Monday, August 29, 2011

In One Year

I just read one of my posts from one year ago and things have certainly changed. The post is 48 Degrees, it talks about mastitis and Calico’s milk supply. It is also about Collette being pregnant with multiples and being due Sept. 8th.

Well, I lost Calico not too long after this post. She was fine one day then sick the next morning. She was dead within hours. I did all I could to save her but it was too little too late. I still do not know what happened.

As for Collette, I am still waiting on those multiple babies. She wasn’t even pregnant. Don’t laugh, some of my very knowledgeable older goat friends said that she would kid within a couple of days after seeing her. They thought that she would have at least triplets too.

collette2010fall1

These two photos were taken on Sept. 5th of last year, I had her due date down as Sept. 8th. Would you have thought she was bred? I was all concerned because she wasn’t making much of an udder.

collette2010fall

I was so sure that she was bred that I sold my Buck, Rancid. When September was over, I realized that she had fooled me again.

On January 9th my Dear Husband braved the cold temperatures and bought me a full-blooded Saanen Billy Goat, who my youngest Granddaughter named, “Pascal”.

I put the two of them together and waited five months for babies to be born. Again nothing happened. I never noticed any affection between the two of them, but I figured they were just shy. Pascal didn’t yet have his luscious Buck odor, but he was only ten months old when he came to live with us.

Then about three weeks ago, Pascal started getting very rank. On Saturday night the 27th of August, I unsnapped Pascal’s lead strap after he was done eating and low and behold if he didn’t breed her with me standing right there watching. I think that it was the first time she had stood for him. I am thinking that she only comes into season in the fall. So far, I haven’t had a Buck with her at just the right time.

I am very happy to have a good solid due date even though it is January 23rd. I wouldn’t have wanted her to kid in the coldest part of winter, but at this point I will take what I can get.

Here are some pictures of Pascal, Collette, Angel and Abby that I took this morning.

goats

I know she still looks pregnant in this picture, but I can assure you that she is not. Everyone who comes to our house asks when she is due.

pascal

Pascal is a real stinker, he takes my breath away! He doesn’t understand why I won’t pet him anymore.

4 comments:

Tonia said...

Those for sure due dates are so nice!! My January babies seem to be 10 times healthier then my March or later babies!! They usually dont get Cocci either! I have goats that people always ask when is she due??....LOL.... Um she just had twins or triplets....

Unknown said...

My step father in N.C. has goats and 2 of those big white dogs and they are mean. He tried to play a joke on me and get me close but the dog about eat both of us up.

Barry Miller
Birmingham Realtor

TJ said...

Saanens only breed in the fall (August through December). That might have been the problem last year. Best wishes on upcoming kids!

And yes, Saanen bucks STINK between August and December. My friend calls it "Eud de Buck" Cologne :)

Anonymous said...

You could've fooled me. Good luck.

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