Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[hqueen13]

WAHOOOOO for your dad!!! That's fantastic!! Yes, they have all kinds of cool technology when it comes to hearing aids. They can't replace the hearing, but the technology to amplify has improved so much. Hearing aids are basically tiny computers that fit in your ear... its nuts! So thrilled he's doing so well!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks, HQ! It's amazing what they can do these days!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Might, might, might have two bottle baby bucklings sold. Guy wants to pick them up tomorrow - but I won't consider it a 'done deal' until he's driving away with them. I've never really enjoyed having bottle babies - they're too much work! I guess I should consider a lambar feeder if I ever really wanted to raise bottle babies.

While I was posting that ad on Craigslist I decided to list some of the ameraucana chick and the little male piglet. No bites on those yet. I don't much care if either of those sell cuz we'll just eat 'em if they don't.

I've been playing in the garden this morning. Had to re-plant some climbing beans so I found my package of red footlong beans and stuck those in the ground. The seeds are some I saved a couple of years ago so I hope they germinate for me. I'm also going to get my corn planted this afternoon.

It's about time to seriously start keeping an eye out on the rest of the pregnant does. Still have 8 to go. Tomorrow is 145 days from one of the great buck escapes. A couple of the Kinder does are about ready to pop. My yearling Nubians I believe will wait until the end of the month when the timing is right for the OTHER buck escape. Geeze, I've never had a year like this one. I've always had exact breeding dates and it was always MY idea of which doe got bred to which buck. This 'surprise' style breeding is 'no bueno' in my book.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and I've decided that Nubian goats are just fragile. I never had these kind of health issues when I just had pygmy goats. They are strong, hardy little creatures who had a better self-preservation instinct than these bigger goats. Thinking of sticking with the littler guys from now on...maybe increasing the Nigerian Dwarf's for milk and just breeding the Nubians for mini's from now on. Of course, that would mean letting go of Dusty, my Nubian buck, which would be a heartbreaker. Except for the rut - he's the mellowest, most easy going buck I've ever owned.

Time to feed the babies....

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Woo hoo! Sent two bottle babies home today. I'm very pleased with their new owner. He's raised bottle babies before but not an expert. Best part of him was his willingness to ask questions and take suggestions. I had printed up a whole bunch of 'stuff' that will hopefully help him. I was nervous about selling them but I think it will be ok. He's going to bring one of them back to be banded in a couple months.

Even with selling two today - my numbers didn't decrease, lol. Two more bucklings were born an hour after the others went to their new home.... grrrr!

The two new ones screwed up my percentages. I'm now at 5 bucklings 4 doelings for this season.

Oh...and brought up Cocoa...I guess she's next. Ligs are really soft, but bag hasn't blown up yet. I'm thinking tomorrow might be her day...but I'll reserve judgment o that until I check her in the morning.

I'm going to sleep in tomorrow morning. I'm not bottle feeding nothing - and I'm not separating babies to milk in the morning either.

I.... NEED.... SLEEP!

 

[Denim Deb]

Hope you get a good night's sleep.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I slept all the way til 5:30a instead of getting up at 4:30a. Tonight I might not be so lucky. Cocoa's lig are all but gone and her bag is growing by the hour. I'll probably check on her at least once during the night but I'm really hoping she holds off until tomorrow. I haven't had a late night/early morning birth in years! (I trained 'em that way, lol)

Splash's babies, born yesterday, are down right precious. I need to get some pics up cuz they are lookers for sure. I'm kinda kicking around the idea of pulling 'em and making bottle babies out of 'em because I know they would sell really well. I've had about a gazillion answers to my ad for the first two that I sold. OR, just let mama do all the work and sell 'em at weaning. Ehhh, that sounds easier.

I really do NOT enjoy having bottle babies at all. But, I would worry about selling them so young too - so I guess I'll hang on to 'em for a couple months. Maybe, lol. I'm too tired tonight to make a decision. I'll think about it tomorrow...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Well, it promises to be a banner day. Looks like I'm going to have two deliveries today. Red, my herd queen, and her daughter Cocoa must have planned it this way. Woo hoo... sorta.

After these two I think there are still six more preggos to go. I swear that I will build a fortress to keep the bucks in this fall! I had to kick two does and their babies back out in the pasture just to have room in the 'maternity' ward for these two gals. Thankfully, I think I'm going to have about a three week gap before the next round.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Two absolutely textbook deliveries. First one b/d twins...second one trip girls!

 

[Mini Horses]

WEIRD ! This yr I had mom & dtr kid on same day 16 hrs apart...one twins & one trips! Perfect deliveries.

Congrats on yours...hope some were girls mine were all boys!

Maybe I could send my buck to live in your "fortress". Mine is being renamed "Superman" he leaps tall fences in a single bound! Hears me at other end of farm and "appears" .

Have some wine & a hot tub soak. I'm having the wine, no hot tub now.....need to buy another one! But I'm celebrating YOUR kids.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh wow, weird bunch of similarities, lol. Except that I got 4 girls, 1 boy... and I would have wine in the hot tub, but we have to replace the pump motor - a seal is leaking - grrrrrr! It would be cheaper to replace the seal - but a lot easier to replace the whole motor. The hot tub is one thing I won't live without - it was our consolation prize for not being able to take a trip to Italy one year. Don't tell DH, but I think I have enjoyed the hot tub more than I would have enjoyed traveling.

I have a hard time staying away from home for more than 4 or 5 days. Just don't like to be gone that long. However, I have promised DH that if he will get in better shape/health so that he can hike - that we would go on an overseas vacation.

I think I'lll get a break from kidding for a couple weeks now.

But, it looks like my herd may be doubling in size...I've already had 14 babies and with six more does to go with an average of two apiece that would be 12 more added to the 14 I have for a possible total of 26 kids! EEEEEK...my herd of 25 would definitely be doubled. I. HAVE. TO. SELL. MORE. GOATS! Shouldn't have any trouble though cuz Dusty has put some color on these kids!

One set of kids born today are F-2 Kinders, yippee. The other set is all Nubian. They are precious - Dusty is really putting the color on his kids. I need to get a whole bunch of pics...maybe this weekend.