Life Bounces On...

If you are a follower of the goat blogs in my blog circle of friends, you know it has been a tough year with many sad, sad losses. I have to say,we have been blessed these last years. We haven't had to dig any new graves under the oak in the goat pasture until this last week.
I had  three girls I was waiting on to kid that had been bred with my Pygora buck Charlie. Tiny Zippy had her giant Snowflake with out a hitch. Minnie, possibly the sweetest goatie ever and also a pygora ,was to give me my first full pygora kids. It was not to be. She kidded during the night and had problems and I was not there to help her. From what I could tell the first kid was positioned wrong and was dead the second suffocated because she was too tired or inexperienced to clean off the birth sack or possible it was born dead also. Even sadder than loosing these beautiful kids was listing to Minnie cry for them for days. Last to kid was Daisy. Needless to say I was a little on edge about her kidding. The first was breech and dead before I got to it. The second one lived thankfully! A little buck. Here is George...

The Boy says George has a bad case of goatie monkey nose! He is actually light orange and if he had been a girl I would have named him Clementine! I am sure I am not the only one glad to see this kidding season behind us. It is part of it, but never easy. We have 4 kids in the nursery pen.

Buster insisted I take his picture! He is a ham! He looks like someone dropped ice cream on his head and it ran down his face..

It is funny how watching them jump and play can make you forget your sadness over the ones who didn't make it. Life bounces on after all,when you have baby goats to watch!

Snowflake

I don't think a person can ever see enough pictures of baby goats! Am I right? Yep,I thought so. You all want more baby goats! Here is your baby goat fix for today,meet Snowflake!

She is white and fluffy, but it is also hot as heck here so I think I am wishing for some cooler days, and Snowflake just seems perfect!

Her nanny is Zippy, Doodah's clone daughter. This was Zippy's first kid. As you all can see,Snowflake looks nothing like her Ma.

She looks just like her daddy,the beautiful pygora Charlie!  I have no idea if she will have woolie hair or just be a fluffy goatie but I can tell one thing and that is she is going to be lovely.

She is half as tall as her momma! I have no idea where Zippy was keeping this big kid as you could not even tell she was expecting except for a tiny milk bag. She was not extra fat at all and Zippy is an extra small goat even by dwarf standards. I though she would have a tiny kid like she was. Goats,one surprise after another! Only 2 more girls still to kid and that will be it for the year. I wonder what kind of surprises they have waiting?!?

I Still get Surprised Now and Again

Right before I left on my little trip I got a surprise from Sweet Pea. Now you all have to understand Sweet Pea is a very, very...let's put it politely, round goat. The last week I was thinking she was even out doing herself in the roundness a little. So the day of the surprise I was out checking on everyone in goatie land like I do several times a day because you never know what mischief those goats have gotten themselves into. All you goat people are nodding your heads right now I know! Any ways , she wanted back in her stall so that made me a little suspicious.  After all, it was not like Sweet Pea to  be wanting back in  during prime grazing time. She didn't get that full figure by hanging out in the barn all day! I let her in her stall and made a mental note to come back out soon and check again.When I did  sure enough she had a kid about a third of the way out and stuck with it's feet behind. 

Well, I tugged it out and  started working on it as it was having a tough time getting started. I finally get it to breathing sort of regular and look over and danged if there was not another bigger head sticking out with no legs again. I tried to reposition it but there was just no doing it. So quick prayers were said that I could get it out with out breaking it's neck. It was looking at me and that really made it a bit worse.  After a little work, that seemed like forever but was only a minute I am sure, the second one was out and OK. Whew!  So I am thinking that day Mr.Tumnus broke out and had a big ole fun time in the girls pasture was when these two were made. Yes, I know you all are asking, How could you not know she was expecting?! Well, like I said she is exceptionally round and she was still letting her grown daughter snack everyday so she had a milk bag. Some goats are just like that on not weaning. She is the only one we have like that here though. This is her right after kidding when she should be all sunken in.Yeah right,not Pea! She is normally twice this fat or more,lol!

If there is one thing I have learned it's that something on the farm is always going to happen unplanned!
So here are my little surprises...

Total goatie cuteness I know! This is the first one,a little girl...

The Boy named her Popsicle,lol! She is our first baby ever to have wattles!

The second, and much larger one is named Buster. He looks like something dropped on his head and ran down his face! Buster also has on white shoes!

They are both very sweet and tame. Sweet Pea is a good momma. She hates all other goats and will try to pound them to mush or even bite them but she loves her babies more than any goat we have ever had. I am not surprised that she is the one who snuck in a date with Mr.Tumnus!
Thankfully it all worked out ! I will take these kind of surprises any day!

I went and spent a few fun filled "girl" days with my friend Texan. We shopped and had a good time! We have decided that we are going to make some of our own clothes so we hit every shop in town that had material and patterns,lol! We are both sort of new to sewing clothes,we have both done it but not enough to feel confident so it was really fun to be able to look at stuff together and  have another woman's opinion!  We came back to my house and had our second class on chemical free bee keeping. I think there are a couple of gals who will have their own bees come next spring! She also made Jack a toy because her new big ole furry baby, Keeper, has one and loves it. Well,sure enough Jack loved his too!

That is the face of a happy pup if I have ever seen one!

He is still slinging that around this morning!

This is a great toy!

Jack sends a big Woof of thanks to his Auntie Texan!

There is no Critter I Won't Duct Tape

What is that strange creature in the distance you ask? I present you all with another creation  of a fed up farm woman!

This is Dolly Doodle. The Doodle that gets her head stuck every. single. day. in the fence. She is  the only goat that does this here on the farm and I'd just had enough this morning!

So desperate times call for desperate duct taping! You all may remember the duct taped chicken straight jacket episode. 

Dolly  is a very good goat and an excellent milker but we have to face facts..she is dumb as a stump. Now, I know all goats get their heads stuck from time to time, it is the Goatie Way. Many a farmer has stood,scratching their head and wondering how a goat did something. It is the Goatie Way and there is no explaining it except maybe it is like the Force in Jedi .

So anyways, everyday with a stuck head is a little much and there is.. well.. more to the story...

(that is Daisy looking at the camera. Doesn't she look like she is embarrassed to be seen with Dolly?)

.... every time Dolly gets her head stuck her  giant son Peanut, comes running to drain the milk bar. You all know how these momma goats hate not controlling the milk bar! But that is not he worse part, the worse part would make anyone think she would stop getting her head stuck...Jack being a 6 month old male puppy..well you know..starts in with a little trans species loving..ya know just for fun! Yes, the summer of 2012 hump fest...between Jack and Dolly..you would think that would make her run from the fence and have goatie night mares! (Sorry folks,no pictures of that!)  It is sure giving us nightmares from watching them! OK maybe not nightmares so much as  hysterical fits of laughter.So I decided enough was enough and turned to my trusty animal behavior modification kit! Duct tape being the main tool in my kit and this time a piece of PVC pipe. You all may think this  was easy. Yeah right. It was not! The Boy had to hold/wrestle her while I had to try and tape this to her horns. I have seen folks wrangle gators easier than it was for us taping this piece of pipe  to Dolly's horns !

Dolly spent the whole morning behind the barn hiding in shame..yeah this shames her but not being drained by her overgrown kid and being humped by a giant dog all the while with her head stuck in the fence. Dumb as a stump I tell ya! But that is OK she is still one of my favorites despite her lack of IQ points.   Jack will be seeing the vet in a few weeks for a little snip snip but that only cures half the problem and really, if Dolly wouldn't get her head stuck everyday Jack would not be able to take advantage of her like that. So for now Dolly will have to wear my version of a goatie dunce hat!

Once again..Duct Tape Saves the Day!!

Hot Dog

It was 98* here today with a feels like of 103*!   I don't care what anybody says, that is hot folks! Good Ole Jack has found his way to beat the heat...

That WAS the goats water,lol! No longer,it is now the official Jack soaking tub!

 Hot as it is I am temped to make him mover over and let me in there with him!

Southern Nights

I went outside last night and the singing of the night creatures was so loud! In fact you can hear them in the closed up house. I though I would share them with you all,this is the sound of a southern night....