Rewind Part 1 {The Account of Edna Kidding}

This has been a fast paced week!  So much has happened with all 3 of the goats kidding!  I am rewinding a few days to post some pictures of Edna's kidding

Wednesday, April 6, 2016:
Usually I have various commitments that require me to leave the farm during the week, but my commitments were canceled so I was able to be home.  I had a hunch that Edna would kid and so I checked on her every half hour or so.  She got a bit frustrated with me and wouldn't let me get close!  I started to wonder if I was just wishfully thinking!  I "thought" Edna's tailbone ligaments felt soft.  Her udder "seemed" fuller than the night before as well.  It seemed like she was acting a bit off.  And she had a lot of discharge.  She was pawing at the ground.  And she was making little low grunts and seemed to be talking to her babies.  But after checking on her so many times during Wednesday morning and watching for any signs of labor, I thought maybe my mind was tricking me.  I finally decided to go run an errand and not wait around all day.

As I was preparing to go, she laid down and started pushing.  Within 5 minutes I saw hooves and a nose!  It all happened so fast compared to Elly May!  She delivered the kid standing up and I gently caught it and laid it on the ground so she could clean it off.  It was the tiniest kid I had ever seen.  I was pretty sure it was a girl!

Edna licked the first kid for about 7-10 minutes before I saw another bubble appear!  Then a pink nose!  Edna was still standing, so I gently helped the second kid out.  It was huge!  This one looked like a boy! I wiped the nose to make sure it could breathe and Edna continued to clean off both of them!

The first tiny doeling was soon named Hurray and the second buckling was named Howdy!  They both nursed, then settled in for a long nap!

They are such sweet baby goats with gentle temperaments.  They love snuggling and playing together!   Goat kids are so much fun!

Welcome Hilarious and Holster!

I am sad that kidding season 2016 is now over (no more setting my alarm for 2am to check on the goats)...

But happily, Charlotte kidded today!

Welcome Hilarious and Holster!

Hilarious is an all black DOELING!  Holster is another cute buckling!  

This was the first kidding that I missed being present.  I had a commitment in town at 2 this afternoon that I was not able to rearrange.  Charlotte looked like she was in early labor, so I left the rest of my family with instructions just in case.  Around 3 they texted the below picture...

After the first kid was born, they thought she might have a twin.  Here is the second "bubble" after Hilarious was born.  They reported that it was about 30 minutes after Hilarious was born that Holster came out!

But, before Holster was born Charlotte did a great job of getting Hilarious all licked clean!

She has floppy ears!  Alpines are supposed to have upright ears, but I am assuming that her ears were squished down in the womb and they have not straightened up yet.  She looks like a Nubian goat!

I don't have very many pictures of Holster (more coming!), but he has two white spots on each side that remind me of holsters!  He is a little sleepier than his rowdy sister.

My scale ran out of batteries, so I wasn't able to weigh them, yet but I would guess they are each around 6 or 7 pounds each.  

Charlotte has very active twins. Just hours after being born, Hilarious was out of the goat hut and mimicking Charlotte by nibbling at hay!  They are also very vocal, especially Hilarious.  Each time I pick her up she screams (none of the other goat kids even peep when I pick them up!).  When I tied her umbilical cord, cut it, and dipped it in iodine, she yelled during the whole process as if I were hurting her.  Poor goat!  I have a feeling that she is going to be feisty!  

There are a total of 5 goat kids!  The goat pen is a delightful place right now.  It fills my heart with joy and thanks to the Lord for blessing my herd with beautiful baby goats!

Introducing Hurray and Howdy!

Edna had TWINS!  Introducing Hurray and Howdy!

Hurray, 5 pound doeling born first!

Howdy, 7 pound buckling born second!

Born April 6th around 2 in the afternoon!

More pictures coming soon...

Farm Photo Tour!

Hello Again, Blog!  

I've repeatedly been asked what my plans for this weekend include.  "The Goats Are Due!" is my consistent response!  Edna is due on Saturday.  She is definitely getting close.  All the goats were 4 days late last year, but the weather has been so different this year that I can't even guess whether she will be on time or not!

Our goats and farm were recently the subjects of a photo shoot my sister initiated.  The way she captured the beauty that we wake up to every morning is breathtaking!

We'll start our "tour" with photos of the beautiful wildflowers around the farm...

Bluebonnets are such a "Texas" thing!

The deep red of the Indian Paintbrushes offers a vivid contrast to the bluebonnets.

The Primroses are such dainty, delicate flowers!

The wildflowers make beautiful bouquets...

Now, please step into the garden...

There are Marigolds planted in antique tin pots around the garden.  The marigolds add cheery color to the garden and they keep the bugs away too!

Thyme seems to stand still in this lovely pot!

The Dill is flourishing!

Anyone care for a piece of chocolate mint?

This Dianthus is bursting with beauty! 

A friend surprised me with a package of lettuce seeds in the mail a few months ago.  We are now enjoying yummy salads!

Now please come with me to visit the chickens...

The chicks have arrived!  There are over 35 peeping balls of fuzz in the brooder!  They are so frail, yet so full of life!

Out with the "big chickens," this guy keeps us laughing!  Hey dude!

Silver Spangled Hamburgs are some of my favorite breeds of chickens.  I am intrigued by black and white chickens for some reason (thus, my other favorite breeds are barred rocks and silver laced wyandottes).  But, chickens aren't really my "department."  So, let's go visit the goats now!

 

Say "hi" to Blue Bell the dog on the way over to the goat pen!

Edna, my cute goat!

Her beard is really growing!

She and Charlotte don't always play the nicest.  I often have to reprimand those silly goats!

Charlotte seems to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence!

It's been hot.  Considering they are also about to kid, I've caught them laying around recently!

Look at Elly May's round tummy!  Anyone want to guess how many kids she will have?

She is also developing a nice udder.  It will soon be milking time!

She is such a friendly, talkative goat.  Haha!

I can't wait for kidding time!

 This concludes our "farm tour" for today!  I am so thankful to the the Lord Jesus for allowing me to enjoy this place in this season.  To Him--the Creator of life and beauty--be the glory!

Until next time..."I'll Fly Away!"

Under the Udder!

Since the goats are "dry" right now, their udders aren't very impressive.  (Except for Elly May's!  She is a "first freshener."  Earlier this year she just had two tiny little teats and now she has a full udder!)  However, the long hairs growing under their udders kept growing and getting longer and longer... The kids will soon be here and so will milking time!  Keeping the hairs around the udder cut short helps the goat kids be able to find the udder easier and also keeps hair out of the milking pail (yuck).  So, it was a great time for an udder hair cut!

Elly May's udder before...

I found a beard trimmer in with the haircut kit that our family uses.  We weren't using it so I  confiscated it for the goats and it works great!

We had to coax Elly May to stay still on the milking stand while she had her udder trimmed!

All finished!  This udder is ready for baby goats and milking time now!

Boosting Before Birth

The "countdown" is on!  Goat kids should be arriving in about three weeks!  As the goat keeper, I have been busy making sure each of the does has their proper "boost" before birth!

Each of the does receives Selenium/Vitamin E gel before their due date.  I have written in a previous post about the benefits of giving this supplement.  See "Selenium and CD/T."  The gel is butterscotch flavored so the goats love it!

I also give 2cc of the CD/T (Tetanus) shot.  I felt much more confident about giving vaccines this year!  

I was concerned that the bottle said to use all of the contents upon opening.  However, some other farmer-friends told me that it keeps fine in the fridge for longer periods of time.

The goat pen is a great place to be!