Lost And Found Bradley

Bradley is an adorable little chum! We have not EVER had a baby like Bradley, let me tell you - or a mother like Charlotte either. Let me explain. A couple days ago, Bradley was let out into the orchard with his mommy and the other goats. Our fingers were crossed that he would stay with his mother and not get lost. Well, he didn't. So that night, when we were closing our 19 goats, you can only imagine the horror that swept over our faces when we realized the little fellow was missing. We searched high and low - in the dark of all times! And we just could not find him...it was almost like I was reliving the goat masacre (when a dog came and killed our three does, only not quite as bad). My whole body was going limp and my heart was aching to find our Bradley. After a few minutes of searching my older sister cried out, "I found him!" - to my GREAT relief! And where do you suppose the little boy was of all places? Bradley was found laying in a dog house in our lagoon area! Why do you ask? Well this is the funny, innocent part. My younger brother earlier in the day had put him in the dog house thinking that that would be a nicer place for him to lay down and rest while his mommy and the others graze. Well poor Bradley really took it to heart...and STAYED THERE ALL DAY. I guess he thought, "Well, I've been put here for a reason..so I guess I'm not supposed to leave until my mommy comes to get me." with pure innocence. But see here's the catch...his "mommy" didn't know where he was. So Bradley is sitting here in the dog house thinking his mommy has put him here, while his mother is oblivious to where in the world her son could be! It was just a big mix up.
So we took Bradley in our arms coddling him all the way up to his mother who gave him her motherly attention the moment he was set on the ground. Whew! I was so glad he was alright!
And then another time, probably the next day, the same thing happened again! We found he was gone, went frantically searching, only this time he was behind the gas cabinet which sits behind the loafing shed...what in the world is that kind of a place to rest, Charlotte dear? She obviously brought her "little dear" to the cabinet and told him to stay put...but why behind the gas cabinet? Oh well, she's a new mother - what can I say?

Welcoming Bradley...

I was laying in my bed lazily...just resting on a nice Saturday morning...and then boom! My younger sister and little brother come running into our room declaring triumphantly, "Charlotte had her baby!!"! Then of course I get out of bed immediately, as does my older sister, put my work clothes on and my hair up...and out the door we go! I race down with excitement and find an adorable baby boy laying down in the goat house...he stole my heart right away. He is all white with the sides of his face a dark, rich chocolate brown. He is built really firm and strong - like his father Pete. I love him already!

For a while though, we thought Charlotte was rejecting him. Every time he'd try to nurse, she would buck him away as if she did not know it was HER little boy. She'd just walk right past him with no thought like, "Oh yeah, that's my baby!". I was beginning to think we might have to welcome him into the house too! But thankfully after she ate a little bit, Charlotte nursed him, talked to him, cleaned him...just like a new mother. It was such a relief to see that she was taking care of her son. :)

Well, this is number 11 for 2010...welcome home Bradley! :)

April Fools Day, Charlotte?

Charlotte is getting even closer! Her udder has filled up, her stomach has dropped, her vulva is becoming swollen, and she's getting much softer and loose back there...all the signs seem to be showing. Wouldn't it be hilarious if she kidded on April Fools Day? To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised! :)

Happy Birthday Gracie Dear!

Yesterday was our sweet Gracie's first birthday! What a wonderful addition she has been to our herd of 18 goats! Gracie is more of a quiet kind of doe...doesn't ask for anything (at least in goat language I mean!)...I think that's mainly because her momma, Essie, does all the speaking for her. :)
On March 28 Gracie came into the world on our farm. She was a darling! Then about a week later she came down with a really bad eye infection...making us think she was either blind or going to be blind. Taking her to the vet, we found out that by using this medicine she had a 50/50 chance of seeing to it's fullest again. We used it with hopes of success, and a couple weeks later her eyes began clearing up and then finally she could see! What a relief that was to me! Her eye sight was a story of a miracle and I'm very thankful to God that he healed her eyes! Since then she has grown in grace and poise. Sometimes her and her mother give us laughs by there ignorance of their surroundings...but I think it's just because they are both content and not in any hurry, which I suppose is a good thing. I love Gracie so much and am so thankful that she's a part of our herd! Happy birthday sweetie!

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gracie! Happy birthday to you! (and many more!!)   :) 

GOAT NEWS

Now the goats have figured out ANOTHER way to get into our North Field. Apparently the fence that we humans are supposed to go through to that field needs to be fixed a little too. Just the other day I was watching them slide right through at the bottom, and a lot of them were even climbing the fence making it lean in, and then they'd jump right over! And of course most of our really small goats were getting right through the holes of the other fences. As you can tell, these fences were not made to keep goats in! We're going to fix that problem soon however.
Charlotte is still getting soft on her ligaments and has an udder that's growing slowly but surely. Something tells me she's going to wait until the very beginning of April to kid...that's just my gut feeling. But sometimes I'm wrong. So I'm just going to sit back and watch the show not knowing what to expect!
Spencer is also doing wonderful! Our little boy (more like very BIG boy now) is growing and becoming a handsome buck. Apparently he's figured out how to eat grain to our great delight! He's also eating a lot of grass as we're only giving him a bottle and a half of his milk in the morning. The thing that has put us in a little bit of a "fix" is that Spencer has not learned to drink water from the trough. So yes, we bring him that too. You'd think by now he would have learned after watching the other goats drink it, but he has not - which is kind of worrying me. Because in my opinion...I don't want to have to bring water in a bottle to that cute boy for the rest of his life! It's time for him to grow up and do things on his own. And he has done very well - the water is the only problem we have at this moment. I think we're planning on castrating him pretty soon, but we are still debating it. I'll post when something's official.
So that's all the goat news...all 18 goats (including little Starlene!) are doing fabulous!

Fixing Holes And Waiting On Charlotte

Boy! Over the course of  three days my sister and I have been fixing holes and fences that the goats keep getting through to the North Field. So far we've done a pretty fabulous job - I think. Take note that I only "think" we did, because well...you just never know what those goats are going to do next. We could have missed something, I PRAY that we didn't - but there is always a possibility. So that's what we've been up to lately...fixing holes so that our goats won't get into the wrong fields. Lovely. But the fresh air has been nice, so it hasn't been that bad. :)
Charlotte's udder has gotten even bigger...we may have a late March baby(s) instead of an April baby(s) like I thought. If she's anything like her mother...we just won't know until it happens. So I'm sitting here waiting with a little bit of hesitance and little bit of excitement. I really want this one to be healthy.

When Will They Ever Learn?

Okay, so today we finally let our goats into our Orchard field...and guess what? THEY GOT OUT. Yes, those little naughty goats figured out how to slip into the North Field and then into our neighbor's field...when will they ever learn? The only naughty culprits I know of at this moment are Essie, Gracie, Valorie, Charlotte, and Arthur...there could be more...however they might have gone back to where they were supposed to be BEFORE I went out to move them. If they did, they are quite the clever ones. And what I find even funnier, Gracie and Essie were the first two to leave the neighbor's field...on their own will. I guess they're not as dumn as I thought.:) :) :)...

After I got them all out of the wrong fields I went to see Starlene and her mommy, and wouldn't you know it! Starlene was STANDING on top of her mother as she was laying down in the grass! Starly is so little and practically weightless that it didn't seem to bother Annaliese one bit...you just never know what those goats will come up with next! :)

Charlotte Showing Signs

Charlotte's udder is finally forming! Looks like we'll probably have an April baby(s) from her...I hope this one lives. I just try not to think about how many babies we've lost...it's just too heartbreaking. I'm praying that we will have NO more deaths, and that all the other babies we have this year of 2010 will be healthy and strong.

Gennavieve's Kidding :(

Sadly yesterday Gennavieve had her baby - March 9...EXACTLY what I predicted! I'm sure you're wondering why I said sadly. Well it's because it was another unhealthy baby girl. She could barely keep herself up...she died. I just don't understand why we've had a lot of babies just too weak or unhealthy to survive. It doesn't make sense. But it's obviously the Lord's will and I'm accepting it. It sure would have been nice to have two baby girl cousins running around playing together though! :(

Starly And Momma Annaliese

Well Starlene is doing just fabulous! She's walking around ALL the time, loves to explore by the way - but doesn't like to be too far away from her momma. If she is, then she gives off this loud alarm for her mom to come! She's nursing almost constantly...it seem like it's every five minutes! She'll suck on one teat for three seconds and then move to the other teat for three seconds and then repeat...baby goats can be so entertaining! She has not learned the little goat dance yet, but I'm hoping she will soon - it's always fun to see! And Miss Annaliese is doing a beautiful job raising her sweet doeling. I can tell she feels a little left out as she's not with the other 16 goats...but she will  be in a couple days. Other than that, she seems to be perfectly happy with her new little companion. She's a good mommy, just like her mother, Velvet.
Normally with each baby goat born on this farm we give them a nick-name. So Starlene's nick-name is Starly. Isn't that cute? Here's her baby information:
 Starlene: March 4, 2010  - About 11pm - Dad: Pete - Mom: Annaliese   Female

A New Hope, A New Beginning

Annie became a mother yesterday night around 11pm! Most of my family had been in our living room watching TV while my younger siblings were asleep. All of a sudden my younger sister came in and said she thought Annaliese was having her baby out there because she was bleating really loudly in pain. So up I went off the couch, grabbed my coat and boots - also a flashlight...and finally headed down with running feet. Yes, it was Annaliese. Her bleat is very unmistakable. I walked into the goat house and there she was laying down with the baby's head just peeking out. I had come just in time. Immediately I went to her, patted her head and began helping her by pulling the baby when she pushed. It was very big, so there's almost no way she could have been able to birth it without assistance. Within maybe five long minutes she gave one last huge push and out slid the baby's head, neck, stomach, and then legs - all in one piece of course! I'm sure Anna was breathing relief as she just sat there for a couple seconds. At first the baby didn't seem to move very much, so I thought it could possibly be a stillborn. I moved her around a little, trying to get all the sack goop off of her face - and she moved! SHE WAS ALIVE. What a relief that was to me I'm sure you'd know if you have read previous posts of mine. So I started cleaning her off with some paper towels, but at the same time leaving some stuff for mommy to get herself so she knows it's her baby. I showed Annaliese her beautiful baby she had just birthed. The poor mother didn't seem extremely interested for the first few minutes, probably because she was still in shock from all the pain she had just gone through. But after a little while I made her get up and start being a mommy - by licking off her first baby GIRL. Yes, it was another little doeling...I always get really excited when they are girls. :)
She is a beautiful creamy, white patched, and black striped baby girl whom I almost immediately named Starlene. Thankfully the others agreed on it, because I was pretty set on it! :) Starlene possesses VERY long legs and a VERY loud, consistent bleat. The legs are fine, and I guess the bleat will have to do as well! :)
So that's how it all began, but the other hour we spent down there was not so much fun. For some reason we COULD NOT get Starlene to get the teat. She was surely looking for it - quite a bit actually. And sometimes she might have been just an inch away from it, but no. NO TEAT. I would work with her and my sister would work with her...but nothing. After a long while, me and my sister finally gave up and hoped for better results in the morning - after all it wasn't that far off anyway! :)
With the beautiful sunlight shining in the window this morning promising a good day I slipped out of bed, got ready to go outside and began heading to the goats. When I got to the goat house pen I was only praying and hoping that Starlene would still be alright - after loosing seven babies, this goatmother has a right to be a little panicky! I walked in and there the little darling was - laying down very comfortably in the hay with Annaliese looking up at me with sweet eyes. She was okay!! But the real test was...could she get to the teat yet? So I watched in anticipation. Not long I saw Starlene getting ready to go find her food and just a minute later I heard the smacking of the lips against the teat...SHE WAS EATING!! HALLELUJAH!! That's when all my worries about her vanished. She is a healthy, strong, beautiful doeling who knows how to eat. That's all I've ever wanted this year with each baby we've had. But it just wasn't meant to be. Winter is over, Spring with all it's glorious promises has come! Starlene has arrived! She's brought HOPE AND A NEW BEGINNING FOR US ALL.

Katrina's Evangeline

Well I've got some more really sad news. Katrina had a baby girl on March 1, 2010. She was a beautiful  white doeling, however she was so tiny and I believe slightly premature. I have been so sick lately that I couldn't do much for her. She was having trouble walking and I wasn't sure if she'd be able to reach the teat. But my mom told me I needed to go inside, I wasn't feeling very well. So the next day she was still there, but weaker. We finally brought her in because it was cold and she hadn't eaten anything yet. So we wrapped her up and fed her a little milk. But we DID NOT want to totally take her away from her mom because we DID NOT want to bottle feed another baby in the house. So once we thought she was strong enough, we moved her back with her mom until her next feeding time. Sadly though, that night my younger sister and mom went down to check on her only to find that she was dieing. She died just a couple minutes later. While she was still alive I had named her Evangeline. I thought it fit her pretty well. But as nature would have it - for the seventh time this year - she died.
Evangeline was a very weak doeling to begin with. It's nobody's fault...this is just what happens sometimes. Although this year it seems to be happening ALL the time. But I'm trying not to complain. These seven babies we have lost within two months just were not meant to live. It was just God's will, of which I accept.
So I'm thanking the Lord all the more for our BIG Spencer!! He sure has been a blessing and I will never forget how he was the only one out of the first eight babies we've had born this year, to live!

Our Darling Spencer

Here is a beautiful video of our darling Spencer who is growing up on us so fast! It just goes through pictures of his first days with us in the house, to finally graduating outside. Hope you enjoy it! :)

A Tribute To Stardust

This post is a tribute to our dear Stardust who was born to us three years ago today.  She was sadly killed by a dog attack two years ago to our great despair along with two others. It was definitely a night I will never forget and I will always regret. But today would be her third birthday if she stayed with us longer.

In memory of Stardust...

One reason our Stardust was so special to us was because she was the very first baby goat EVER born on our farm. It was a new experience and I would have to say one of the best experiences with baby goats we have ever had. She was so much like her mother - only sweeter. The night she was born was one of joy and excitement. She came out as a beautiful black and white baby girl with ears that looked as if they were dusted...with stardust. She also had the stardust around her eyes and her tail. Thus her name became Stardust.

 Stardust was a spunky little girl with so much energy, but she also had this calm, peaceful side to her as well. She loved the hugs I'd give her and loved all the caressing she recieved. She was also one of the two only goats who would jump in our arms. It was such a delight! Stardust was a jumper!
She also became a wonderful mother to two twin boys born to us on January 28, 2008. She loved them dearly and did a wonderful job raising them for the last three months she was with us.
Then on April 19, 2008, dogs came...and Stardust was no more. It was a horrific experience I never want to repeat again if the Lord wills it. It took a very long time afterwards to accept the fact that Stardust was no longer in existence. That sweet face I would see no longer. I still want her back and wish that somehow I could go back to that night, be prepared, and save all three of the does we lost, including Stardust. However, I know that is not possible.
I loved her and still love her to this day. Happy birthday Stardust my darling. You will NEVER be forgotten.

Happy Birthday Day Arthur Sweetheart:)

Today is a very special day. It is our sweet Arthur's first birthday! How time flies!

Arthur I would have to say is one of my favorite goats we have ever had the privilige to know and own. He's always been so sweet, loving, and adorable with me and my family!

The day we found him was one I will always remember. He is the son of Cassidy. At this time we had been waiting for her to have her baby for about two months before he actually popped out! Just like Cassidy. So I think we had almost given up on her and decided to just let him come when he comes. So we did. One lovely February morning I was simply going outside to open the goats gate and take care of them. I remember Cassidy bleating a lot when I got down there. But I didn't seem to think much about it. She had given us so many false alarms already. So I took my time. When I finally went into their pen I got a closer look at Cass...it looked as if she had blood on her leg. So I opened the door of the goat house and peeped inside to see if there was any baby. From my view, there was not. Until right before I was going to close the door my gaze went down to right in front of me...and there he was. Laying right in front of my boots, all wet and dirty! My heart skipped and eventually we had him all clean and dry. Our dear Arthur had been born. Since then he has always been one of the most loving creatures I've ever met. He loved it when we pet him on the face and coddled him in our arms. The moment he was placed in our arms he would literally go limp! He also liked to mount his two front legs on you as he gazed at you with these adorable pleading eyes to be held!

He became very good friends with Charlotte as they were only 11 days a part. They were play mates. From being on top of the dog houses together to laying down with each other at night...sometimes one of them wouldn't even be laying down with it's mother! Those two were little sweeties!

As Arthur has grown, he has also matured quite a bit. He still looks at you with those eyes, and still mounts on top of us...but he has become a "man", so to speak. He's a wether of course, but you can tell he still has that manliness about him. I've referred to him as my other boy friend (the other one is Comet - hopefully he doesn't think I'm a two-timer!)...it's our little joke because we love each other so much! So when someone askes me if I have a boyfriend, I can say.."Yes, I have two. They're both goats!".

I LOVE Arthur so much and am so honored to own such a wonderful creature the Lord has made! Happy Birthday sweetheart! :)

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Arthur! Happy birthday to you! (And SO MANY MORE!)"

Expecting Mothers And Due Dates :)

If you remember, back in October I predicted some breedings from Annaliese, Katrina, Essie, Gennavieve, and Charlotte. Here they were: Essie - March 1st, Katrina, Annaliese, and Charlotte - March 7, Gennavieve - March 9. So far it looks my predictions were correct. Essie had her babies prematurely, about two weeks before they were due. Annaliese and Katrina look almost exactly the same in signs of kidding. Their udders seem to be the same size, and their ligaments are about the same as well. So it looks like they're due date IS March 7...I wonder if I will be right. Charlotte doesn't look like she's pregnant - if she is...she's not showing any signs. So we'll just see with her, but I really don't think she'll kid on March 7... who knows though! Gennavieve looks like (if she is pregnant) just right behind Annaliese and Katrina with signs. And that's perfect because if my calculations were correct, her due date is March 9 - two days after Anna and Katty.

So I feel really good about my predictions...and if I am right - we're going to have some new additions to our herd in just a week or so! :)

Annaliese Showing Signs

 Annaliese's stomach looks like it has dropped significantly since yesterday...we could have a baby from her any day now. Praying that this one will be healthy and strong. 

Essie's Premature Twins

I know I already posted something today on this blog, but something very sad has happened that I should not wait to post until tomorrow. Essie had her twins prematurely this evening. I had absolutely no clue that she was going to kid. Her udder was not full, her ligaments did not seem to feel very loose. There was nothing. My estimations were around the beginning of March. But like I said she had them prematurely, because the babies did not look fully devoloped at all. So I found them both lieing on the ground when I went down to feed Spencer. As I was walking down, Essie was bleating very loudly in an abnormal tone that I had really never heard before. So when I got down there, you can only guess the shock wave that went over me. There they both were - one dead and the other just barely alive. I thought he might have a chance, but he died just a few minutes later.
I found out she became a mother of a baby girl and a baby boy. The boy looked almost exactly like her, while the girl had a little lighter color of the head. They were two beautiful babies that would have been probably healthy and strong had they been born on their due date. Essie was very distraught and confused. She acted a lot like Cassidy did when she lost her babies last month. It was so, so sad. I never want it to happen again in my life if the Lord wills it.
So that's six babies that have died in 2010 and that one special baby, Spencer who lived during this hard, cold winter.

A Midnight Snack For Mr. Hogi Bun

Last night my sister and I went down to the goats around 11pm to give Spencer his last feeding of the day. As I opened the gate and started feeding him, Hosea without a second thought walked right out of the pen very lazily and headed for the hay bale. I watched him walk slowly over there, just taking his time. In my head I'm thinking, "What is he thinking? It's almost midnight!". But he didn't seem to care a bit. He just decided he was still hungry and walked right out thinking nothing of it. So after I was done with Spencer, I closed the gate and went to get Hosea. I found him, picked him up, and took him to the goat house pen. He didn't seem to mind me holding him or putting him back in the pen for that matter. Like I said, he looked very lazy and innocent as ever. I guess he just wanted a midnight snack.

My House Baby, Now OFFICIALLY An Outside Baby

Well, Mr. Spencer is back outside once again! I know you must be thinking..."And in a few days, the 'rebel' is going to return to your house again, right?". Wrong. This is permanent, unless teen to negative weather comes in again. Otherwise he's officially an OUTSIDE BABY. And I really think he likes it out there ten times better than in here. There's more room to run, and I think he realizes that it's where he belongs...with other goats - no matter how mean they are to him! Although I think they are all beginning to warm up to the idea of having him be a part of the herd...forever. One way I can prove that to you is last night COMET of all goats was laying next to him outside of their goat house! AMAZING CHARACTER COMET! I think he's finally beginning to see that life is not all about HIM. Who knows. I just thought it was very sweet.  :)

"Gee, thanks."