Changing of Seasons

It is a changing of seasons with the selling of the goat kids...but also a changing of seasons from Summer to Fall!

The first official day of fall was last week.  But with stifling heat and suffocating humidity, autumn wasn't anywhere to be found then.  What a surprise to wake up to 65 degree temperatures this morning and a coolness in the air!  Truly a reason to celebrate!

I am also grateful for the inch of rain we received a few days ago.  The fields are so lush that I have to check the calendar to remind me it isn't Spring!

Beautiful sunrise...

Edna and Charlotte are best friends and worst enemies now that they are the only two goats left to the herd!

Edna's udder has been quite full the past few days.  I am discovering that Edna had been producing a lot of milk and Hurray (her kid that I sold) had been drinking it!

Edna is really fun to milk!  I like her udder shape!

I am getting about 2 1/2 quarts of milk from both Charlotte and Edna.  Often, it is more milk than I can use so Blue Bell benefits from the surplus!

I've been trying to work on the goats hooves more regularly.  It is easiest to trim in the morning while their hooves are spongy from the dew.

These little bearded goats are sure a pleasure to enjoy!  I am thankful for the motivation they provide to get outside each morning and enjoy my Creator's beautiful creation!

And I hope that Fall is here to stay...!

What Makes You Smile?

I found a couple of random photos on my computer that made me smile!  Do goats make you smile?

Hurray is becoming a bit of "pet."  She has a really sweet personality and likes to be hugged on!  I am not sure if she will ever be bred (as I don't think I want to pass on her four-teat trait), but she is fun to have around!

Hilarious is growing quite tall and sleek.  I am amazed that at 5 1/2 months old she is still jet black!  Charlotte  (in the background of this photo) is burying her head in a bale of hay.  She sure loves her food!

Blue Bell makes me smile too!  She had some skin issues this summer so she had to get shaved, thus her short coat.  She also isn't spending as much time in the goat pen as she learned to dig out (uh-oh!).  Now, she usually just stays around on the porch or sleeps in the cattle trailer.  When I go to feed the goats in the morning, Blue Bell is always happy to greet me with a nuzzle of her velvety nose and a swift wag of her tail!

Goat-Keeping Report!

Dear Emma (and other readers of this blog who have doubted the existence of "The Great Goat Adventure!"),

Thank you for reminding me recently that my last post was May 16th.  Ouch! A whole three months ago!  This summer has been fast and furious.  In fact, it seems that most days I spent more time out-and-about than actually on the farm.  But summer is coming to a close and I am reevaluating my priorities.  Goat-keeping reminds me that life isn't all "out there."  There is so much beauty and fun to be had "right here."  I truly enjoy my animals and pursuing an agrarian lifestyle.  It is important to me to enjoy yummy goats milk, observe playful goat antics, and work hard to provide my goats a clean, healthy environment.  And so, despite the lack of blog posts, I whole-heartly march on with this goat adventure!

Last time I posted, my little goat kids looked like this...

Frisky bundles of energy!

All of the disbudding scabs came off of the kids.  Overall, I was very pleased with the results of my DIY disbudding!  Hillbilly and Hurray are completely clean.  Howdy, Hilarious, and Holster ended up with very minimal scurs.  All of them were better than the vet did last year, so I call it a success!

The goats had a little adventure at the beginning of the summer (of which I have no pictures to document, sorry!).  We left for a week-long vacation at the end of May and had plans for friends to come do the morning/evening chores.  We left at 5am and I admired the beautiful clear sky as I told my goats "goodbye."  That evening we were notified that our community was experiencing record flooding!  (Something like 22 inches or so?)  I was unsettled because I wanted to be able to care for the goats and know that they were okay, but thankfully they were all fine after the rough storm passed!  Their pen is up on a hill so they didn't experience any harm.  However, we had just hauled a whole trailer full of hay to our hay/cow barn.  The water backed up at the creek and flooded the whole lower field and up over the whole barn!  All of the hay floated away!  Bummer!  We had purchased the hay from a friend who graciously sold us their next cutting several weeks later.  I am thankful!

Also, our garden did fairly well at the beginning of the summer before it got stifling hot.  We got some yummy onions, squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  

I was able to sell Holster (Charlotte's buckling) at the beginning of the summer.  I am still trying to sell the bucks.  It has been hard to downsize the herd.  And the longer I keep the kids, the more I like them!  

I have also been reluctant to wean the doelings.  I have the bucklings (Howdy and Hillbilly) penned up by themselves and I do not have another area to keep the girls separate from their mamas right now. It actually makes the chores much easier because the doelings drink quite a bit of milk so I don't have to worry about finding ways to use 3 gallons of milk a day!  Usually, we get about a quart or two daily from all three goats which is plenty for our family!

Hilarious gets to eat with Charlotte (her mama) during the evening!  Each milking doe is getting equal alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, and grain (a cup of each) at night.  In the morning they get 2 quarts of grain.  

Always ready to climb and explore!

Edna has been growing quite the beard!

I forgot to get a good picture of Hurray (Edna's doeling) and the bucklings last night when I was snapping photos and now it is storming out!  I'll have to get a better picture soon!  She is really changing colors right now and turning quite black.  Hurray has a really sweet disposition and I am often accused of showing favoritism towards her!  

I was disappointed when I realized that she has four teats (goats are only supposed to have two!).  I did some research and it is debatable if she should be bred or not.  I am still deciding what to do with her...

It has been amazing to watch the affects of restored copper levels for Elly May!  What used to be an orange/brown coat has now returned to jet black!  She is also so silky now!

(See how rough and shaggy she looked this Spring?)

Elly May's udder has also returned to normal.  After I weaned her buckling, all of the pimples on her udder seemed to clear up.  Maybe he was just being too rough on her!  Being a first freshener, Elly May has had to learn her manners on the milking stand.  Every morning is a race to get her milked before she eats all of her grain!

Thank you for following my goat blog!  This goat adventure is great!

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!"