Goats&moregoats: KickinUpDust Farm Journal

[goats&moregoats]

So it didn't take long at all for Juniper to take to the bottle. This morning she took 20 oz, this evening she took 30 oz. Settling right in. Cleaned their barn today and put down fresh bedding.

Also finally got started on the main barn this afternoon. Felt good to be out at the barn taking care of business again. Hoping to finish that up Monday. Tomorrow afternoon is the adult goats. That is late afternoon as I will be attending Church in the am after chores. I am expecting the adults to take the better part of the rest of daylight, then feeding the babies again.

I did get out to visit my friend Sandy. She is holding up so well under the circumstances. We visited for two hours and then ran a couple of errands. Home, Doreen had lunch and took a nap.

I am definitely tired tonight, but in a good way.

You all would have been like watching me feed four kids by myself. It was quite comical. However, I did manage to hold four bottles at the same time. I am still wondering how I did it myself. All of them are quite pushy about the whole thing.

So here is Juniper taking her first bottle.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Glad ya are getting back into the swing of things....ya sure deserve some happiness and a reason to Smile again....

 

[goats&moregoats]

Well Ginger is giving me a time. She won't come close enough to grab those horns. I do not want to get into a chase with them as it will only further frighten them. Sage will come to get a pet for a few seconds. Anything suspicious and they are both off like rockets. I am going to spend as much time as possible in the pen this week. Just sitting, walking around & petting Sage as much as possible. Hoping by the weekend Ginger will at least come closer. The weather here permits it this week. I'll pick up some crackers to offer her as treats, or slice up and apple or two.

@Southern by choice: These are rough weights as the babies kept dancing on and off the scale as I weighed each of them. Do these look ok? Also trying to get their birth weights.

weighed at 2 pm about half way between am & pm feeding.
Boys
Winchester: 5 weeks 4/20 25.4 lbs.....Rio: 4 weeks 4/20 23.8 lbs
Girls
Nutmeg: 4 weeks 2/20 18.8 lbs Juniper: 4 weeks 4/21 18.4

Definitely eating grain & hay. They eat pellets in between their bottles even. Pellets & hay are available 24/7

Also about how much pellets should the older does get. They are dry and 2 yrs old. Ginger appears a little under weight to me. Sage looks pretty good.

Pics of little ones.

 

[CntryBoy777]

We had a time with a couple of ours when we first got them, too. I would cut some sweet gum branches and take them into them and stand with them while they ate....I would slide my hand closer to them and hold the branch and let them touch me without me reaching out towards them. I know green leafing branches are a bit scarce up there for ya this time of year, but maybe some cedar or other greenery would work for ya too.....if ya are using treats, put a few out away from where ya are so they can be drawn to it to check it out and ya can see if they like it or not....if they do, then just keep moving them closer to ya til they are stretching those lips and tongues to get them from your hand....it won't be long before ya will have them running to ya and begging ya for attention....they sure look good to me and it is good to hear ya having interaction with animals once again....

 

[Southern by choice]

I was scrolling back a few pages... sadly I haven't been on much and really miss my BYH peeps. As I scrolled back I saw your visit with your grandkids.
Words really cannot express the feelings I had when I saw them. Still have tears in my eyes. But that of joy! So very happy that you are able to have contact and interaction with them.
You are an exceptional grandma! I could just hug you! You have endured the pain, embraced the hurt... yet you have carried forth.
You are a woman of strength!


I just had to say that before getting to goats!

The goats look amazing! Their weights seem fine. As long as they are growing well and eating you are good! I am also very happy you are able to have goats again!

 

[Bruce]

I know green leafing branches are a bit scarce up there for ya this time of year.

Now THERE is an understatement!

 

[CntryBoy777]

I thought it showed "Sensetivity" and "Understanding" by not asking...but knowing the conditions of the region she lives in....we have leaves on the trees here already, but up that way it will still be a bit.....

 

[Bruce]

I know you didn't need to ask We should have leaves budding out in about 2 weeks. Full baby leaves a week later. I see the garlic I planted in October is coming up as are some of the flower bulbs. Touching 70°F today, windows open for the first time since ... well I don't know, maybe sometime in Sept or Oct.

 

[Baymule]

It's 45* here this morning. Crazy!

 

[goats&moregoats]

So Rio is getting really pushy about his bottles. If he finishes his first then he attempts to bite the others on their noses to get them to release theirs. I have nicknamed him Brute. Upon saying this, his cap fell of his budded area and it appears that his were not done correctly on one side. He is developing a tiny new growth of a horn. Contacting someone who disbuds (as I do not do my own) to see if they can redo it. I do not need a grown Brute with horns of any kind. Will get a picture of that later today(I will try). He did however get full at 25 ounces today at 5 weeks tomorrow. Nutmeg is 5 weeks tomorrow as well, Juniper is 5 weeks on Sat. and Winchester is 6 weeks tomorrow. At 7 weeks I will start cutting the amounts back each week until they are weaned. They all eat pellets really good. Hay is more nibbling still.

Another rainy day here in Central Vermont. Doesn't prevent somethings from still having to be done. I need to clean out the babies barn today for sure. Plus wash out water buckets. I was glad the heated buckets could be put away finally. It also looks like I can finally turn the outside water hose back on. That will be a tremendous help. No more carrying water from the house. Good thing I only have a few to water. I also have a kennel that needs to be cleaned and put in the hay barn for storage. If I can get a hold of the does, I could do all that I need to do with them as the stand is in the front of the hay barn so we would be under cover. Also could do more on the main barn. I only would be in the rain when dumping the cart and it would be cool enough for that kind of physical labor. Hmmm...toss up between those and house work....who wants to guess what I will choose to do? Any woo....time to get something done.

@Southern by choice , Thank you for your kind words. The struggles have been real for sure, but isn't that what people do, get knocked down and then get back up. Some of us even pray while we are down on our knees. Seriously though, there are people out there that have it far worse than I do. I also have had two people who now refuse to sell me Nigis because I did not provide forever homes to the previous ones I purchased. They didn't care the reason or that I actually offered them back to them first. Those people I pray for. I pray that they never have to re-home their babies and find out that it really does hurt.
Question: Because these breeds have a season for breeding can the two boys stay with the girls longer. The Nigis I separated at 8 weeks. Was hoping they could be together until like end of June or mid July. I guess I am a bit nervous about the younger ones going in with the horned does. They maybe quite large enough at 8 weeks. I would supervise at first anyways.


@CntryBoy777 , I have a few pines around that I can thin out a little. I took grapes out yesterday. Ginger actually took one from my hand, but this morning they both are like, "we are not coming near you..lol) It will happen, just hoping for soon. The babies are needing the pen the older does are in. Their area is fast becoming to small for them. I don't want to turn the girls out in the big pasture until after I get the trimming and copper done along with a lice treatment. I don't know if I will ever catch them then. However, if by this weekend we can't get it done, then I will turn them loose and just wait until I catch them in the barn together. I can shut and lock door and catch them that way. Was just trying to be really gentle about the whole process. Just may have to for go that(waiting for them to be comfortable with me) for now and spend a lot of time with them this Spring & Summer.

Rio
Winchester & Juniper
Nutmeg(she had to move)

right after bottles this am.