What a shock we had last night! We went to do chores and found one of our does (that we didn't think could get pregnant) in labor and close to delivery!!! We had Lola and her pal Margot next to a buck for nearly a year. The buck got over the fence one time for just a short but, but we didn't think Lola was in heat. SURPRISE!!!!!
She blessed us with 2 bouncing baby boys. One is brown with white on his head and ears, the other is pure brown. Cute as can be! So, instead of being done bottle feeding in two weeks like we thought we were going to be, it will be another two months!
Need names!!!!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 13, 2009
Well, it doesn't seem I'm any better at keeping this current than I was on the regular website. I'm sorry!!! Ok, let's see where to start.
We ended with 39 kids in total from 17 moms. 23 were doelings and the other 16 were bucklings. The last were triplets born to Dotty on March 31. We had one doe, T-Bird, that freshened 11 days early. Only one of the triplets survived. She was 5 pounds and was able to eat and everything on her own with no problems. Just a little smaller than the others. Needless to say, she's VERY spoiled. Her name is Nalla and she loves to be held and rocked in your arms. In fact, she prefers it to walking!
We've been very fortunate to have many of our babies go to very loving, caring homes. That makes it much easier on us to see them go - although the barn always seems empty once some leave. Nearly all are weaned - just 8 still getting morning bottles yet this week and 3 get bottles 2x daily. The rest are eating hay, grain and browsing on pasture great.
We've had two open houses so far this year. The next will be Sunday, June 14 from noon to 5pm. The first one was snowed out - only three brave souls dared to come out. It wasn't fun! The second one was this month and was a beautiful day and a wonderful turnout. We had a jazz band from Valley High School in WDM, which was absolutely great! Also two wineries, Cyd's Catering, Louise from Chicken Chat notecards, Pat from Randol Honey and Larry from Quilted Gardens Nursery. Oh, and I can't forget Mary and her hula hoops! What a great time! Our 4-legged kids were totally exhausted by the time they greeted everybody and received all the attention they got. Bet they slept great that night!!!
I have a piece of bad news. We lost one of our Great Pyr's, Stosha, this morning. Gary and Wendy went to the barn to start chores and she was in the alleyway, but not right. We loaded her up and took her to our wonderful vet, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to save her. I was with her and thankfully she didn't suffer at all. It always feels like a chunk of our hearts have been torn out when we lose one of our loved ones here on the farm.
Come on out and see us June 14 for our next open house. We look forward to seeing you!
We ended with 39 kids in total from 17 moms. 23 were doelings and the other 16 were bucklings. The last were triplets born to Dotty on March 31. We had one doe, T-Bird, that freshened 11 days early. Only one of the triplets survived. She was 5 pounds and was able to eat and everything on her own with no problems. Just a little smaller than the others. Needless to say, she's VERY spoiled. Her name is Nalla and she loves to be held and rocked in your arms. In fact, she prefers it to walking!
We've been very fortunate to have many of our babies go to very loving, caring homes. That makes it much easier on us to see them go - although the barn always seems empty once some leave. Nearly all are weaned - just 8 still getting morning bottles yet this week and 3 get bottles 2x daily. The rest are eating hay, grain and browsing on pasture great.
We've had two open houses so far this year. The next will be Sunday, June 14 from noon to 5pm. The first one was snowed out - only three brave souls dared to come out. It wasn't fun! The second one was this month and was a beautiful day and a wonderful turnout. We had a jazz band from Valley High School in WDM, which was absolutely great! Also two wineries, Cyd's Catering, Louise from Chicken Chat notecards, Pat from Randol Honey and Larry from Quilted Gardens Nursery. Oh, and I can't forget Mary and her hula hoops! What a great time! Our 4-legged kids were totally exhausted by the time they greeted everybody and received all the attention they got. Bet they slept great that night!!!
I have a piece of bad news. We lost one of our Great Pyr's, Stosha, this morning. Gary and Wendy went to the barn to start chores and she was in the alleyway, but not right. We loaded her up and took her to our wonderful vet, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to save her. I was with her and thankfully she didn't suffer at all. It always feels like a chunk of our hearts have been torn out when we lose one of our loved ones here on the farm.
Come on out and see us June 14 for our next open house. We look forward to seeing you!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kids are here!!
Well, we're off and running! Caylah and her daughter, Dasani both blessed us with 2 does each on February 11 and we've been going pretty strong since then. I'm happy to say the girls have all been able to all have the kids on their own, and both moms and babies have all been healthy!
Ten does have freshened so far. We have 13 doelings and 9 bucklings so far. Cera is due to freshen this Saturday. I'm praying she's on time so I can attend my great-niece's baptism. We'll just have to wait and see though. She's been pretty miserable for a month now, so I've been trying to convince her that freshening a day or two early would only benefit her!!! :-)
The kids are eating great and romping around the barn like crazy. The last two born were to Pete (Kimberly Pete) Sunday night. We checked her at 7:30 after milking and she was showing absolutely no signs. At 9:00, we went out to feed the little ones in the kid barn and I went to check her again and came back with two doelings in the basket! Surprise!!! We had one little spotted buckling that is already spoken for. Much to my surprise, he had two brown siblings! Not quite sure where that came from. We have a lot of black in color this year. When we first started the business, we couldn't get a black kid to save our souls! All except the last two born Sunday are named. We had a hard time with names at first, so they were #1, #2, #3... Glad that's over.
The girls have been showing they're hormonal with minds of their own right now. All that have freshened so far have had kids before and know the milk stand. For some reason, they're thinking maybe they don't need to get on the stand right now. Sure hope that changes fast! Trying to make it fun for them by giving extra treats, so hopefully they'll get the hint soon.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Freezing January!!
Wow! January in Iowa has been a hum dinger! Lots of snow and this week is below zero temps! Right now we're wishing we were back in Hawaii!!! The girls are all snug as bugs in the barn. They're in deep oat straw and snuggling up to one another as well. Today and tomorrow are to be exceptionally cold, so we're keeping them all closed up and they're thoroughly happy girls!
Hawaii was great and very hard to leave. It was 80s and light rain when we left Hawaii and 20s and snow when we landed back in DSM. What a welcome home! NOT!! Gary and Lana did an excellent job taking care of everybody while we were gone. They kind've snubbed us for a short while when we got back - little stinkers!
The girls are getting heavy with kids. We've had several contact us for kids for this year. Sure would be nice if we had as many doelings as we did last year. Really anxious to see what all we get this year. Caylah is the first one due on February 9. She's our oldest and a great milker. We had hoped to have 25 freshen this year, but they had other ideas and we think we only have 17 or 18 bred. They really DO have minds of their own.
Our sweet Amore' had what we think was a pinched nerve. She carried her front left leg for nearly a week and we saw it kind've twitched as well. We did our home vet work on her with no results, so called our local vet. He checked her out and confirmed he thought it was a pinched nerve and said there was a "chance" she'd get better and suggested separating her from the others so she didn't get bumped for a few weeks. Well, we have her separated (she has the run of the alley way) and we treated her as he suggested PLUS we've been giving her "goat massages" and have really seen a BIG improvement. The leg is no longer twitching and she has begun using it. Thank goodness!!
We lost our 19 year old Kizzy (parlor cat) about a month ago. It's so strange to go in and not see her there. She was healthy to the end - age just caught up with her. She gave so many people enjoyment when we had tours.
Time to sign off for now. Stay warm!
Hawaii was great and very hard to leave. It was 80s and light rain when we left Hawaii and 20s and snow when we landed back in DSM. What a welcome home! NOT!! Gary and Lana did an excellent job taking care of everybody while we were gone. They kind've snubbed us for a short while when we got back - little stinkers!
The girls are getting heavy with kids. We've had several contact us for kids for this year. Sure would be nice if we had as many doelings as we did last year. Really anxious to see what all we get this year. Caylah is the first one due on February 9. She's our oldest and a great milker. We had hoped to have 25 freshen this year, but they had other ideas and we think we only have 17 or 18 bred. They really DO have minds of their own.
Our sweet Amore' had what we think was a pinched nerve. She carried her front left leg for nearly a week and we saw it kind've twitched as well. We did our home vet work on her with no results, so called our local vet. He checked her out and confirmed he thought it was a pinched nerve and said there was a "chance" she'd get better and suggested separating her from the others so she didn't get bumped for a few weeks. Well, we have her separated (she has the run of the alley way) and we treated her as he suggested PLUS we've been giving her "goat massages" and have really seen a BIG improvement. The leg is no longer twitching and she has begun using it. Thank goodness!!
We lost our 19 year old Kizzy (parlor cat) about a month ago. It's so strange to go in and not see her there. She was healthy to the end - age just caught up with her. She gave so many people enjoyment when we had tours.
Time to sign off for now. Stay warm!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
11-18-08
Wow! Is November ever being a miserable month here in Iowa! Unfortunately, along with it, I have some sick girls. Our weather is in the 50s one day, the 20s the next, the 40s the next, the teens the next and it's causing respiratory problems, unfortunately. We are anxiously awaiting a much needed, long awaited getaway to Hawaii coming up this Friday and trying very hard to get everyone healthy before we leave. Don't worry, we have VERY RELIABLE help while we're gone. The girls are dry, so all that will need done is feeding, watering, cleaning and loving! Gary will be doing the morning shift, while Lana will do the evening shift. They're the greatest!
The little girls have now nicely settled into the big barn with the older girls. They're all doing great and growing like weeds. The only problem for us is they think they have to be under foot and "help" us when we clean. They're all little rascals!
Reminder to all that we have our November open house this coming Sunday the 23rd from noon to 5:00. As usual, it will be in conjunction with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs. Come on out and enjoy a crisp country day!
Will talk to you when we get back the first part of December!
The little girls have now nicely settled into the big barn with the older girls. They're all doing great and growing like weeds. The only problem for us is they think they have to be under foot and "help" us when we clean. They're all little rascals!
Reminder to all that we have our November open house this coming Sunday the 23rd from noon to 5:00. As usual, it will be in conjunction with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs. Come on out and enjoy a crisp country day!
Will talk to you when we get back the first part of December!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
October 22, 2008
Wow! What a cold, blustery October day here in Iowa. We had rain this morning, now it's just miserably damp and WINDY!!! The girls, bucks and babies are all hunkered down inside the barns. I was just out to check everybody and they're all snug as bugs!
We had an open house along with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs last Sunday. The turnout was great! You never know what you're going to get weather-wise in October, but except for it being a bit windy, it was perfect. We had several guests that sat and enjoyed the entertainment, samples and fun in the yard, as well as visits to the barn and store. We even received pictures from a few families that took picture of the events of the day and the girls/babies. I can't tell you how much we appreciate those pictures. Unless we have extra bodies to help us during the day, we don't get any! So, thank you to everyone for the pictures that were shared.
If you've seen the front page or were out here for the open house, you already know we lost our precious Toby. He was 9 years old and old age finally caught up with him. He just stopped eating one day and there was nothing we could entice him with to get him to change his mind. He's with Molly now, but we sure miss him!
We have 17 (I think) girls bred now. We're still waiting on a yearling, Lydia, to come in to heat and a few others. We began the drying up process Monday. They'll be milked once a day for a week, then once every other day, etc. So far they don't seem to mind too much. Several were ready to dry up anyway.
Keep warm! Will write again soon.
We had an open house along with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs last Sunday. The turnout was great! You never know what you're going to get weather-wise in October, but except for it being a bit windy, it was perfect. We had several guests that sat and enjoyed the entertainment, samples and fun in the yard, as well as visits to the barn and store. We even received pictures from a few families that took picture of the events of the day and the girls/babies. I can't tell you how much we appreciate those pictures. Unless we have extra bodies to help us during the day, we don't get any! So, thank you to everyone for the pictures that were shared.
If you've seen the front page or were out here for the open house, you already know we lost our precious Toby. He was 9 years old and old age finally caught up with him. He just stopped eating one day and there was nothing we could entice him with to get him to change his mind. He's with Molly now, but we sure miss him!
We have 17 (I think) girls bred now. We're still waiting on a yearling, Lydia, to come in to heat and a few others. We began the drying up process Monday. They'll be milked once a day for a week, then once every other day, etc. So far they don't seem to mind too much. Several were ready to dry up anyway.
Keep warm! Will write again soon.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Rough Day
Yesterday was a day I could've done quite well without. I had our vet, Doc Dan, come out to take a look at a few of our goats and two of the dogs. First up was Alisha, our little doeling with Spinabifada. She was having some problems that were determined couldn't be helped with love nor medicine, so we made the tough decision to have her euthanized. I held her and kissed her while he performed the euthanization. It's so hard to see a little gal so sweet and lively have to be put to sleep.
We had a buck that we purchased several years ago that the people did a very poor job of disbudding. Doc Dan had to sedate him, then he used a flexible wire type saw to cut about 2 inches off the horn so it wouldn't continue to grow into his head. Then I had to check on him every 1/2 hour or so to make sure he didn't bloat from inactivity. We had him lying upward rather than flat down, so that helped. Poor guy was out for HOURS!!!!!! And he snores!!! He's back to his normal buckly self today.
Then we checked on another buck that had developed VERY poor feet/legs. We weren't using him any longer for breeding and he spends the majority of his time lying down or on his knees. It was decided for his sake, we should euthanize him as well so he didn't run the risk of getting pneumonia with the colder weather coming. These are the days when I'd just like to stay in bed with the sheets over my head.
Our oldest gal, Sadie - our first one born on the farm has lumps in her throat. We're pretty sure she has cancer, but she's still eating and getting around just fine, so thankfully, we didn't have to do anything with her. She's 12 this year and a real sweetie, so we're hoping she's able to handle this for a long time to come yet.
Honeybump, one of the 2 year old Great Pyrs has been gimping around for awhile on her back leg and whimpering occasionally, so we checked her out as well. He thinks she has hip displaysia, so she's now on a medicine to help to slow down or stop her problem. Also has pain meds if necessary. Toby was checked out as well as he's 9 and also gimping around. Doc Dan thinks his is arthritis, so he's on the same meds.
On the positive side, we're about 1/2 way through breeding. We bred Cera last night and tried Jenny this morning, but she's not quite ready. So hopefully we'll have just February and March kids.
That's all for now. Will write more soon.
We had a buck that we purchased several years ago that the people did a very poor job of disbudding. Doc Dan had to sedate him, then he used a flexible wire type saw to cut about 2 inches off the horn so it wouldn't continue to grow into his head. Then I had to check on him every 1/2 hour or so to make sure he didn't bloat from inactivity. We had him lying upward rather than flat down, so that helped. Poor guy was out for HOURS!!!!!! And he snores!!! He's back to his normal buckly self today.
Then we checked on another buck that had developed VERY poor feet/legs. We weren't using him any longer for breeding and he spends the majority of his time lying down or on his knees. It was decided for his sake, we should euthanize him as well so he didn't run the risk of getting pneumonia with the colder weather coming. These are the days when I'd just like to stay in bed with the sheets over my head.
Our oldest gal, Sadie - our first one born on the farm has lumps in her throat. We're pretty sure she has cancer, but she's still eating and getting around just fine, so thankfully, we didn't have to do anything with her. She's 12 this year and a real sweetie, so we're hoping she's able to handle this for a long time to come yet.
Honeybump, one of the 2 year old Great Pyrs has been gimping around for awhile on her back leg and whimpering occasionally, so we checked her out as well. He thinks she has hip displaysia, so she's now on a medicine to help to slow down or stop her problem. Also has pain meds if necessary. Toby was checked out as well as he's 9 and also gimping around. Doc Dan thinks his is arthritis, so he's on the same meds.
On the positive side, we're about 1/2 way through breeding. We bred Cera last night and tried Jenny this morning, but she's not quite ready. So hopefully we'll have just February and March kids.
That's all for now. Will write more soon.
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