JerTheVintner
Ridin' The Range
Hi, I am new to BYH and have 3 little ND does that are probably all pregnant because they have been running with my little buck Pippin since August and he just loves them all the time. Pippin just had a little visit from the emasculatome which resulted in him walking on tiptoe for a few days and he has definitely calmed down and stopped peeing on his head since then, so I am hoping he doesn't need to go visit the vet for a little surgical solution to the problem.
The ladies are Merry, Sam, and Frodo (yes my boys were big Lord of the Rings fans and they got to name the goats). Frodo is definitely pregnant as I can feel the little buggers squirming around inside her. I have been able to feel what could have been gas or a kick inside Merry. Sam has the digestion of a cement mixer and I couldn't tell if she were pregnant unless she delivers some kids. My guess is they are probably due sometime in late February or early March depending on their cycles. Pippin and Merry are from different lines and breeders, while Sam and Frodo are sisters. Merry and Pippin are very friendly and love to be with me. Frodo and Sam were never handled as kids and they are quite skittish until I catch them and get them on my lap. Then they settle down and enjoy being held. Both Sam and Frodo had very long coarse coats, but now both of them are extremely soft. I don't know if that is a winter coat or a maternal thing.
We are in Northern Cal and the weather is mild here. They share a barn with 9 hens and a rooster. They have an outdoor shelter that has a goat feeder built in and a shelf with fresh hay. In the little barn they have a shelf to sleep on but usually sleep underneath it or under the hens' roosting boxes.
The plan, providing all goes well is to keep Pippin as a wether and keep any news doelings and one buckling, and find new homes for Frodo and Sam once they have weened their kids. We have two enclosed areas for the goats, one for the bucks and one for the does, but all have been living together up until now. All the goats are allowed to free range for an hour or two each morning in the vineyards. I feed them an 80/20 alfalfa/pasture grass mix with around a half of a cup of grain each twice a day. I have been giving them Molly's Immunity Tincture this winter and it has helped with Sam's cough (I think Sam was a heavy smoker at one time).
I will let everyone know how the pregnancies progress. I am of a mind to let nature do its thing as much as possible and only get involved if any of the does lives are endangered. I will try to take some goat booty pics as we get closer kidding. Here are pictures from a month ago of Merry (brown) and Pippin, and another of Frodo by herself.
The ladies are Merry, Sam, and Frodo (yes my boys were big Lord of the Rings fans and they got to name the goats). Frodo is definitely pregnant as I can feel the little buggers squirming around inside her. I have been able to feel what could have been gas or a kick inside Merry. Sam has the digestion of a cement mixer and I couldn't tell if she were pregnant unless she delivers some kids. My guess is they are probably due sometime in late February or early March depending on their cycles. Pippin and Merry are from different lines and breeders, while Sam and Frodo are sisters. Merry and Pippin are very friendly and love to be with me. Frodo and Sam were never handled as kids and they are quite skittish until I catch them and get them on my lap. Then they settle down and enjoy being held. Both Sam and Frodo had very long coarse coats, but now both of them are extremely soft. I don't know if that is a winter coat or a maternal thing.
We are in Northern Cal and the weather is mild here. They share a barn with 9 hens and a rooster. They have an outdoor shelter that has a goat feeder built in and a shelf with fresh hay. In the little barn they have a shelf to sleep on but usually sleep underneath it or under the hens' roosting boxes.
The plan, providing all goes well is to keep Pippin as a wether and keep any news doelings and one buckling, and find new homes for Frodo and Sam once they have weened their kids. We have two enclosed areas for the goats, one for the bucks and one for the does, but all have been living together up until now. All the goats are allowed to free range for an hour or two each morning in the vineyards. I feed them an 80/20 alfalfa/pasture grass mix with around a half of a cup of grain each twice a day. I have been giving them Molly's Immunity Tincture this winter and it has helped with Sam's cough (I think Sam was a heavy smoker at one time).
I will let everyone know how the pregnancies progress. I am of a mind to let nature do its thing as much as possible and only get involved if any of the does lives are endangered. I will try to take some goat booty pics as we get closer kidding. Here are pictures from a month ago of Merry (brown) and Pippin, and another of Frodo by herself.