Here are the new babies out of Foggy...Hazel on top and Ccino on the bottom. 

New Babies and new lessons

I noted that Mocha was bred on October 17 in my barn records so I started watching closely around March 12--checking daily, watching as the ligaments loosened on her pin bones, watching for her appetite to go, watching and waiting.  On March 14th,  I stepped it up and started checking her at night, every four hours.  But, there was no progress after the first little bloody show on the 14th.  No further signs that she intended to have what I assumed was a single large kid.  She was born in February last season and isn't a big goat and to add to my thinking she never really looked big or uncomfortable.  So, I assumed I missed the date she was really bred.  I even had a friend come over and look at her.  He said she looked like she had another week to go, at least.

On March 22nd--155 days, she stopped eating and drinking around midnight.  She got that tell-tale look in her eye (like she was listening to something only she could hear).  Her little udder bagged up and she started acting uncomfortable.  I checked her every four hours.  At around 8 am she started labor in earnest.  Visible contractions every five minutes or so, circling, laying down and getting up and grunting.  You can see contractions:  The tail goes up like she's about to go to the bathroom, nothing comes out and the tail curves over like a shepherds crook.  Contractions last about 30 seconds to a minute or so. 

My daughter got up to be there for the birth (Mocha is her goat).  Pretty soon we saw the fore waters, a sack of water that protruded.  I noticed that the water wasn't clear...it was more opaque than I had seen before.  We could see a nose and one hoof.  She pushed and pushed but the baby would peek out and go back in so I decided to grab the hoof the next time it appeared.  This broke the bag of water and the little nose and hoof stayed out.  I knew she had a leg back at this point...not a great position for a first freshener!  This was going to be hard on Mocha and the baby.  I've seen it before in a much older goat and the pressure of the birth injured the baby.  She recovered after a few days.

I helped as much as I could, pulling gently on the leg.  I was about to go in and look for the other foot when Mocha gave a mighty push and most of the little kid came out.  She stood up for the next contraction and out came a beautiful little doe (5.91 lbs).  She was very vigorous and was breathing right away and bleating her indignation.  My husband was watching Mocha, and said "there's another baby coming"!  I handed the little doe to him and turned back to Mocha.  My daughter was there to catch this one.  I thought it would go much easier but this one presented head first...no hooves, just one huge head!  Mocha was determined though...she pushed hard and the baby came right out. 

Quickly it became obvious that the kid couldn't breathe.  I read an article about swinging the kid from it's hind legs to pull the muck out of it's airways.  As I picked her up I could feel the rattle in her chest as she struggled to breath.  This is the most beautiful kid I've ever seen.  Milk chocolate brown with white spots.  I grab her and begin swinging.  Then we wipe her mouth and swing again.  Pretty soon she's coughing and clearing out and breathing! 

Mocha is producing lots of colostrum and the two kids are doing wonderfully!

Bucks, what's the difference?

I got asked today if a buck was suspicious as to breed because he was so much different from the does the owner had.  The short answer is "no".  Nubian bucks are so different from their female counterparts...larger, coarser, thicker, stinkier and hairier.  They are Nubian goats on steroids...literally. 

The little guy is a six month old and you can see as he stands next to a two year old doe, that he is much hairier...the second picture is Rocky and again even though the grass is still green, he's much hairier with almost a mane of hair towards his withers.

Goat Coats

I went out to my barn yesterday morning and found very un-happy goats lying in a knot.  They weren't eating from the feeder and they didn't get up to greet me.  It was -18 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is a sign that they've gotten too cold and the next step is hypo-thermia and after that, death.

I leave my goats to the cold as much as I can because it stimulates hair growth and makes them hardier.  If you coat them too early or keep them in a heated place there's no way to make them warmer when the real cold hits. It's a progression of measures to deal with the cold.

First we begin giving hot water in the morning and evening.  Next we moved them to a smaller, more air tight barn (the kidding barn), next we put in a heat lamp near the hay feeder but even with all these measures they are critically cold.  It's time for more.

I brought them inside the house so they could get warm and stop shivering.  My rhododendron has put an ad in craigslist that reads "Free to GOOD GOAT FREE home, Beautiful house plant"  While the goats explored, I pulled out the goat coat from last year-- a red coat that had become too grungy to wear with the arms cut off.  I went in search of suitable other garments and found an old hoodie and a sweater.  They all were warmed on the stove and the two new goat coats had their arms cut off.  Over the head and onto the goats they all went.  They may not be fancy, but they do the trick.  I added another heat lamp to the barn for good measure.

This morning, after hitting -20, the goats are all up and eating.  My littlest one has put her back feet through the arm holes and is wearing her sweater on her butt...it's an easy fix.  They aren't happy with the cold but I'm not afraid for their lives!  If it gets any colder I will hit the Goodwill in search of down or thinsulate vests which work even better.  Come on Spring!

Here are the new goat coats.  I figured winter is not done with us yet and went to the thrift store to get wonderful vests for the goats:

Since  vests are out of style you

can find them at any thrift store.

These cost me a whopping $5 each

For warm goat's it's a steal

2014 Breeding

We brought in a new buck this year.  Woodland Gardens Foghorn pictured here with Mirabelle.  He has some of what we are missing in our goats--big bones, level top-line.  On the down-side I think only one of my does settled.  We will see what he added to our bloodlines in early February.

Spring Mtn Nubians

Two years after starting Spring Mtn Nubians here in East Burke, it's time to see where we are...literally.  Here is our herd in pictures:

First, our herd sire, Rocky Top Romeo.  He's out of *B Capri-Dot's Cherished Infinity and he's quite a boy with a lovely personality and  he's never missed...if you know what I mean.  He gets the job done, as you can see.  His babies are pretty consistent: deep bodied, wide with nice high escutcheons.

Next we have Sally...my personal favourite of all times.  She is a sweetie and sooo productive.  I am excited to have a doe out of her that we are keeping.

 

Sally has what I like in a milker.  She maintains her body condition while producing 10 lbs at 2 years old.  She has a quiet, sweet disposition that is just the icing on the cake.  Her daughter looks to be a chip off the old block and her son "Roger Houston" will, hopefully pass those great features on to his young.

Last, but not least, Pims.  Pims has produced twins as a yearling and again this season...twin does this time.  The loud markings on Mocha are exactly like Pims litter mate brother (so we know who is producing the color).

 

Pims kidded in February, surprising me with twin does!

Soon to come...our new herd sire:  Trevins Glory Rusty.

Cheese Making : 30 Minutes Mozarella

Sally and Pims are in full swing production now that there is plenty of green grass in their diets.  With 2 gallons plus of milk per day my fridge runneth over!  I've been experimenting with Cheese making to help use up the milk.  I bought a cheese making kit from New England Cheese Making Supplies

(http://www.cheesemaking.com/)

I could not be happier with the kit.  It includes a recipe book, but I also have the book written by New England Cheese Making Supply Companies founder, Rikki Carroll, "Home cheese Making".  So far I have a farm house cheddar, a gouda and a parmesan aging and I've made Chevre (culture not included in the kit I bought), queso blanco (made with simple ingredients you probably already have) and the 30 minute mozarella from the book. 

I was very sceptical about the 30 minute mozarella.  I thought it would be something that wouldn't be like a "real" mozarella but it's better than real!  It melts to a lovely, stringy pizza topping that my kids gobbled up.  It shreds beautifully into clean, thin, shreds that don't stick together, making topping a pizza very easy.  The flavor is mild and lovely and the goats milk works perfectly for this cheese.  If you have milk, you must try the 30 minute mozzarella recipe..but beware, it may ruin you for store bought forever!