Playing catch up on the homestead...

 You know what they say about the best-laid plans?  I had high hopes to write on my blogs every day, but somehow, life just got in the way.  First, the most exciting news of all!  We have baby goats.  Our does, Laverne and Shirley, were bred in October a week apart.  We bred them then since gestation is five months for goats and we wanted babies in the spring.  I was so nervous, just waiting their arrival.  Of course, I had heard horror stories about tough deliveries, and all the things that could go wrong. 

Our does are twins.  They are Oberhaslis, a somewhat rare breed in the US.  They are an alpine dairy breed that are known to be mild-mannered and good milk producers. I never really thought about goats but my husband always wanted them.  So my son bought us three, the twins and a buck named Mr. Bill.  I have fallen in love with them and they are always very entertaining.  

On March 21, we fed the goats as usual.  Laverne just wasn't herself.  She was big as a barn but didn't want to get up and eat.  I knew it was close.  I had some work I had to do so right after lunch I told my hubs that I wanted to go check on her.  We had put her in the stall that we had designated for birthing earlier that morning.  When I walked in she was hanging around against the wall and all of a sudden her water broke!Talk about timing!

My husband is good at so many things.  But I guess birthing goats is not one of them.  He told me he didn't know what to do and wasn't comfortable doing anything.  So I sent him to the house for towels while the contractions started.  

My poor girl was in so much pain and was screaming because she just couldn't get the baby out.  Though I was nervous, I helped her deliver a healthy boy!  It was exciting and scary at the same time.

I was beside myself witnessing the miracle that I had just witnessed.  My husband said, "She's not done."  And I, the now accomplished midwife, said, "Oh, I think she is!"  And at that moment, Laverne had another contraction and delivered a little doe.

Meet Jack and Jill, my sweet little buddies.  They are mischievous, yet sweet, love attention and animal crackers.

Meanwhile, Shirley who was bred a week after Laverne wasn't looking too pregnant.  She didn't bag up.  She didn't get big.  For a little bit, I was starting to wonder if she would have a kid or not.  On March 30, three days after the date I had calculated as her due date, we fed the goats and headed off to a local flea market.  Shirley was cranky and was butting at the babies, so we locked her in the birthing stall while we were gone.  On the way home, I checked our camera that we have in the barn.  You really can't see the birthing stall very well, but I could see a tail wagging.  Shirley had given birth while we were gone, and by the time we got home, her baby was dry and nursing!

Meet little Butterscotch!  She is a lighter color than the twins, but then, so is Shirley.  She is also bigger than the twins.  She is happy, spunky, and always into some kind of mischief.  

We feel so blessed to have these babies.  My wallet says we should sell them but my heart says they need to stay here with us on the homestead.  They provide us with love and entertainment every day, which explains why I am no longer offended to be called the Old Goat Lady..haha

Till next time....

My Goats, The Barn, My Happy Place

 Sometimes we find the most joy in the most unusual places, don't we?  Never ever did I think I would fall in love with three little goats.  I never thought I would actually enjoy the smell of the barn, and not mind shoveling goat poo.  But as God is my witness, I have found my Utopia in a goat barn.  

We have had the kids for a year now.  We took my 97 minivan to Kansas to pick them up.  To say I was unprepared would be an understatement.  Our goats were so tiny!  And I had no idea what to do with them. Meet Mr. Bill, Laverne, and her twin sister Shirley.   They cuddled in the van but by the time we got them home on that hot July day, they were ready to eat.

It took them a bit to warm up to us but now they are attentive, loving, and full of mischief.

The year has been a learning experience for us.  So many misconceptions!

  So much to learn!

1. Goats do not eat everything.  Not tin cans, not hay when it falls on the floor, not some goat feed.  They are finicky.  They only want the best hay, the leaves off of all the trees, and whatever the other one has.
2. When one goat gets sick, they all get sick.  I read that you need to pay attention to their goat poop.  It should look like bbs and be everywhere.  So one day I started noticing Mr. Bill's poop was soft and more like it came from a cow.  My husband said don't worry.  I worried anyway.  Within a couple of days, Mr. Bill had a bad case of diarrhea and wasn't eating.   Here I sat washing his behind and cleaning up messes.  By the time it was all over, they all three got it, I treated it, and it was over.  Thank God for Google and YouTube.  
3. Goats can get into everything.  They can climb ladders, steal your hat, and pee on your tools. We learned really quickly that they are curious creatures and that they cannot be trusted.   

 Our goats are Oberhasli dairy goats.  Though they are from the same breeder, the twins are from different parents.  We plan on breeding them in the fall so we can have Springtime babies.  The barn is complete but we are considering a buck barn.  Right now they are separated, but Mr. Bill is really rambunctious and unpredictable.  I think he needs to be farther away.  We just have some logistics to work out with things like power and water.