[ballingall]

Got your Christmas presents sorted out for the goats yet?!


I've had a helluva couple of days- not so much with the goats but they have featured!


Will post more soon


Beth

[sokel]

Got the usual alfalfa haylage ready for them they love it but it has seriously gone up price wise
Then will pick the boxes of bananas and other fruit and veg  up for them next week
Weather permitting Starting to build another shed ready for the boers to free the one they have for kids aswell as all the normal jobs

[plumseverywhere]

Struggling big time so far. We are on such steep land that any ice makes it quite precarious to carry out even straight forward tasks.
I'm treating the goats to some dried nettles/thistles/docks from the summer. WIshing that my hose wouldnt' freeze up. Wishing that I had more hours in the day!
On a goaty theme, I'm mainly filling boxes with goats milk soap for customers all over the world  and praying that my maiden milker produces milk again next spring!

[ballingall]

Yes, plums we're fed up with frozen hoses too!


We finally got the goats AI'd, but only two as one got a urinary infection before going and she was quite ill for a few days. Annoyingly, she is the one out of the three getting AI'd who is actually related to the male I have hear, and is a half brother /sister relationship, so a lot closer than I would like. Not that she's been back n season anyway. Not sure what we'll do if/when she comes in.


Of the two done by AI, one wasn't very well in season, so they have said the chances of her holding are slim. She can be mated to the boy I have, so if she comes back in she will go to him. The third one, thank god, was well in season, and there is no reason why she shouldn't hold. I would like a boy from her to keep, as he could be put to nearly everything else I have, in particular the two female kids I have from this year.


My OH managed to crash the car on his way to work on the day the goats got inseminated, which made for a fun day, and also means we have no 4x4 if the weather gets worse. Fortunately, Alex wasn't badly hurt, but he does have whiplash, cracked ribs and a lot of muscular pain, so he can't do much to help with the animals just now.


My milker Sunbeam isn't well, not sure what is wrong, but gave her antibiotics on Monday night, and she isn't much better, so may have to contact the vet to see what else we can do.


I'm not having a good start to December!


Beth

[Anke]

Has gone a lot quieter in the goat shed - five in kid (and only one still got a few days left before her three weeks are up), the kids of course are still making a racket! Unfortunately kidding will go on for a few weeks, as I didn't sponge anyone other than the one AI-ed (she has gone her three weeks  , but still keeping fingers and toes crossed).
Getting a bit worried about the quantities of hay we are going through, may have to organise another batch , but otherwise in a routine now. Still three being milked, only once so far milking machine frozen... but we have now worked out where to point the hairdrier and it works again quickly...
Goats now demanding warm water to drink, so lots of lugging of buckets across the frozen ground.
Beth - hope Alex recovers soon (and you get another car organised).

[fifixx]

Goats all in the barn for the winter, eating their way through a big bale of hay in 6 days though - greedy things! 

I'll be separating last years kids from the pregnant does mid-Jan so I can up their feed a bit, but for now I am just enjoying them all in their nice warmish barn, and avoiding the horns at feeding time!

[Lesley Silvester]

Fianlly got the trailer clear of junk after 2 trips to the tip so we can go to the farm tomorrow and get more hay and, hopefully, straw.  My local farmer didn't make straw this year but he is trying to get some in.  If not, my feed merchant has some but I bet it'll be dearer than the farm.  We can only transport eight bales at a time so may make a few journeys over the coming week so we have plenty if the weather is horrible.  Last year, I had to drive along roads with about four inches of impacted snow.  Nerve wracking, especially on the hills.

[ballingall]

Beth - hope Alex recovers soon (and you get another car organised).

Thanks Anke. Not sure about the other car, we were talking about trying to become a two car family, as three seems so wasteful. But in all honesty, we maybe needed the one we kept to be the 4x4, not the little commuter car.


Update on Sunbeam, she died late last night. Still don't know for definite what it was, possibly pneumonia, but if so, the antibiotic didn't have much effect. Bit sad, as she was one of my babies, and she was the only one of mine who was going to have early kids. I'll have to wait for may for any new babies now.


Will go and fetch another bale of hay at the weekend, we have enough to last til Christmas, but best be best to have another one in stock.


Beth

[Anke]

Oh Beth, so sorry your milker died. It's just horrible if you try and do all you can, and still they don't make it.
I have finally today gone and paid the vet bill for the last two months (incl the costs for the wether kid that died  ), and also got a new batch of needles from them - I got some Ovipast recently so I can vaccinate the kids and my two milkers not in kid against pasteurella. Getting a bit worried about the possibility of them catching it ....

[Lesley Silvester]

Why is I whenever I plan to go and get hay/straw, it pees down?  The bales have to be carried one at a time along a footpath so would get pretty wet.  My feed merchant also doesn't do straw, only hay so I hope the farm has got some.

[wytsend]

Since the beginning of December,  I have.....
Scrubbed the designated kidding pen   16 x10,   last weekend trimmed the early kidders feet, booster vaccinated them,....... 
this weekend they will be given a dose of Vecoxan to ensure that is not going to be a problem.    Coccidiosis has been a major issue this year with the Vets generally blaming the incrediby poor weather.....calfs, lambs kids have all died this year,   with higher percentage of older animals.  I dont intend to lose any if at all possible !!!
Got a big bale of straw in and after Christmas will set up the kidding pen.........first girl due January 9th.      6 to kid in January.

[Lesley Silvester]

Managed to get the hay today and the farmer had found some straw right at the bottom of the stack.  It's a bit tatty-looking but he let me have it cheap as it was old.  Must have been ok though as OH said that one of them was munching it when he put it in the goat shed.  Going back on Monday to have all he's got.  I can only transport eight small bales at a time, but I don't mind making two journeys if he has more.  I would take a large bale if my trailer was bigger.

[ballingall]

Oh that's good. Straw is getting hard to come by up here.


Going to dismantle an empty pen now, and I will go and get a spare bale of hay to occupy it.


Beth

[colliewoman]

I'm waiting on the last 2 of mine to be served by Mr Stilton then I can bring them home! I miss them terribly when they are away

[Lesley Silvester]

Typically,after a lkovely  morning,  it started  when we were ready to drive out there so it will have to wait until tomorrow now.  It is difficult to get hay here too, at least in small bales.  Dpn't know what I am going to do when my local farm runs out which will be fairly soon.