Hay There!

I have been greatly enjoying the generosity of some fellow goat keepers!  They gave me access to a free hay source.  I was able to load up the truck and get enough hay to last the summer (hopefully)!  It is such a blessing to have others share their resources with me!

I have a new hay feeder for the new hay source.  This feeder holds a WHOLE bale of hay.  I was having to refill the hay every day or so with the other feeder which made for a lot of work!  This new feeder (designed and constructed by my brother) makes chores much easier and the goats like it too!

Now, for a few random goat pictures:

Edna...she seems to miss Fritz quite a bit.  I hadn't started weaning Fritz, so she found it quite a shock when he left the goat pen and never came back.  She most misses him after milking time when she makes a sad, low goat cry!

Charlotte's udder!  I am milking only once a day, and she milks about 3/4 gallon.

This picture accidentally got uploaded with this group of photos and I thought I would post it anyway!  This was sometime last spring.  It is amazing how much Elly May and Edna have grown!

Cute Kids!

Once I knew that the bucklings would be "gone for good," I took a bunch of pictures of them.  Enjoy this mini photo-shoot of Fritz and Frankincense!

That expression is so funny! 

Fritz exploring new heights!

"Why do you say I'm nosey?"

This photo shows Fritz's coloring quite well.  He has so many colors that I wasn't sure how to describe his coloring on his registration application.  I finally ended up calling him a "Belted Chamoise (the male spelling, not to be confused with Chamaisee the female spelling) with white markings on his face and legs." 

Howdy, Y'all!

Lick, lick, lick!

Wattles are Wonderful!

Thanks for enjoying my "Cute Kids" today!

"Go Green" with Green Ears

In order to legally register the goats with the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA), they must be tattooed.  The easiest place to tattoo them is in the ear.  The left ear is for the year identification letter (this year is "F") and the goats "birth order" number (Frankincense was born first in my herd, so he was #1 and Fritz was #2).  The right ear is for the herd identification letters/numbers.  Tattooing goes along with disbudding in my list of goat herding dislikes.  It makes them cry, which makes me feel sad too!

First some green ink is rubbed into the goat's ear.

The number/letter combination is placed into the tattoo pliers.   When the prongs squeeze into the ear, it permanently presses the ink into the ear's skin.

After that, more ink is rubbed into the ear and the tattooing is over.  And the goat is left with green ears for a while!

Green ears!

It is quite funny as the newly tattooed goats rub on the other goats and everyone ends up with little green streaks on them!  It will soon fade and disappear, but for now...

"Go Green!"

Sold!

Ahhh...I feel like peace has been restored to the goat pen.  The bucklings are sold!

About a month ago I put an ad for this little goat on Craigslist.  I was so busy that I didn't take time to see whether it had actually posted.  I don't think it had.  (And I wasn't that serious about selling him either at that time!  I was still enjoying the kids!)  

But last week I realized that the bucklings needed to go.  The does are showing signs of heat and I didn't want them to accidentally breed them as bucklings are "mature" at only 8-12 weeks old!  They were also taking up space, stealing milk from the does, starting to smell, eating more, and causing a ruckus at feeding time with their yelling and whippersnappering.  They needed to GO!

I went into my Craigslist account and reworked the ad.  Then the inquiries started coming!  Within a few days, I had a serious buyer!  I only had Frankincense listed, but I gave the buyer a sales pitch to take Fritz too.  Thankfully, they agreed to purchase both!

Sunday afternoon we loaded up the bucklings in the back of the truck to meet their new owner!

I gave them some water and parked in the shade.  It was hot!  In the future I will remember that it is best not to transport animals at midday in the Texas summer.  We enjoyed the bucklings and reflected on how fun the past 3 months had been with the goat kids:  I was giddy with excitement waiting for them to arrive, I cried when they were born, I had worried about them throughout the torrential rain storms, I had cuddled them on an almost daily basis...It had been fun.  But it was also time for them to go.

The new owner arrived at our meeting place and loaded them up in the back of a nice air conditioned Saab.  Spoiled goats!  I have heard that they are settling nicely into their new home.  The new owner hopes to breed Frankincense to his goats.  I am excited that he will be used as a "herd sire" and I hope he will produce some nice offspring next year!

I am truly grateful to have the 2015 kids sold!  When I returned to the goat pen, it seemed so quiet and peaceful.  It was just me and my 3 goats again.  Ahhh....

Post Script: 

This isn't the last you will be seeing of the 2015 kids.  I still have lots of pictures from the past couple weeks that never got posted, so you will be seeing more in the coming week...

Opening My Eyes

Things have been a bit quiet in the goat pen the past couple of weeks.  I, the goat keeper, have quite the full schedule with a summer job and other "life duties!"  These duties don't leave much time for goats, so I have been quickly milking them in the morning and quickly feeding them in the evening!  

Daily chores consist of a complicated routine of hooking up the goats, feeding, milking, straining the milk, refilling the hay, refilling the water, refilling the minerals, trimming hooves, giving supplements, etc.!  

Some mornings it is a little overwhelming!

But being frenzied doesn't get me or the goats anywhere!  After a few very busy weeks, I am beginning to realize the importance of slowing down to observe and enjoy my goats!  Proverbs 27:23 says: "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds."  I have a great responsibility to care for these animals which have been entrusted to me.  They are a valuable resource for which I must be a good steward!  So, instead of just rushing through the goat chores, it is a privilege to open my eyes to all of the amazing fingerprints of God that are all around me!

 

I then begin to notice cute expressions from Fritz!

I begin to appreciate this baby goat a little more!

When I slow down, I can laugh that Charlotte has no problem with Frankincense crawling all over her!  And Frankincense is over 40 pounds!  She doesn't see much need for discipline!

I can marvel at the intricate, geometric designs of the "zipper spiders" which fill the trailer where I keep the hay!  Every time I refill the hay, there are more and more spiders!  God's creation...multiplied!

It realize that I frequently end my posts with a nature picture.  So, here is a stunning sunset picture!  I am thankful for the opportunity to have seen the sun this past week. The goat pen has dried out and the grass has had opportunity to grow!

Even though life hasn't slowed down much, it is so much more pleasant to enjoy the "busyness" while embracing the beauty that surrounds it!

Goat Life Photos

Hello Again Blog!  Please enjoy some fun pictures from the goat pen!

Frankincense and Fritz are growing up FAST!  They now enjoy playing "Buck!"

This often includes wrestling!

Fritz and Edna both enjoy a cool sip of water!  

Speaking of water, the "terrible" thunderstorms have finally passed and my goats and I are enjoying some much needed sunshine!  One evening the storm was so intense I had to skip the goats feeding...  Yes, it has been a long couple weeks of rain, rain, rain.  I took all of the soggy hay out of the goat huts, put down lots of lime (to keep the flies at bay), and gave them some nice dry bedding.  Finally!

We have now started drinking Edna's milk!  It is so yummy and sweet.  Fritz is separated from her at night so she can "fill up" for us in the morning.

Fritz also discovered that Edna has two "milk spigots!"  When he was first born, he was favoring one side which made for a very lopsided udder!  I am glad he discovered the other side.  He also seems to have more energy now that he is drinking more!

"This stuff is WHEY too great!"

When we have "whey" too much "whey" (the leftover liquid from making cheese), the chickens get a hearty protein snack!  No waste, hurray for whey!

Name that Goat!

Fritz...

It is sometimes challenging naming goat kids.  I have to be careful not to name them after friends who might be offended or use names that are too beautiful to be used on bucklings who will grow up to be stinky one day!

Fritz got his name from a movie.  "Fritz" is one of the characters in the classic Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson.  This movie recounts an exciting tale of a family who is shipwrecked on a deserted island.  Through sheer creativity and ingenuity, as well as working together as a family, they turn their desperate situation into a sort of paradise.  It is a good reminder to use the resources available (for me right now it is goat's milk!) and use them most efficiently and effectively!

Fritz the goat (not the movie star!) has "wattles."  These are the little dangly growths on his neck.  I personally think they make him look extra nice!

It appears that Fritz's coloring genetics were definitely "randomized!"  Look at his hoof: it can't decide what color to be!

And, Fritz has a wide white belt across him.  It is actually a bit more than a belt...it looks more like he got into some white paint!

Weight Update!

Fritz weighs about 16 pounds now (at 2.5 weeks old)

Frankincense weighs about 35 pounds now (at 6 weeks old).  He is gaining weight so quickly that he is hard to hold anymore!

Until Next Time...

Fritz's Entry

Fritz is now close to 2 weeks old!  And, I am just getting around to posting photos of his amazing entry!  Edna did her "job" fairly routinely.  It is amazing to watch the stages of a goat birth!

We were just finishing up the morning feeding/milking routine when Edna basically fell over and started pushing!  She tried lots of different positions to get comfortable.

First, the "bubble" appeared.

Inside the bubble were two tiny hooves.  Interestingly, goat kid's hooves are white at birth.

The bubble burst, and Fritz was ready to dive out!  After Edna pushed a few times, I could see his tiny nose and his tongue (a lot of goats are born with their tongues hanging out!).

Edna was pushing extremely hard, so I decided to firmly grasp the hooves and gently tug when she pushed to help her make a little bit of progress.  When I did, the whole kid slipped out!  Different from Frankincense who appeared almost comatose when he was born, Fritz came out with his eyes open and let out a little cry!

She immediately began licking the him all over.  She really bonded with him from the beginning!

Isn't that pink nose so cute?

Within 30 minutes, Fritz attempted to stand up!

Even though this was Edna's first "freshening," she knew everything to do.  She stood still so that Fritz could nurse.

I rewarded all of her hard work with some molasses water and grain.  Edna deserved it!

In closing, I found it comical how Charlotte (the herd queen) took it upon herself to "supervise."  I think she must have thought she knew something since she has done it twice!