A blogging "funny"

When you manage a blog, you can track pageviews, browser types, most popular posts, etc. On any given day I can see that I have visitors from the US, Australia, Italy, China and the Ukraine. Cute "kid" pictures are popular as are gardening (failures!) and cheesemaking. A nice feature of blogger is that search terms are tracked, ie how do visitors find my blog? Do they type in a specific pedigree? Or breed name? Or Capra Lane? Today I had a unique search request:

Boy oh boy. Somewhere in the world a teenage boy is disappointed that all 'teats' aren't created equal. . .

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow

Which do you prefer??

There- up in the tree? The first redwing blackbird of the season, a sure sign spring is near. 

Our new haybine. Another piece of equipment graces our lawn. Another step on the path to self-sufficiency.

Well, hello!

Mom, what is that bright light? Its new to us. . .
The sun, of course- you'll see it again soon. 

Luna is exhausted. She licked a lot of baby goat lips today.

End of the 2014 Kidding Season!!

We made it. Barely! I generally prefer to have kids clustered together, and although this leads to a lot of short term chaos, having births spread out over many weekends isn't ideal either. This year's kidding season spanned about 6 weeks which coincided with an unusually busy season at work, making it that much more painful. It feels good to drop the calendar of vaccines, inductions and births in the trash- yay!

Sage decided to put on a show for our guests and make a grand show of trying to deliver a very large and very stuck breech buck kid. At the same time, Lark thought it would be a good idea to lie down and push. Lark easily delivered twin girls, one saanen type and one solid black with a white splash. They are petite, cute and thriving - the little black doe reminds me of Stella, one of my favorites that I sold a few years back.

After much pushing, pulling and sweating, Sage's buck kid was successfully extracted. I was certain he was a goner, simply because of the length of the struggle and was shocked to see him gasp for breath. He had a weak start but is doing well now, topping the scales at about 12 lbs. What a beast! This was a breeding to Roeburn's Limerick Shamus, a pairing from which I was wishing for a girl...maybe next year.

Now its time to celebrate small miracles - the does jumping on the milkstand without assistance, keeping the inflations on their teats without spastic freak outs, putting away the disbudding iron and tattoo kit and finally, sending kids off to their new homes.

A Final Tally for 2014 ~ 27 kids

Alpines

Luna - 1 doe

Sage - 1 buck

Cammile - 1 doe, 1 buck

Charlotte - 2 does

Claire - 1 doe, 2 bucks

Lark - 2 does

Saanens

Masquerade - 2 does (3rd stillborn)

Luciana - 2 does

Mona Lisa - 2 bucks

Toggenburgs

Elina - 1 buck

Emilene - 2 does, 1 buck

Macy - 1 doe, 2 bucks

May - 1 doe

Emmette - 1 doe, 1 buck

Nearing the end

What do you get when you cross a saanen buck with a toggenburg doe?

One of each, of course. Emmette had a togg-colored doe kid and a saanen look buckling. Another 5 minute labor, for which Rog was very thankful for given he was home alone. 

The doe has a little white frosting on her coat and the buck is all saanen except for darker colored horn buds. 

Two more to go, Lark and Sage next weekend, then we're done with all this madness. D. O. N. E. 

A few kids have already moved out to their new homes and one of these days I have to post a sale ad for the two available doe kids I'd like to move along, one from Luci and one from Charlotte. 

Labor done the *right* way

Cammile is all business. She's the bully of the farm, a strong second in command to Elina. She is also inexplicably prettier when she's pregnant, which is strange. Better topline, better rear leg set. If only she had a full udder I think she would have no problem getting her last CH leg in the showring. She bounces around, beats everyone up- none of the lounging and grunting that many of the others take part in during the last few weeks before kidding.

Cam was induced for Saturday morning, a late Friday check told me she would go early so I started my hourly camera checks at about 3am. At 5 she suddenly laid down to push so I suited up and headed outside. By the time I walked from the milkroom to the pen she pushed out half the first kid, a chamoise buck. Before I could even lift him and put him in the tote and start drying him off, she gave another heave and out popped the second kid, a chamoisee doe.

Start to finish - 5 minutes. Tops. I looked at her, gave her a head scratch and without even a glance at her babies she popped up and started eating her breakfast. She seemed bothered that she had to take a few minutes out of her day to birth some kids.

It was a good morning. No sitting for hours on end, no disasters. I got the doe kid I was waiting for and even a nap!

The best laid plans

"All human plans [are] subject to ruthless revision by Nature, or Fate, or whatever one preferred to call the powers behind the Universe.” 

― Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two

Plan: Charlotte and Emilene are induced to kid on Sunday. Mona Lisa, May and Macy are induced to kid on Monday morning-afternoon. That gives me Monday afternoon to get organized and I had the foresight to take Tuesday off to recover from a busy couple of days. 

Reality: Taking Tuesday off was the smartest part of the plan.

Sleepy..........

Sunday morning, Charlotte popped right on schedule with good sized twin doelings, one sundgau, one cou blanc. 

Sunday night, nothing. Emilene was still as big as ever, lounging, eating, lounging, eating. Zero distress, zero signs of impending labor. I had induced her on Friday at midnight so *theoretically* she should have given birth near noon on Sunday. I begin second guessing myself...did I miss with the shot? Considering I give a lot of shots on a daily basis, not likely. Was it a bad batch? No.....Charlotte gave birth right on schedule. I concluded that somehow I missed, pushed too fast, pushed meds subQ instead of IM, something...so I gave her another dose. I still checked her hourly and gave up a perfectly good night of sleep for nothing. 

Mona Lisa gave us an early start, quickly delivering twin bucklings at about 6:30am on Monday. Then it was a game of hurry up and wait until late evening when May delivered a single doeling. Of note, I was called in to work and the midwifery support staff did an excellent job and I arrived home to a fluffy, dry and well fed kid and May had given almost a half gallon of colostrum. 

Remember Emilene the tank? Still nothing. Macy? Nothing.  They were both as big as a house but had more interest in eating than delivering kids. By late, late evening, they just barely started to show some belly drop and their tails began to look 'unhinged'. Another night. Another night of hourly checks. This night I didn't even attempt the bed, just hunkered down on the couch with Tinder and Luna snoring  helping me keep watch.

Finally, at about 7:00 this morning, they panted, laid down and got to business - simultaneously! Emilene was now 48 hours *late* and Macy was 24 hours *late*. After fairly uneventful labors Emilene did not, infact, give birth to a hippopotamus but had triplets, 2 doelings and 1 buckling. Macy didn't want to be outshined, so she had triplets as well, 1 doeling and 2 bucklings. 

Everyone is warm, fed, dry and cozy. Including me. Just in time for another week of miserable weather. These little guys should be grateful to be in the basement!

Claire's babies from last week. Little Nugget still isn't strong on is feet so he is granted some additional cuddle time in the house. His sister, Calliope, watches over him and lets him sleep on her back. He is feisty, and despite his crooked little legs, he has a one track mind - food. He is so much smaller than the others he tries to poke around under the other kids bellies trying to nurse. 

Don't mess with my brother. . . 

Pile o Toggs.

Sleepy Toggs.

Toggs in motion. 

Now a break....until Saturday!

Waiting on a litter

Em gets the wide load award for the year.

'Goat-TV' is riveting for all, even the pups.