Good-bye Girls

I had the vet come out Wednesday to trim Sky’s toes, and I had to ask him about my girls.  I knew what the outcome was going to be, but this was a hard one–Haley and Cinnamon.

Haley Blackboer (18 March 2011 – 5 Oct 2022)

Cinnamon Blackboer (9 Mar 2011 – 5 Oct 2022)

They were born March, 2011 to the same dad–Red Blackboer.  And they were good friends for their whole lives.

Cinnamon and Haley

Both were milking girls who never had to be trained.  They just stood perfectly and never went through a training process at all.  It was amazing.

They were supposed to retire the same year also, but Cinnamon decided to have oopsie baby, Six.

Cinnamon (and with her maa, Pebbles)

My heart is breaking over these two.

Haley (with her triplet sister, Harley and maa, Stormy)

But it was also hard watching their decline.

The Old Ones

The kids I have up north are doing well.  They have really embraced getting sweet feed twice a day, and they enjoy running around up there.

Crystal

My old ladies don’t seem to be improving.

Haley

I even added a sweet lick tub.

Bambi

It does look like I’ll have to cut Bambi’s beard off too, but she isn’t really picking up any weight.

I just can’t get them to stop being so anemic.

Haley front; Bambi and Cinnamon behind

They’ve had more copper, and I can’t really do anything else.

Bambi and Cinnamon fighting through the fence with Venus

It is so hard to save the old ones and the young ones when they get run down.

Updates on Health

Selling kids last weekend made a couple of girls decide they should get milked. Saturday morning, before I could even react, Caroline was rushing through the door and ready to go.  I am letting her come in each evening to get milked.

Sweet Caroline

Then there’s Chiffon.  She’s never been milked, but she seemed to think she should get to come in, so I decided to milk her.  I don’t think it’s what she was expecting.  But she didn’t do too badly.

Chiffon trying to figure it all out

Cutie, Sidney and LilyAnn have been doing well since they went back out to pasture.  I did manage to catch Sidney and Cutie and cut the burrs out of their beards.  That has to be more comfortable.

Cutie with a stub of a beard

Antigone and Spunky are hanging together again.  I do feel a bit bad about putting them together for just a week and then selling Spunky so soon(hopefully this weekend).  I just couldn’t help it.

Spunky and Antigone

The boys keep getting more and more stinky (hard to believe).  I do think that as long as Xerxes is in there, Benji won’t be able to get close enough to a girl to breed her through the fence.  That’s a good thing.

Frodo, Benji, Freddie, and Xerxes

I decided that I would put Cinnamon, Haley and Bambi up north since the other girls were doing fine.

Bambi and Cinnamon

Haley enjoying sweet feed

Bambi has steadily lost weight throughout the summer, and I can’t imagine she’ll be here much longer.  It’s easier for me to baby her and make sure she gets a bit extra to eat up there.

The littles are doing better.  They are really into sweet feed and are getting more energy.

Simon, Crystal and Howie (Terry is eating behind)

I decided to move them up north, so they can keep eating green stuff and get a little more exercise without having to go out on the Back Forty.

Crystal

Of course, Howie hopped right through the gate, so I had to put a panel in front so he couldn’t get out.

Howie and Cinnamon

I did also have to keep an eye on them so the old ladies didn’t pick on them, but everyone seems to be doing well now.