All around the country and back again

This yeast has been all over the country. Traveling with my husband in his big truck. It was quite the mystery too.

I was going to make bread several weeks ago. I always keep the yeast in a container like this in the freezer. It's also the same type containers I put food in for my husband to take with him on the road when he leaves. And I usually pack everything for him , well, because he's a man. But that particular time, he was leaving like very early morning and I just told him where things were.

Anyway, when I went to make bread, I could not find that yeast. Anywhere. I cleaned out the freezer looking for it. It was no where to be seen.

Meanwhile, my husband had called wanting to know what was in that square container with the blue lid. I had no idea. And couldn't figure it out.

It all came together when I had to go pick him up from his truck when he came home. He was handing me stuff from his truck and gave me this container. He said that's what he's been carrying all over the country, not knowing what it was, all this time. And it was my yeast!

I was So happy to have it back. And to know what happened to it. Now I am making bread! And the house smells so good again.

Outside today

(This is Gracie on the left with her 2, Beatrix on left and Tater Tot in the middle. Then Leelah with her little Blossom.)


I let all the new mommas out with their lambs this morning for some fresh air and a little green grass. It was a bit chaotic for awhile, with lambs running around chasing other ewes, asking them if they are their mommas. Then getting butted away. Then finally it all settled down, with the right lambs staying with the right mommas. All is well again.

So just went back out, to take lamb pics. In my long johns. Still haven't gotten dressed. I did have my Carhart jacket on, thank goodness. Because when you go outside wearing pj's to take lamb pictures, people will come to see. And they did. First was the meter reader. Then as he's trying to back down the driveway, in backs the FedEx truck, to bring me my elderberries. So yeah, if ya want company, wear your pj's outside. And of course no make up. And hay in your hair is an added bonus. At least I did have my bra on.

It's not bad out right now. But the weather people say we can have flurries and cooler temps the next 3 days.

Here's Darla with her 2, #8 and #7. Haven't come up with names for them yet. B names this year. Except for Tater Tot. Just because.

Both Darla and Gracie are doing much better.   And the lambs are just too stinkin' precious!

Hmmmm....

So this morning I have no goat's milk for my coffee. What to do? I have to have milk in my coffee. My daughter does not like goat milk so gets store bought milk. I know. A gallon of store bought milk (well, that's actually questionable to say milk) in my fridge. So I tried some. And man, is there a big difference. It does not taste good to me at all. It tastes like sugar water, that's about it.

So today, while I am out, I will go to my friends and get some of her cow milk and some home made yogurt. Because I will not be able to use my goat's milk for about another week while I am treating them for all their ailments. Actually, Penelope is fine, but I will treat her along with the rest of them. I just want them all to be healthy. And I know they will be.

On the way to Florida

Well, these 2 little boys are on their way to Florida right now. I had put ads on CL this morning and had a call almost right away about them. These people were on their way back home to Fla. and wanted to swing by here and get them. So they did. And they are gone now. I am so relieved. I'm sorry that sounds bad, but I really do not like bottle feeding kids, especially bucks. And I am only milking poor little Penelope right now and didn't really have a lot of milk, since she still has Phoebe to feed too. And poor Abby. She is just skin and bones. And so old and tired. It was a mistake to breed her, I know that now. So right now, I can concentrate on getting her back in shape.

Also have a lady from Macon interested in Phoebe and possible Zarah's buckling too! She will come Sunday.

And another guy called about getting Zarah's doeling for his daughter when she's weaned. Plus a ewe lamb too. So cool!

I do love baby goats. But I did say I would not be keeping any this year. And it looks like I won't be. I have 2 more does to kid, but that will be in a few months. Well, Sandy could go sooner. But ZeeBoo is probably only a few months now. And the weather will hopefully be so much better then. I will NEVER breed for early kids or lambs again.

So I feel so much better already. You just don't know. Well, probably, since that's what I have been blogging about. So hopefully, my new posts will be a bit brighter!

Also, Gracie and Darla are eating lots of hay today!! And drinking water again. I wormed all the mothers today with Valbazen. I wish I could let the ewes and lambs out but it's just too nasty and going to be raining and snow flurries for the next few days. Zarah is going outside now and eating grass. And ate grain tonight too! So did Abby. And some apples. She loves apples.

A dog's life

Oh, to just be a dog for a day! What a life.

Just really discouraged right now.

The vet came after lunch today. He has helped me before. I like him. But today, for some reason, I felt like he really didn't know much. We saw Darla first. She's up front in a stall. He went in and felt her. She's a really big ewe. Part Suffolk and Finn. And her wool is at least 8" long right now, so that makes her look bigger. She is probably just skin, bones and wool. Bet she's always the first one to the feed bowls and pushes everyone else out of the way so she gets the most feed. He took her temp. 103. He gave her a shot of Dexamethasone, for pain and is supposed to make her hungry. They got a fecal too, to check for worms. He also said that where there are chickens there is Cocidiosis. I have 4 hens and a roo. They are all over the place. Gracie just had her lambs in the chicken coop, where there is a lot of chicken poop. (And now Gracie is not eating tonight.) I will be getting a bottle of that Dex from the vet.

Then off to see Abby and Zarah out back in the goat barn. First Abby. He took her temp. 97.9. way too cold. He drew blood for blood work. (He called later and her red blood cell count was 16. It would have been way lower but I've been giving her Red Cell.) Also gave her a shot of Dex. I did put a heat lamp on her and wind proofed some more. It's warm in her stall now. Just went out there to check on her. She was up eating hay. She also ate some grain with alfalfa pellets. She also ate an apple and 3 slices of wheat bread this afternoon.

Next was Zarah. He took a fecal from her and also gave her a shot of Dex. He called with her results and said she was loaded with worms. As was Darla. So I am guessing ALL the sheep and goats are loaded with worms now.He also said she has Cocidia. Hmm. He asked me if they got medicated feed. I said no. These are milk goats. We drink the milk. He said they need medicated feed. That this is an on going thing and that would be the best treatment for them. I will check around and see what the bags say about contaminating the milk.

When we were in with Darla, he asked me why I have sheep. It kind of took me by surprise. I couldn't really come up with a great answer then, other than I like them. And I like lamb meat. And I sell it. And I have wool sheep for wool. But it made me think. Why do I have sheep? Why do I have goats? I do ask myself that a lot when I am so busy with them that I don't have time for anything else. Or I can't go anywhere because I have to milk twice a day. Or they all start hollering as soon as I walk out the door. Or they get out and I have to chase them all over the yard. Or they get out and I can't find them. I really don't know why I have these animals. Sometimes I want to leave them all and run away. But then I go out there and sit with them. The sheep just make me happy. They calm me. They talk to me. They can be a little pushy when they are scared. But I think they trust me. They come running when I call them. They follow me. We have a routine. They know me. And I think they like me.

The goats are crazy. They drive me crazy. They do things that make me mad. A lot. I cuss at them sometimes. Yes I do. They are crazy neurotic animals. Totally opposite of the sheep. But I love them too. When they are all fed and milked and happy, then I can go in there and talk to them and pet them and love on them. And they let me. Except Zarah. I have no idea what I have done to that goat, but she will not let me get too close to her. But when she was in labor, she let me rub her back and belly. I was there to pull her big buck kid out for her. But now I have to give her shots and shove big ole syringes full of icky stuff down her throat.  We'll be ok though.

So yeah, he made me think. And sometimes I really couldn't tell you why I have sheep. Or goats. Or cats and dogs. Or even chickens. Because sometimes it's not fun. Or easy. Sometimes I really don't like any of them. But then I go out there and pick up a beautiful little goat kid or lamb. And the momma comes over looking for them and licks their little face. That right there makes it ALL worth it.

Gracie Belle and her sweet lambs

And here is Gracie with her new lambs! The red one is a ram lamb, #9. He looks a lot like her ram lamb from last year, Axel. And the black one is #10, a ewe lamb! She is adorable. And Gracie is such a good mother. Very protective. Every time I'd try to get a picture of both lambs together, she'd get in front of them.

She's doing good so far. I am proud of her. And the lambs are already bouncing around. She had to take the 3rd stall, which is the chicken coop. She had them around 6:30 this morning.

Now Fiona is going to have hers next, hopefully today. I let Leelah out of her stall, and Fiona went right in. So we shall see.

So far, 3 ram lambs and 2 ewe lambs! Not bad for 3 sheep lambing. I had just 5 last year from 5 ewes.

My morning, so far

The phone rang at 6:07. My daughter calls after she's left for work to get me up to get Kansas up and ready for the bus at 6:40. So did that. Came back up the driveway and turned right to go check on the sheep. As I thought she might, Gracie was in the 3rd stall and had just had 2 lambs. Ran to the house to grab more towels and water and feed. Got them both dried off. She had a red ram lamb first, #9. And a cute little ewe lamb that's kind of blackish gray, #10. So right now it stands at 3 ram lambs and 2 ewe lambs!

Went back to check on Darla and Leelah. Leelah is going crazy, baaaing really loud. While I was feeding hay to the others, I saw a white streak fly by. It was #6, out of the stall. Leelah was trying to find her. So got her back in and fed Leelah. Good there.

Looked in on Darla. She's moaning and groaning. Has a really messy rear end. Runny poop. Nasty. She hasn't eaten anything. Just standing there, moaning. So ran inside to the box of goat and sheep meds. Got the Sheep Nutridrench, Cydectin for worming, Pepto for the runs, B Complex shot, LA200 for antibiotic, and Red Cell. Gave her all that. And fresh hay and water too.

Hauled water to everyone else. Then fed the dogs and cats. Got  Penelope, Sandy and Zeeboo on the stanchions to feed them and milk Penelope. One of Abby's buck kids came in and helped himself to the milk bar. So I let him get his milk there and milked the other side. She did not like that at all. Took the milk in and put in a bottle for the other kid. Got them off the stands. Went to check on Abby and Zarah.

So Abby is standing there outside the barn against the wall, with white foamy froth on either side of her mouth. Good grief! Went and got the Red Cell. Gave her some. Took her to the milk room and milked her out. It's really yellow milk. Dumped it. Could be from all the Vitamin B and red cell?

Checked on Zarah. Still hasn't eaten a thing. No grain or hay. Or drank any water. Gave her more Red Cell, fresh water and hay. I had to give her all kinds of stuff yesterday when I saw she wasn't eating.

Then went back to the house and cried. And cried some more. Called the vet at 8:15. He called back in a few minutes. Told him what was going on and I wanted him to come out here as soon as he could. Which he said would be after lunch. Thanks. Hope Darla's not dead by then. More bottle babies for me. Cried some more. Balanced check book to see if I had money to pay him. Yes.

And now it's 9:15. I just had a cup of coffee. It's 58 in the house. Forgot to turn heat on last night, so just did that. I let Leelah and her lamb back out, since she wanted to get out. The other ewes sniffed around her for a few minutes, then went back to eating hay. She's just another one of the flock now. Took more pictures of Gracie's cuties. Will post on another post.

More lamb love

These are Darla's new ram lambs. Born this afternoon. I had to go to town again and when I got back, i noticed Darla in the stall. She was in there this morning too. But then back out in the field when I left. I didn't really think she'd have lambs this early. Anyway, #7 was still wet and covered in slime. So I ran to the house to grad some things. Got back out and was drying him off, when out flew another lamb. I think he came out backwards because he was facing Darla, who was standing up. Strange. So got them both dried off as much as possible. Got them over to the milk bar. They both had some think warm colostrum.

#7 was a little weak. He laid around a lot. I gave him a few squirts of Nutridrench. He looked a lot perkier later. I still had to rub them some more. They were still wet. It sure takes a long time for that wool to get dry.

They are both so cute. #7 is in front and #8 behind him. #8 had a lot more energy than 7 did. He was already trying to bounce.

SO far the 2 ewes to lamb are pretty consistent. Leelah had a single ewe lamb last year. Now Darla with twin ram lambs after a single ram lamb last year. I hope Gracie and Fiona have twins too. So far Leelah is the only animal to have a single. All goats have had twins so far. I have 2 more to kid. And 6 more ewes to go. But 4 will be May or June lambs.

And please remind me to never breed for so early. What was I thinking anyway? It's COLD out there!

So a pretty good weekend here at Outback Farm. With twin kids and a single ewe lamb and twin ram lambs. And we are at 4 bucklings and 4 doelings so far!!!!!!! But we have Sandy to go yet. And she usually has more bucks. Which this year, since I bred her to the Boer buck, I don't mind if she has bucks.

Good night, y'all!

Look at this beautiful sunset tonight! A perfect ending to a great day. 2 goat kids and a ewe lamb, all cute and healthy and raring to go! Good night, y'all! I am tired.

Lamb love

I had a feeling Miss Leelah Belle would have a lamb or 2 today. I remember that her and Zarah were bred the same day.

I had to go to town to get some more hay and when I got back, I counted the sheep, like I always do when I come home, and only saw 7. And Leelah was not one of them. Then I saw her in the middle stall with a little cutie in front of her! And it's a GIRL! Outback farm #6. It's a B year so need some cute B names. I am wanting to keep 2 ewe lambs and I have decided to name one of them Beatrix Belle. But I won't know which one til I see them all. #6 is mostly a hair breed. Leelah is half Katahdin and half Dorper. And she was bred to Alfie, who was Fiona's ram lamb. Fiona is the same as Leelah. Alfie's sire was Earl, who was Hampshire, Suffolk and Finn. So she's got a lot of sheep breeds in her. She's pretty big too. But only a single. Again. I was so hoping they would all have at least twins this time.

I am worn out. Having to go back to the goat barn, through all the slippery mud, hauling water and feed and hay to the new momma. Then up front to the sheep barn doing the same for a new sheep momma. Then loaded and unloaded 32 bales of hay and got them all put away. I am kind of tired.

SO here we go with lambs now! I can't wait to see more of them. Gracie and Fiona and Darla are next. So get ready for some lamb love!

Zarah Belle and her clones

Went out this morning to feed the animals and milk a few goats. Zarah wasn't there, so I figured she had already had kids or was getting ready. And sure enough, there she was in the back corner of the barn, laying down and pushing. I went ahead and put her in the back stall. Did all the chores. Came back out with some feed and warm molasses water and a few towels.

I had to pull that big John Henry Jr. out. Zarah was screaming like a banshee. Why are bucks so big? And of course he had to be first out. So got him out and cleaned off Zarah went over to the other side and looked back, like she was thinking, what the heck just happened here? I kept waiting for more to come out, but she just stood there. I got the buck cleaned and put him over there with her. She started licking him then. I figured that might stimulate the labor again. And then she laid down, I saw another water bag, and plop, out came another kid. And it's a girl!!! Looks just like her grand mother, Abby.

Then I saw another water bubble. But nothing happened. So I got her up and it it broke. Got the kids to the milk bar and the girl latched on. It took awhile for the boy. I had to leave.

So we have a John Henry clone and an Abby clone. Just stinkin' adorable! I'll put an album on my Outback Farm FB page. So if ya want to see some adorable goatie cuteness, come on over there. I'm the one with the sign on the header, in Chickamauga, Ga.

Looking forward

I am done with my whining now. I sounded like a baby. I am now looking forward to nice warm spring days, lots of sunshine and blue skies. Flowers everywhere. And trees with pretty new green leaves all over them. I love bare nekked trees, but I have had enough of them for awhile. I want some leaves now. And I am looking forward to getting my seeds and tilling in the garden and planting the seeds. I am looking forward to seeing new baby plants coming up. And then picking the yummy fresh veggies again. Just to play in some DRY dirt would be great!

I am also going to be getting some bees about the middle of March! I am SO excited. I have a friend who has hundreds of hives and he's ready to downsize soon. I'll be getting 2 nooks (?). And I really am not sure about where to put them. I'll also be taking a bee class in April. There's a blogger not too far from me who is having a workshop. Sounds like fun. I will learn as I go, I suppose. I'll ask the guy I'm getting the bees from where is the best place to put them. And if they are near the gardens, can I mow near the hive? How much noise can they handle? I will soon find out!

And baby lambs will be bouncing all over the place soon! Another sure sign of spring to come. And more goat kids too.

So there are a lot of good things to look forward to. It's not all mud and slime and mess. It'll be better soon!

What are you looking forward too?

Crappy day

This is my arm. Does it look like I just might be a little allergic to sheep? I have 2 of my ewes with cracked hooves. I've been trying to get them trimmed, which means I have to wrap my arms around their necks and try to get the right foot and then get the trimmers and all the other things I need, while trying to hold them still.  Then this happens. Big whelps all along my arms. I wash my hands and arms as soon as I can with soapy water. But this happens every time I have to do anything like this.

I did get some Kopertox from the Co-op after calling the vet just to make sure I was doing all the right things. I still smell like that stuff. And it's supposed to start in raining again. When my friend comes to shear, I am going to do all the trimming of hooves then. It's just really hard to do by myself. I would really love to have a trained Border Collie to help out. (And they are going to lamb in a week or so too.)

Anyway, it's just been one of those crappy days for me. Last night I gave all the kids their CDT shots. Then went out later to put the kids in another stall by their selves for the night. I felt wet on my pants but didn't think anything about it. Just thought it was some urine. But this morning, one of the buck kids has diarrhea. His whole back end is a wet mess, poor thing. I think I must be feeding them too much? The past few days I've been giving them a full baby bottle in the morning and evening. Plus they have been getting some milk from Abby. So tonight I didn't give them a bottle. I just don't know what to do anymore.

And, this morning, I had to get Abby out f the barn to come in to milk her. But she just stood out in the holding area, panting really heavy like a dog. I called the vet. He told me to take her temp. It could be pneumonia. But her temp was only 99.9. Well, he said that was too cold, I needed to get her warmed up. And to give her Red Cell and a shot of B Complex. Did that. Plus she went outside in the sun. And this afternoon, when I got home, she was way up in the back, eating grass, kids hopping all around her. I so wish I could sell these 2 bucks. I just am at a loss as to what to do with Abby. She has a good day, then a bad day. And she looks horrible too. And, I have noticed when she poops, there is a lot of grain in the poop, like she's not digesting it all.

So any advice or suggestions about any of this?

More milk

I didn't put the kids up the night before last. I didn't feel too well. But I did last night. This is Penelope's milk this morning. Some of Abby's is in the bottles. I added some of P's milk to them to feed the boys.

The family that wants Ursula is going to go ahead and get her probably tomorrow. I am probably going to keep Phoebe. I'll be getting Trudy's buck kid when he is weaned. So I will use him to breed any Boer cross does next year. I think this is what I'll be doing. Not totally sure about it though. I have hopes of selling goat meat soon. There are several people interested in it. So we shall see. I read that if a buck and doe with elf ears are bred together, they will have kids with ears. I really want to see if this happens, since both Phoebe and this little buckling have elf ears. Also, Phoebe is polled, so I want to see if she's carry the polled gene in here like Penelope does. So a little experimenting going to go on here at Outback Farm soon.

I am ready to be back in the milk business. I have had one person from last year calling to see if i'll have milk this year. And there are 4 others too. Plus my daughter wants to start drinking goat milk for her digestion. She was at church last Sunday and the preacher talked about goat milk. Saying he knew someone who had horrible stomach problems, ulcers, I think. He found some raw goat milk and drank that for 3 months stright and went back to his doctor and it was all gone. So she wants to try it herself. I already know it's trua and it works!

How does this happen?

I have been wanting to clean out my cabinet that holds all my little storage containers for the longest time. It's been a mess. So how does this happen? Who is taking all the bottoms to all these tops? Where are they? Does someone have a bunch of tops with no bottoms and they come into my house at night and take all the bottoms and leave the tops? I have no idea where all the bottoms are. And I have at least 50 tops to nothing. So what do I do? Save them in hopes that one day they will be brought back to me? Or throw them all away? Then I will have a bunch of bottoms with no tops soon. It just never ends.

So does anyone have a bunch of bottoms that need tops? Would you like me to send these to you?

I am off to clean out the horrible messy stinky regions of the refrigerator now. If I don't come back here soon, I have fallen into the depths of the fridge, never to be seen again. It's been fun!

First official milking this morning.

This is Penelope this morning. I put all 4 kids up in a stall last night so I could milk in the morning. Abby too. This is what Penelope looked like. I milked out almost a half gallon! And left some for the kids too. Very impressive for such a small doe and a first freshener too. Her teats go forward a bit but I don't mind at all. She is very easy to milk and pretty fast too.




And this is after milking. You can see her teats now.

The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind...

the answer is blowing in the wind.

Saturday, clothes blowing in the very strong wind. I had to go outside several times to chase sheets. Once out in the field next door. But they were dry in a few hours. Now, we haven't had rain in 4 days straight! So hopefully we shall dry out too. (And I love that song.)

Good to the last drop.

Well, that must have been really good. Abraham got the last of the warm molasses water this morning. And got his head stuck in the bucket! John Henry thought it was pretty funny!

The Peepers are back!

Way over to the North of my farm across the pasture, is a pond tucked into the woods. It's really swampy in there. And full of cattails. But really cool in the summer, with nice big rocks to sit on. The dogs love it there too. You can see Stella over to the right going in for a swim.

So I was reading in the Almanac that the Peepers will be out in full force the first few weeks in Feb. And they sure are! I love that sound. It's really loud too, but sounds so cool.

Some new goats?

I went out to the milk room for something later this morning and found this. I don't mind that they clean up the left over grain, as long as they don't poop on the stanchion. That is SO nasty! But these girls were doing a good job. Since I haven't been feeding the 4 hens and 1 roo any grain, they've been sneaking in here to get some. That's ok though. I'll just need to check inside this feeder to make sure they don't leave anything behind. The goats will not like that at all.

Happy weekend!

I wish I knew how to link up with another blog, but I'll just do it this way for now. Amanda Soule does this on Fridays, called This Moment. Here is my wish for you all. A peaceful wonderful weekend.

What is this??

While on my walk today, I came across this strange think. Back up the hill a little further, there was an old torn up tree stand. I walk back there a lot but not since last spring. It was not there then. I almost ran into it. It's just really strange. A soda bottle hung up in the tree with black electrical tape, upside down. I have no idea what it would be there for. No idea. There were no holes that I could see. The top is also taped so nothing would get out. But there was nothing in it as far as I could tell.

Hello

This was so cute! I was out there with the goats and the sheep all came around the house. Ursula went over to say hello to them. Phoebe did too a little after this. I love my sheep and goats!

It's been a beautiful day. I went for a walk out back. All the way around. Probably over a mile. Ended up at the old house next door. I put 3 new albums up on my Outback Farm FB page if you'd like to see them all. I can't put all those pictures up here. My FB has a picture of my Outback Farm sign, in Chickamauga, Ga. There seems to be about 5 other Outback Farms besides mine.

So it's been really quite here since Iris and Brie left last Saturday. I really miss them. But not enough to want them back. All the other goats have been SO good and have stayed inside the fence!!. I am so happy about that. So I guess they were the instigators all along. And such young goats too. I hope they are being good at their new home.

So what are y'all up to on this most beautiful day? It's supposed to be like this through Friday, then maybe some colder weather with snow flurries? Ugh. I just want this place to dry up!

Slimey ooey-gooey farm mud

Well, this about sums up what every square inch of my farm looks like these days. Slippery, slime, ooey- gooey farm mud. And to top that off, it's Georgia clay. So everywhere I have to go looks like this. But actually this is not too bad compared to what the rest of the place looks like. I just didn't want to gross you out this early. It's pretty bad out there. And I am usually worn slap out by the time I haul hay and feed and water to goats and sheep and dogs and cats. It's worse than walking in deep sand at the beach. I really should invest in some cleats or snow shoes. Something with leverage. Something that would keep me from slipping the whole way to where I'm headed.

So I am dreaming of some really dry solid ground, really soon. I do have stepping stones and boards down on most of the paths that the sheep and goats walk on. Just because goats hate getting their feet wet. It doesn't seem to bother cute little baby goats much though. They're so much like real kids, that stop at every puddle to splash. Just a little too cute. But I am so ready for dryness.

Flies

I heard not too long ago, that when we start to see flies in winter, we'll have an early spring. Well, I guess it should be spring right now. Because I have been seeing flies for about a month now. I just killed 2 at once! Love when that happens. Flies are just one of those annoyances in my life that drives me crazy. If there is one fly in my house, I cannot sit still until it's dead. I will follow that fly all around this house til I get it. They absolutely drive me crazy. Seriously, you can ask anyone in my family. And it seems that flies love company too. There are more flies when there are people over for Sunday dinner. All over the place. I can't even eat.

So, where is spring??? Bring it on!

Is she or isn't she? Hmmm...

So here is Sandy. From this angle she does look like she has a pretty good size bump going on there. She is a goat who will not have a full udder til almost right before she kids. So I can not tell by looking at her udder. But she does look pretty heavy underneath from the side view. I am SO hoping she is pregnant. But since she was so finicky about getting bred, I have no idea when she'd be due now. There were several times I knew she was in standing heat and I'd take her and Arlo into the stall together and I SAW Arlo do the deed. But then she's go right back into heat 21 days later. I don't know if she was just fooling around or what. I don't really think she liked the little guy. She always ran from him. I know he's got the goods because Penelope's kids are for sure his kids. No way they could be John Henry's kids.

So, here I go with the guessing game. In all the years I have had this goat, she is ALWAYS the LAST goat to kid. Abby was usually the first, then Sandy was the last. So we shall see. And I so hope that these will be Arlo's kids. IF she is pregnant at all. She could just be getting to that age where it's going to be hard to get her bred. I have been reading on a few other blogs about goats being bred a number of times and not getting pregnant. It's a bit frustrating, to say the least. Especially since it's getting a little late in the season.

I love Monday

I have always loved Mondays. When my kids were in school and my husband worked a "regular" job, they would all leave Monday morning and I went to work. I cleaned the house. I did the shopping. Ran errands, Paid bills. All by myself! I loved it. It was MY day to do all the things that couldn't get done with a house full of people. I just liked to clean with an empty house. Even when I worked I liked Mondays. I even went a year to Chattanooga State college taking a horticulture class and felt like I worked a full time job, I still liked Monday.

So this weekend, all 3 of the grand daughters were here. Plus their mother. Husband was not here this weekend. He was up around Pa. doing trucking stuff. Sat. my younger daughter came out and got all the other girls and they went to the mall, shopping! So I had all afternoon to myself. It was nice. A guy came out from Meanesville, Ga to look at Iris and Brie, the devil goats. I had put an ad on CL. I was at the point where I really needed to let these 2 go. It would be another 1 1/2 years before they both could have been bred and  started milking. And they have been really bad lately and trying my patience to no end. So I felt like it was the best thing for me to do. He did end up getting them both. And I did NOT back down on the price! I was SO proud of myself.

And Friday evening a nice home school family came out to see Trudy and her kids. They are wanting to start a meat goat herd. The 2 boys were so nice and polite. I was very impressed with them. It looks like the boys are the ones who really want this. They did end up getting Trudy and both kids. But the boys both fell in love with Ursula, one of Penelope's kids. So we decided they would go ahead and take both Trudy's kids, but later, when they are weaned, they'll swap the buck for Ursula. Which is great, because I really wanted to keep the buck for a meat goat anyway. So I feel really good about this family taking them all.

So all in all, a great weekend. Although now, we are under water again. It rained all night Sat. and all day Sunday. With more rain til Wed. So here we go again!

I'm going to make another post about goats. Again! I hope all of you who come here to read my blog never get tired of cute kids and lambs. Or pregnant goats rear ends and udders. But that's what it's all about right now.

And they're gone!

All the kids and grands are gone for the afternoon!!!!!!! Just me here now. Yippie! What can I get into now? I'll think of something. I have a goat barn that is about 4' deep with hay that needs to be cleaned out really bad. Need to get on that.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! And good weather too.

10,005

That's how many page views I have had since I started my blog. That's probably nothing to a lot of you but it sure looks good to me.

So thank you all for looking at my blog. It means a lot to me. I hope there is something here to keep you coming back again.

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.

Maybe a broken leg?

This little one might have a broken leg. It's the back left leg. You can't see it too good here, but it's bent all the way backwards. Not at all like this leg looks, with the pointed part going up. Would that be the ankle? I'm not good at goat parts. I will keep an eye on her and if she's still standing with the leg bent back, I may have to take her to a vet. I'm going tomorrow to get a few things from the co-op, like some Bose and some Vit. E, just in case it might just be a little Selenium deficiency.

Anyone have any ideas what it could be? When I went out this morning and found them, all the kids were all together and Abby was all over. She could have stepped on her leg. It was a little crazy out there.

My bad

I was out in the barn lovin' on the new babies and happened to get a good rear end look at this little one. The one I thought was a buck. I thought it looked a little like some girl parts. Then felt underneath again. And it's NOT a buck but a doe! So Penelope had 2 does! Isn't she the cutest little thing ever?

Abby's kids

And these are Abby's 2 little bucklings. They both look just like her but the one nursing is a little clone. Same coloring and everything. The little one laying down has a more reddish-tan colored stripes and belly like John Henry/ Both are adorable. And for sale. If anyone needs a great herd sire, these would be wonderful. Abby is registered and I am supposed to be getting papers on John to get him registered too. Let me know if you need a good herd sire.

Penelope and her new kids

She finally had her kids this morning, about 7:30. So did Abby. In the same stall at about the same time. All 4 kids were still wet. Abby was trying to steal Penelope's kids. So I had to put Trudy and her kids out of their stall and put Penelope in there with her kids.

The one on the lfet is a buckling. Looks just like Arlo Guthrie. Even has the ears.

The one on the right is the doeling. She has elf ears like her momma. They are both SO cute!

And the little doeling will be for sale as soon as anyone would like to have her. Just let me know. She is about half Boer and some Lamancha and Nubian and Alpine mix. Penelope has an amazing udder and was really easy to milk already.  

Some snow

We got a little snow today. It was SO cold. The snow came and went a few times. There is still a little in the shady areas. I am so ready for summer. Just skip spring and get right into summer please! I am freezing. And our wood heater flue pipes are full of creosote buildup so we had to take all the wood out and take the pipes out. So no wood heat. Back to the darned ole heat pump. And it's cold! I was so liking the wood heat. I guess one day we can get someone out here to properly fix it to where it doesn't do this again. I am not sure why it gets the creosote built up in the pipes. This has happened before. And those pipes aren't cheap.

So I think I am ready for some warm weather. And I sure hope and pray my goats and sheep wait til Spring to have babies. I really will never breed them again so early. Never again. It's just too cold for babies to be born right now. I can hear the wind howling out there.