat lamp in a private stall, and 1 out with Lavender running around because the cold doesn't bother him anyway.

Eri has lost her ligaments, her bag is tight and beautiful, and is positioning babies now. Maybe we'll see some new babies today.

 

[rachels.haven]

Duckers.

I've unfortunately listed the muscovy because bear country is not the place to have duck plosions, I've decided. Which makes me sad, but as long as we're here I don't think it's a good idea. Hatcheries are selling the white ones. If we move I'll start over with them.

 

[rachels.haven]

BIG buck/doe twins for Erie late at night (I'm cotton brained today). I thought we were going to need the vet. Our first doe, and oh man, she is angular and pretty. This doeling I like, and I've never said that about a dwarf. Erie is not a human lover, but she is calm and respectful. Her daughter may be the same way. Eri also has a standard goat udder (and she's about 90lbs...). The doeling is 4 pounds, 3 oz, and the buckling is bigger, more like standard goat size. Poor Erie's bum. That doeling came in as a bottle baby but I left the buckling out because he was so huge and didn't seem phased by the cold. Plus, my does love their bucklings the best anyway. Go figure.
For some reason little undersized Chip thinks she needs to feed ALL the babies in the nursery stall in supplement to their actual mommies, so everyone is eating plenty.
Only Sugar is left to kid. Today is day 144 since durango removal according to the calendar (disregard anything I said on the matter in a sleep previously deprived stupor, I checked the records)

 

[rachels.haven]

...you know, I think I might just pull all the doe kids this year. Coccidia prevention and selling might be easier that way.

 

[rachels.haven]

Sugar kidded with 2 does and a silver buckskin buck and promptly forgot about them and went back to bawling for mommy Ava when I took them away for warming back up even after she'd had several hours to get to know them.

I've decided to sell out of nigerians. One of the boys read me the riot act today. It did take me over half an hour to get half a gallon of colostrum from four goats for the baby goats and milk isn't going to be much faster. The first fresheners are learning very quickly and well behaved.

It will probably be a relief to have three fewer bucks and six fewer does.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Sugar kidded with 2 does and a silver buckskin buck and promptly forgot about them and went back to bawling for mommy Ava when I took them away for warming back up even after she'd had several hours to get to know them.

I've decided to sell out of nigerians. One of the boys read me the riot act today. It did take me over half an hour to get half a gallon of colostrum from four goats for the baby goats and milk isn't going to be much faster. The first fresheners are learning very quickly and well behaved.

It will probably be a relief to have three fewer bucks and seven fewer does.

Pictures please! Can you tie her up or put her in a small pen with the babies so she will recognize them as hers? Maybe put vicks vapor rub on her nose and the kids so they smell right?