Dogs, waiting on breakfast

Just look at these guys. They're waiting on breakfast. It was raining this morning so they all got to eat in the kitchen. Stella, the one in front, usually eats in the kitchen, while Bubba and Sophie eat out on the steps. I have to keep Stella in while I go feed the rest of the animals so she doesn't shale things up out there. These dogs are a mess. But I love them.

 And outside is Sybil  the cat, waiting on her breakfast too. I have 6 cats outside. They eat in the "cat room", which is next to the kitchen. There is a huge chest freezer out there that they had to have built that room around, because there is NO way to get it out. So the cats eat up on it. And I store my bread grain in it.

So happy weekend to you all!

Who's the oddball?

Can you spot the oddball in this picture. Well, there are 2, but the biggest oddball.

If you said the big ram, you'd be right. I had to move Abraham back here with the goats because the sheep are getting ready for lambs. And I didn't want him around when that happens. Does anyone with sheep leave the rams in all the time? Or the bucks? I have always taken the bucks and rams away from the ewes and does. I made that mistake one time with a doe that had just had kids and the buck would not leave her alone. It was horrible. I have never done it since. So I thought it best to move Abraham from the ewes now. He is SO lonely and misses the girls so much. But he's doing ok with the goaties.

Boundaries

Sheep are constantly teaching me things. I learn something new just about every day with these guys. They are so different from goats. But there are a lot of similarities too. They all need boundaries. As we do too. It just helps us along the way. And keeps us all safe. If we didn't have boundaries, we'd be in a really big mess.

So, I have been having a time getting the sheep from this side of the yard to that far side without them all going crazy and running all over the yard, trampling my flower beds and eating my bushes, while I'm running around trying to get them all to where I wanted them to be in the first place. It just wears me out. So they have been staying over on this side of the driveway, where there isn't much for them to eat right now. When they could be over in the big pasture where there is actually some green grass to eat.

I was laying in bed yesterday morning, thinking. I came up with this. I had this piece of fence that was the perfect length to stretch from this end of the gate to the apple tree, with a smaller piece for a small gate. They just had to get over there. Which they did, with no problem at all! Just follow the fence line and there they all went, smooth as honey. And I fixed it to where all I have to do is take the fence down and we can drive over it. This will also keep the bad dogs from getting to the gate when people come and opening the gate and jumping all over nice cars. And people.

And the sheep are happy and so is this shepherd. Job well done, if I do say so myself.

NOW, if I could only get those darn goats to stay in their fence! Ha!

Trudy's kids

These are Trudy's kids. They're a little over a week old now. And so darn cute too. And very friendly. I love them. I need names for them too. They are staying outside with Trudy now all day. Kansas made them a little bed of hay and they go right into it at night.

Any cute names for them? The white one is the buck.

Abby's boys

Here's Abby's 2 bucklings. They are SO stinkin' cute! The one she's lovin' on looks exactly like her. Just really handsome bucks.

Abby is having a pretty rough time right now. I've been giving her Red Cell mixed with Calcium pills crushed up. Lots of Karo syrup-brown sugar-soda water. Lots of other things. I did give her a few shots of B complex in her back hip. I am hoping that's why she's hobbling a little on that side. She'll be 11 years old on the 9th of Feb. So I think these will be her last kids. It seems to be taking a lot out of her. She did this with Iris Josie last year too but not as bad after the birth.

These little guys are for sale. Abby is registered and John Henry is waiting on his paperwork to be registered too. I am trying to come up with some names for them. Any ideas?

Phoebe and Ursula

This is little Phoebe. See how she holds her left leg backwards? Well, yesterday, she's walking on it and today it's a lot better. Someone said it could be because her bigger sister might have been laying on her in the womb. She is just the sweetest little girl ever. And has the cutest baby cry. Her sister is quiet. But not this one!











And this is the bigger doeling. I decided to name her Ursula, after the show Friends. Phoebe and her twin sister Ursula. I think the names fit perfectly. This girl is about half the size of Phoebe. And looks all Boer. She's a doll. And very good.

Penelope is doing great. I had her on the stand last night and this morning and milked out a quart each time. Her udder is AMAZING! And so east to milk. Her teats are a bit too big when she's full so it helps to milk her out some so the kids can nurse easier. But she's going to be a dream to milk. The 2 year wait is well worth it.

Overwhelmed

Do you ever just want to throw your hands up in the air and run as far away as you possibly can? Sometimes I do. I just want to give up. Sell all my animals and everything else. Go start a new life on an island out in the middle of nowhere.

One time not too long ago, I almost did this. I was very frustrated with my whole life. I called a friend and asked her if she wanted my animals or knew someone who would buy them all. She got on the phone and called people and she had every one of my animals sold in a just a few hours. Well, by then, I was so over it. I just cried and cried. There's NO way I could sell any of my sheep or goats. Everything else, yeah. Like chickens or cats. Well, I'd give cats away. I'd have to take Bubba and Stella anywhere I went. And the sheep and goats too.

So I learned my lesson that time. And even my friend told me to wait a good 12 hours when this happens again. Because a lot can happen in 12 hours.

But right now, I am just about sick of sick goats. I have 3 does who have just had kids. All 3 are having problems. Trudy, the newest doe, who I bought already bred, has got the hardest udder ever. She has good milk apparently because I have only had to bottle feed the kids once or twice. And I have been giving her shots and drenches and this and that. Her udder was feeling a little softer yesterday. Then this morning, hard as a rock again. And I got her for a milk goat. HA!

Then yesterday, both Abby and Penelope had their kids at the same time in the same stall. First time for that. SO Abby, who will be 11 in a few days, has been eating like a pig and bloating. I have been drenching her, giving her shots, doing all I can for her. Then she kidded and now she's looking depressed. My friend I call for help said it sounds like ketosis. Good grief! Her kids are doing great and she has tons of milk. She's a great mother. So back to giving her stuff all day.

Then Penelope. Again, good grief! She won't eat now. I brought her to the milk room and milked her out because her teats were rather big and it was hard for her kids to get their mouths around them. I got a quart. SO easy to milk too for a first freshener. But she too looks depressed. I guess maybe a little stunned? I did put her in another stall.

So, when it rains, it pours. Always something around here. Just need to vent I guess. Seems like it's all happening at once right now. My car's transmission is acting up. The wood heater gets all clogged with creosote. Can't use it now. We're broke as usual. And it's so COLD. And MUDDY. and just plain ole nasty outside. And I can't seem to fix my electric fence. Spent half the day yesterday out there doing repairs on the whole fence and looked out there and all the goats were back out in the field. Darn goats.

I'll be fine. I know I am not the only one who's felt like this. Just one of those days.