Everyone In Pasture

With all the goats back together again well, except the two big bucks,

Frodo enjoying the front pasture

it looks like a lot of goats.

Everyone coming back from pasture (and they are still coming over the hill)

But almost half of them are kids.

Tansy with her kid, Ringo, and Penelope’s Nessa behind her

I have thirty-seven big goats in pasture.

It’s a good thing we fixed my fence so well over the ditch.

Athena being followed by several kids

And there are thirty-five kids, when they make it out to pasture.

Diane and Chuck got left in the barn.

The two llamas are actually doing a decent job of hanging with the goats.  That makes me feel better about their safety from coyotes.

Llamas, and big and little goats in pasture.

They are all happy to be out on the Back Forty.

Checking Goats

During the day, checking goats is easy.  I just head out to the garage.  I look at tails and udders and see if they have dropped.

Flora

Then I wonder if they are in labor or just dropping pellets.  Nothing exciting, so I move on the the next place.

Tansy and Cupid

That’s Joy in the buck room/pen with Sidney.  Again, nothing exciting.

Joy and Sidney

So I head out to pasture.

the herd

There I get to again look at tail position and udders and see if they’ve dropped and whether or not they stop and stretch or are off by themselves.

Ava–please not triplets again

Then I head back until I do it again in a couple of hours.

2TC

At night, the routine is pretty much the same.  But I get to go out to the barn instead of pasture.

Antigone

Then I come back about three hours later.  They are checked around the clock–no more than three hours from one check to another.

Seriously Snow?

Well, my plans for getting kids out in pasture and following their moms took a hit.  Luckily I watched the weather report Saturday evening and had time to prepare.

Maybeline on pasture at sunset

I already had Perdita shut in because she slept outside with Moxie the night before–her poor ears were nipped with frostbite. I hope they will heal without losing any of them.

We had sleet overnight that also turned into snow.

Trying to go out to pasture during a short break in the snow.

Antigone was sheltering under the picnic table, so I had to put her in with Perdita. Luckily, they are done with fighting and can get along again.

And it lasted off and on most of the day.

Casey and Maisie in the barn door.

I was too lazy to switch to a macro lens, but they were perfect snowflakes!

Seriously. I know it’s still March, but I really need the weather to cooperate for a little bit to get these kids going.  Instead I had to shut them all back in the garage overnight.

Why do I only see big goats?

And it stayed cold, so they spent most all day in there.

Nobody wants to share the buck room with Athena but kids.

I do not think the sparrows were happy with their confinement in the garage, but it’s my garage. I can shut the doors if I want to.

sparrow perched on the barn swallow nest.

I have to prepare for the next round of kidding. Go away snow.

Roger and Anita in the hay tub.

I’m also tired of feeding hay.  I still have plenty in the barn.

That’s still a nice stack before I’d have to start throwing it out of the loft.

And I think what’s in the middle will still last so I don’t have to touch what’s in the loft, but still…

I put a bale of hay out in the evening for the moms and old ladies.

I’m really ready for real spring.