RainySunday
Ridin' The Range
Well, with two weeks-ish to go until the due dates start, it's time to get ready to cheer on the RainySunday girls for 2012! This will be out first real kidding "season," as last year, we bought Peekaboo bred and she is the only one who kidded for the year. This year, all four are bred and we've felt kicking on all of them. We are about as ready as we can be, and I have people on call for human kid help, as well as goat help (I know they can do a lot on their own, but I love to be there, and we plan to pull and bottle again this year). I wouldn't mind my 4.5 year old being out there with me, but the 22 month old still likes to put stuff in his mouth...he isn't allowed to walk the goat pen unsupervised, lol.
First up is Lindy (Mustang Creek Lindsay), she will be two at the beginning of March, and she is a FF. Her 150 days due date could be as early as 2/29, but is more likely in the 3/4-3/16 window. I don't have any recent pictures, because she is a spaz on the stand (that's going to be fun
), but here are some from the summer.
Next up is Amber (Mustang Creek Amber), she is almost six and has kidded several times before. She usually has 1-2 kids. We bought her in milk last year, and she stayed in milk for about 8 months before drying off. I am curious to see what she'll do this year with being milked consistently from the beginning; she had just about weaned her kids last year when we bought her, and had only been milked once. Her orifices are pretty small, but she is pretty good on the stand. Her 150 days are between 3/4 and 3/16. Pictures:
(From last weekend)
Next is Peekaboo (Northern Fork Bog Peekaboo), she is the doe who kidded here last Memorial Day, and we kept one of her twin boys as a breeding buck (he didn't get any action this time around though). She will be 3 in March. She has incredible udder texture, but didn't keep up her production very long, so we are going to see what she does this time around, hopefully she lasts longer. She is also at 150 between 3/4 and 3/16. Here are pictures:
(From last weekend)
(Udder from a couple days after kidding last year)
Last, we have Ali (Mustang Creek Alibi), she is our herd queen and will be 6 in March. She has kidded several times before and usually has 1-2. She was in milk for over 10 months when we dried her off, and that was after being milked inconsistently at her previous farm (we bought her in milk), so I am excited to see what she will do this year. Her 150 could be in the same 3/4-3/16 window, but she was in raging heat after that and we put the buck back in with her for a bit and they bred again, so her likely due date would be 4/8. We also felt kicking from her baby well after we'd been feeling the others, and her udder isn't doing much yet, so I think she really will be towards the later due date. Pictures:
(from last weekend)
All four does are bred to our buck, Sunday (he is being registered, paperwork was sent in, as Rockstar Ranch Sunday Stroll). He has blue eyes, so we could have several blue eyed babies (and Ali is blue eyed, so nearly a guarantee there). But more importantly, he has an awesome dairy look to him, and the udders is his lineage are incredible (his dad is Old Mountain Farm Frankincense). Very excited to see what he throws! Here is an old picture of him (much bigger now, lol):
First up is Lindy (Mustang Creek Lindsay), she will be two at the beginning of March, and she is a FF. Her 150 days due date could be as early as 2/29, but is more likely in the 3/4-3/16 window. I don't have any recent pictures, because she is a spaz on the stand (that's going to be fun
), but here are some from the summer.
Next up is Amber (Mustang Creek Amber), she is almost six and has kidded several times before. She usually has 1-2 kids. We bought her in milk last year, and she stayed in milk for about 8 months before drying off. I am curious to see what she'll do this year with being milked consistently from the beginning; she had just about weaned her kids last year when we bought her, and had only been milked once. Her orifices are pretty small, but she is pretty good on the stand. Her 150 days are between 3/4 and 3/16. Pictures:
(From last weekend)
Next is Peekaboo (Northern Fork Bog Peekaboo), she is the doe who kidded here last Memorial Day, and we kept one of her twin boys as a breeding buck (he didn't get any action this time around though). She will be 3 in March. She has incredible udder texture, but didn't keep up her production very long, so we are going to see what she does this time around, hopefully she lasts longer. She is also at 150 between 3/4 and 3/16. Here are pictures:
(From last weekend)
(Udder from a couple days after kidding last year)
Last, we have Ali (Mustang Creek Alibi), she is our herd queen and will be 6 in March. She has kidded several times before and usually has 1-2. She was in milk for over 10 months when we dried her off, and that was after being milked inconsistently at her previous farm (we bought her in milk), so I am excited to see what she will do this year. Her 150 could be in the same 3/4-3/16 window, but she was in raging heat after that and we put the buck back in with her for a bit and they bred again, so her likely due date would be 4/8. We also felt kicking from her baby well after we'd been feeling the others, and her udder isn't doing much yet, so I think she really will be towards the later due date. Pictures:
(from last weekend)
All four does are bred to our buck, Sunday (he is being registered, paperwork was sent in, as Rockstar Ranch Sunday Stroll). He has blue eyes, so we could have several blue eyed babies (and Ali is blue eyed, so nearly a guarantee there). But more importantly, he has an awesome dairy look to him, and the udders is his lineage are incredible (his dad is Old Mountain Farm Frankincense). Very excited to see what he throws! Here is an old picture of him (much bigger now, lol):
be able to get some more pictures. All the girls have udders getting bigger! We are within a week or so of the earliest possible kidding date, I'll see what Lindy looks like today, but realistically, I expect her to be in the 2/29-3/16 grouping. Later today we are going to head out and round up kidding kit supplies that we need to replenish. I will post new pics if any turn out ok.
