nerfherder
Active Member
All the goats except two have kidded, the last two aren't due until April/May.
Tallies so far: Seven does had 16 kids. Of those 16, two, one from each of two sets of triplets, died ("failure to thrive"). One stillbirth. Of the surviving 14, one is a full-time bottle baby (the preemie) and another is part-time bottle - smaller and a bit slower than his sister. Both of those will be going together to another home when they can get by on two or three bottles a day. Of the seven does, one is being sold as a milker when the family's ready, with her one kid (the other being the full time bottle baby.) Another will probably be sold as she's a pygmy/Nubian cross and not safe to breed with larger bucks.
What's funny is when I'm in the pen feeding the bottle babies, you can tell which of the big adults was originally a bottle baby. Dancer, who's one of our two largest (a Toggenberg/Boer cross, she's the size of a small pack-goat!) tried to take the bottle while I was on my way out the gate. Half the bottle disappeared in her mouth, and it's obvious the formula doesn't taste as nice as she remembers - yes, it *is* possible for a goat to look disgusted. I laughed all the way to the main house.
I'd talk about the fertility of our meat rabbits, but somehow people are more fond of *small* furry things. Things there are going well too.
Planning for two flocks of chicks, the brooders will either be in the workshop or the smaller living trailer. And the planting, and the soil prep, and all the craziness of the season.
Tallies so far: Seven does had 16 kids. Of those 16, two, one from each of two sets of triplets, died ("failure to thrive"). One stillbirth. Of the surviving 14, one is a full-time bottle baby (the preemie) and another is part-time bottle - smaller and a bit slower than his sister. Both of those will be going together to another home when they can get by on two or three bottles a day. Of the seven does, one is being sold as a milker when the family's ready, with her one kid (the other being the full time bottle baby.) Another will probably be sold as she's a pygmy/Nubian cross and not safe to breed with larger bucks.
What's funny is when I'm in the pen feeding the bottle babies, you can tell which of the big adults was originally a bottle baby. Dancer, who's one of our two largest (a Toggenberg/Boer cross, she's the size of a small pack-goat!) tried to take the bottle while I was on my way out the gate. Half the bottle disappeared in her mouth, and it's obvious the formula doesn't taste as nice as she remembers - yes, it *is* possible for a goat to look disgusted. I laughed all the way to the main house.
I'd talk about the fertility of our meat rabbits, but somehow people are more fond of *small* furry things.
Things there are going well too.Planning for two flocks of chicks, the brooders will either be in the workshop or the smaller living trailer. And the planting, and the soil prep, and all the craziness of the season.
