SheriM - Too Stubborn to Stop Dreamin' - SURPRISE!!!

[SheriM]

Tallman, I haven't actually used any of this straw for bedding yet. Waiting till the pen cleaners are done before I rebed the barn for kidding, but the goats will eat a certain amount of any kind of organic bedding. This straw was baled after harvest and still has some green in it, so I suspect it would sprout pretty good. It's too early in the growing season here yet for it to be sprouting in the bale.

I'm not sure I'd want to use the bedding after the goats get through with it.

I may try it on a couple of rows and try something else on a different part of the garden. This is all a grand experiment, being my first garden and all.

 

[Tallman]

Sheri, you could bring a sample of your hay inside, water it a little, and see if it will sprout.

 

[reinbeau]

Sheri, rabbit manure can actually be used straight on the garden, so go ahead and spread it. Great stuff, lucky you that you have a good supply of it!

 

[big brown horse]

Hi SheriM,

I love the photo of your goat!!

I use the Ruth Stout system...my Mom had her book. My garden is covered in a very thick layer of old hay. No weeds ever. I take the compost straight out to the garden, part some hay and dump it in. I cover it back up with the hay. This spring some seeds from the hay did sprout. According to Ruth Stout, you just need to pick up that chunk of the hay and turn it over. I do this and the sprouts die. Easy. (Last weekend I gave my composter away on freecycle because my garden IS the compost.)

When I want to plant seeds in an empty row, I just spread some of the hay away and plant the seeds as normal. When the sprouts sprout, I inch the hay around them. Right now I have carrots that are in need of thinning. I haven't put the hay right next to them because I am still working with them.

 

[SheriM]

Well, actually, I'm kidding...my goats are kidding...whatever. Kidding season is officially underway here. A set of twins and a single so far. The twins' dam only had a single last year so she didn't know what to do with the second one. Found him flat out with the sack still on his head. I thought he was a gonner but when I pulled the sack off, his head came up and he took a deep gulp of air. He was very chilled and sluggish (lack of oxygen, probably) so although his mamma was starting to show an interest in him, we had to get him inside to warm up, etc. We tube fed him some of mamma's colostrum then left him in a laundry basket overnight. In the morning, he was strong enough to stand but still wouldn't suck. Got a few ounces into him by just letting it trickle in his mouth from the bottle. We took him back to his mother and she did all the mother stuff (talking, licking etc) but still won't let him nurse.

At noon, I came home from class and gave him another bottle. The light bulb came on finally and he started to suck for all he was worth. He's a bottle baby for sure, but at least he has his mom and sister for company.

On an even better note, there is a lady coming today or Friday who is interested in buying all of my yearlings and several of the older does I want to sell. I will kid out the does first, since they're too far along to move safely, but just getting the yearlings out of here will help tremendously, both financially and in terms of the workload.

 

[TanksHill]

Congratulations on the new Kids and great to hear the yearlings are finding a new home. Makes things a bit easier for you. Have a great day!!!

 

[SheriM]

Got 8 kids on the ground now, including Mary, the former house-goat, 9 if you count Masai, the little Nubian buck kid I bought and am bottle raising. The little buck I wrote about last time is doing well, living with his family but getting the grub from us.

Yesterday, a couple of hours before I had to leave for a doctor's appointment, I spotted a doe in trouble. She was at the grain feeder, pigging out with the rest of the does, with a big bubble hanging out of her back end. Now, normally, once the bubble comes, they're not interested in food, so I knew something was wrong. To make a long story short, an hour before I had to leave, I was wrist deep in the old gal, sorting out a tangle of kids. Had one coming normally and another back feet first at the same time. Took me forever to figure out what I was feeling, but finally got them both out. They looked okay so I headed out for the appointment.

Called DH on the way there and asked him to check on the kids. He called back to say one was flat out, still wet and not moving much, but he refused to do anything about it. That is part of his dementia; he will sometimes just simply refuse to do something that is, to me, critical because the part of his brain that processes the sequence of events that will or won't happen if he doesn't do it is failing. So, I called the neighbor and he came over to help Jim. They got the kid dried off and fed him some colostrum in a bottle.

Got home in time to show my yearlings to a lady who'd driven 2 hours to come see them. Good news is, she bought them all! That's 12 goats off my plate. She left a deposit and will be back to get them in a week or two.

In the midst of dealing with her, I checked on the two new kids and found the buck kid still couldn't stand. He needed help to nurse, but was doing okay. His sister, however, was hunched up and cold (did I mention we had a major spring snow storm that morning?) Got her inside for a visit with the hair drier. I tried to tube feed her but she fussed so much I thought I was hurting her. When we took her back out, she nursed immediately, so guess she was just full when we tubed her.

This morning, both are doing okay. Buck boy still can't quite stand, but will nurse well when I tuck him under his mom and he's getting stronger. His back legs are the problem, so he can pull himself around with his front legs and can stand if supported.

Lots more to tell, but this thing is turning into a novel, so I'll stop for now.

 

[freemotion]

Well, I was reading the novel with great interest! Waiting for the next chapter. Sheri, would you give your opinion and wisdom on my goat/hay thread?

 

[SheriM]

Free, your wish is my command. Have a look at your goat/hay thread, but just remember...you asked!

 

[TanksHill]

She bought all 12 goats??? Wow!!