Total Six!!
This morning when I went out Megan had lost her plug. All the big animals got breakfast and milked Berrry. I feed the bottle babies and Megan still had progressed.
Megan started pushing and it took about 45 minutes for her to get the first kid out. Within minutes the second one was on its way. I got those two cleaned up and put under the heat lamp and went to get the bottle stuff to feed these two and by the time I got back the third was on the ground.
She had two large boys and a very small girl. They all seem to be healthy and doing good. That gives us six babies in all. four boys and two girls. I'm so glad to have two girls. That way I can find homes for the boys and the girls can keep each other company.
I'm feeding the babies five times a day. 8am Milking and feeding all the animals, bottle feed the babies and make sure everyone has water. Let the chickens out and makes sure they have feed and water. 11am now warm the milk and bottle feed the babies 2pm warm milk and bottle feed babies 5pm Milk and feed all the big animals and bottle feed the babies. Get the eggs and put chickens to bed. 8pm. warm milk and bottle feed the babies. My day in the barn is done. In the time between feedings I try to get other things done. Not really getting much done right now.
I hope the little boys find homes soon. It would sure help with the time bottle feeding and save on the milk.
I'm going to try to get some rest before the 5pm feeding.
I love baby goats. It's a good thing, right!!
Total Six!!
This morning when I went out Megan had lost her plug. All the big animals got breakfast and milked Berrry. I feed the bottle babies and Megan still had progressed.
Megan started pushing and it took about 45 minutes for her to get the first kid out. Within minutes the second one was on its way. I got those two cleaned up and put under the heat lamp and went to get the bottle stuff to feed these two and by the time I got back the third was on the ground.
She had two large boys and a very small girl. They all seem to be healthy and doing good. That gives us six babies in all. four boys and two girls. I'm so glad to have two girls. That way I can find homes for the boys and the girls can keep each other company.
I'm feeding the babies five times a day. 8am Milking and feeding all the animals, bottle feed the babies and make sure everyone has water. Let the chickens out and makes sure they have feed and water. 11am now warm the milk and bottle feed the babies 2pm warm milk and bottle feed babies 5pm Milk and feed all the big animals and bottle feed the babies. Get the eggs and put chickens to bed. 8pm. warm milk and bottle feed the babies. My day in the barn is done. In the time between feedings I try to get other things done. Not really getting much done right now.
I hope the little boys find homes soon. It would sure help with the time bottle feeding and save on the milk.
I'm going to try to get some rest before the 5pm feeding.
I love baby goats. It's a good thing, right!!
Oh what a night!!
As the book says the girls kid about the same time every year. So far true!! Berry was at seven and she was real close.
Around 6:30 pm Was waiting with her and I remembered that last year we stayed with her then went to the house to get warm came back out and she had a little one cleaned up. So I decided to go in for a minute and low and behold when I went back out she had a boy on the ground and mostly cleaned.
I got him and took him to the milk barn, I didn't want him to be alone in the barn where he might get cold. Last year Berry had one so I just thought that was it this year. I was wrong!! After I got things all cleaned up and milked Berry to feed the little guy, I noticed she was not finished. Bingo, a little girl came. She was bigger than the first little boy. So I got her all cleaned up and fixed up a place back in the big barn for the two babies. I noticed that Berry was laying down pushing again. I went to her and this one was coming out wrong. It was back feet first. I had to help her a bit. That had to be it three, two boys and a girl.
What a night and I'm in here and need to get back out there to see if Megan has had any kids.
Going to sleep in the cabin tonight, Pat has gone to work and I want to be close to the barn.
Need to get out there and feed the babies and check on Megan.
The time is near
She lost her plug and IS in early labor. I'll keep you up to date.
Time to get back to the barn
Is she in Labor?
I got some hay for the girls and Berry came over and ate with them. Not eating is usual as sign but my girls are never "normal".
I leave the stall where I put the babies open for everyone to sleep in until babies come. So I cleaned it out and put in fresh straw.
Taking Mother to town today and there is a party tomorrow so, I would imagine that this is defiantly the day Berry will kid.
Have to get to town and hurry back.
????!!!!BABIES?????!!!!
Here I sit in the greatroom by the wood burning stove. Wobbie, my sweet little dog, in the chair beside me curled up in my sweater. It's cloudy, cold and sprinkles off and on. I heard there is a winter storm coming next weekend.
Most would think I've LOST MY EVER LOVIN MIND!!!!
I can't wait for baby goats. Yes that means out in the weather, whatever that might be, to feed babies and milk mommy's. That's feeding baby goat 4 times a day, everyday!! I'm going to be in the barn two times a day anyway to milk the big girls. Whats another couple of runs to the barn!! Keeps the old blood pumping and exercise for the winter.
The thing is, I had on the calender that we should be having babies, (kids) TODAY or TOMORROW!! I see NO signs of kidding today but goats are like "human" kids, they will do whatever it takes to make you look like a lair!! Should I start a "kidding pool". How would we do that, by date and time? or just date? The books say the goats usually kid the same time every year and for both of my girls it would be 7pm. Thats when they kidded last year. If you have any ideas let me know. When I checked the calender we "could" have babies from today until the 31st of December. I know this because we took the buck home. If it's after that date, well we are living in the time of miracles!!
I will keep you informed but at this point I would not be surprised if we are a week away. Then the snow storm is coming!! I bet they wait until then.
10 days to kids!!
I am excited that Megan may have healthy babies this year. For the past two years she has lost her kids. Megan has had a problem with going into Goat Polio. I have to give her a shot and that leads to deformed babies. This year she hasn't had to have a shot so, maybe, she will have healthy kids this year.
A little worried about Sweet Pea. She is so small and young. I hope things go well for her. She is part of the line that I really like. They are good milkers and have great bags.
Berry's is baging up. She is getting close and I hope she waits for me to finish getting the barn ready. The thing about babies they don't wait on anyone!!!!
I am using new nipples this year, can't wait to see how they work. Instead of wine bottles I'm going to use beer bottles. They are smaller and easier to carry and clean.
Thinking about getting a buck. Not sure will have to wait and see. Having my own billy saves having to take the girls some place or bringing someone else's billy here.
It's time to go out and check the barn.
Catching Up!! (sort ya)
It has been so long and there is so much to catch up on. I think I'm going to do this by subject.
Demi Rosa Goats
Demi Rosa Cabin
Demi Rosa Farm
Demi Rosa Dexters: This is a new addition that I think you will enjoy.
Year in Review.
I'll start this blog off with the farm. Such a hot dry summer that the grapes didn't do very well. The grass didn't grow much, only mowed the vineyard twice all summer. We were luckier than most we did have grass for the animals. So many people had to sell their herds due to no hay. Hay has been coming from up North all summer and even now for the winter. My pasture is still somewhat green but again the Lord has blessed the Demi Rosa on many occasions and this is one.
The garden only produced jalapeno peppers. They are one of the only things that grow in the dry heat!! We love jalapeno poppers so it could have worse!! LOL NOTHING!!
The chickens quite laying due to the heat. I had to buy eggs for the first time in, well I can't remember when. Dried up the goats up early. So no milk or eggs for months. Really missed the eggs.
Have been thinking alot about how expensive food has become and butter is one thing this family would be hard pressed to due without!! SSooooooo, have to think about cow milk. I really hate goat butter. I just don't care for the flavor. I purchased two dexter heifers. I really love my little cows. I'll talk more about them later.
Have been getting the barn ready for the new kids, cows and horses. I really have to make everyone comfortable. The cows have taken up room in the barn. I know they are cows and don't need a barn but they are my cows and MY cows need a barn to sleep in and get out of the weather. More on cows later.... a bit of a surprise!!
So Blessed!!
A house, I guess a mobile home, was being brought down the road and we needed to pull over and wait. Thing is I know the road and there is a hair pen curve that there is no way it will take a few minutes to get through. I waited for a while and decided to go another way. I back tracked to my road, Pine Corner. As we were driving south on the road I saw a fire to the south. I could tell it was just over the hill to the south of the Demirosa, (less than a mile away). The wind was blowing to the north and that means we were in the, pardon the pun, line of fire. I called a friend who is in Tribbey fire department and she didn't know about it. I called 911 and they had just heard about it. I drove home and woke up Pat to tell him about it. He got dressed and got his guns together and put in the car. Mother and I got our stuff together, couldn't go without my cookbooks!!!! If the fire made it over the hill we would only have a few minutes to get out. I would have to leave the animals. Fire is the scariest thing to me.
I took a picture with my phone that showed it just over the hill to the south of us. After I took the picture the wind changed direction and started blowing to the south east. That would take the fire to the east of us.
Pat went to see where the fire was before he left for work. He came home and said it was contained and left for work.
I took water to the guys, my friends and neighbors, who were fighting the fire.
I was sitting in Bob's drive, my neighbor and builder. He came walking down the road where the fire very nearly burned his neighbors house, to the west. I know this is very hard to follow. My neighbor's to the south on my road are Bob to the east of the road and Chris to the west of the road. The fire was on the west side of the road, my side. For those of you who don't believe in God, I know he was there for us. Bob told me that the fire was just to Chris's house and the wind started blowing to the southeast which brought it in on it's self. He said that if it had gone straight it would have burned Chris's house and gone south for two days until it reached highway 9 ten miles to the north of me. It would have taken us out in the process. Thank Goodness, it all worked out perfectly. I can't think of anything other than a God deal.
My stress level is about as high as it can get for many reasons, some that I can't talk about. I must trust and believe that I will know when to take action.
I sure hope things settle down this next week. I could use some piece and quite. A little rain would be nice. The heat seems to have broken . I opened the windows and it is WONDERFUL!!!!
Happy note. Mother and I went to the store today, without having to worry about fires, on the way home there were goats on our country road. Makes me feel like things are right with the world.
Still no baby cows.
Have changed the name of Victoria to Gabby, she talks all the time and she just looks like a Gabby!!! Forgive if this is alittle disjointed but like I said, a really hard week!!!!
Sad Day
I met Kerri when our kids went to Christian Schools together. We served many Indian Taco's together as fund raiser for the school. Our boys were in Boy Scouts together but as the boys got older and the school closed we weren't able to spend much time together.
Kerri's Mother hired my Mother to work at the University when Mother needed a place to go. So we kept up with eachother that way.
When we first built the house and moved to the Demirosa, eleven years ago, Kerri and her mother, Ellen came to lunch. Kerri loved it here. She wanted to see the Demirosa one more time before she moved on to a better place. We planed a lunch in July with Kerri her twin brother, Gary and her Mother. Kerri wasn't feeling well that day but Gary and Ellen came. Gary lives in Germany and had heard about the Demirosa for years. He loved it too.
Kerri was a very special lady. She will be missed and she was loved by many.
Thanks for letting me tell you about my friend Kerri.
