Getting All Ready

The barn needed improvements to accommodate hay storage area. So the last few months we worked on the barn. I must say it's wonderful!! We have a drive up hay storage area, larger loafing area & a covered walkway inside from loafing area to milk stand. The siding is cedar bat-n-board with cedar shakes to cover the gable ends...it's beautiful to look at and very functional.

I want to say a big thank you to my husband who knows how much I love my goats and was willing to put in the time and money to support my passion. I couldn't have done this myself! Love you, Honey!

The Jeffers and Hoegger orders have arrived, unwrapped, and ready for use. This years supplies needed included lots of baby nipples. The plan is to bottle raise the babies this year all the way though. Which means milking the does AM and PM. Ugh, that means getting up an hour earlier to milk. But we (I) have a plan and that's what matters.

In the past seasons we have tried a few methods of raising babies. First year we co-raised the kids with the does. The does feed them from 6pm to 6am in kidding pens in the barn. In the morning I put the does out and left the kids in the barn and a separate outside field. Then at 5ish I milked out the does and bottle feed the kids before I put the does and kids together for the night. This was a really good year. The kids were tame, the udders were good, and we all seemed to get enough rest. Rest is very important to EVERYONE!

The next year had a few changes, but not for the better in the long run. My job had changed and I was working more hours. So I breed the does later in the year. I work for a school district and get summers off. So at the time it seemed like a good idea. By the time all the does kidded, only 7 does, I was need deep in an early hay season with my husband. Usually the hay cutting starts around last week on June. That year it came in May/June and I was just kidding does out. The bad thing was the kids didn't get enough human time and we ended up with a few "wild ones". I was to embarrassed to sell the last set of twins so we kept them. They have tamed down a lot but don't trust us as well as I would like.

So this years plan; sell wethers early, get bottles ready, get up an hour earlier, make a better side pen for kids so we have less barn clean out, and love them to death!

Ready? Yep, let the kidding begin........two weeks until the first due date :)