Pink Fox: its Raining...IN MY HOUSE! :/

[pinkfox]

Demi did good with her milking this morning, though my technique could use some work LOL! I can milk out with my left hand no issues but for some reason the right (far side/reaching under) LOL...I cant seem to get my aim right. but she was good and didn't laugh at me.
shes having a good old yell at the fenceline right now, but no one spicking on her and all said hi this morning before wandering off ot go decimate the bushes in the back pasture so I think shell be fine once shes settled.

we had a funny moment when milking and she lifts her head up and mutters something and I look over and theres my sisters (though in reality Ive done most of the care so far) 3 dutch kits bopping around the barn...
I was sure id closed the latch ont heir cage but apparently not.
thankfully they and truffle are super friendly and came running over when I called them...silly bunnies.

speaking of bunnies my tri-rex doe had 2 kits last night....tiny litter for a rex but it was hot when she bred and I only saw 1 fall off, so was pretty certain we wouldn't be getting anything (buck sterility/heat) so im happy with 2, a little tri and a harli...1 might end up staying, im trying to grow the rex herd and thin down the angoras a little.
this is my last litter for a while...will not be breeding anyone now until neer the end of august.

got a bit of a migrane today, tylanol to help and a coffee...gonna have some breakfast soon but first gotta run up to the barn with my thermometer and some pen-g...Bilbo has a snotty nose and hes so small and got such a rough start I want to be sure he doesn't get pneumonia, weve had a lot of hot and wet which in goats is prime for respitory issues...
I don't like medicating unless I have to, so I wont give him anitbiotics unless his temp is off...but id rather be safe than sorry.

and we apparently have to make a trip to town too, mum needs to make a stop and dad needs a new tile saw, the kitchen is looking stuning though the slate tile looks great!

 

[Denim Deb]

Pictures?

 

[pinkfox]

will get some, need sister to send me the before pictures form when they came to see the house too. theres mabe a 4ft section left which will get finished tomorrow, me and dad are both tired toight and don't want to mess up the last few cuts because of sleepiness.
it looks stunning though, the walls are a soft buttery yellow and the cherry cabinates and a cream tone counter (we were origionally going to change out the counter but with the new colors and tile it looks good!) and the slate tile ust adds the depth that was missing otherwise. im not a yellow fan usually, but with the grey blues, and terracotta tones in the slate...it looks realy rich and warm and deep.

in other news, my babies have me running concerned tonight, was worried about Bilbo this morning as he wasn't quite himself and had a snotty nose...so I took my thermometer up to check him tonight, hes normal and looks better, probably just dust...but merry is not acting herself...lay down, didn't want supper, and when I made her get up she "threw up" some clear cud smelling liquid, her temp is noral and poop looked good, and doesn't look bloated...so im hinking she either ate too much today or found something that hasn't agreed with her...I have pulled milkweed out of the pasture but they don't seem even remotely interested in it...never even a hint at a nibbled leaf in the past...other thing is mabe a thron in the gum or throat or something but I couldn't feel or see anything and she wasn't too happy about me looking and I didn't want to exhaperate the situation.
will keep an eye on her for dehydration and a temperature...please keep fingers crossed shell be fine by morning.
so she got a dose of baking soda and some probiotics, hoping by morning shell be back to herself...shes such a sweetie.

milking however whent very well, filled a 3pint jar between them...im getting a rhythm on milking demi, itll still take some practice but I think ill get a nice rhythm going, shes so mellow on the stand

im exhausted and physically hurting today, but im holding together for dad, no one else has even offered to help him and hes exhausted and stressed and aching too.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hoping Merry is on the mend by tomorrow. I'm usually a pretty good diagnostician with goats, but nothing you mentioned rings any bells so you're probably right.... maybe she just ate something yucky. Only thing I can think of is have you checked her membranes? Symptoms don't sound like worms, but...

Sounds like the milking is going good!

 

[hqueen13]

Hope the wee goats are ok!
The kitchen sounds gorgeous! I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[Denim Deb]

Same here. I might want to steal some ideas for my dream kitchen.

 

[pinkfox]

kitchen tiles done, just need to grout and some 1/4 round to finish off some edges...next big job in here is the floor...

today the roofers are here putting the new roof on the barn...im actually REALY happy about this, the old roof wouldn't have gotten us through the winter, it leaks every time it rains...and we cant use the huge loft for anything because of the leaking...
not anymore...
once the roofs done and dad gets his trailer (likely this weekend or next) I can start working on getting hay stored in there...im not going through MUCH right now, but come winter with all the goats and bunnies...its gonna start getting a tad tight I think.
especially since we are adding goat number 7 tomorrow.
dad saw an add posted form a friend in CT for FREE nigis...
I called...and shes got a blue eyed buckskin doeling left...shes 10 weeks old and weaned and coming home tomorrow her name will be Eowyn.
she said shes feeling a little overwhelmed with the number of animals she has so im also going to see if I can talk her into parting with one of her milking does >;P

my personal goal has always been 6 does (though dads mentioned 8...) so Eowyn brings us up to 5 does.

merry is doing fine, I think she just ate too much.
bilbos still snotty but no temp, it could just be dust, once the roofs done im going to be getting gup into the attic getting the hay door fixed and getting that barn cleaned out.
It needs to be cleaned out either way if im going to start filling it with hay intime for the winter.
theres a place ive bene getting my hay from that's $4 a bale right now and they said theyd do $50 for 13 bales...(good price compared) and my sister works with a guy who hays so im going to see what kind of price he'll offer...
id like to set up at least 25 bales for the winter. double if possible...

otherwise not much going on. hoping to go to the state faire on sunday, picking up goat tomorrow...so today will probably be 1/2 lazy, 1/4 making things and 1/4 cleaning my room...
got to also check the bank account do my checkbook and do my daily excersize challenge.

and that all I got for now.

 

[Denim Deb]

Hey Pinky, there's going to be a Wild Outdoor Expo in September. Don't know if you'd be interested in going to it or not. It's in Central Jersey, and I'm planning on going. If you do go, maybe we could meet there. Here's some info on it. http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/expo.htm

 

[pinkfox]

that looks cool, I might be able to schedual that

in other news, the roof on the barn is done, we just need ot fix the back lean to, they've left enough shingles up there to finnish that (and id suspect enough to shingle the chicken coop I still need to build too, plus a couple of pallets, I think theres 4 or 5, they would be perfect for building the buck house...)
dad asked them to leave some stuff, I belive in hopes of reusing some of it for finishing the lean to ect...so *fingers crossed* I can "borrow" some.

they'll be back to do the roof on the house but at least I can stop worrying about my goats now lol.

got started cleaning my room...kinda lol.
litterboxes are done at least, my body is NOT co-operating today...I managed to bang my elbow twice and roll my ankle...TWICE...I just don't know what the heck today, its insane.
mood is just not happytimes and I keep wanting to cry (but I wont because that's not what big girls do!)
its 5:30 and I just want to go back to bed already.
yucky....

anywho.

I did manage to get my wheels on my dog crate, 1 step closer to a grow out tractor...

 

[pinkfox]

getting the hang of milking Demi
getting almost 1/2 gallon a day out of the 2 of them
also made a new batch of yogurt (1 gal) in the big crockpot, the big crockpot has a thermostat and probe feature...yogurt turned out with the best consistency yet...I was much better able to track temp...
PLUS I took 1/2 the batch and strained it, my first time making a real greek style strained yogurt and it turned out beautifully!
1 gallon of milk makes 24 4oz pots of regular yogurt or 12 4oz pots of strained, loks like yogurt is going to be a once a week job.
turned another gallon into cream cheese, made 5 8oz blocks, im good with chevre and creamcheeses now, and I can batch a mean ricotta, but still need more work with my moz, last batch was better but still a little tough (great for melting though!!!)

had a LONG day today though, drove 2 hours one way to pick up our newest family member.
Eowyn is a 10 week old Nigerian dwarf (picture tomorrow) she looks JUST like demi only with stunning ice blue eyes instead of brown, I LOVE blue eyes.
one of dads frineds posted a picture of a sign theyd seen at a local farm stand in CT...for FREE Nigerian dwarf goats....needless to say he linked me and I called, she had 1 doeling and 4 bucklings left so I told her the doeling was mine and whent to get her today...would have brought home the last 2 boys too but she had someone commign for them later today.
she apparently got overwhelmed and didn't have time to advertise them and just wanted them to go to good homes so she could start milking the mommas.
shes frightend, not used to being away from momma and has lungs to prove her disapproval, but shes curious and sweet, she was screachign ast bedtime so I took 15 mins whent in and sat with them I ha to grab her but once she realized I wasn't going to hurt her I let go and she snuggled up enxt to me, her head on my arm, shell be fine though, Bilbo was being very sweet to her and she and Demi seemed to bond (they look like twins and the other doe she and her mother was in with looked just like demi)
the 2 hours home was even longer, man shes got good lungs lol.

tomorrow were supposed to be going to the NJ state faire, looking forward to that (not looking forward to spending money lol)
but that's about it for right now.
planning for next week which includes finishing the tractor, starting to fence out the buck pasture and getting the chickens moved out of the barn.