Mare Waxing

This is for Kyfarmlife. I tried to leave you a comment, Rae, but I couldn't again, it may be a Firefox thing. But anyway, Georgia's udder doesn't look quite ready to me, in the picture that you posted. Mares are not as predictable as other animals. Before last year we were foaling out about 10 mares each spring. This year we only have two and then another in the fall. With the price of horses being what they are and the price of feed being what it is, we only bred two old mares that we would like to keep the bloodlines on.

We very rarely miss a foaling but we taste the milk, it goes from salty, to oily to sweet. When it turns sweet they will foal within 12 hours. I don't think that your mare will let you milk her, she sounds and looks like my TW mare. Is your mare gaited?

Here is a not-so-good picture of a waxed teat. The waxing will build up and get quite long but then fall off. Some mares never wax at all and one of our mares waxes for a full seven days before she foals.

Bedfast

My flu symptoms have past but now I am totally down in my back from laying in bed all day yesterday. I did manage to hobble outside this evening with a cane to look at Calico. She wasn't milked all day yesterday or today. She isn't at all strutted so I guess that she is drying up on her own. She is looking very pregnant or very fat.

For those who do not have goats or are thinking about getting goats. They can drive you absolutely mad. They do not care about your plans, they just do whatever feels right to them. They can be sweet and affectionate one minute and devious and hateful the next. Bucks are more predictable than does, at least my Buck is, he is just obnoxious all of the time.

So, at this point I am looking at kidding in 5 to 37 days for Calico. Paris was bred on January 1st. We also have two mares due to foal this spring.

That is all for now because I am still using this stupid laptop that cannot think as fast as I can type. I have a whole paragraph done before it shows the first word, which is just annoying.

Not Again...

Just when I thought I was getting myself back together, could catch up on all of the work that has piled up, I get sick. I woke up at 3:30 this morning throwing up, aching all over. Chilling one minute and too hot the next. My back is killing me as well as every other part of my body. I don't have time for this.

My DH did set me up with my laptop in bed but I really don't feel like doing anything online. My fingers even hurt and feel heavy. I hope this passes quickly.

Drying Calico

I have not quit blogging, I have just pushed it back a little ways in my list of priorities. It seems life is getting a little bit more involved with the prospect of Spring. I have had to organize my thoughts and figure out just when these two does are due. I have been struggling with a very sore shoulder and arm plus I had to spend two weeks at the neighbor's house taking care of their animals and wood stove.

My shoulder is improving and I hope that I can get all of my goat and horse rope halter orders completed and shipped out this week. The reason that I had to stop everything and look at my calendar was because Calico's milk production has cut itself in half. It happened overnight, she has just decided to quit producing. She is not even wanting to jump up on the milk stand. She is healthy and doesn't have any problems with her utter.

I looked at the calendar where I write down everything and found that Cooter had gotten loose and with the girls on October 10th. So, that would make her due on March 9th. I don't really think that she could be due that early by the looks of her but if she is carrying a single it could be possible. She got loose on November 11th, which would make her due on April 10th, I think that this is more of a possibility.

Paris and Calico both look bred and neither has come in heat this year, so I guess I will just have to wait and see. If I dry Calico off right now and she isn't pregnant, she is in big trouble. To dry her off I am not milking her completely out and am only milking her when she looks very strutted.

We will desperately miss the milk, I don't think that I can drink store bought milk anymore. The best case scenario would be for her to kid soon with only a single.

Skunked

I went home late last night to send someone an email and to visit with Angus. Angus has been moved out of the goat stall because Calico and Paris were being too mean to him. They were butting him and pushing him around too much. So he has the free run of the barn again.

While I was there, Angel came into the barn to say, "Hi!" or to say "Help!", I am not sure which. I grabbed her by the collar before the smell got to me. I was escorting her out of the barn when I realized what I had a hold of. Being the brilliant person that I am, I put my hand to my nose and not only sniffed it but also touched my nose with it.

A few days ago, Abby had been sprayed by a skunk and since Abby never leaves the goat lot we knew that the skunk had probably tried to get into the goat/chicken shed. This is a very bad situation for the dogs, they are doing their jobs very well but are really suffering for it.

I used the goat milk soap that I ordered from Hidden Brook Farm and it actually removed the skunk smell from my hand, however I didn't realize that I had touched my nose until the smell kept following me around. After I washed my nose all was well again. By the way, Hidden Brook Farm included a large bar of "Pumpkin Spice Goat Milk Soap" as a bonus with my order that smells just wonderful.