Goat Herder’s Log: Thursday 3/16/23

I apologize in advance for nothing but horrible cell phone pictures, but the weather was not going to let me use my big girl camera.  I also apologize for the long post, but it was a long day.

0600:  Temperatures around 47°F. Checked goats and felt Aphrodite was in labor even though she hadn’t moved all night.  She was talking, and I just knew.

0730:  Went out to check Aphrodite.  Situation the same.  LilyAnn is doing a lot of talking, but the outside goats are headed out to pasture.

0800: Went to check Aphrodite.  She had a doe kid with her, already mostly cleaned off.  I think Athena might be in labor.  Maybe Cutie. We’ll see.

Aphrodite and her girl

0820:  Went back out and the second kid, another doe, had just been born.

Aphrodite and her second girl

0906: Temperatures around 46°F. It started raining. Onyx, Victoria, and Melba were snuggled together in the buck room.

Melba, Victoria, and Onyx

I went out to make sure LilyAnn wasn’t going to stay in pasture to give birth (like last year).  Discovered Zora stuck in the fence. What a bratopotamus!  Freed her.  The goats all came up from pasture.

Daisy and Zora leading the herd back to the barnyard.

Penelope leading the moms’ group back up.

1000: Temperature is at 45°F. Another light round of rain is moving through.  Athena is still in labor, but no hard contractions.  As all the other girls came up from pasture, LilyAnn was already in the greenhouse by herself.  Another sign she is going to kid today.

1050: Temperature is 44° F, and the rain is falling more steadily.  Athena is still standing and talking.  LilyAnn’s contractions are stronger and more frequent.  Time to take towels to the greenhouse and keep a closer watch.

1107: Made it back to the greenhouse with towels, and she was pushing hard. Pulled LilyAnn’s girl because there was a foot folded back.  Big girl.  Pulled her boy.  All are doing well.

LilyAnn and babies

1140:  Temperature is holding at 44°F.  It’s still a steady rain.  Athena is getting louder and I think I saw her have a contraction.

Athena

Penelope is in the Love Shack.  She might be in labor. We’ll see.

Penelope

1230: Temperature holding; a pause in the rain–just sprinkles.  LilyAnn’s babies are up and doing well.  Came out of the greenhouse to the sounds of a goat screaming–rushed over and helped Penelope with her big Frodo girl.  Athena is still loudly complaining.

Another girl! My first Frodo baby.

1400: Temperatures down to 38°F and intermittent rain.  I’ve lost all control. Aphrodite is trying to kill everyone.  Hilda decided to try to kill Purl.  The temperatures are quickly dropping and a wind advisory starts at 1600 hours.  Athena is still in labor.

1530:  Aphrodite is penned.  Penelope has been moved.  Hilda and Purl’s pen has been divided in half.  The vet was here for Caroline.

Aphrodite and babies

Divided Hilda and Purl’s pen

Athena and Cutie on half the garage

1600:  LilyAnn has been moved.  I noticed a seriously entropion eye.

The other half of the garage

LilyAnn’s girl–bottom lid is seriously curled under.

1620:  Mom arrived to take LilyAnn’s doe to the vet.  Athena’s labor is increasing.

1700:  I pull Athena’s babies.  She is a lunatic pawing the ground; pawing the babies; trying to kill me as I try to keep her babies safe.  She is crazy.  The winds have picked up and it’s now snowing.

Athena and her kids

Looking out the garage window

1720:  Mom is back with the baby.  Bling in place.

She really is better; my picture is just horrible.

1800:  Temperature is 31°F; snow is falling; wind advisory. Wind chill is about 18°F. Things are finally starting to calm down.  Just a few goats left to check overnight.

What Season Is It?

We seem to be in a winter storm Thursday pattern.  And maybe a thunderstorm Tuesday.  It’s crazy.

Sunset after last Thursday’s snow

And we keep going between snow and mud.

Goats weren’t happy their pasture was covered again on Saturday morning.

I have to say, I’m really not a fan of the snow storm during the work week part–it’s been some pretty dicey driving.  In fact, I almost stopped and came home Friday morning, but I didn’t.

By Sunday morning, everyone was out in pasture again.

On my way home that afternoon, there was a pickup on its side in the median right where I thought about turning around.  (Kinda wish I’d gone and taken a picture of that.)

The goats try to find places where they don’t have to be in mud.

As soon as it’s done snowing, it melts.

Popcorn trying to keep his hooves dry.

Last Tuesday we had probably between a half to three-quarts of an inch of ran.

What do you mean my beak is a muddy mess?

That means mud.

Ms. Goose is the only one who likes the mud.

She’s not quite as happy that when it got cold her pool froze and its still solid and stuck to the ground.  Hopefully, I can get it taken care of soon.  Because she needs a bath again!

My maple tree is not supposed to be budding out in February.  That’s insane.

And this week is looking like it will have a similar pattern.

If we have to have the bad weather, I think I’d even rather have it on the weekends, so I don’t have to drive.

This Winter’s Weather

We’ve had a lot of warm weather this winter.

enjoying the nice weather

Granted, we had some really cold at Christmas time, but there’s been a lot of warm weather, too.

Our snow is melting and leaving January mud puddles

We even saw more rain this week on Monday into Tuesday; there was a rain/ice/snow event on Wednesday into today. We are not supposed to have rain in January.

Hanging out in the barn to stay dry

It leaves me a little concerned about what that might mean for this coming spring and summer.

2TC in pasture

When it’s warmer weather over the winter, the goats don’t need as much to maintain their body condition.

It’s good for my old ladies who need to maintain that body weight.

That means they often have bigger babies because they have more to give to the fetuses.

Antigone is already looking big.

That means more difficult births.

I lost Jilly in 2012 to a huge kid and difficult birth.

Sometimes, it can mean that there isn’t an adequate killing of parasites and bacteria, and that can mean more health issues the following summer.

Cindy Lou and several others had horrible e-coli scours the same year.

While I don’t want to go to extreme cold, I would like to see some more normal temperatures for the next month or six weeks before we start kidding.