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.
Teresa
