Who Didn’t Get Caught

I mentioned I didn’t get all the girls caught and put in with the bucks.  I actually did better than I thought I might.  I was impressed I got Hilda in with Xerxes.   She was supposed to be with Zeus, but there’s no way I was dragging her there.  At least she’s with a buck.

Hilda

Still, I have four girls that I didn’t get caught.  After dragging Daisy across the barnyard to put with Zeus, there’s no way I was trying another difficult one.

Daisy

LilyAnn is in that same category.  She is way too much like her big sister Vinnie.  I’ll get her with a buck for June.

LilyAnn

Sidney would not have been bad to catch, but she did struggle raising her boys this year, so I thought I’d give her another copper capsule that could go just to her.  We’ll see if she gets a year off or if I put her with a boy for June babies.

Sidney

Joani is also still looking like she needs a rest.

Joani

After all, she did raise my only set of triplets this year, and she still has Wendy with her.

Wendy

Then there’s Maisie.  I just looked at her and decided she was fat and nasty tempered, and I was not about to deal with that while I was sick.

Maisie

We’ll put her with Fionn for June babies (but not in the Love Shack).

That Time of Year

It is once again that time of year that I dread.  It’s the end of summer.  Every year, it gets harder to go back to work and leave the farm.  We are still in full production mode with the garden.  I can’t keep up with everything, and the tomatoes have barely started.

I’m still milking.  I’ve almost got a year’s supple of Mozzarella in the freezer.

It would be nice to have lots of milk to play with and try some cheddar cheese, but the four girls I’m milking seem to be drying up.  By the way, that adds a whole level of fun to getting up and ready for work in the morning.  I’m going to miss my lounging with a cup of coffee after I get done milking.

Ava

I really want to wean Joy, so I can milk Zinnia since the other girls are slowing down.  Zinnia wants to come in, and I’d let her just come in if she brought her girl with her because Joy is still a little sassy pants.  But she won’t come in the door.

Joy (by her mom)

Then I get retired goats, like her grandmaa Haley, trying to bust in for some sweet feed.

Haley

It’s also hard going back to work with the older goats. Stormy is looking pretty rough trying to stand up, so I decided it was time to start her on the anti-inflammatory meds also.

Stormy

Luckily she like peanut butter crackers, too.

This was literally a test cracker to see if she’d eat it.  Definitely a yes!

It’s also that time when I have to decided if the random days of diarrhea are from worms or copper deficiency.  It’s a symptom of both.

Hilda

I have several whom I think could just drop dead of a heart attack at any time because of anemia from the copper deficiency. I really wish I could have known what was going on when I first tried to find out.

Vinnie

Even after the copper, Cupid doesn’t seem to be getting her dark orange spots back.  Although, I do think there’s a couple that look like they have a little more color. I’m just afraid of killing them by giving them too much.

Cupid

I still have a few of my March kids on the farm, and I won’t have a chance to sell them until next month sometime.  Some of the are looking good.

Poki

Some you can see have a fishtail from the lack of copper.

Wendy

Then there’s a couple that just look horrible.  I hate to even try to sell them looking like this.

Tootles

Then there’s Tink.  I can’t keep her head out of the fences, so she had to have a horn apparatus put on before I go back to work.

Tink

I also need to look at my fragile June babies.  They seem to get hit harder by the lack of copper than the March kids. Sadly, Bambi lost her baby due to the combination of copper deficiency and worms.  I have wormed all of the June babies, and still they are not growing well.

Button (Aphrodite’s baby)

I am also afraid they are too small to give copper yet.  I need to balance their needs with the needs of their moms.

Cookie and Marge

I’m leaning towards weaning them.  It will be eaiser on the moms, and hopefully, they will eat the sweet feed if I shut them up north.  That’s not a given though.

Marge

Pluto ended up with the blood transfusion last year because he refused to eat the minerals or sweet feed.

Pluto

It’s just the time of year that has me crazy with worry.

Sweet Playful Babies

The kids are really getting to a fun age.  They are still sweet snuggle babies, but they are also getting to be wild things!

Angela leaping over maa, Astra

Gouda loves his maa Hilda

Top: Michael and Gouda; Bottom: Gouda, Michael, Pocahontas, and Squanto

Michael snuggled by Reva

Smee (sticking the landing) playing on the log with Jas

Doc

Snow White, Doc, and Bashful

Squanto, Gouda, and Snow White

Tinkerbell’s “did you bring a bottle” look

Pocahontas

Squanto and Snow White

It’s a lot of fun to watch them now.