Spring has arrived! I think...

Our first kid of the year!
He was born Monday morning, and again Gazelle the mom choose a very, very cold day but now I was prepared and installed a goat safe heating lamp. It's a healthy little boy, tho quite large, but then, he's all by himself, enjoying free access to all the milk he can get :)

Hopefully the snow will disappear soon - and stay away! - so mommy and kid can enjoy the outdoors, play on the goat playhouse and eat fresh grass (I'm sure there is some somewhere...).

 

And I am looking forward to fresh milk in a few weeks. The first couple weeks are for the kids only as the milk is heavy in colostrum, after that I'll start the morning milking up again. Which is nice too, some quiet time to myself :)

Where the milk comes from

Such a nice picture of Spot and Oreo nursing with first time mom Gazelle I just had to share it!

Spot is wethered and in training to become a harness goat. Right now we only walk him on a leash, like a dog, and he's pretty good about that. He likes to go out, he knows there are snacks growing along the paths and that my four year old is not as well trained to keep him from snatching a mouthful here and there... sometimes I think it's the goat leading the kid instead of the other way around.

Casper the Friendly Barn Cat

Since late spring last year we have a new cat who lives down in the barn. It's been a blessing as we have no rodents down there for only a handful of crunchies each day! Now all we need is a cat who does not mind living with the chickens and geese LOL

Casper really took to the goats and below is hugging our laMancha Gazelle. He will give all three goats face hugs when he can, and by the time it turned Fall he now also wants his own hugs from us. It took about six months but now he's about as snuggly as any cat I've known!

"I like you sooo much!"

"You're my favorite!"

Here are the girls eating lunch - they only get fed once a day in winter, half a bucket of apple pomace (left over from pressing cider, we get it from a local cider mill) and a cup of bran (actually also leftovers, we get from a local flour mill) each. Thirteen still does not share well, so I feed them in two places and it kinda works like musical chairs with most times Thirteen ending up with two places! So sometimes I grab her collar and hook her on for 15 minutes or so - she can eat but not move places - and that settles her down for a couple days or so.

5 more weeks and Gazelle is due!
It will be her first kid(s); she's about as tall as the adult does now and getting wider every day - it's so neat, we've had her since she was a few weeks old, and now she'll have her own babies!

more baby goats!

These two are Monica's new girls, born Friday May 6th at around 10:30am while Simon and I were mowing the lawn :) We'd checked at 10:15am, noticed Monica looked heavy and did not get up to look at us over the door, but no contractions and her water had not yet broken... less than half an hour later, both girls were born and the placenta was on it's way! Man, human births are not like that!!!

Trying to stand under mommy's watchful eye. The little beige headed kid is called "bunny" the other one has no name as of yet.

houston - we have triplets...

We have baby goats! Friday April 8th in the late morning Thirteen delivered triplet girls, all by herself as she had not given me any (for dummies) signs she was ready! The girl with beige head was chilled and off in a corner when I found them, so I gave her some extra attention and a teat to herself since they needed some help nursing the first day or so as Thirteen's teats were pretty swollen. Right now she's running on empty most of the day as they suck the milk straight out the moment it's available - good thing we have a couple extra gallons in the freezer for ourselves :)

goats like apples...

... they sure are something to smile about!

homemade baby & goat wipes recipe

I think I might finally have found my goat wipes! And of course the winner is the recipe from Fias Co Farm of course: I'll have to stop by Greenstar for essential oils and Wegmans for the off the shelf items - and keep my eyes open for a good food storage container (can always feed the contents to the chickens, if we or the kid won't eat it LOL).

From the Fias Co Farm website:
I like to keep homemade "goat wipes" on hand in the barn for cleaning up goat baby butts, or does during that "leaking time" after they've given birth, or just to wipe my hands. You can also use these as udder wipes since the essential oils give it an antibacterial quality.

To make your own goat wipes, find a food storage container (a coffee can will rust) that will hold a roll of paper towels that have been cut in half. Use only Bounty paper towels, anything else will just become a mushy mess. Cut a roll in half with a bread knife. Remove the cardboard tube. In the container mix:

* 1 Tbs. baby oil (or Calendula oil)
* 2 tsp. Dawn dish washing detergent
* 2 C water
* 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil
* 5 drops Lavender essential oil

(I used to add commercial teat dip in the hope that it would give it an antibacterial quality, but when mixed, the dip's strength dissipates quickly so it's really just a waste of money.)

Place the half paper towel roll into the container, remove it, turn it over, and place it back in. To use your wipes, remove them from the center of the roll.


Another baby wipes recipe, though not recommended for goat wipes as it is not antibacterial. From Backyard Chickens Forum

Strong paper towels work the best.
Cut one roll of paper towels in half.
Take out the core so wipes pull out of the center.

Make solution of 2 cups water, 1/2 cup of baby oil, 1/2 cup baby magic baby bath

Place 1/2 roll of paper towels in container. Pour solution over towels. Store in container. Makes 2 1/2 rolls.

From Countryside Magazine, volume 94 page 76.
Use a roll of absorbent paper towels and cut in half (so not use a serrated knife). Remove the inner cardboard core. Find a container with a lid for the roll to fit snuggly into. Cut an X or very small opening in the center of the lid. This is to pull the paper towels from the center of the roll through.

2 tablespoons Kosher V-6 Oil or (organic) olive oil
1 tablespoon unscented bath gel base
2-6 drops lavender essential oil
2 cups warm water