Pregnant Amber

Pregnant Amber was up by the fence doing a 4 step dance this morning. It goes something like this ~ swish tail quickly, while stomping back feet, then paw ground with front feet and repeat. Oh, and you need to have a bagged up udder to make it all interesting. It helps to have loose ligaments in order to make the moves look graceful too. Wondering when we will see new baby faces? Or was this dance just a practice round, an effort to keep us exercising our legs running back & forth to the barn?

Amber & Glory ~ 2011

She is not the only one on pregnancy watch right now. Glory is within days if not hours of Amber, whenever that is. Glory lost her ligaments over a week ago, but hasn't bagged up yet. Even though her swell of baby(s) has dropped low. It is so hard to gage when they will birth as each doe has her own set of signs. Often displayed at varying times with each pregnancy.

Amber ~

Both of the ladies have large sides, with Amber looking the roundest. I wouldn't be surprised if Amber was carrying triplets, though large kids may explain her broad side better. She has birthed twins every time with each of her previous 4 pregnancies. Glory has had a single kid and a set of twins to her credit. Always with the doe looking just like her, markings and all.

Glory ~ 2011

Their due dates are not anticipated till the end of February. If so, they sure are displaying signs early. Either that or my calculations are off as to when they were actually bred. Guess we will have to wait and see like every year thus far.

Watching for the signs,

Deborah

JOY DARE ~ continues,

a gift before 9am, one before noon, one after dark ~ 1/26

168/92 time on the computer

169/93 weather radio warning

170/94 dinner already started by husband

3 gifts that might never have been ~ 1/27

171/95 sleeping till 9am

172/96 flock of Robin's visit

173/97 Jason's opportunity - job

Twins for the Fourth Time!

There has been so much going on the past few days I haven't had the chance to share about our newest babies. Amber was nearing her due date last Friday 2/25 and we had already been putting her up at night in the birthing pens. She gave us a scare the day before when she began to lie around and limp badly when ever she did move. Something wasn't right and I knew she was getting in trouble with the lethargic way she was acting. There is a condition that the does can get when they are carrying multiples and not able to consume enough feed for themselves, due to expanding bellies. Their bodies start converting their own carbohydrate stores into nourishment for the babies. Leaving them with low blood sugars, kinda like a diabetic would do. Realizing she was showing signs of the condition, I began feeding her a high energy/caloric drink to stabilize her. By the next feeding that evening she was looking better and I repeated the magic elixir.


Saturday morning she refused to come out of the birthing pen. At first I thought she was still feeling bad, but wondered. From all I have read about labor signs, one I hadn't put much stock in was ~ "if they do anything that causes you to think - they've never done that before." Came to mind and I left her alone. A trip to the feed store had me getting home later than I had planned. So it was late afternoon before I could check on her again. Sure enough my suspicions were confirmed when there she stood beside the twins she had just delivered. They were cleaned and dry for the most part, so could only have been about an hour old. One buck and one doe, very small in size but pretty in coloration. Once again she birthed alone, being the pro that she is. She doesn't want anyone to know what she is up to until it is all over.

The buck is the black one with freckled ears ~
The doe is the tawny one who looks like Amber

They were showing signs of being chilled, so after clipping & tying off umbilical cords. I slipped them into "goatie" sweaters to help them regulate their body temperatures. The little doe nursed before I headed back to the house. But the buck didn't seem interested, not knowing if he had already or not. I left them alone to bond for a little while. Made one more trip back to the barn before bed to check on the new family. I didn't like the buck's weak looking actions and knew I couldn't leave him as he was. Milking some colostrum from mom, I mixed it with some goat power aid and syringed it into his mouth. He drank it, he was still shivering despite the heater being on in the barn. Seemed like a good enough reason to nuzzle him inside my sweat coat till he warmed up. He snuggled up to me and closed his eyes for a brief nap. Putting him back in the pen he then went straight to Amber to nurse. A sign I had been waiting on all along.

They are doing great now, still underweight but that can be easily fixed. As Amber is a great mother, who has always produced rich milk. We've stepped up her protein intake to give her a boost, so she can meet the demands of 2 very hungry youngsters. I'm sure it won't be long before they fatten up like the other kids playing out in the pasture.

Waiting on the next doe to kid, but loving the new arrivals,

Deborah

Wild Things and Barnyard Fights

The air is considerably cooler this morning after last evening's showers. Would have been a great opportunity for a pre-dawn coffee chat with Lon, if he hadn't already left for work. Am looking forward to Autumn when we can spend days like this on a regular basis. Not having to think about whether he is home or at work will be a blessing.




















Rusty, top Rooster ~VS~ Thomas, the Tom

Rusty our resident Roo is still trying to take on Thomas, our Burbon Red tom. They were fighting in the pasture again this morning at milking time. I hope Thomas kicks his tail feathers and puts him down a notch in his perception of himself. Though Rusty is a good provider and protector for the hems who choose his company. Guess we will have to wait and see who wins, brawn or size.

The day lays before me with so many options that I am unsure what to do. I know it will be a productive day if only one item gets done. As all of them have been waiting for our attention since the day we moved in. I need only to pick one and get started. . . . .


. . . . . . Later in the day ~

After making a list of possibilities to be done, I did not do a one of them. HA! Instead I decided to unpack boxes from out of the spare room/office/craft area. I hung some of our wall pictures and did some general straightening. The list can always wait till tomorrow, because it all still needs to be done and I don't think anyone is going to come do it for me.

I had a scare this evening on the wild side. I was weeding an area up next to the back of the house. Pulling handful's of grass & weeds is a great way to get rid of the them by their roots. While reaching down for a large clump of grass I caused movement. Stopping and looking closer revealed a large black snake curled up. Just inches from where my fingers had just been. WOW ! Talking about freezing on the spot. Couldn't decide whether to stay put or run. No additional movement gave me courage to move quickly and I ran in to call Lon at the station. Based on my description, he suggested that it could be either a King snake or what they call a Rat snake. Either one is not poisonous and a great help on a farm for unwanted critter control. I am unsure which it is, just glad it did not run out on me. Or the goats would have seen some ugly dancing on my part, trying to two step with a backwoods country slithery snake.

If that was not enough excitement for the evening, Amber had a run in with something in the edge of the yard/woods. Based on her reaction I was not sure whether she had been stung, bit by a snake or had broken her leg. I guess at that point I was a little paranoid about snake bites. With some violent thrashing around on the ground on her part and refusing to put weight on her leg. I was unsure just what happened. I sat on the ground in an effort to get her to calm down, as she was frantic in her search for relief. She wanted to lie next to me but it was apparent that she was in a good deal of pain. Restless and moaning were two very good signs she was in great distress. Which added to my own. I remember reading about pain control for goats in one of my emails and went to look the info up. All the while calling Lon back with the newest saga on the home front. Found my notes and discovered how much Ibuprofen I could give her for discomfort. Bet the pharmaceutical company never counted on treating goats. Tucking the two tablets in chunks of bananas, she easily ate the meds. My only course then was to help her back to the pen for rest till morning as nightfall had fallen all around us. It was a slow go with a three-legged goat. I hated to leave her but could not stay and trudged back up to the house facing the options before me. Morning will bring to light an obvious broken leg, a dead goat from a poisonous snake bite or a sprain ankle and a possible trip to see a vet.

Quick prayers were lifted up for her healing as I headed off to bed myself.

Deborah