When you get home from work on December 13 and find the buck has been out frolicking with the girls, all you can do is think “uh oh” and put him back where he belongs. Here we are four months later, and I’m trying to figure out the effects of that afternoon out.
Boeris
I knew right away that Muffin was probably going to be having kids five months later.
Muffin and daughter Jelly
She is starting to make and udder and is looking huge.
I track the girls’ heat cycles, and I knew Helen was in heat, so I also knew she was bred.
Helen
She doesn’t have as big an udder, but I never saw her come back into heat, so I assume she was bred.
I checked all the girls and my records and tried to figure out who else might have been bred. Cinnamon and Lotus were the only other two I thought might have been bred. I gave them shots to make sure they didn’t settle because Lotus is a mini goat and wouldn’t be able to handle a Boeris kid.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon was one of last year’s kids. She technically would have been okay, but I hate to kid when I’m not around. I really hate the idea when it’s a first time mom.
Life went on and the little uh oh was forgotten, and I put the girls with the boys. I watched and came up with due dates for the girls as they were bred. However, there were a few that I never saw get bred.
Vinnie
Vinnie is one of those I never saw get bred. She’s tiny and only had one baby last year. Finally, I looked through my records again. I hadn’t seen her in heat in December, but if I looked from the last date I did see her in heat and carry that forward, she should have been in heat the same day as Muffin and Helen.
Perhaps we have another one due on May 12th. A bit more concerning are my young girls. I put them with Fionn, who is a young buck. I never hardly saw him breed any of the girls. Now I’m getting a bit nervous. Bonnie looks like she’s getting a bit round.
Kizzy (back) and daughter Bonnie
Look at that udder.
Again, she’s one of the older kids from last year. She’s also about the biggest. I’m not too worried, but I hope I’m around just in case.
Coral is another one that I had not seen in heat and never saw Fionn breed her. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve seen her in heat because she loves me so much that she flicks her tail like crazy any time I touch her. Even now that she’s obviously bred.
Coral
I am worried about her because I’ve already asked myself what the heck I was thinking for putting her with Fionn. She’s younger than Bonnie and Cinnamon by about three months. Logically, I can tell myself that I’ve had quite a few girls kid right around the time they turn a year old and haven’t had problems. Her mom and her grandma and great-great-grandma are tiny but have done fine at kidding. Still, I worry about her…
This is why I always think “uh oh” whenever the buck gets out.
Linking to Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday where they letter of the week is U for uh oh and udder.
Linking to Rural Thursday.
Teresa
