We've only just begun...

The saying goes that the "only thing that is constant is change." Things are changing here at the farm.  Our focus is now going to be on growing a dairy heard and finding a home for our Boers.  Since our ladies are due to kid any day now, we've opted to hold off on their relocation until kidding is over.

Today we started the dairy heard.  Meet "Brownie."  She is a ten-month old Nubian.

Cute, isn't she? 

Kids!

We are happy to announce a successful kidding season for 2013.  Very few birthing problems and losses.  The current kid count is up to 24 and we think there is just one more to kid.

Spring fever is here!

Last time I posted was last spring.  Hard to believe a year has come and gone so quickly.  Though not the snowiest or coldest winter we've had on the farm, it has been cold, dreary and wet a lot lately.  This weekend was the first really nice one in awhile.  It was dry, sunny and hit the 60 degree mark.  As our ladies are due to kid just after Easter (that's the timing only a Pastor/farmer would set-up) it was time to give everyone their annual vaccinations.

Most of them are not bothered by the shots anymore
and let the girls hold them still.

Chester.  Hasn't changed too much.  Eating is his occupation, hobby and pastime.

Luke's first day helping on the farm.  He slept thru it all.

No words needed.

Sophie watching like a good dog.

We'll be ordering chicks and seeds soon.  Now to just hope that there's no late frost this years there has been for the last two...

Kidding, again?!?

 Well, kidding season has started!  It has been a bit of a rough start.  First, it appeared #6 was in labor for about 3 days.  In retrospect, she was clearly in 'false labor' but none-the-less, we were expected baby goats on Easter!  Two days later, she had two big boys in the field.  We put them in the 'nursery pen' overnight as it was cold that night.

Mama #6 posing with one of her boys

#6 with her day-old twin boys

 They've done well.  In  except for the fact that the grass in the field is quite high and we seem to 'lose' one every now and then.

Aren't they cute?

Mama #36 was next to kid.  As a first time mom, we were extra careful.  She was placed in the nursery pen and delivered uneventfully.  (It happened faster than we thought...so we missed it!)  Unfortunately, though she made attempts at cleaning them off and caring for them, they were weak and never nursed.  We bottle-fed them colostrum and her milk but neither of them survived for very long.  This may have been for the best as they both had something abnormal under their jaw (suspected either thyroid or thymus) which may or may not have had long-term consequences.

Mama #36 with her twin girls

There are a few more that appear to be next to kid.  Fortunately, the weather is supposed to be warm and dry this week so we shall see!

Spring time is here at last!  The grass is growing.  The mama goat's bellies are growing.  Kidding is just around the corner.  That's when it gets really exciting on the farm.  We're hoping that the warmer weather will keep down the number of bottle babies we have this year.

A few weeks ago, we started getting ready by vaccinating everyone for the year.  The goal is to vaccinate mama's  4 weeks before they kid so that the babies will be protected by the mom's immunity until they are 4 weeks old which is when they can get their first vaccination.

This year we had cousins visit and them help round-up the goats. 
( Here they are supervising the vaccine administration process.) Photo courtesy Annabelle.

As for the other farm life...  Charlie eventually discovered the hen house.  Just as we were contemplating on how to get rid of him as he was causing a bit of a ruckus, he disappeared.  He was last seen headed toward some of the woods.  Interestingly, we've been missing a black hen since then.  The kids are convinced they ran off together and are living 'in the wild' raising chicks.  Who knows, right?

Today is Easter Sunday.  Last year, our kidding started Christmas day... we think that number #6 may be getting.  Nothing like a holiday to start of the kidding season... here we goooo!

Misty and her hens

It has been a relatively quiet and uneventful winter.  For the most part, the weather has been mild.  We did (finally!) get electricity to the chicken coop which allowed us to give the hens a heated waterer.  Eggs production increased almost back to summer levels afterwards!  Misty has taken to living with the hens and even shares in the scraps they get.  (Who would've guessed a cat would eat stale lucky charms?)

The little bantam rooster "Charlie" has stayed and lives in the 'bachelor' field with the pony "Chester" and the little bucks.  They are quite a sight to see as they pretty much always all stay together.  Charlie was even seen hiding from a hawk under the protection of Chesters wide-load belly!

We are now gearing up for spring... kidding season is just around corner!

New Rooster?

A few weeks ago, a little bantam rooster showed up in the goat field.  We thought that he might be a runaway from a near by farm.  We asked around, but thus far no one has come to fetch him.  It appears that he is here to stay for a little while... though he appears to like the lower goat field and hasn't yet decided to visit our hens up on the hill.