Just Waiting...

We went for a picnic lunch to the park by the White River in Batesville. It was a beautiful day!

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I walked with the kids to the river and the train engine on display.  I should have snapped a photo, but you could see how the river overflowed the river bank not long ago.  There were branches and debris all along grass beyond the sidewalk and benches.  My friend said the last time she was there, the benches and sidewalk were under water.  I could see that was definitely true.  It was crazy!

Meanwhile, I am waiting...

Spring is on the horizon, but I won't jump the gun with too much garden care and planting.  I pray there won't be another freeze to kill off the blooms on the fruit trees.  My cauliflower hasn't come up yet, but I did see that Hannah's was starting to peek out.  Perhaps mine aren't far behind?

This afternoon, Caleb and I went to the garden to measure and see where I could possibly expand and where I would be able to plant various crops.  I have an order coming next week which will contain blackberries, raspberries, honeyberries, and grapevines.  

The plan is to tear out the muscadines because I just don't think they are worth the work.  I still have one Concord grape vine, and I purchased three more.  I bought the seeded type instead of seedless.  I want to rebuild the old trellis for the grapes because the wood fence it is growing on is rotten.  I am not sure what will work best for support, but don't want to keep replacing wood. Perhaps some cedar logs from the woods will be a good option. 

I do still have an elderberry bush in the house which will be transplanted next to the other two that I put in when we moved here.  One is doing really well with beautiful new leaves starting to pop out everywhere on the branches.  The other shows signs that it didn't do well last year, but there is new growth coming up from the ground.  The bush in the house will be planted next to the other two.  

I have about five or six various black berry bushes in the garden area.  I ordered 6 more and will put them near the existing ones.  I have plans to rebuild the trellis system since I really don't have a good trellis for them.  I was pretty thrilled to see that the blackberries are also doing quite well with new growth on the canes. 

The raspberries will be my second attempt at growing them.  The first attempt last year ended in disaster with nothing coming up.  I am hopeful these will come up and grow well. They will more than likely be planted in the front yard.

I still haven't figured out what I will do with the lone apple tree I have.  I am contemplating buying another of the tree I have since it was the only one to not succumb to the fire blight last year.  I could use a crabapple tree for a pollinator since they are not self fertile. 

The peach and plum trees are full of blossoms, which makes me so happy! 

But the garden...Caleb and I pulled a huge wagon load of Burmuda grass from a single bed that was used for cantaloupe last year.  It was insane!  But the job got done.  Really, that bed was the worst in the garden.  We also raked some of the leaves and old tomato vines back from the trellises where the peas will be planted.  

I still have a lot of planning to do and I am afraid to say I don't have much time before things need to be done.  I will most likely be planting directly into the ground again this year.  

Which gets me thinking about how things used to be done.  It seems that in our days,  it is all about rushing and getting things done in the garden quicker, getting a bigger harvest faster, and getting two plantings in.  Greenhouses and starting seedlings indoors makes this possible by allowing people to plant well in advance of last frost as well as prolong the season after frost.  I can't help but wonder why we do this to ourselves.  Is it the excitement of growing and getting our hands in the dirt, eating that first veggie from the garden?  Is it worth it? Do we perhaps create more problems for ourselves getting these plants out at times that aren't natural for the plant?  Are we creating more pests in the process?  

Oh, well.  Just my brain running wild with thoughts about the garden.  

Thanks for reading my boring rambling. I promise sometime soon there might be something more exciting!

Goat Milk, and More

{{If you don't visit our Hickory Hill Goat's page, you can visit it here. I have updated photos of all the goat kids and information on all of them.}}

Last night was a long night for us. We were on tornado watch, but were blessed to be located between the two fronts that moved East. While we did get some severe thunderstorms and rain in early morning hours, we didn't have tornadoes in our area. I am extremely thankful for the new weather radio we bought as well as storm alerts that we get on our cell phones. 

The creek had time to settle down by the time I went out for photos, but we also didn't get the amount of rain we got last week.  So, it isn't flowing as wide or quickly as it was then.

This last Sunday, we were able to take round bales to both the sheep and the bucks. The sheep needed their shelter reconstructed and an unused hay bale cover brought over from the goat pasture. Al brought all the old bedding and used hay to the compost area where it will break down for future compost.

We also relocated the ducks to an area in the back which has a "pond" for them to swim in. Really, the pond is just where the rain has collected in some deep tractor treads. The ducks love it!

Some of you may be interested in an update on Ivy Rose, our doe who had a traumatic delivery. I had the veterinarian out on Monday to take a look at her after Ivy developed what appeared to be an infection. The examination determined that Ivy had an infection, which is no surprise. Ivy was put on Ampicillan, Moxidectin, and was given a steroid shot to help with swelling*. Despite acting normal, she actually had a fever. The vet said that Ivy has a lot of scarring and could possibly have permanent damage, but only time will tell. She said it might not be a good idea to breed her again in the future, but that an exam in a year would help determine that for certain. Not breeding her again would be so sad, because I waited so long to get kids from her. (*Since she is on medication, she is on milk withdrawal. This means her milk will be dumped until the proper amount of time has passed.)

I started milking three of the goats on Monday. Juniper, a first freshener, is determined to NOT go to the stand. I literally drag her part of the way, then have to carry her to the stand. I am considering not milking her since she doesn't give much milk. I have been working on getting Ivy to the stand as well. She has to be pulled, but she is getting there. We bring her little guy to the stand with us. He hangs out with her while she eats her feed from the stand. She allows us to milk her a little and doesn't fight us. She also is a "dream" to milk. (Listen to my goat talk...LOL) When I say that, I mean that milking her is quick because her teats are a good size, but also the orifices are large, which allows the milk out more quickly. 

The remaining three goats will begin to be milked on Sunday morning.  This will include Amber, who has a single buckling, and Wendy, who is nursing triplets.  Today, I got nearly half a gallon with Jersey, who is nursing twin bucks, Juniper, who is nursing twin does, and Mocha, who is nursing triplets.  I am so excited to see how much milk I actually get on Sunday morning (without Ivy's milk, of course). 

 And of course there is that long awaited drink of fresh goat's milk...

 

Kidding Season Wraps Up

Some of you have seen these photos, but this is for the remainder of you who read my blog. 

Kidding season is officially over! {{Insert a huge sigh.}}

No, seriously, it is one of the most exciting times of the year on our homestead. It falls right next to the lambing season, which in reality is the same season.  

This year wasn't a record for kids born, but it wasn't too shabby. The year 2019 produced 19 goat kids all sired by Galveston. This year brought us a total of 14 goat kids born to six does. Unfortunately, we lost one of Juniper's bucklings as well as Ivy's little doe who was dead on arrival. 

But Ivy's little guy, Oh Henry, was one to watch. He still is. He nursed well the first night and the following morning, from a bottle. Unfortunately, he slowed down and I couldn't seem to get him to drink from bottle or mom. He had what was called "dummy kid", otherwise known as PSR. After speaking with our vet, it was determined to try using the Madigan Squeeze, which is a technique developed to help simulate the birthing squeeze in order to reset the brain. It is highly effective. 

Basically, you wrap a cord snug around the ribcage, and hold it there for 10 minutes.  It puts them into a restful stage.  Once the ten minutes are up, you slowly release the cord.  The goat kid jumps up and bounces back.  Unfortunately, it didn't work for Oh Henry.  

It was back to research as I continued to go out and make sure he nursed from Ivy.  I found that some people had success with B Vitamin Complex injections (or just thiamine).  So I gave him an injection of that which only helped a little.  I gave up on the bottle since he refused to drink.  I was optimistic because his belly felt like it was full.  Every time I went out, I put him on mom and when done, I milked her out onto the ground.  Eventually, I noticed that Oh Henry was actually keeping up nicely even if he was slow.  

Last night, I saw the little guy actually climb up the cinder block and into the dome.  I was so happy I wanted to cry.  He is eating!  His belly is full, and he is even starting to play with the other goats. 

Leandra, our oldest daughter, arrived on Sunday.  It was just in time because our last doe to kid, Amber, was in early stages of labor.  We did end up going to bed without her having any kids, but I was sure I would wake up to kids. 

I was wrong.  I woke up, looked out the window, and she was clearly pushing.  I woke up Leandra and we both went out expecting our big girl to have multiples.  

Amber had two legs presenting, but no head.  I checked to make sure they were hind legs because sometimes I can't tell.  When I knew they were, I knew we were okay.  With a little help, Amber had a huge buckling.  And that was it.  One. Huge. Buckling. 

But can I say this boy is absolutely gorgeous?  I just love the little guy.  He is so chunky and soft.  

So, tomorrow we start the process of disbudding our goats.  This may sound cruel, but it is necessary for the safety of goats who are domesticated.  The process includes taking a hot "iron" and burning the horn bud to prevent the horns from coming out.  It is my least "favorite" job when it comes to goat kids.  I will probably have three sessions of disbudding since their births span a week.  

Have a great day!  

A Very Difficult Delivery

Raising livestock is hard enough without those tricky deliveries that need human intervention. 

Ivy Rose

Friday morning, I found both Wendy and Ivy's ligaments "gone", signifying it wouldn't be long before they started kidding.

If Mocha's breech baby wasn't enough, Wendy decided to do the same: birth triplets with the first being breech. I once again had to get in there and pull the legs back. She delivered a precious little doeling that looked just like the sire.  Then two little bucklings followed that are beautiful roan like her.  All babies are doing well. (Names in a bit!)

Wendy's triplets: Starburst, York, and Milk Dud

But that wasn't enough either! Ivy also went into labor and decided she was going to give me an hour of intense intervention in fixing babies that in no way would have made it had I not been there to help. Neither would Ivy for that matter. 

We watched her closely all day and she was clearly in labor.  I contacted the vet who told me what to look for.  By 6:20pm, she was finally pushing hard.  After a few contractions I knew something wasn't right.  I gloved up and found that Ivy's first baby had legs in the birth canal, but the head was folded back.  I tried continuously to push back and pull the head forward, but every contraction would fold the head back again while legs were still presented.  I tried and tried repeatedly, Ivy hollering in pain.  

I finally yelled for the kids to get my cell phone as I was crying that I was going to lose my special girl, Ivy.  I didn't care about the babies dying, but I didn't want Ivy to go since her mom died after a miscarriage two years ago.  Once I got the phone, I called the vet.  At some point, Al came in and started helping.  I eventually had to tie the feet together so I could pull them out of her, but not worry about them slipping back. The kid's head was determined to stay back and I knew by the feel of things, it was dead.  I persisted and finally after about 30 minutes, I was able to get the face presented with the feet.  On a contraction, I pulled.  The baby (a beautiful tan combo, doeling) was quickly put in a towel and set aside.  

I asked the vet if I should go in to see if another kid was there.  She said I should make sure it was presenting well.  The second kid was already presenting.  I felt feet, reached back, and felt no head.  It too was folded back.  Frustration was already mounted high, my hands were in intense pain from the constant contractions pressing on my hands.  I had to help again.  I put the string around those legs and did the same thing.  Over and over, I pushed the baby back in, pulled the head forward, only to have it fold back again.  I was sure it was dead too. 

Then I felt it move.  I remember saying, "It's alive!" But still I couldn't get the head forward.  Minutes went by, Ivy hollering, Al and I trying every which way to get things to move.  I finally had the idea and asked for the vet's go ahead, "What if I pushed back and turned the baby to breech position?"  She answered, "If you think you can do it, go for it."  

After untying the legs, I tried hard to get that baby to turn.  It took several minutes and intense concentration, and finally I had that little kid turned around.  At this point, I was sure it was dead.  I pulled the baby through and with a contraction, pulled out a little boy.  He was alive, but very weak.  I rubbed him down and warmed him up as the temp was pretty cold outside.  After several minutes, he was making noise and attempting to get up.  Ivy was licking him, but in excruciating pain. 

The little buckling was taken to the house to warm up.  He was definitely hypothermic, but he warmed up nicely.  I took him out to nurse, but Ivy was just too weak to stand still.  So I milked her and brought him back in.  He maintained his temp perfectly and ate twice before bed.  He slept in his basket the whole night, not a peep.  In the morning, I fed him another bottle.  

I worried that Ivy had not made it, but was fearful to go out.  I also felt horrible middle of night that I never brought water to her last night.  I knew there was absolutely NO way she could have gotten to the water.  Al went out to give her some and I knew by the way he knelt by the dome she was alive and doing well.  He came back and got the little buckling, then took him to her.  

Ivy is a very attentive mom, though I am watching closely to make sure she is okay, and the buckling is eating.  She is extremely swollen in the back, and definitely in unimaginable pain.  She can get out of the dome, but not back into it.  She is eating well and producing plenty of milk, too.  Praise be to the Father!

Meanwhile, I am hurting physically from the whole ordeal, but I am so thankful I am able to assist these animals when they need it.  Ivy is on antibiotics as well as pain meds. Oh, and I am so proud of the kids who stood by, helped where they could, and stayed strong despite loving Ivy like I do.  

So, the names:

Juniper and Jersey's babies (heads left to right): Snickers, Jujubee, Rolo, Milkyway

Juniper's Kids:

1. doeling - Snickers

2. doeling - Jujubee

Jersey's Kids:

1. buckling - Rolo

2. buckling - Milkyway

--1 buckling died

Mocha's babies: Mr. Goodbar and Tootsie Pop

Mocha's baby: Kit Kat

Mocha's Kids:

1. doeling - Tootsie Pop

2. doeling - Kit Kat

3. buckling - Mr. Goodbar

Wendy's Kids: Picture at top of blog

1. doeling - Starburst

2. buckling - York

3. buckling - Milk Dud

Ivy's baby: Oh Henry

Ivy's Kids:

1. buckling - Oh Henry

--1 doeling died

Totals: (bucks/does)  7/6 

Mid Winter Update - Ice Storm

Sunday evening, we arrived home from an outing, only to find our propane tank was empty.  That meant no propane heat and no cooking on the stove.  Al put in a call Monday morning and pending weather, we would have it within a few days.

Meanwhile, I used the roaster oven and instant cooker for most cooking.  I also have prepared a few things on the wood stove.  

Lo and behold, the ice storm blew in just as Al arrived home from work on Monday...and shortly after that, Juniper delivered twin doelings.  Within an hour after that, Jersey delivered triplet bucklings.  

 We woke to a pretty good layer of ice pellets, but it wasn't slippery.  I was very happy to see all five babies survived the night despite the bitter cold.  Come afternoon, I realized one of Jersey's little boys was hypothermic.  I brought him in, warmed him up, and fed him some of momma's colostrum.  I took him back out before we went to bed, but was apprehensive.  

Early morning, I was convinced I would go out and find several dead babies, but I only found one...or so I thought he was dead.  I gently dropped him to the ground on the other side of the fence, only to find him alive, but barely so.  That is when I took him and put him in front of the propane heater in the milk room, until I finished the chores.  While I was attempting to warm him up in the house, he passed.  His little body sat in a box in the dining room until later in the afternoon when both Abby and Caleb took him to the back of the property and put him under some branches. (The circle of life.)

This morning, the ground was still covered with ice, but the kids have been enjoying it tremendously.  They find it more fun than snow as they trek to the top of the driveway and sled down 100 to 200 feet, narrowly escaping any crashing.  Though, I did nearly have a heart attack this morning when Caleb whipped down the driveway and turn directly into some pipes that were off to the side.  He stopped one foot before the 2 inch PVC hit him directly in the face.  {{sigh}}

It was this morning, I realized that Mocha's ligaments were "gone" (relaxed), meaning she was in early labor.  Had it not been that I check each goat every morning and afternoon, she would have hidden it quite well from me.  

It was good that I was monitoring her, because I later found she was in need of assistance.  I had been watching her for a bit before I started wondering if she had a rear presenting kid.  Caleb, Abby, and Hannah were also watching, so it was quite crowded in the dome where Mocha was laboring.  I left them to watch her while I went to the house to take the bread from the roasting oven, and go to the milk room to get some latex gloves. 

Upon returning, I watched her a few minutes and knew something wasn't right.  I had to check her.  Sure enough, there were no legs presenting back in the birth canal.  I was almost sure I was feeling the goat kid's rear end.  I pushed the kid back in and looked for a leg.  Then pushed back to get the other.  Once I had two legs I pulled out some.  Then I panicked because it looked like they were front legs.  That!  That was a no go!  I put my hand back in and said to myself, "Rachel, think. Think.  What do you feel?"  I ran my hand around what I assumed was the rear, felt to see if a neck and head were folded back.  When I felt nothing, I knew it was indeed the rear.  I straightened the baby's legs. That was when I allowed her to push while I pulled on the legs. Out came a beautiful little doe. Then she had a buckling, followed by a doeling.  

The babies had their umbilicals clipped and dipped, they drank colostrum, and I was sure they would be fine.  Mocha slurped down her molasses water for minerals and an energy boost, then thanked me as she licked her lips.

We are planning to keep girls from every dam (mom) in order to increase our dairy productivity.  All boys will be either sold or raised for meat.  There are a few people who are interested in starting their own herds.  But for now, we just want to grow these babies, as well as those who have yet to be born.  We still have three more does to kid: Wendy, Ivy, and Amber.

Meanwhile, enjoy the names:

Juniper's girls:

1. Jujubee

2. Snickers

Jersey's boys:

1. Rolo

2. Milkyway

Mocha's kids:

1. Tootsie Pop

2. Mr. Goodbar

3. Kit Kat

Oh, and we still do not have propane.  With the ice on the roads, there is really nothing at all being delivered whether it be mail, UPS, or FedEx, and certainly no gas truck should be on the road, either!  So I continue cooking on the wood stove, and in the roasting oven.