kids...

This morning we went out back to see what we needed to fix the electric fence. Thorin and Alva came to say hello to Tiny. All the kids were out this morning early. We had a hard freeze last night and it was really bone chillin' cold out. I am so ready for some nice warm weather please!

I had let the sheep and alpacas out back last night, after I put the goats to bed. After I fed the sheep and alpacas, I let the goats out. All the kids were out and I saw Misha and Sugar at the gate, checking the babies out. They love babies. They practically raised the 3 bottle lambs 3 years ago. They are still good buddies. So I told the boys they will have plenty of baby lambs to take care of real soon. I'm sure Amarillo, the ewe that had the quads, is going to have quads again. She is rather huge right now. Some of it is her wool because she was the only one who didn't get sheared in September last year. But it is babies too. I called my friend Carrie to see if she was serious about wanting bottle babies and if she was, she better get ready for a few! She said yes, they were really wanting some babies. I am happy about that!

I kind of wish we had gotten snow instead of this frost the past 2 nights. I didn't cover anything, so I know I've lost my few blueberry bushes that had tons of flowers on them already. And the 3 fig bushes had tips of green. The elderberry bushes had full leaves too. It's been a wonky winter for sure here. I'll be so happy to see it leave us.

And we're all done!

In less than 12 hours, kidding season started and was over. Last Tuesday, the 7th, about noon, Freya was in the back stall in their barn, laying down when I checked on them. She didn't show any signs of labor at all. In fact, I had written dates down, starting March 9th through the 24th, so I wasn't even thinking about kids then.


I was in my studio, which is right in front of the barn. I thought I heard a baby goat, but thought there's no way. But I heard it again. So I went out and sure enough, there were 3 little goat babies. 3 of them!! I knew Freya had more than just 2 kids in there, as huge as she was.

So got some towels and helped dry them off as much as I could. They are all girls!! All are doing great. I have tried to give them a bottle, but they will not take it. I have had to milk her some, because the kids will just nurse her right side. Her teats are SO big, they can't get their little tiny mouths on it. So when I get most of the milk out, it helps them.  She's such a good momma.

It's been really cold here and they are small, so I decided to put little sweaters on these guys.

Then, about 11 that same night, I went to check on Olga. I had noticed earlier that she was laying down, getting up and pawing, then laying down again, quite often. So I was watching her.

When I went out at 11:30, she'd already had 1 kid, and the head and a leg of another were coming out. I couldn't find the other leg, so I gently pulled when she'd push. And out came another kid.

The darker one came first. It's a buck. I named him Thorin, after the dwarf king under the mountain, in the Hobbit. I was hoping I'd get at least 1 buck so I could use that name.

The lighter one is a doe. I named her Alva.

I am milking Olga because she's SO big and the kids cannot drink it all yet. Her milk is really good and we are drinking it already. I have missed goat milk so much and it's SO good! I wish Freya's kids could nurse on Olga. She has perfect little teats, just the right size for little mouths.

So I was way off on dates. That buck must of got them both as soon as he went through the gate here! Just bam, bam, done! And I kept him here 6 weeks.

These kids are SO cute and sweet! And I am SO allergic! I'm having to take Claritin just so I can breath. And hay too.  But I have to love on these sweet babies!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting here. I take pictures with my phone so it takes forever to load them onto this blog.

I will try to post more often though.

Oh, if anyone has some really cute Irish, Celtic, fairy, elf, hobbit names for girls, please let me know. I need 3 for Freya's girls.

Bacon and goats

This is some of the bacon I just got back yesterday from my pig. I kept him up the road at my friend's farm with his pigs. We took them to the butcher a month ago. So Allen has a smoker and he smoked all the bacon for us. It is SO GOOD! Worth the wait. He also smoked some for too long and gave me some to use for seasoning beans and things. So today, I've had a pot of pinto beans going. Having them for dinner with corn bread!

My husband's been working on the driveway, clearing all the weedy trees and privet. he got a truckload of brush so I put the goats up front so they can eat some. They went right to it and started going at it! Happy girls right there!

Freya is due March 9th through 15th, then Olga  5 days later til the 20th or so. They are both HUGE! I so do not want them to have more than 2 each.

And the sheep are getting bigger too. Amarillo is so big, but I think part of hers is her wool. She's the only one that didn't get sheared in Sept. so her wool is pretty long. But she's poking out at the sides, so I know she's pregnant. She's the ewe that had quads last time. UGH! This is why I bred the goats to kid first, so I'll have milk. Just in case.

I can hardly wait to have goat milk again! Cow's milk is just not the same at all. It's like water to me. And we're getting raw milk from a friend.

The weather has been really warm lately. Trees are budding out, which makes the pollen count go sky high. I have been stuffed up now for a week. Even my ears. I hate this. I've been drinking dandelion tea, from flowers in the yard and garden. I hope it kicks in soon. My grand kids are the same way.

So sorry I've not been posting, but I haven't had a lot to say lately.