RichZ
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2001
- Messages
- 1,858
- Tractor
- Kubota 4630 with cab and loader
Friday morning, as I sleepily walked into the goat barn to take care of the girls, I heard a strange but familiar sound. At 5:00 AM, I'm still only half conscious, and I just stood there wondering what I was hearing......a kid crying!!!!!!! No one was due until the last weekend in February, but apparently someone hadn't ready my freshening schedule.
I ran into the barn to find Splash standing with a beautifully clean and healthy buckling. But Splash wasn't the mother. Splash is one of my Alpine does, and she's a great midwife. If any first time fresheners don't know what to do, Splash takes the kids and cleans them and takes care of them until I find them. The kid was a Nubian, and I didn't immediately see a likely mother. I said to Splashy, "Who's the mommy, honey?" Splash walked over to a formerly fat, and now skinny Nubian doe and bleated at me. Amazingly, Splash showed me the mommy.
I'm not too young anymore, and I seem to be forgetting all sorts of stuff, but the worst is, I have 2 does, one Nubian, and one Alpine who I don't remember anything about. I can't remember where I got them or their names!!! I have no clue!!!! I know neither of them freshened last year, though I thought they were both bred. And except for their ears and noses, they look amazingly alike, and are pals. The Nubian was the mommy, and was giving me a look like, "What the heck just happened??!!" She had no idea what just happened to her. Well, at least she quickly got a new name...Early (I wish I could remember what her real name is, but she's now Early.) I checked my breeding book, and she was due March 1 (I identified her in the book by her appearance and color of her collar).
It was COLD, about 12 degrees, but the kid was clean and just fine, and as I started taking him into the house, Splash went crazy, screaming and running around. "Is there another kid, Splashy????", I asked. Splashy just screamed. Expecting her to show me something, twice, on command, was asking a little too much, and Splashy was just freaking out. Where was the other kid???!!!
To the rescue came Mannie, the boss of my three llamas. Llamas just love kids and are very protective of them. Mannie ran over to one of my goat sleeping platforms (plywood over cinder blocks) and started pawing at it, while grunting as only a llama can grunt. I lifted the plywood, and there, fast asleep, was another, perfectly clean and healthy buckling. Mannie clearly saved his life, I'm quite sure the little guy would have frozen to death, if I didn't find him.
In the house the two little boys went, and kidding season has started. This has worked out pretty well, as Early is a first time freshener, and I have some alone time to train her to use the milk stand and to cooperate while she's being milked. Most first time fresheners on my farm need a lot of training, but Early took to it like she's been doing it her whole life. And she is enjoying all of the attention, as she has the milking parlor to herself right now. I told her not to get used to it, she'll have a lot of company in there very soon.
The 2 bucklings are doing well, and they're also benefiting from being ahead of schedule, as they'll get to stay in the house a lot longer, and get lots of extra TLC. They'll make someone a couple of great pets!!!
I ran into the barn to find Splash standing with a beautifully clean and healthy buckling. But Splash wasn't the mother. Splash is one of my Alpine does, and she's a great midwife. If any first time fresheners don't know what to do, Splash takes the kids and cleans them and takes care of them until I find them. The kid was a Nubian, and I didn't immediately see a likely mother. I said to Splashy, "Who's the mommy, honey?" Splash walked over to a formerly fat, and now skinny Nubian doe and bleated at me. Amazingly, Splash showed me the mommy.
I'm not too young anymore, and I seem to be forgetting all sorts of stuff, but the worst is, I have 2 does, one Nubian, and one Alpine who I don't remember anything about. I can't remember where I got them or their names!!! I have no clue!!!! I know neither of them freshened last year, though I thought they were both bred. And except for their ears and noses, they look amazingly alike, and are pals. The Nubian was the mommy, and was giving me a look like, "What the heck just happened??!!" She had no idea what just happened to her. Well, at least she quickly got a new name...Early (I wish I could remember what her real name is, but she's now Early.) I checked my breeding book, and she was due March 1 (I identified her in the book by her appearance and color of her collar).
It was COLD, about 12 degrees, but the kid was clean and just fine, and as I started taking him into the house, Splash went crazy, screaming and running around. "Is there another kid, Splashy????", I asked. Splashy just screamed. Expecting her to show me something, twice, on command, was asking a little too much, and Splashy was just freaking out. Where was the other kid???!!!
To the rescue came Mannie, the boss of my three llamas. Llamas just love kids and are very protective of them. Mannie ran over to one of my goat sleeping platforms (plywood over cinder blocks) and started pawing at it, while grunting as only a llama can grunt. I lifted the plywood, and there, fast asleep, was another, perfectly clean and healthy buckling. Mannie clearly saved his life, I'm quite sure the little guy would have frozen to death, if I didn't find him.
In the house the two little boys went, and kidding season has started. This has worked out pretty well, as Early is a first time freshener, and I have some alone time to train her to use the milk stand and to cooperate while she's being milked. Most first time fresheners on my farm need a lot of training, but Early took to it like she's been doing it her whole life. And she is enjoying all of the attention, as she has the milking parlor to herself right now. I told her not to get used to it, she'll have a lot of company in there very soon.
The 2 bucklings are doing well, and they're also benefiting from being ahead of schedule, as they'll get to stay in the house a lot longer, and get lots of extra TLC. They'll make someone a couple of great pets!!!
