goats

[momof23goats]

I have been working all day, and will tomorrow, for the does, as kidding season is about here. the girls, are starting to bag up.
and we have snow coming, oh now, I didn't want babies in th house. so we shall see what happens.
I have a feeling this is going to be a busy year, in a dew days.
I have 15 due in one pen, and 5 in another.

Wow! Thats a lot of goats.... So are you going to change your name to Momof43goats?

:lol:

[momof23goats]

i don't think so. :D It will be interesting how many we end up with for sure.
Kidding season is always fun. Tiring but fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Freeholder]

That's going to keep you busy! I hope all goes well.

I'm still waiting to get my buck back from the friend that borrowed him (she lives a hundred miles away, and recently had a heart attack). My one and only doe was supposed to be bred to kid in late Jan./early Feb., but she didn't and now I'm afraid it's going to be too late to get her bred until fall. Yvonne said she'd loan me one of her milkers, but I don't know when she'll be up here again (normally she comes up once a week). The way things are going, I'm really antsy to at least get my buck back home! I can't afford the gas to drive down to her place, unfortunately.

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

what breed is your doe. most all can be bred in the spring, for fall babies. :D If I lived near you, you could sure on of my boys :D :D .they are always ready willing, and able!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

[Freeholder]

She's mostly Oberhasli, with a little bit of Boer thrown in. I saw her in heat the last week of February, but haven't caught her in heat this month. We'll see, I guess. If I could get her bred for fall kidding, that would be great.

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

Sure, get you buck back, in the next month, and put him in with her, he will bring her into heat probably.
get sept. babies, and milk all winter. and that will be a good blessing for sure.

[Freeholder]

I talked to Yvonne, the lady who has had my buck all winter, and she'll be bringing him up to the goat club meeting on Saturday, so he's coming home, YAY!! I've missed the stinker (he's really sweet -- it's funny, but male goats seem to be more affectionate than the does).

In addition, she's bringing me a milker to borrow until Chalcedony kids again, AND she's bringing me a two-week-old doe kid to raise, sired by my buck. She's payment for the stud fee, as he was bred to several of Yvonne's does. I don't know if Yvonne has named her yet (she's half Oberhasli and half Alpine, and can be registered), so I'll be thinking about names.

And in addition to the goats, Yvonne is also bringing me some rabbits, two does and a buck. So I've got to hurry up and get the cages hung up! That's really a relief, to get all of this stuff taken care of. We'll have milk again, and hopefully 'Sedney will kid this fall for winter milk. And pretty soon we should have bunnies for meat.

Kathleen

ETA: I just went to make hot cocoa for DD, and she was talking about copper pennies -- I think I'll name the doeling Copper -- Victory's Copper (her daddy is Winged Victory). Unless Yvonne brings me one of the black kids, then I think I'll call her Tarnished Silver, LOL!

[momof23goats]

OH I am so happy for you, your getting a baby, and your buck back. that is great.
I lost a set of twins today, i am so upset. I was watering , and I noticed, spring was in the small goat house, then I heard a tiny cry, i was in there in a heart beat, she must have dropped them both, as i was going to get hay. both iof them were crying in the sack. so they got fluid in the lungs and lost them both, I am just sick about that. really sick, i did everything i could do for them, I mean i worked so hard, but lost them any ways. [which i knew i would when I saw them]. really a shame, for sure. not any thing much you can do, if they don't get that sack off them and their faces cleaned up fast. and their mouths, i had a baby thing, and cleaned them out, but it was to late. I could tell by their sounds they had fluid in their lungs.

[Freeholder]

That's too bad, Mom. Did you swing them around? When my wether was born (triplet to Chalcedony) he was breech, and inhaled fluid as he was being born. I had to sling him around in a circle three or four times to get all of it out, but he finally was able to breathe. Now he weighs about two hundred pounds, LOL!

Kathleen

[momof23goats]

Yes I did swing them, then I have a deal to put in the back of their throats, like a section machine, I used that too. but it just didn't work. I felt so bad about it. I have saved a mess of them, buy swinging them, then, using this, but it just didn't work this time.

[Southwind]

I am so sorry MOM. I have lost babies too, and it is always heartwrenching. I hope to have either pygmies or Kinders by fall. We are getting our acre fenced little by little.

[momof23goats]

you know it is hard but the mother, I felt so sorry for her, she just cried, and cried. and I let her tell them good by, she licked them , and cried, and I let her have her time. with them. then she looked at me, and went crying into a different goat house. I just let her go, and i took them out, she knew they were gone .
then today when i went out, she came up and licked me, and rubbed up next to me, gave tons of kisses, and i just went in with a little bucket, and sat down in the chair, and she let me just milk her out, right there, and that was just fine. SO I didn't take her into the milk house, the rest of the gals are due at the end of the month, but because i said that, some one wil make a fibber out of me, and probably deliver.
I had a first time'r last year, and as the babies were being born, she sat, right down, both times. killed them both. and both my hubby and i were in with her, we just could not hold her. I have never seen a goat sit down right on her bottom, but she sure did, we were trying to pull her to her side, but nope she sat on her bottom. so these things just happen. but I hope this is the end of it. I have to loose them for sure. breaks my heart.
I told my vet about the one sitting right on her bottom,. she said she had heard of it before. so I am watching that one this year, the minute she starts her labor, I will have to put her on her side, and hold her there. isn't that odd?
as you can tell, my goats mean so much to me. well, they are spoiled, really bad.