Long weekend in Paradise

I am finally getting around to posting the rest of the pics from a couple weeks ago.
But first a quick update on my own goats:

I thought it was time to put Jenny's Mom in with Jenny. They immediately got into a knock down, drag-out head-banger. Daphne is half Jenny's size, but she has been herd queen for years and she kept taking the high ground. Jenny wouldn't give up even though she fell down. I broke them up and took Daph out where she stood breathing hard for some minutes.

That means I probably will have to put one of the lesser does in with Jenny, but there is only one house and I don't think Jenny ever bunks with either one of the lesser does. And any of the wethers will most likely be able to beat Jenny up.

My other option is to start taking them on walks and letting her mix with everyone and see how that goes. She is not 100 percent yet as I could see in her bout with Daphne, but I don't like having to keep a goat separate.

Here are some more pics of Willow at the farm:

Willow and little Lori, her momma Lois behind, Maya mare in back.


Willow with Lori's "big Legs"


Willow and Jackson, the biggest goat at the farm.

Happy Mothers Day

me with Lori's "Big Legs"


me with Sugreca's boy


Willow and Maya


Willow with Carmela's boy


Willow and Jackson

Long week

I combed a lot of goats this week. Bags and bags of cashmere. Some goats are nearly completely shed out: others are loaded and just getting started.

The filly at the farm went for training today. And none too soon. She and the older mare have taken an extreme dislike to Lori's little grey Buckling.

Wednesday I saw Maya lunge at him with her ears back and grab him by the back. "MAYA!!!" I screamed and she dropped him and he went sprawling and I escorted her out of the barn with a shovel threatening her big behind.

Then the filly was caught three days in a row charging through the main herd in the big pasture, singling out the little grey buckling with her head down and teeth bared and feet flying.

Don't know what got into those mares, but I suspect a long standing hatred of Lori and her Mom, Lois, because there are seven babies and 30 adults yet they are picking on him. And there is another grey buckling about the same size, but they can tell them apart, apparently.

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Beautiful weather today, but we still have a bunch of snow on the lawn. The goat pasture has a steadily receding line of snow that I keep chasing back with the twice daily hay feeding. Nice to have clean snow twice a day to put the hay on.

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Radiation fallout from Fukushima is being picked up in the US, and in milk in Vermont. I have a feeling that in order to protect oneself only food harvested before the Fukushima accident should be consumed. Good luck with that.

BLF's first baby of 2010

Congratulations to Nive for her lovely little doeling out of Duke.



Nive didn't care for either me taking pictures or the location of the baby; I caught her hoof descending from above to tap her baby and make her get up.





Maya, Norwegian Fjord. P was trimming her mane today.

Putting in a lot of time at the farm-chores at my own place are piling up! Combing still going strong all week at both places. Mine are winding down. Obiwan, the angora cross, really should have been sheared. His combing is so long and drawn out.

Of course the excitement at the farm this am was the first goatling of 2010! Sugreca is due today so hopefully by the next time I work there will be a few more babies!

Bonnie is due soon, too. She always has singles, but I swear this year she is carrying twins. I combed her today. And also Emerson, the cashgora white wether. I tied him outside; the sky was a brilliant blue, and a light breeze about 45F. The fiber was pouring off him- floating away like dandelion fluff.

The red maples are still in bloom, now highlighted by the bright lime green of poplar's early foliage. I saw frog eggs in the marsh.

Monday

Slurp soup. Rain, snow, three inches of sloosh. Gusty winds, yeah March came in like a lion.

Combing cashmere is going full swing. Willow and I went in for two hours yesterday just to comb bucklings on the hill. We combed six. The rest were wild! There were locked in a pen with us so we could easily catch them, and if we weren't combing them, they were wrestling on top of the lean to. Or making pests of themselves.

C (Boy who lived in the Tree) came in today and combed a couple of does. I combed Lillemore, Piper's Mom/ She was a nice comb. She makes these really funny faces when you give her a treat. She stretches her head up and wiggles her tongue at you. LOL

The horses were idiots and I called Maya a brat face afterwards when she was trying to make up. Sometimes those mares get away with murder. Dangerous.

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Nice and cozy warm in the house.

My muscles just keep getting more sore-I was hoping they would stop and I would get used to the work, but I guess I'm getting old...

Edit note: I had to enable moderation since I can't delete comments(!?!?!?why?!?!?) and I am getting spammed from China, most likely because I googled something about Tibet a few weeks ago. So if your comment takes awhile to appear, my bad....

I am putting Tibet in the label just to cause more aggravations! haha!

Monday

We made it to work and school yesterday. The vet came to the farm to examine two bucks that are being sold to Canada. They collected fecal, drew blood for CAE and Brucellosis, checked the microchips, gave a TB test. They will return Thurs to read the TB.

The vet also checked out the older Fjord mare, Maya. Maya was bleeding from the vulva when the farrier came last week. I had noticed the same a few months ago and told Boss. This time I spent some time on the internet and thought it might be a varicose vein of the hymen remnants, which occurs in some mares. The treatment can be to cauterize the vein, but it usually reoccurs.

So last week I told Boss what I had learned, but the vet was already coming so I thought, well good, she should be checked and he can confirm it.

Well, after I assisted with one buck who was at the main barn, I put him back down with his girls and came back to overhear the vet suggesting it was dark colored urine due to seasonal changes in feed, and Boss said, no it was blood. The vet said something about a possible stone, and started rattling off stuff for his assistant to get out of the truck.

I kept my mouth shut and helped the assistant get by the geese several times, all the while the list-rectal exam, injection to induce urination, urinalysis, scheduling an ultrasound, kept the cash register in my brain running...wow that was going to be some bill!

Eventually they were through with Maya and we went to Prescott so they could check out the other buck. On the way, I asked Boss, "so the vet thinks Maya has a stone?'

and she said, "not so much now..."

Of course Maya was not actively bleeding by the time the vet came this week. So we will see what the final diagnosis is.

Balloo was much better today but everytime he looked at me he seemed embarrassed or sad. I gave him lots of pats and told him it was fine. The other GP, Luke, who has always been rather standoffish, actually stuck his head against my leg by my hand when I was in the barn eavesdropping on the vet conversation. I gave him a good head rub.

Perhaps the dogs were worried the vet was there because of the Ballo incident the other day...

Back at my own place later I mucked out goat houses. I came into that snowstorm short of shavings and kept putting down extra hay. All of the houses were soaked! Too much snow to push the wheelbarrow, so I was dumping it into a huge plastic pot (like 20 gallon) and lugging it down back to the pile. I was pretty tired by the time night fell.

Today I have to dig all the trash out of the snowbank-before Christmas trash-and go to the dump.

and it would be nice to get the Christmas tree down sometime! I haven't put any water in it in days so I didn't make a mess getting it out. It's not too dry yet, but it needs to go. It was soooo pretty, but we need the room.

so those are my plans for today! stay warm!

New additions

Since two more does delivered and a new Fjord filly had arrived at the farm during our absence this week, I set the alarm early so we wouldn't miss the morning turnout and all the new additions. :)

We admired Lilymore's triplets-two grey and one black with white star, like his mother. The grey girl has a pink nose and exceptionally lite coloring and is quite beautiful.

Nive, who has kept everyone on pins and needles waiting for her to deliver,finally had a handsome set of twins, again, one grey, and one black. Lilymore is quite skittish, so we lavished attention on Nive and told her what beautiful babies she had.

Then the filly. P had the day off, so Boss said I could halter Maya and the new girl, but not to try and lead both in.

Finally a chance to be with the equines!

I slid the halters over my shoulder and Willow and I made our way out to the horses, who were out in the field. Both were easy to approach-I fed Maya chunks of crusty french bread-her treat, and easily slipped her halter over her head.

P had already told me over the phone that the filly wasn't familiar with bread, and I expected Maya to be jealous, especially over a treat, so instead I rewarded the filly with pets and quiet compliments before I slipped her halter over her nose.

I flipped the strap over the back of her head and was in the process of buckling it when Maya made a lunge with ears laid back and teeth bared. The filly jumped away, and I let go and got out of the way. The halter didn't drop though, since I nearly had it on, and I was much relieved that the filly let me reposition it and buckle it.

I took hold of Maya's halter and led her back to the barn with The filly following. Willow wanted to take the filly, but I directed her to stay well back since I didn't know if Maya might let fly with her back feet, although she is almost too fat to make that a possibility.

Then we were back in the front of the barn, and I asked Boss what should I do with the horses? Boss seemed much surprised, and the boys and she dropped everything, and the five of us went down back, with me still having a firm hold on Maya's halter. I was brooking no nonsense from her.

Boss said that the day before had been some trouble, and she thought that the horses were learning the new routine...I think Maya needs a firm hand and attention. I was glad I was able to help. :P

Then we went on to combing. Liselotte, Coretta, Bonnie, Emerson, Lincoln...on to the big bucks and the snakes (see treeocean.blogspot.com). There we combed the new guy, Cairn, and Chris, and Homer.

Later we went visiting, and spent several more hours outdoors in the glorious sun. Ouch, I feel a burn coming on.... :P