[Sondra]

Gloria the rescue goat by, Pokeyone42


Kelso... our beautiful long-awaited, first-born baby of 2007, was a great big buck kid who was born at 4:15 am on Feb 2nd, on a COLD winter's night, to a mom who had an extremely interesting history. Unfortunately tho, we do not know her very unique history, But I am SURE that she has a very juicy one.....doesn't EVERYONE have really gossipy yet awful stories in their backgrounds? We only know Gloria's RECENT history, which is not really that different than alot of goats unfortunately,... tho her recent history IS very sad...which makes it pretty interesting in itself, huh?
Anyway.... so....we rescued this sorry-looking malnourished limping skeleton of a goat, (named Gloria,) from a well-meaning farmer, (named Harold,) who out of the "goodness of his heart", rescued her from an auction, and brought her home, where he kept her in the wet, pitch-black creepy basement of his barn, so that he could starve her slowly to death in complete darkness.........(go figure.)
Sooo, this good-hearted, (tho completely uninformed but compassionate man,) "rescued" poor terrified Gloria, who came with a very deep, five-inch gash (yes... I said FIVE-inches..!) in her front shoulder and a broken front leg, as well as a chewed-up face....and just tossed her into his dark, creepy, wet barn, with his equally sad and hungry cows, to fend for herself, and to eat whatever she could find. It was pathetic,... heart-breaking, really... tho fortunately, Gloria was amazingly fast on 3 legs, and was able to escape the wrath of the hungry large cows who now had to share what little food they were fed, with this poor, injured, and terrified, but wonderful goat who obviously had a very strong desire to live.
Well, along with a broken leg, torn shoulder, and scarred face, dear Gloria must also have a few screws loose in her wee little brain... (perfectly understandable, after such a non-interesting yet sad recent history.)...........I am convinced that her sad, yet mostly unknown (but less recent) history plays a part in her being more than a few bales short of a hay-stack. I am sure of this, because after we got her from Harold, who gave her to us, (months after he had so "kindly rescued" her from the auction house... AND after she destroyed Harold's phone..; most likely she was trying to call 911 at the time, as she needed rescuing yet again, but her clumsy hooves probably would not cooperate with the tiny push-buttons on the phone, and so maybe she got frustrated, and just ripped the whole phone unit from the wall....) and so we gladly went to Harold's and caught the poor frightened, screwy-brained, limping ghost of a goat in his dark, barn basement and brought her home to OUR bright, airy, sunlight-filled barn, to meet our other spoiled rotten goats, who have NO FREAKING IDEA how lucky they are to live in our barn and not Harold's. ( I keep telling them how lucky they are, but they continue to act like spoiled rotten brats, but we love and indulge them anyways.)
After a somewhat short adjustment period, (of gaining weight, and getting to know other goats,) we bred our new friend Gloria, to our big, strapping handsome young buck, Turk, and five LONG months later she had a beautiful, bouncing baby boy, and although she cooed too, and nursed him.... she repeatedly stomped on her newborn beautiful baby's head and back, and tried to bash his brains in, and tried to squish his little 10 pound body into the bedding for the first hour of his little life.
After trying to calm dear (tho nutty) Gloria down, we came to the conclusion that rather than a "June Cleaver" (-nauseatingly sweet-) kind of mom, our Gloria was more of an "Andrea Yates" (BONKERS!!!!!) kind of mom, and we thought it best to remove baby Kelso from under her hooves before she drowned him in the bathtub-(oh wait, there IS no bathtub up there in the barn.....oh well, you get my drift.)

So, anyway, we wrapped this abused wonderful little bundle of newborn joy in a nice fluffy towel, and brought him into the living room by the woodstove, and he became our first "house-goat" of the year...
Baby Kelso slept thru the night right off the bat in the dog crate... I fell SOOO in love with this beautiful new baby.. (maybe it's my empty-nest syndrome or something, as my human kids are in college now....or maybe it was just my soft heart for homeless, and strays....I dunno....doesn't matter, I guess...)
But I bottle-fed this beautiful baby boy on demand, and I would hold him and sit in my recliner and watch tv or read while he slept peacefully in my lap, or nibbled at my book or on my clothes, or face...... all the while petting, and talking to him...and napping right along with him.......... it was truly a wonderful bonding experience......I became little Kelso's "mama"... I WANTED to bring em into the bedroom to sleep with us at night, (as I felt sorry for him sleeping all alone.. after all, he WAS just a brand-new lonely baby...) but.....I figured that was asking a little much of Chuck..
Chuck loves the goats...... no doubt in my mind...., but a GOAT IN THE BEDROOM????? Even HE draws the line at times! But our new baby boy Kelso did just fine sleeping by the woodstove in the living room on a soft towel, in the dog crate..............(and in the morning, he would awake just AFTER my first cup of coffee.. the little angel-boy!) That was just an extra bonus, as I am a moron, before my first cup of coffee..
Well, when we finally had some more babies born 9 days after Gloria's son Kelso entered this world with mom trying to turn his brains into mush, and his poor little body into bedding, we moved him up to the barn...with his new "sisters."
(By nine days old, Kelso was jumping in and out of our recliners, and doing laps through the house constantly, and for SOME unknown reason... he LOVED dumping the trash in the bathroom......ew......)
He was VERY cute.. AND he was pretty much litter-trained, which helped alot........(while he lived in the house.)
He loved having the 4 baby girls for company when he was just 9 days old....!!!!!! He had been all alone with just us old people for 9 days, and suddenly, he had 3 Alpine triplet girls, and a boer/cross doeling for company!!!!!!! In HIS mind, I bet.. "Life don't get any better than that!"
In the meantime, Kelso's mom Gloria, (with the broken leg, torn shoulder, and screws loose,) became very sweet and loving toward us, and even allowed me to milk her twice a day...(It WAS a bit of a challenge at first, but she soon settled down and realized I did not want to hurt her, but that I wanted to be her friend, and I guess that she decided that she wanted to be MY friend, too! It truly seemed like a breakthrough with her, and it was WONDERFUL!!!!!!! )
She was living up in the barn with the other wonderful goats we have and discovered how to actually BE a goat... (a spoiled goat) but nonetheless she learned how to be a goat...(and she MUST have some Alpine in her blood, either that, or she learned from the top Alpines in the barn...cuz she is such a bully toward the kids...a BITER, too!!!!! She doesn't bite US, but she bites any kid that interferes with her being petted. She is a quick learner, I guess!)
Gloria seems happy to be living the way a goat SHOULD live, and she likes us I think, (as she also liked her baby Kelso,) but at least she doesn't try to stomp on our heads, or smush us into the bedding.) .. Poor Gloria (with the interesting yet unknown history) now comes hobbling over for petting, all of the time.........and that warms my heart! She even likes HUGS!!!!!!
(Originally, when I first laid eyes on her at Harold's, I told my husband that I would have sent her for meat.......as she was suffering.. I am SURE that is what the original owners intended... but then, dear, sweet, compassionate, yet dopey Harold stepped in and bought her for a song.. ) and now WE have her, and she is a HAPPY lovebug, who LOVES life, and LOVES people too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Interesting twist, huh? Yes.. she limps, but so what? She is HAPPY!!!!!!!!!

Well, now, here we are... 7 months later...and my sweet little loveable Kelso (Gloria's son) is now 125 pounds of very powerful, manly testosterone complete with STINKINESS and nasty dirty habits to match!!! He is STILL a very loving sweet boy, which is fortunate, I suppose, except for that he loves to rub his sweet, loving, testosterone-infested stinkiness ALL OVER ME!!!! He came over for a hug the other day, and just let loose! He sprayed me good, just like he was a fireman at a 3-alarm fire, and I was a burning building full of people!!! OH YAY! (Talk about jumping up FAST and running away!!!!!!!!!) Of course Kelso followed me and stared at me, and was asking.."WHUTSAMATTAH?" with that goofy buck-grin of his.... I just patted em on the head (while being completely grossed-out) and we hiked back to the barn shortly after THAT! He is a VERY piggy smelly fellow these days, but he is the sweetest boy, and I am very glad that we kept him... at least right now!
Although I love Kelso, (as if he were my own kid.. oh wait! He IS my kid!) I do NOT enjoy being peed on, and so have decided that he can no longer go on hikes with us, (Chuck and I and the does) until he is finished with this silly testosterone-induced blubbering, and generally ridiculous behavior! (I think the girls even laugh at him too, most of the time, as he just looks and acts, and SOUNDS very silly...) I still give him hugs, tho, (as he IS just the most LOVING boy....) but I just try not to breathe too much when I do it........and I also am careful to watch for his "fire-hose.."
His mother Gloria, is now bred again, and I am hoping for a little girl or two this time... AND..... if she doesn't try to bash their brains in, or smash their little bodies into mush, that would be a welcome bonus!!!!!!! If she does...... then I guess I will have babies in my recliner again in JANUARY!!!!!! What a shame.. NOT!!!!!!!! (I LOVE house-babies!)

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Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians
Site Admin


Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 3439
Location: North of Houston Texas
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:04 pm Post subject: Escape artists by Pokeyone42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this story in early summer of 2006...

Well, this morning, I went up to the barn to do chores while Chuck slept-(he has been doing hay, so is dog-tired) I figured I would help em out by doing all of the chores myself, and letting em sleep in a little.. NOPE!!!!!!!! Those adoreable rotten baby girlie goats didn't allow it.......(my forgetfulness did not help tho. )

Anyway...

Everything was fairly normal in the barn...well as normal as goofy goats will allow, anyways...)
Everything went as routinely as it usually does.. (all of the goats clamouring to get into the milk room at once for grain-when...., GEE!......... FUNNY! We are not milking ANY of them!!!!
But be assured they know where their grain is kept..AND......... they ALL think they are starving, and so it is a TOTAL goat riot every morning in our otherwise peaceful barn.

So anyway, after battling "Nina the pig," and "Indy," ( who WAS underweight from milking about 40 thousand gallons a day for months on end.., but getting on the fat side now, but still thinks she is underfed and needs an extra 20 pounds of grain a day...) ... and then the 3 adoreable baby girls, to just FEED their sorry butts, I needed coffee... (YES! I know! They are COMPLETELY SPOILED BRATS! ALL of them, but we completely adore every one of them! Unfortunately, they know it, and take advantage of it daily!)

Well, then I came into the house to have my coffee, and no sooner did I pour that steaming, aromatic cup of wonderful.....when I heard baby goat screams of bloody murder! (I then remembered that I had not hooked the front barn door shut, and so figured that in trying to escape, one of the baby girls might have pushed on the bottom, poked her head out, and got stuck...like THAT has never happened before...uh huh......)

The barn we have was DEFINATELY not built for goats! .. It is a "horse" barn, and the main doors as well as the stall doors are on slidey thingys at the top. I guess horses tend to be pretty laid back and cooperative............like....gee..... maybe ya put a calm old horse into a barn, and by-golly.......he STAYS there!!!!!! WOW!!!!!! WHAT A CONCEPT! Being a goat-owner, that is completely foreign to me!

And...............if ya forget to lock goats in with all kinds of chains-padlocks, combination locks, etc...) they tend to escape! (yes, I am exaggerating again, but just a tad....as goats have extremely nimble lips, capable of picking locks better than any NYC burglar!) Goats are THE best escape artists, hands down!!! Every NYC burglar should have a few! (Our "former horse barn" is now a "goat barn"...complete with new gates, and padlocks, and chains...)

(I remember years ago, my "well-behaved pampered" caprine friends got loose and played on the rides at the New York State Fair, while I was happily SLEEPING in the barn, while thinking they were also sleeping right next to me..!!!!!!!! Silly me!!! While I was snoozing on a cot next to my goat pen, my sweet girls were plotting their escape! (I guess they wanted to be out on the midway where it was interesting, and a curious goat would find lots of fun things to play on out there!)

As I (not so peacefully slept...-as the goat -barn was also the PIG-barn at that time) my sweet, loving adoreable well-behaved goaty friends, had used their nimble lips to escape their boring confinement in the noisy hog-barn, to go find some excitement out on the Midway, and bug people and play on the rides...OH LORD!!!!!!

The carnies brought them back, and I HAD to claim them as being mine.

Talk about being embarrassed, (yet I was happy to have all of my wonderful brats back, even tho I had not known they were missing in the first place.!)

Anyway......

USUALLY, I remember to lock our barn when by myself, (well, sometimes I remember!)

but ALSO usually, Chuck is with me to remind me, (so it is all HIS fault!-just kidding)

Anyway..........

I looked out the window, and saw no baby goat heads... yet they were STILL screaming in terror, and I could TELL the cries were coming from OUTSIDE, at THIS end of the barn! (which was closed, but not locked, cuz I forgot to lock it....... funny thing, how chores get completely screwed up when you are used to doing them with a partner, and then do them all alone.......)

(The other end of the barn, I had opened for them to go out to pasture.. I dunno WHY I bother tho, as they only go out there when we go with them.... LAZY girlies!)

So, I took another swig of my wonderful coffee, while looking out the window, when I heard more desperate cries for help...I looked and looked, and then OMG! I SAW THEM!!!!!!!!! My heart about STOPPED- I tell ya!

There was moosey Laverne, and Tiny Carla, up at the top of the HAY ELEVATOR!!!!! (I wasn't looking for baby goats 20 feet high!!!.. I was looking on the ground!!!!!!!!!!!) Silly ME! I never expected to see those two little brats that we love so much so high up in the air!!!!!!

(The hay elevator has been here a few days, while we are putting hay up in the loft..)
I guess Tiny Carla and Laverne had escaped the big barn door without getting their heads stuck this time, and saw the elevator, and just thought it was a really cool new toy to play on!

That is... until they got all the way UP there, and got scared!!!!!!!!!!! They were SOOOOO afraid!!! It was pitiful,but it was also very funny! (It is funny NOW..... but at the time, it wasn't! Actually, it was way too scarey a thing for me to handle first thing in the morning before I have had my usual 18 cups of coffee!)

Well, I did what I usually do in a scary situation... I panicked, and ran around hollering like a complete idiot! Then I grabbed Chuck, (who had just gotten up, and couldn't even see straight yet) and ran out there almost hysterical, thinking my 2 girls were gonna jump off the hay elevator and commit suicide!!!!! (or break all of their legs trying!)

(Nah.....I DID panic, and holler and become a complete moron, and poor Chuck responded calmly, (as usual) and went out with me, tho he was barefoot and still in his his underwear......poor man...)

Well, we stood at the bottom of the elevator, calling and calling them, (and those 2 little adoreable brats ALWAYS come when called...) But they were just TOO frightened to move.. both of them...so instead of coming while we pleaded and cajoled and then HOLLERED at them to come, they just screamed in terror, and looked at us...so pitiful.....but so darn CUTE! BRATS!

(In the meantime, their sister Elliot, was still in the barn screaming, as she is just a tattletale, and was STILL tattling, even tho were finally up there and knew what was going on...We can always depend on Elliot tho....she ALWAYS tattles on Laverne and Tiny Carla......I think, it is because she is fat, and can't fit thru the tight places that her sister's do.......but we always know, that when Elliot hollers, her sister's are in trouble........and so we scramble to the rescue......)

(These 3 kids certainly see us as their "Mommy and Daddy!" Carla and Laverne's weird little rectangular pupil-shaped eyeballs were just PLEADING for our help, as Elliot continued to tattle on them from inside the barn!)

Well, these two baby girls would NOT come down off of the elevator, in fact, they would not MOVE! They just kept looking at us, and screaming....(as their lonely sister screamed along with them, while still in the barn.)

So then, I went up into the hay loft and tried to coax those 2 brats UP there, but NOPE!!!! They just continued to holler for help.. (the elevator is about a million years old, and had a jack under it holding it up, but that was tipped precariously, so I didn't DARE climb up on it it to get these girls... ) So I stood there thinking, and so did Chuck...

Finally, (because he does not panic in situations and become a total moron like I do,) Chuck climbed (in his underwear, mind you,) up onto one of the tires of the elevator and was barely able to grab Moosey Laverne's collar, and gently drag her freaked out butt down... Tiny Carla watched this, and then decided it was a piece of cake, and so waddled all the way down the hay elevator right behind her ugly half-sister Laverne...

I was SOOOOOO relieved! MY BABIES WERE SAFE!!!!!!

Silly babies, but.....
JUST AS SOON as Tiny Carla realized how EASY it was to walk back down, she tried to jump and run back UP!!! BRAT!!!!!!!!! Fortunately, my little brain was finally working again, and I snagged her by the collar before she got very far! PHEW!

They sure do keep us on our toes!

Tiny Carla and Elliot turn 4 months old day after tomorrow!!!!!! That is.. IF we let them LIVE long enough!!!!!!! They are BRATS!!!!!!!!! (But.. we love em!)

Fall... 2007
Update...
We have since sold Moosey-ugly Laverne, and "Tiny Carla" is not tiny, any longer.) Elliot, the tattletale, has now settled down, as her sisters no longer get into trouble.......as Laverne, (the instigator, is gone...)

 

[Sondra]

20 years of goats by pokeyone42

I went to an auction, and what did I find?
A little doe kid, a teeny tiny Alpine.
I never had been to an auction before,
Bid twenty-four dollars, nothing less, nothing more.

Don't know what possessed me, don't know why I bid,
But I bought her that day, so glad now that I did.
I was addicted, from that minute, til now,
It seems goats took over my life, somehow.

It started with Daisy, and went on from there,
I raised them and bred them, and showed everywhere!
The goats added humor, They are smart and so clever.
Dull moments are rare on this farm, almost never!

Obnoxious and rude, but so cute and so sweet,
When I pet them or hug them, they stand on my feet.
They have stinky breath, when chewing their cud,
And they HATE to get wet, or to step in the mud.

At the first drop of rain, to the barn they will run,
And stay where it's dry, until they see the sun.
We now have a herd, of Alpines and Boers,
We look forward each day, to doing the chores.

Each has her own, unique temperament,
Some lay in our laps, some go through the fence.
Some enjoy hugs, or just a touch on the head,
But the babies would love, to just sleep in our bed.

They all know their names, From Kelso to Grace,
Even Gloria knows-she's our "rescue-case."
They are our "livestock," - but each is a friend.
I think we'll have goats, right up til the end.

It started with Daisy, a tiny baby Alpine,
When I first held her-hard to believe she was mine.
Now here we are, almost 20 years later,
OH! It's time to feed goats! Gotta go! Seeya later!

 

[Sondra]

Lindsey's story by Tammy (4fromgoatilia)

Once there was a young maiden named Lindsey. She was beautiful in every way and very, very smart too (no parental pride here!). But alas this young maiden had been born with a life long disability, Cerebral Palsy, which got in the way of making friends and going places.
When Lindsey was born she was two months pre-mature (2lbs 11oz). Her father and mother were very happy to be blessed with such a strong little girl who gave the nurses many headaches. Lindsey didn't like the needles and the tubes: they made her mad. She screwed up her little face into some unrecognizable red blob of screeching until she could yank free from their grasp. She made sure her blankets were never tucked in tight and would splay her arms and legs around and look at the nurses as if she wanted them to understand that she did not like to be wrapped up like a mummy.
Lindsey had many problems as a baby. Her muscles didn’t work right. She wanted to crawl but her legs wouldn’t move like she told them too. And the food she ate wouldn’t stay down which burned her throat. It was an uncomfortable way of life. Then her mother started taking her to this really fun place that bent and stretched her body until she could finally move her body (no miracles here folks) just a little on her own. Most of the playtime made her laugh and smile. It was the playtime that put her to sleep that she didn’t like. Usually she would wake up and find a thing wrapped around her (a spica cast) that was hard like cement. And the pain! And the itching! But, she found that once the thing came off she could move her leg muscles more.
Now that the young maiden had grown it was time for her join the ranks of the educated. School was fun for she loved to learn. She was always polite to everyone even when they didn’t deserve it (I think I need to refresh myself on this moral. Included in regular classes with all the regular kids she did well academically. But the school and her parents feared for her lack of social interaction. She really didn’t like to go up to her classmates and talk whatever it is they talk about. She told her parents that it was hard to talk to someone who had working legs. They were curious so they asked why.
“It wasn’t because their legs worked that was the problem,” she replied meaning that it bothered her that hers didn’t, “ its because she couldn’t move as fast as them, or go to dances (which she has and did an okay boogie in her chair), she was different in that she had to have constant adult company to take care of her body’s needs”. This she said was why the kids didn’t like to hang out with her.
Since the maiden was an only child she did not get to experience having a sibling to fight with, which some of us would have loved to have been. She was very lonely. So her parents and teachers encouraged her to join some kind of group. Well to make a long story short she tried many. And not a one of those groups worked out. She became very depressed and had less self-confidence in herself. Her mother talked many hours with her and wiped her tears away.
The mother knew she had to do something fast before her pretty maiden fell to far to be picked back up. She talked with the father on a very risky endeavor that the mother felt would help their daughter out. At first the idea was lame to him. How could having goats help out Lindsey? She wouldn’t be able to care for them or anything. He had no idea how it would work out but consented after much pleading by his wife.
“You will see.” Said his wife.
True to her word the maidens mother joined her up for 4-H and began the arduous journey of fixing up the ratty old barn for the arrival of two special goats. By the time Lindsey received her goats she had already made friends in 4-H. She wanted to attend meetings and fund raisers. She even asked to use the phone. She had never wanted to call anyone. But not any more…she had fellow 4-Hers to talk with about important goat information. Her mother swelled up with happiness.
Although Lindsey couldn’t do most of the work her mother made her daughter tell her how to do the work. Her mother made her study her goats behavior. And the rest Lindsey picked up on her own. She has a relationship with each of her goats. She knows everything they need and how to tell someone how to give them shots. She oversees their care daily and they love her for it.
Now your going to say that it sounds more like 4-H saved the shy maiden in the wheelchair but the mother would disagree with you. It was at the fair that those goats brought the maiden out of her inner shell. When Lindsey went in to the ring to show her goats she told her assistant where to place the legs ect, ect, and it was Lindsey who answered the Judge, not anybody else. She came out of that ring a new maiden who had accomplished something! Her and her beautiful goaties (that’s what she calls them). They gave her confidence to do what she thought she wasn’t capable of doing. They gave her an avenue that she really needed and her parents beamed for her new found confidence. That’s our girl! written plainly on their faces.
Needless to say she has found her niche’ with her goats. Kids talk more with her at school. She is less apprehensive around other kids. And she goes places that are fun. She makes an effort to do more. The parents may gripe once in awhile about feed or hay or the work involved but they wouldn’t change a thing. This is the story of the goats that saved a kid.

 

[Guest]

Doe's Secret Code Of Honor - Author Unknown

Doe's Secret Code of Honor ~ Author unknown

The doe's secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is
ultimately the species best kept secret. No doe shall ever kid before
it's time. (It's time being determined by the following factors):

1- No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all
involved. Your owner's house must be a wreck, their family hungry and
desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.

2- "Midwives" must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out.
Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence mean
the time is getting close.

3- For every bell, beeper, camera or whistle they attach to you,
kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they use
an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.

4- If you hear the words, "She's nowhere near ready. She'll be fine
while we're away for the weekend," Wait until they load the car, then
begin pushing!

5- Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of
someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you're
getting close.

6- When you hear the words "I can't take it anymore!" wait at least
three more days.

7 -You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are
mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing
your food around in the bucket and then walking away from it, and
nesting, are always good for a rise. Be creative and find new things
to do to keep the adrenaline pumping in those who wait.

8- The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to
avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear
that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for
another day. OH, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems
fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful
wormings can also be avenged at this time.

9- If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when
to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has
been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe storm warning is
what you're waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump into action!
The power could go out and you could have the last laugh. You have a
good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching
for a flashlight that works!

10- Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time
someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love
you as the extra goodies fall their way too.

Remember, this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly
special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a
beautiful doeling to carry on the Doe Code of Honor for the next
generation of those who wait!

 

[Guest]

Gift of the Old One - By Eunice Day

GIFT OF THE OLD ONE
By Eunice Day, Washington ME

The young couple had made their usual hurried, pre-Christmas visit to the
little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of goats.
The farm had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine which topped the
hill behind the farm, and through the years had become a talisman to the old man
and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside.

The old folks no longer showed their goats, for the years had taken their
toll, but they sold a little milk, and a few kids each year, and the goats were
their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end.

Crossly, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old
folks. "Why do you not at least dispose of "The Old One". She is no longer of
use to you. It's been years since you've had either kids or milk from her. You
should cut corners and save where you can. Why do you keep her anyway?" The old
man looked down as his worn boot scuffed at the barn floor and his arm stole
defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her to him and rubbed her gently
behind the ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Only because
of love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a
Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the
valley.

So it was, that because of the leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation
smouldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark fall.
None but the "Old One".

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames
were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old
man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their
beloved goats. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him
back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury.

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were
left, and the old man and his wife. They thanked those who had come to their
aid, and the old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his
shoulders as he clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red bandana. Brokenly he
whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of
Christmas. Let us, therefore, climb the hill to the old pine where we have
sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give
thanks to God that it has been spared."

And so, he took her by the hand and helped her up the snowy hill as he
brushed aside his own tears with the back of his hand. As they stepped over the
little knoll at the crest of the hill, they looked up and gasped in amazement at
the incredible beauty before them. Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in
the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their
beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its top most
bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere
mortal created a Christmas tree such as this. Suddenly, the old man gave a cry
of wonder and incredible joy as he pulled his wife forward. There, beneath the
tree, was their Christmas gift.

Bedded down about the "Old One" close to the truck of the tree, was the
entire herd, safe. At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with
her muzzle and had led the goats through it. Slowly and with great dignity,
never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping daintily through the
snow. The kids were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked
back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they
licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The milkers pressed uneasily against
the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine.
And now, she lay among them and gazed at the faces of those she loved. Her body
was brittle with years, but the golden eyes were filled with devotion as she
offered her gift-Because of love.

Only Because of love.

 

[Sondra]

Twas the Night Before Kidding

Twas the night before kidding and all through the goat house
every Doe was groaning, grunting and aroused;
The stalls were cleaned and sanitized with care
In hopes that the new kids soon would be there.

The bucks were all nestled snug in their beds
While visions of Does in heat danced in their heads.
I in my barn clothes and looking like a hag
Had just settled down in my old sleeping bag.

When over in the corner there arose such a clatter,
That I sprang from my bag to see what was the matter.
Away to the corner I ran real quick
To find a doe pawing and groaning like she was sick.

But what to my wondering eyes did appear
But 2 tiny hooves sticking out of her rear.
More rapid than eagles these buggers they came,
and I whistled and shouted and called them by name

Now Raven, Now Routy, Now Rhonda and Rue
Come on Rachel and Renee and Rudy too.
Each on the ground, wiped clean and doing fine.
No more hormones for you at breeding time!

Their droll little mouths drawn up like a bow
Ready for their bottles of colostrum you know.
I spoke not a word but went straight to my work
and filled all their tummies, then turned with a jerk.

Which I shouldn’t have done cause I threw out my back
Now I’ll never be able to fill those hay racks.
With Mama and babies in their own little pens
I’m back to my sleeping bag before the next Doe begins.

But as I lay down I said so no one could hear
WHY do I do this to myself year after year!

................By: Christine Edwards
.......................Cotton Eyed Does Dairy Goats

 

[Sondra]

Metal Detecting with Goats by Pokyone42

Well, last Spring we bought a metal-detector, thinking that it might be fun to see what is buried here on our property... little did we know...
Our original plan was..., to go metal-detecting when we take all of our goats hiking, as we take them walking daily when the weather is nice...(simple plan, right??? Well, although that plan sounds quite simple, it proved to be anything BUT simple.)
When we are hiking with our goats, they eat ALOT, butt each other some, and jump around like anorexic gymnasts, (though our goats all tend to be on the chubby side, and so they look like anorexic FAT gymnasts, or maybe bulimic.. take your pick, though I have never seen ANY of our goats refuse food OR throw it up later.........) and they spin around in circles like fat figure-skaters on steroids... doing triple and quadruple axles, and they usually NAIL the landings perfectly,, but not always..... as we have seen more than one very pregnant goat do an unintentional somersault down a hill.. not a pretty sight, ...and we would hold our breath, but.. they were just fine...PHEW! and so, when we take them hiking, they pretty much act like they are totally insane with happiness! They just LOVE being alive, I think.. ~We dopey humans could use a few lessons from them, I think!)
.....Anyway, our goats generally have a blast when we are all out hiking, but, every now and then, after doing this with them day in and day out, we tend to get a little bored, as we are NOT goats, and all of the leaves, brush, and trees that we could POSSIBLY dream of, do not keep us as busy and/or as happy, as they do the goats. Although our goats are ALOT of fun to watch and play with, there are times that we wished we had something else to do, while they are out in the woods (with us) stuffing their faces like there is no tomorrow, and jumping and spinning and butting each other, and just being high on life. Of course we pet them, talk to them, hug them, sit on fallen logs and watch them and laugh, and say lot's of "Awwwww's", and we (and when I say WE, I mean I, here...) kiss them on the nose alot, and though they make us laugh most of the time, it STILL would be nice, to have something else to do, while they are having their dream of eating trees and brush and all of the greenery in the world, come true. SO, we bought a metal detector, thinking that it would be fun to go treasure-hunting, while we are out in the woods with our spoiled herd of entertaining pets every day..."Yeah! Right!"
Well, that was the plan, anyways....so we did some research, and then we bought a metal detector... IT WAS FUN!!!!!! We were SO EXCITED! We played in the yard with it alot, (without the goats) and dug lots of holes, and completely ruined the lawn, but we found LOTS of cool CRAP!!!!! We found TONS of old beer cans, pull-tops from old beer cans, aluminum foil, bottle caps, nails.. you name it, we found it!!!! IT WAS FUN!!!!!!!!! (Well, we found everything other than valuable old coins, anyways!) We DID find about fifteen cents, tho! (I am thinking that the people who lived here before us were probably just poor old goat farmers like us, who played with and hugged their goats alot and drank beer now and then like we do.......) We DID find an old ox-shoe in the woods, though, and a couple of old matchbox cars from our childhood, and some very old square nails, so THAT was neat!
So, anyway, we decided to take our herd of goats metal-detecting one morning.. Well, I MUST explain something here.. Goats...(ESPECIALLY bottle-raised goats, like ours,) are VERY nosey and personable creatures... Picture a dozen lab puppies, only each weighs between 150-200 pounds, with cloven hooves, beards, and udders. Our goats all come when called, and they ALSO come even when we DON'T call them...Our herd of goats, (spoiled rotten BRAT overgrown but adorable "lab-puppies") feel that they MUST be involved in whatever we are doing..... (in alot of ways, well, in ONE, anyways.......... goats are like HUMAN babies, in the fact that they feel it is necessary that they taste... EVERYTHING!!!!!!!.......)
When we are re-building the pasture fences...... they are RIGHT there to assist us, by grabbing the bag of insulators and wandering away to show off their cool prize to their envious goaty-pals, (who decide that THEY want to play with that bag of insulators, too, and so they chase the goat who HAS the insulators around the pasture, and so the insulators are deposited all around a six-acre area...) or those silly goats walk all over the electric fence wire getting their pretty little cloven feet tangled in it which kinks and pretty much ruins it while we are trying to hook it to posts........(but we can't get mad.. they are SUCH cute "Lab-pups", and think they are helping, after all...)
When we are building gates... they are right there to grab the paper bag full of nails or screws and run off with it, and then spill them all over the ground alllll over their pasture, too, so that we worry about finding EVERY one, so that it doesn't get lodged in a hoof...............and drilling....OH! DRILLING! for some unknown reason known to man, goats (at least OUR goats) LOVE power tools...ESPECIALLY the cordless drill!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, I do NOT want to drill a goat's lips when using it, so I spend more time removing their nosey nimble lips from the drill bit, than actually DRILLING, when trying to fix things with goats around!... (But again! They are SO CUTE and loveable... HOW can ya get mad??? Maybe I should ask my husband that question, as every once in a while, he gets REALLY annoyed at their "lab-ness." aka cute-ness......)
Then they are running off with screwdrivers that they pulled out of our back pockets......etc....Like I said... having a herd of "pet" goats, is like having a large litter of nosey overgrown Lab pups... My husband keeps telling them that they are NOT a tool-using mammal, but our goats are trying to show us otherwise. They are doing pretty well at it, too!
When we are away from them for five minutes, they greet us like they have not seen us in a week, just like a bunch of silly laborador pups would.. (without the tongue-lashings...) jumping and hollering, and all wiggly... and some of our goats even wag their tails like lab pups! The problem is.. each of our "lab-pups" is a MOOSE, with sharp though dainty little hooves, so that when they have not seen us for a little while, a couple of them jump on us and leave cute little cloven-shaped hoof-bruises on our bodies.....along with mud or manure.........but they are "OH! SO CUTE!!!" We just "Love" the little brats!!!!!!!!
Well, anyway... back to our "brilliant" idea of metal detecting with goats...to make a long story even longer, we tried...... and we failed... It was kinda fun the first time, as when the detector finds something, it beeps! Well, when our herd of gigantic lab pups heard that beeping sound for the first 25 times..... they ALL FROZE!!!!!! They STOPPED what they were doing, and stood like statues, staring at us, like we were aliens from outer space.......... It was SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!...
But, unfortunately, they soon got over that, and AGAIN, acted like the giant odd-looking Lab puppies that they think they are!!!!!!!! Soon after those first few beeps, the goats noticed the metal detector, and were no longer frightened by it, and being the "tool-using mammals" that they THINK they are, they just HAD to investigate, and play with it, and like a human baby, put it in their mouths........
Well, we LIKE how "light-weight" our metal detector is, but those baby goats.....they just HAD to try to balance on the coil on the bottom! UGH!!!!!! And the older girls... (the ADULT Labs) just HAD to nibble on it........NOPE!! That is bad.......... of course they were just investigating......... no fault to them, but all of the explaining in the WORLD would NOT convince them to leave it alone..............(wink)
And so, that is how it has been ever since....... all of the goats either trying to climb onto it, or tasting the metal detector........ needless to say, we have been hiking with the goats, but not metal detecting with them lately! Our metal detector has been sitting in the corner of the bedroom, and we look longingly at it every morning...........(it sure is a purty yellow!)
I suggest that if you are getting interested in metal detecting, and just HAPPEN to have a herd of unruly overgrown Laborador Retriever puppies with cloven hooves, that you get them their own metal detector to play with, so that they leave yours alone.

 

[Sondra]

Emmy-lou the house-goat, a children's story
« on: Today at 05:35:22 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic

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Emmy-lou, the House Goat

03/13/2008

This is a story about a very lucky baby goat named Emmy-lou.
Emmy-lou was born on a VERY cold snowy day in January. It was so windy that the snow was blowing sideways! Emmy-lou's mommy was in the barn and out of the wind and snow, but it was still very cold, even in the barn!
The farmers knew that Emmy-lou's mommy was going to be having babies soon, and so they had put her into the warmest and coziest stall in the barn.
What the farmers did NOT know, was that Emmylou wanted to be born sooner than she was supposed to be born, because she was a VERY curious baby goat, and wanted to investigate the whole new world outside of her mommy's tummy! She was just too excited to wait a few more days!
So, little Emmy-lou decided to be born early on that cold January morning, so that she could start learning all about the world around her right away, but the farmers did not know it. Emmy-lou's mommy did not know that she would be born so soon either!
When the farmers went up to the barn on that very windy and cold January morning to feed and water all of the goats, they heard a baby goat crying very quietly. The farmers were VERY surprised, as they were not supposed to have any baby goats yet! So, the farmers ran to the stall where Emmy-lou's mommy was, and they saw a little tiny baby goat that was very wet, and VERY cold, and crying! Emmy-lou was BEAUTIFUL! She had a brown head and neck, and a white stripe down her face and a snowy white body! She had long, pretty brown ears, too, but her ears were stiff, because she was so cold and wet! POOR EMMY-LOU! She was freezing!
Emmy-lou's mommy was trying as hard as she could to warm her up by licking her and snuggling with her, but her poor mommy was also busy having another baby, named Lucy-lou! I guess that because Emmy-lou was so excited to be born so that she could see her new world, that her little sister Lucy-lou, decided to follow her out into that freezing cold and windy January morning!
The farmer's wife wrapped Emmy-lou in a warm towel and was trying to help her get dry, when Lucy-lou decided to be born! So, the farmer's wife handed Emmy-lou to the farmer to warm, while she wrapped Lucy-lou in a soft towel and began to dry her. It was SO COLD! The farmer and his wife were not even wet like Emmy-lou and Lucy-lou, and they were getting very cold, too!
The farmer's wife was able to dry Lucy-lou with a towel, and then the farmer used a blow dryer to make her all warm and dry. She was pretty too! She was white with a brown head and neck, and brown feet!
The farmer and his wife also were very busy rubbing and trying to warm poor freezing Emmy-lou with a towel until she was almost dry, and then used the hair dryer on her, too until she was all dry. But poor Emmy-lou! She just could not get warm! She was very sad and crying because she was so cold! The farmers tried everything to get poor Emmy-lou warm, but she was too cold!
The farmers tried to help Emmy-lou's mommy feed poor Emmy-lou, but she was too cold to eat! Poor Emmy-lou! Lucy-lou was just fine, because she had been dried off and warmed up right after she was born, and then her mommy fed her, and so she had a full tummy and was all warm and cozy, and curled up and went to sleep.
The farmer and his wife were VERY worried about baby Emmy-lou, though. She was SO COLD, and just could not get warm. It was very sad.
The farmers were kind-hearted people who loved their goats very much, and they knew that they had to help baby Emmy-lou get warm, or she would die. SO, they made a decision. The farmers decided to bring Emmy-lou into the house so that she could get warmed up by the woodstove that was so cozy!
So, while the farmer gave all of the goats in the barn their grain and hay and fresh water, the farmer's wife took poor freezing Emmy-lou down the big hill and into the house to warm her next to the wood stove. Emmy-lou was so cold! Her poor little floppy ears were still so stiff! The farmer's wife put a baby's sweatshirt on her and held her close and worked hard rubbing her little body and ears just trying to get her warm. She talked to her alot, too, telling Emmy-lou that she should have waited to be born, but that she loved her anyways, and would help her to get warm, and told her she would be very happy on their little farm. The farmer's wife did this for two whole hours. As soon as little Emmy-lou was warm enough, the farmer's wife milked her mommy, and gave Emmy-lou a warm bottle.
Little Emmy-lou was FINALLY warm enough to drink her bottle! She was all warmed up and happy now, and had a full tummy! The farmer and his wife were VERY pleased that Emmy-lou was okay! She began walking around in the house and investigating EVERYTHING! She was a VERY curious baby goat! She was having alot of fun in the house, but the farmers thought she would be happier with her mommy.
So, the farmers took her back up to the barn, and put her back with her mommy, because she was going to be fine. Her mommy was confused though. Her mommy had been so busy taking care of Emmy-lou's sister Lucy-lou, that she did not remember that Emmy-lou was her baby, too. Emmy-lou's mommy was kind of afraid of her, and did not know who she was! (Goats do not remember as well as people do, and so she forgot that she had TWO babies.)
She no longer liked poor Emmy-lou, and did not want to be near her at all! Poor Emmy-lou! The farmers tried to get her mommy to take care of her, but her mommy did not understand. She just became more afraid and more confused.
So, the farmers brought poor Emmy-lou back into the house because her mommy would not take care of her.
Emmy-lou was VERY happy to be back in the house! The farmer's wife fed her a bottle whenever she wanted, and she played in the living room and kitchen alot! Emmy-lou thought that the farmer's wife was her mommy, and the farmer's wife loved Emmy-lou very much, too!
Emmy-lou followed the farmer's wife everywhere! She played in the house all of the time. She was VERY busy investigating everything! She was a very happy baby goat! She began running and jumping alot, and was very cute to watch. The farmer's wife would take her for walks in the snow, and Emmy-lou would follow her and bounce and jump all around, and she was so happy! When the farmer's wife was all tired out and sat in her big soft chair, she would hold Emmy-lou in her lap, and they would fall asleep, or Emmy-lou would sleep down by her feet on the carpet like a puppy.
The farmer's wife would also take Emmy-lou up to the big barn alot, so that Emmy-lou would get to know the other goats and her real home, as she could not live in the house with the farmers forever.
The farmers decided that Emmy-lou needed to move up to the barn and be with other goats after a while. They LOVED Emmy-lou, but she was a goat, and so she needed to live with the other goats up in the barn. So, the farmer's wife took her to the barn to visit alot more. Emmy-lou got to know the other baby goats better, and played with them all of the time. She was such a curious baby goat, and she investigated everything in the barn about three times! She had lots of fun up in the barn. The farmers realized that Emmy-lou was having more fun in the barn now, than she was having in the house living with old people, and so it was time to move her there permanently. The farmer's wife was sad, though, as she loved having Emmy-lou in the house with her, but she knew, that Emmy-lou would be happier in the barn with the other goats.
They moved Emmy-lou up to the big barn, and she was a little bit scared when the farmer's wife left her there. She was a little confused about it all, but soon, she was playing with all of the other baby goats, and having fun investigating everything!
The farmer's wife missed her alot at first, and so went up to the barn all day long to see her and to make sure she was okay. Emmy-lou, the house-goat, was doing just fine in her new home, and playing all of the time!
Emmy-lou is such a happy baby goat now! She still gets her bottles of milk, and she now eats grain and hay, too! She is growing up! She STILL loves to investigate everything, and she loves playing with all of the other babies! She still loves the farmer's wife alot, too, as she thinks the farmer's wife is her mom. Whenever the farmer's wife goes into the barn, little Emmy-lou runs to her with kisses. She was a VERY lucky little house goat!

 

[Sondra]

Children's Story "Little Nikki Butterball"

"Little Nicky Butterball"
01/08
This is a children's story about a chubby little baby goat named "Nicky Butterball", who was very sad and extremely lonely.

"Nicky Butterball" was born during a very cold and snowy day in Winter, and she was kind of small and shy, compared to her slightly older and louder sister Anna. Anna was born about fifteen minutes before Nicky Butterball, and so Anna, because she was older and bigger, was the boss of Nicky Butterball. That is just the way the rules are with goats! The older baby goat is ALWAYS the boss. That is just the way things work, if you happen to be a goat.

Anna was sort of small, but very cute, and her farmers loved her very much! Anna was very special to the farmers, because the farmers just LOVE baby goats! Anna had a snowy white body, and a brown head, with a beautiful white blaze on her face. Anna was also very LOUD, and hollered ALL of the time, to let the farmers know that she was the MOST special goat in the barn, so that the farmers would not ignore her! And so, the farmers NEVER ignored beautiful Anna! They fawned over her and petted her constantly, and they treated her with lots of hugs and kisses! The farmers did that, so that she would be quiet, as she was so noisy when she was not being petted and hugged. The ONLY time that Anna was quiet, was when the farmers cuddled her.

But... Little "Nicky Butterball" who was born just minutes after her sister Anna, was JUST as cute and as special as her older sister, and the farmers loved HER very much, too! BUT, Little Nicky Butterball wasn't nearly as loud as her older sister Anna, and so, the farmers did not give her as many hugs or kisses. Because Anna was always hollering at the farmers, and Nikky was a very quiet baby goat, the farmers just thought that Nicky Butterball was very happy.

When little Nicky Butterball was just a few weeks old, she went over to a water pail in the barn, and looked at her reflection. What she saw, surprised her! She saw that she did NOT look at ALL like her older sister Anna, but that she was just a plain old brown color. She did NOT have a special white blaze on her face, like her older sister Anna did. She also did not have a white, snowy body! She was brown, just plain old brown, but she had one little ankle that had white on it, so that it looked like she was wearing a white sock on it. Poor Nicky Butterball thought she was a very ugly baby goat.

Just like with Anna, Nicky Butterball's owners fell in love with HER, too, just as soon as she was born! But, Nicky Butterball did not know this. The farmers thought that Nikky Butterball was a BEAUTIFUL baby goat, and they LOVED that she was a pretty chocolate brown and had a little white sock on her ankle!
Nicky Butterball was a very quiet, and sweet baby goat. The farmers thought she was a very happy baby goat, because she was always so quiet, and so, the farmers made sure that they fed her very well, so that she would always be a happy and quiet baby goat who enjoyed her life with the farmers and the other goats.
Poor Nicky Butterball! She was NOT a happy baby goat at all! She wished, SO HARD, that the farmers would hug her tight, and kiss her brown little nose like they kissed Anna's perfect little pink shiny nose every day.
Nicky Butterball did not know that the farmers thought that she was VERY special, too, for a long, long time, because her sister Anna was a bratty kid and was always yelling at the farmer and his wife to pet and hug HER, and so the farmer and his wife spent their time cuddling and talking to Baby Anna, and trying very hard to make her happy.

Even though Nicky Butterball stood there quietly, and tried desperately to look just as cute and cuddly as her loud and beautiful sister Anna, the farmers did not notice her as much, because she was so quiet. So little plain old brown Nicky Butterball was very lonely and very sad.

The farmers thought there might be something WRONG with Anna because she was ALWAYS screaming for their attention! And so, the kind farmers were always petting and checking on Anna, because she hollered so much, and they tried to figure out what was wrong with her! They were SO busy with naughty Anna, that they just did not even SEE little Nicky Butterball standing there right next to her loud and bossy sister, and trying as hard as she could, to look as cute as possible, and hoping to be noticed. Poor little Nikky Butterball! She LOVED the nice farmers who took such good care of her, and she wanted to be cuddled and hugged just like her sister Anna, but Little Nicky Butterball was shy and polite, and so she just stood there and watched her loud and demanding sister get most of the hugs and kisses.

Little Nicky Butterball wished that SHE, TOO, was snowy white in color like her sister Anna, who had a brown head with a fancy white spot on HER forehead, so that the farmer and his wife would love and hug HER, as much as they cuddled and snuggled her sister Anna! She also wished that she was loud and demanding like her sister...., but...., she was not.
So she just stood there, and watched her beautiful sister Anna getting all of the hugs from the farmers.

Once, Little Nikky Butterball tried, REALLY hard, to be loud and demanding like her sister Anna, and the farmers came running over to her, to see what was wrong with her, and then she felt VERY bad. There was NOTHING wrong with her, other than she was VERY lonely and wanted to be hugged by the farmers. Nicky Butterball then felt very sad, that she had worried the farmers so much! Then her sister Anna started hollering again, and so the farmers ran to her.................

It just wasn't in Little Nikky Butterball her to holler really loud at the farmers just so that they would pet her. When Nicky Butterball tried to call quietly to the farmers for a hug, her beautiful sister Anna called alot louder, and then pushed poor Nicky Butterball away, and the very busy, but kind farmers, only saw Anna, and so hugged and petted her, so that she would be quiet and happy.

Nicky Butterball was just a shy and quiet baby goat, but she was very grateful that she lived on a farm where the farmer-folks loved her and treated her well, even though her bigger and louder sister got most of the attention.
Anna, was a little bit older and alot bossier than Nicky Butterball and so she would push Nicky Butterball away, whenever the farmer-folks were coming to visit and to feed the goats in the barn.
The farmer and his wife TRIED to hug Nicky Butterball alot and let her know that she was just as special as her sister Anna, but Anna would usually barge in and push poor Nicky Butterball away, and demand ALL of the hugs and kisses for herself. Anna KNEW that she was a VERY special little goat, and she made sure to tell everybody, all of the time!
Poor Nicky Butterball. As she grew, she grew very short legs, and a very chubby tummy, and so she was almost as wide as she was long, and poor Nikky had really big ears that stuck out kinda sideways. Poor Nikky Butterball wished that she looked JUST like her beautiful sister Anna, with the long flowing ears, and a white blaze on her forehead and a slim tummy!

Anna seemed BEAUTIFUL to Nikky Butterball, and poor Nikky was SO SAD!

Oh how she wanted the attention that her LOUD sister Anna was getting!

The farmers LOVED Nicky Butterball JUST as much as they loved her sister Anna, but Anna was the goat who always ran to the farmers and hollered that she needed a hug... Poor Nicky Butterball needed hugs, too, but instead of running to the farmers and demanding them, she just stood behind her sister and hoped a whole lot, for them.

The farmers, (who had ALOT of animals to take care of,) loved ALL of their goats very much, but they STILL did not notice poor Nikky standing there all alone and sad. Because little Nikky was always so quiet, the farmers thought that she was a VERY happy baby goat who did not need as many hugs, as her older and louder sister Anna did.
But then one day, when the farmer's wife was cuddling Beautiful Nicky Butterball's sister Anna, (because she was screaming again,) some other farmers came to visit.......and when they saw Anna, they fell in love with her, as they thought she was a beautiful baby goat,,,,,(and she was...) and so they wanted to buy her and give her a good and loving home! (Anna KNEW that she was VERY special, and so she just pranced around very pretty and holding her head up high, for these new farmers and they offered the other farmers a good price and then they bought her very fast!!)
But, Little Nicky Butterball just loved the farmer and his wife, who had cared for her since her birth, and so she wanted to stay there on the farm with them, and so she suddenly acted very sick and VERY bratty, and then she made an ugly face, and even stuck her tongue out at the buyers, when they started looking at her, because she loved her home, and her farmers, and she did NOT want to leave them. (The buyers ALSO thought that Nikky Butterball was a beautiful baby goat.. until Nikky walked up to the lady-buyer and stuck her tongue out at her, and then pretended to BITE her, and then sneezed all over her face!! She was VERY NAUGHTY!)
Well, those kindly farmers decided that they did not LIKE Nikky Butterball AT ALL, as she had been a VERY nasty little baby goat!

I bet you know this, but when those new farmers came to look at the goats, little "Nicky Butterball" crossed her hooves and HOPED that her older, and louder, bossier sister would go off to a new farm and be loved........ and, so........, the kindly farmer visitors fell in love with little Anna, and a couple other of the farmer's goats, and so these folks bought them and took them home to their little farm. But, they decided that they did NOT want to buy Little Nicky Butterball, who was very chubby, and all brown with a white sock, and who had been a very naughty little girl when they came to look at her!

That left little Nicky Butterball for the farmers to hug, and hug her they did! They LOVED on little Nicky, but had not had enough time to hug her before...because Anna had been so loud and demanding of their attention! Now that Anna had gone to live on another little goat-farm, they had LOTS of time to hug little Nicky Butterball!
Pretty little perfect Anna is doing just fine these days, and enjoying being cuddled and loved by her new owners on a big goat farm just a few miles away.

Nicky Butterball misses her older, bossier sister just a tiny bit. But Nicky Butterball sure is enjoying all of the love and hugs she gets from the farmer and his wife, too! The farmers hug her all of the time, and even decided that little "Nicky Butterball" is now their favorite chubby baby goat, and she is enjoying feeling very special!
Little Nicky Butterball is all grown up now, and she is going to have her own babies in a month.... and she is feeling VERY sorry for her farmer-people who love her so much and are worrying all about her! But, little Nicky Butterball, sure is enjoying all of the hugs and kisses from her farmer-people!
Beautiful Anna, (with the loud and demanding mouth, the flashy white body, and the beautiful brown head) AND her not quite as flashy sister, "Nicky Butterball," (who is just plain old brown but has a white sock,) are VERY.. VERY happy goats these days! Smiley
pokyone42

 

[Sondra]

Sprocket and Joe (Sad)

"Sprocket and Joe"
10/09/2008

Sprocket was a kitten, as cute as could be,
Living in the woods, all alone, wild and free.
Joe was a goat, just a newborn baby,
Scared and alone, but as sweet as could be.

Sprocket was brave, though dumped off in the wood,
To fend for himself, near a goat-farm that stood,
Right near where he was, and he cried so in need,
To the farmers, that had, too many critters to feed.

They heard that poor kitten, just crying in vain,
For someone to help him. So lonely, in pain.
He needed some help, and the farmers were kind,
So went on a mission, of the kitten, to find.

His crying was pitiful, and the famers felt sad,
Cuz they could not find him, as the brush was so bad.
As they would get close, to where Sprocket was crying,
Sprocket got scared, and would run away hiding.

Finally one day, I guess Sprocket knew,
That the farmers would help, and give him life anew.
They finally caught him, and what did they find,
But a 2 pound monster, who said, "HE WAS JUST FINE"!

Sprocket was wild, and scratched and he screamed,
Until he drank goat milk, then, was fine, naturally!
He decided the farmers were good after all,
And they named him Sprocket, and he came when was called.

The farmers fed Sprocket, and he grew kinda fat,
They loved him so much, though did not much like cats!
But Sprocket was special, he thought he was BIG,
Like a Chow, or a Shepherd, or a large wild pig!

Sprocket was there, with the farmers each day,
Making them laugh, as he went on his way.
Tiny Sprocket caught critters, chipmunks, and voles,
And helping himself to the big dog's food bowls.

One day the farmer's brought home little Joe,
A newborn baby goat-a cat's natural foe.
The wife of the farmer, played with Joey alot,
Because goats get lonely, when with goats they are not.

Well, Joey was nosey, and at just one day old,
Went and sniffed at Little Sprocket, right away. He was bold.
Sprocket was nosey, and checked out little Joe,
And decided to be friends, instead of his foe.

That's how this poem got to be written,
Because Sprocket and Joe, with each other were smitten.
They became such good friends, in a matter of days,
Those two little misfits, with their weird little ways!

Over just a few weeks, they became such good friends,
Hopping and jumping,-and suddenly then,
When Joe had his bottle, little Sprocket would lick,
Every drop of milk-foam, that dripped from his lips.

Joe would put his ears back, and then jump at the cat,
And then Sprocket would crouch, and jump at Joey right back!
The farmers and Joe, and Sprocket would hike,
All through the woods, and wherever they liked.

Always together-the goat and the cat,
Running and playing, so happy and fat.
Jumping and playing like babies should be,
Never knowing ahead, lie a sad tragedy....

The farmers had never seen such a bond,
Between a baby goat, and a wild cat from beyond.
Pals that they were, all things come to an end,
Sometimes way too abruptly, So hard losing a friend.

The farmers are sad, as poor Sprocket was killed,
In the road, by a car, but his role was fulfilled.
Sprocket and Joe, were the best of friends,
Very sad, that so soon, it all had to end.

But the farmers are so happy, that they got to know,
A brave little kitten, who was pals with Little Joe.
Everyone misses little Sprocket these days,
Even little Joe misses his playful ways.

Joe is growing up now, and he still tries to play,
With the farmcats that are here, but they all run away.
He doesn't understand, that his dear friend is gone,
It sure seems to us farmers, to be totally wrong.

Our lives as the farmers, were enriched more than we know,
By our love for, and fun, with our Sprocket and Joe.
Joe will live on and become a big strapping buck,
But we all miss our Sprocket. He was awesome. Bad Luck.

by: Pokymon42

 

[Sondra]

Don't count your chickens after they hatch
11/04/2008
Okay, picture it like this. The chickens live in the henhouse, which also doubles as a pig-pen. And so, to explain it a little bit better, the chickens live in one half of that adorable little barn, and the pigs live in the other. Both chickens AND pigs also have access to the outdoors. The chickens run loose, to wherever their little hearts desire and to wherever their ugly little feet carry them. The chickens enjoy running to the woods, and eating worms, grass, bugs, and the like, but they always return home, to their little barn to roost at night. I have a habit of counting the chickens constantly.

The pigs, on the other hand, have an indoor/outdoor pen, only because if they ran loose, they would probably uproot everything in the yard, and then run away to cause trouble in other people's yards, and never return home again. That would not be a good thing, as we plan on eating the pigs one day, and that would not be possible if they ran away from our little farm, and so, that is why the pigs do not run loose here on our little farm.
It seems to work pretty well for us.
Well, a couple of weeks ago, one of our cute little bobble-headed silkie hens, hatched six eggs. A silkie chicken is a tiny little chicken, whose feathers look more like very soft fluffy fur. They also have extra toes, and feathers all up and down their legs, and all over their feet. In other words, they look more like stuffed animals, than they do actual chickens. They are absolutely adorable.
I call THIS particular Silkie, Bobble-head, because she has a big poofy blob of soft feathers right on the top of her head. It kind of looks like someone glued a giant dirty brown cottonball on top of her little pin-sized head.
She is very cute, though kind of strange-looking.
Anyway, she hatched these six adorable baby chicks. Three black ones, two buff-colored ones, and a brown one. All were healthy, and had feather covered legs and feet like their mama. So these baby chicks, looked like miniature stuffed animals, rather than real live chicks, as they are about half the size of standard chicks, and all poofy-looking like the brown cottonball on mama's head. I counted the baby chicks daily, just to make sure they were still there, I suppose.
Well, we kept mama and babies in a large dog crate in the henhouse for the first two weeks, so that they could bond, and so the babies would get a good start without being picked on by the other chickens, or stepped on by us klutzy farmers, as they were so tiny. All was well in their happy little world inside of the dog crate for those first two weeks of their little lives.
Then, one morning, we decided to let them loose in the henhouse to be introduced to the rest of the chickens, and peck and scratch their way to adulthood like the rest of them. They were all doing fine for the first few days. I went to the henhouse alot to count them all day long, as I was worried about them, being so small.
During the day, they would hop and bop all around the henhouse, with the Bobblehead mama-hen just wearing herself out trying to keep track of her six very curious, and very busy babies. When one ventured a little too far from mama, it would peep loudly in distress, and poor mama would have to go and find it, and then the other five would also start peeping loudly and running around looking for mama-hen, and so, she spent her days hurrying constantly, to find her lost chicks, who seem to be very stupid. (I am VERY glad I am not a chicken-mom. I guess I just do not have the patience. If my babies are too stupid to stay with me, and then find themselves lost or in some sort of peril, then so be it. Survival of the fittest, in my book. However, I STILL counted those six chicks constantly.)
Well, our bobble-headed mama hen proved to be a GREAT mom, for the first three weeks of her experience as a new mother. Then, I think she grew tired of the incessant peeping of constantly distressed, dopey chicks. In fact, one day, I think I actually SAW her just throw up her wings in frustration, and say "To hell with them! I GIVE UP! What a bunch of little morons! I am DONE! I cannot believe these are MY babies! They are SO dim-witted!"
As it turns out, mama-hen was correct! Those babies were NOT hers, but had come from eggs laid by other dumb hens who did not know enough to sit on them so that they could hatch! I had taken those eggs laid by the stupid hens, and placed them under Bobble-head, hoping that she would hatch them! And... it WORKED!
Bobble-head WAS smarter than the hens who actually LAID the eggs, but yet was not smart enough to realize that those were not HER eggs! Chickens can be quite fascinating creatures, but they are definately not high on the list of af intelligent animals.
And so, the six busy, yet dim-witted chicks seemed to be having fun pecking around the henhouse and growing. At night, they and mama-hen would all snuggle up in the dog crate and sleep, usually with a few chicks under her, and one under each wing, and the last one sleeping comfortably on mama's back. I would check on mama-hen, and then lift her up to count the babies under her, and then lift each wing to make sure the two babies were under there, and then count the one on top.
One evening, when I went to slop the pigs, and to count the chickens and close up the henhouse for the night, I walked into the henhouse, and found three of the six chicks, peeping loudly and running back and forth terrified! And so, I looked around, and found the mama-hen, who had jumped up into a nest box, and was sleeping with three of her chicks. The other three, had apparently not figured out where mama was, or, how to jump up there, even if they DID know where she was. Well, mama-hen was exhausted, and so totally ignored those three youngsters running around on the floor screaming like idiots.
Well, I felt very sorry for those three babies, and so, decided to catch them, one by one, and place them up in the nestbox with their mother and siblings. To me, this seemed to be the wisest decision at the time. It was not, as I realized later on that evening.
And so, I, feeling sorry for those three "lost" chicks, began crawling around in the henhouse and talking to them quietly, trying to get close enough to grab them. They scattered, and peeped VERY loudly, then. Finally, I managed to grab one, and it screamed non-stop, until I quickly placed it up into the nestbox with it's surrogate mother. It instantly quieted, and settled down for the night, all snuggled up with it's brothers and sisters. Then, I began crawling around again. I was glad that my farm pants were already dirty and ready for the washing machine, because, if they had been clean, they wouldn't have been for long. I crawled and crawled, round and round in circles, trying to catch the remaining two screaming baby chicks. Finally, I cornered one, and lunged for it, and right at the same moment, smashed my head, very hard into the corner of a nestbox. It was then, that I let loose with a whole bunch of nasty new names for that adorale baby chick. As it peeped loudly, I held onto the chick with one hand, and held my forehead with the other, until the pain subsided. Then I took a deep breath, and placed that chick into the nestbox with the other four babies, and the mama. It too, settled right down to sleep.
That left ONE remaining screaming baby chick, running back and forth hysterically calling for it's mom, who had decided enough was enough, and was still just sleeping in the nestbox. And so, again I began crawling around, trying to catch the last of the chicks. I crawled and crawled, getting dirtier and dirtier, all the while talking sweetly to the baby chick and trying to slowly reach out for it. The chick was having NONE of it, however, and peeped and hollered even louder, and ran even faster! (It is quite amazing, when you think about it, just how FAST a tiny chick with only two little furry legs can run! Must be those extra toes, I guess.)
Finally, I steered the chick into a corner, and was able to grab it with my free hand... (my other hand was still checking my forehead for blood, from my mishap with the corner of a nestbox.) Well, THIS chick, screamed louder than all of the other chicks did when all squeezed tightly at the same time! (Not that I know this from experience, mind you...I am just guessing here.) And so, I slowly stood up, and raised that chick high into the air, to signal my triumph, ( and yes, I DID do my best Rocky imitation, ) and then I strutted happily toward the nestbox to place that last chick in to be with mama and the other five now sleeping babies.
As I placed that last little baby into the nestbox, mama-hen jumped out onto the floor, and all five babies jumped out one by one behind her, and then the last baby, the one who had JUST been placed in there, jumped out too, and all six chicks were running back and forth screaming once again. I just stood there, with my mouth agape, and watched the six babies run back and forth screaming, as mama-hen decided to go to the feeder for something to eat. Then, I checked my forehead once again for blood. There was none, but there WAS a good-sized knot forming there.
Then I looked at the chicks again, and just shook my head and began to laugh. It was then, that I realized just how smart the mama-hen really WAS! She had given up worrying about her stupid, ungrateful little brats, and just did what she does. I, on the other hand, had worried terribly about those babies, and worked hard to help them, and got hurt in the process, and then just ended up right back where I started, only with a big bruise, to boot!
Well, here we are many days after this little story of "rescuing" the chicks, and they are all still fine, and figuring life out for themselves. I, on the other hand, STILL have a bruise, from my efforts.
And so, the moral of this little story could be, "Don't count your chickens AFTER they hatch, because they are dumb, and may not make it to adulthood!" Or, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, because otherwise, you will be crawling around through chicken-poop looking for and trying to count them, AFTER they hatch!"

Sally (Pokymon42)
Hann-Yauk Hill
Boer crosses and a few Alpines
Cameron Mills, NY

 

[Sondra]

Miss Freckles
3/9/09
Miss Freckles was in early labor this morning, when we went to do chores, and so we moved her into a kidding pen. It is March 9th. (She was due on the 11th...so is another "early-bird".) We have been very fortunate this year, as all 14 of them have had their babies during the day.
Middle of the night kiddings can be tough, but yet, they are also usually very peaceful, and I do not mind a whole lot, unless it is about 40 degrees below zero, and I have to reach inside a goat up to my elbow, to extract those adorable, yet, tangled up screaming wonders of caprine nature..... and at those times, I absolutely HATE middle of winter night kiddings, and wonder why we let the goats breed so early in the year to begin with..........
Now... back to the subject at hand...Miss Freckles.
Our dear Freckles is the resident big-mouth of our goat-barn, who wails loudly and pathetically like she is starving to death all of the time. She does this with her mouth open wide, and her tongue hanging out of her face about three inches when she wails. She is also our only yearling with a black head and neck. (She is very cute.) She is a Boer/Alpine cross, with some "mysterious" Nubian genes somewhere in her background.
I am SURE that there is Nubian mouth, (I mean genes...) in her background, even though it may be from one hundred years ago. I am POSITIVE of this, because of her vocal "qualities.") She is really quite loud, and comical, and always has been. Most of our goats blat,.. and they do it cutely and reasonably quietly. (Most of our goats are also Alpine/Boer crosses.)
Not our Freckles. She is also SUPPOSED to be an Alpine/Boer cross, however, I KNOW that there MUST be some old Nubian genes that may have been laying dormant for a hundred years, or something, but that suddenly woke up and reared their heads recently, in the mouth of our Freckles, as she just opens her mouth as wide as possible, and wails loudly and horribly like a Nubian who is being tortured!
(Nubians who are NOT being tortured, sound bad enough!) But no... our Freckles sounds loud, piercing, and will curl even a Hell's Angel's hair!
Well...anyway, Miss Freckles was NOT happy about being moved into a kidding pen, until I gave her grain...(she IS her mother's daughter after all.... Freckles is Nikky's kid, and Nikky Butterball LIVES to eat.)
Well, when we were finished with the morning chores, we came to the house, and I made a cup of coffee. As soon as my cup of coffee was done, I heard Freckles scream like her legs were being pulled off one by one, (like I used to do to flies when I was a little kid...) and so I put my coffee into a travel mug and ran up to the barn sloshing coffee all over myself, just in time to find her wailing for no good reason. ARGH!
"Wailing" is the ONLY word that I can come up with, to describe Freckle's cry... It is horrid, and makes your skin crawl. It is annoying as fingernails down a chalkboard. And... it is REALLY LOUD, and makes a person want to grind their teeth, until there is nothing left but sore gums and tooth powder!
Maybe she was just wailing because she felt like it. Or, perhaps she was lonely, as she was doing that... ..."I am trying to make you want to perforate your eardrums" kind of sound more than usual, and she was also very lovey-dovey toward me, and she rarely is...
More than likely though, her "Mommy" hormones had kicked in, and she wanted a baby... and so she settled for blatting at me. Poor gal.
I stayed with her for a while though, and petted her, and let her lick my hands...I only wished that I had brought ear plugs along WITH me, up to the barn, as Freckles somehow thought that wailing loudly into my face would help move things along and get her a baby.... It didn't. All THAT did, was make me grind my teeth more, and periodically spit out gobs of tooth powder. Gotta love her, though!
Well, when I saw that she was just being a dramatic first freshening Nubian... (oops, I mean Alpine/Boer cross...,) I came down to the house.
And so, I had the baby monitor on all day, and checked her every few hours. About 5 pm, I thought I heard small "pushing" sounds, and ran to the barn to find her with a huge rope of goo hanging, and she was perfectly quiet when I looked in on her... she was happily eating hay....that is... until she saw that she had an audience. When she saw ME, she started wailing like I have never heard her before! ...OH MY LORD! I am beginning to have trouble hearing these days... I only WISHED I had trouble hearing our Freckles the day she decided to kid! (I guess that as well as being our big-mouth, she is also our drama queen!)
I told Chuck on the baby monitor, to heat milk, and come on up, and we could feed the bottle brats and do the other chores while we wait... That sounds simple enough, but is not an easy task, however, as whenever I speak into the monitor when in the barn,, all of the goats feel that they MUST answer me... (as they think that I MUST be talking to them..) and so, it goes like this... "Chuck!" BLAHHHHHHHHHH! Get the milk ready! BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!..... Bring it up! BLAHHHHHH! Bring towels and iodine! BLAHHHHHHHHHH! OH! And the blow dryer! BLAHHHHH! Hurry up! BLAHHHHH! etcetera.......(I am sure you can imagine how it goes.)
Well, after Chuck got up to the barn, Freckles just stopped pushing. She licked me alot, wailed inconsolably alot, looked for a baby and generally looked downright pitiful, but did not push AT ALL. Ugh. I timed her... I told her finally, after 25 minutes, that she had 5 more minutes to birth those brats, or I was gonna go in and drag their lazy lil butts out. (It is SO hard to decide when to intervene, but after losing that little Ashleigh boy, I would rather go in too soon than not soon enough. -
Sidenote....Ashleigh was in labor with triplets .. she was our first this year, and I waited too long, (an hour) and we lost the 1st kid who was breech, but thankfully, the other two were just fine, after we dragged them out kicking and screaming..)
WELL....
Miss Freckles acted like she knew I meant business, as she then laid RIGHT down and wailed louder than ever, and pushed out a good size buck... phew! I only helped to get the second foot out....He was 9 pounds... pretty good size for a small-ish doe like her! He looks alot like the other Boer type kids, only with shorter ears... nice looking kid. Then...... I saw a hoof sticking out of her. Then it just disappeared, and she did not have any more contractions at ALL after that! (It is a DARNED good thing that I saw that foot, or I might have thought she was finished, as she never looked real big to begin with, though I suspected twins! The result of THAT, could have been horrible for both her and the baby! Iwas fortunate enough to have seen that there was another kid in there!) That is just another reason to make sure to be there with your does, when kidding.
Anyway, I massaged her udder, (to get the labor going again) and got the first kid hooked up to a teat, and then we tried to blow him dry, but that new blow dryer we JUST bought, crapped out! Supid K-mart piece of ummm...junk. In the meantime, Freckles was wailing at us, as though we were KILLING her new precious baby boy..........
We toweled him as dry as we could, and put a sweatshirt on him and he nursed well. STILL Freckles showed NO signs of labor, even though we KNEW there was another kid in there! UGH! I massaged and massaged, and rubbed her belly, but nothing. And so, after 30 minutes or so...I worriedly came to the house, washed up, and got the lube and some soapy water. I headed back up to the barn.(Chuck was watching Miss Freckles, and she was just happy to have her one boy, and showed no intent of having another.)

And so...Chuck held Miss Freckles as I reached in. She bellowed a little bit, but did not fight at all, and she is not a big goat.. about 120 pounds..., I would think she would fight ALOT, (but fortunately for our goats, I am small, and have small hands. -I am only 5 ft tall.....and have the hands to match, which is lucky for the goaties......Smiley)
Well, when I reached in, Freckles did not push! It was odd... Usually, as soon as I reach in, they push against my hand... she didn't right away. I felt a head, and then I felt a foot on TOP of the head! Uh oh! That was a new one for me! I tried and tried to find another foot... I couldn't! I kept feeling, and reaching in farther and farther... and then I thought I felt a back leg next to the head... eek! I then pulled my hand out, as I tried to sort out what I had felt. ( I still feel that I am new at this, though I have had to help 5 does this year...all were successful, except for losing that first buck kid, which I am still kicking myself for..)
Anyway, I did not THINK there were 3 kids in there, but ya never know.... I took a few deep breaths, and washed her up again along with myself, and went back in... I felt and felt, and then realized, that what I had thought was a back leg, was actually the elbow and shoulder of a front leg, that was stuck back...
And so, this kid was coming head first with one front leg somehow over the top of his head, and the other front leg not coming at all, and so he was stuck... I was SO relieved when I finally figured out what was what, and was able to push the kid back in a little, (which was awful, as I had to push on his nose and mouth, and his mouth opened, and I felt the tiny sharp teefies...and I even poked the poor kid in the eyeball by accident...) but got the leg up and forward and the other leg down under the head. I then began pulling, after waiting for her to push, but she WOULD'NT push at all... it was strange... I KNEW we had to get that kid out fast, and so I pulled, and told her to PUSH, Freckles! (*&^*)!!!!!
Finally, as the front legs and nose were coming, she pushed...but only a little... I pulled and got the head out... I immedietaly went to work on the kid, as she had stopped pushing again... ugh... This kid was halfway out... she was just standing there... I wiped the kid's mouth and nose, but it would not breathe... It was opening it's mouth, and trying, but it couldn't... Too much crap got into it's lungs...
Freckles just stood there,, with this kid hanging there, pretty much suffocating, as I was trying to get him to breathe... Finally, I just pulled him the rest of the way out, with no help at all from her...... so that I could try to get him going.......
To make a long story shorter, after getting him out, I was able to get him breathing, finally. PHEW! It was a pretty intense time of it, but mom and her 2 boys are all doing just fine now! Smiley
Those two baby boys have their mama's MOUTH!! SO FUNNY! They are SOOOOO loud, and SO piercing... They holler JUST like her... with their tongues hanging out and with total abandon! Smiley It just cracks me UP!
Miss Freckles is doing well... Both kids are nursing well too, and wearing sweatshirts tonight... With the blow dryer crapping out on us, we are just very lucky it was 33 degrees and not 5, or we would have 2 more bottle kids living in the house.
Miss Freckles is happy with her new boys, although she wails constantly for them, even when they are RIGHT under her nose. She is SO annoying, yet loveable... Oh, and they wail for her, too! Ya would think that we had a whole herd of those Nubians!
The important thing is that she and her babies are doing well! Smiley Just wanted to share!

Sally (Pokymon42)
Hann-Yauk Hill
Boer crosses and a few Alpines
Cameron Mills, NY

 

[Sondra]

SGCH PRUITTVILLE'S HUCKLEBERRY 92EEEE

SGCH PRUITTVILLE'S HUCKLEBERRY 92EEEE
« on: April 25, 2009 at 11:31:14 AM »

Today, I brought Pruittville's Posies Promise up from the dry doe pen where I keep the pregnant ladies in waiting. She and Sugar Baby are the last two to freshen for this kidding season. After putting Promise in a kidding pen with clean hay and fresh water, I thought about the need to make room for the new doe(s) that will soon be joining the herd.

My thoughts went to the only dry doe that is with the main herd that will not freshen this Spring - our oldest member of the herd, Huckleberry. It was then I decided to take the old lady and put her in with the dry does. Huckleberry is a huge 200 pound plus doe and our herd queen that usually stays with the main herd.

Just recently, while out in the pasture with the does, two of the first freshening does quarreled over a small patch of lush grass that each wanted. While they butted heads and fought, I watched with amazement as the 11 year old matriarch painfully struggled to her feet and went over to the young hotheads and calmly walked between them giving each one a shove with her big shoulders. The youngsters quit their fighting and found themselves another patch of grass.

Taking Huckleberry by the collar, I led her some 250 yards to the dry doe paddock. As we walked, I couldn't help but notice her powerful body and her still lovely topline and her strong feet and legs. As I tugged on her collar while she turned back to look at her herd mates she was leaving behind, my thoughts turned to the day in 1998 that I first saw her. Her dam, GCH Pruittville's E/A Strawberry EX90 was in labor and soon a buck and a doe was born. Looking at the new born kids, both were black with white ears, tan trim. The little buck was belted while the doe had a large white patch on her side and garnished with a white tip on the end of her tail. Hosanna and Huckleberry were two beautiful kids.

Hosanna was sold to a new breeder but soon was pushed away, discarded as if he was trash, never able to prove his true worth. The new breeder had bought some "hot-shot" does and then felt Hosanna was unworthy to use on her "big name" does she had purchased elsewhere. As often happens in dairy goats, three years later this breeder had went on to other things and all of her "once prized" goats disappeared. I have often mourned for that beautiful boy and wished that I had kept him.

Huckleberry was a big kid. She was tall, long and powerful and soon outgrew every single one of her pen mates. Not wanting to breed her as a yearling, I had purposed to keep her over and freshen her as a two year old. A buck escape proved that unsuccessful but armed with a syringe, I did what was necessary to end the pregnancy. Five months later, Huckleberry gave birth to a single doe kid. While my thoughts wandered to her doe kids, I remembered that I was unable to keep any of her first doe kids for myself. Everybody wanted them! Reluctantly, I let each one go, hoping there would be a doe that I could save one for myself.

At her first shows, Huckleberry easily won her classes. I remember going to Weatherford show soon after her first kidding. Huckleberry's long bone patterned caused her pasterns to seem weak. Using a knife, I worked on her feet and only made matters worse. Now, the pastern bent backwards painfully as she walked. Taking her into her class, I felt sick. However, the judge placed her first in the class.

As she freshened her fourth time, Huckleberry's udder quickly surpassed her other freshenings. The fore was exceptional. I knew this was her year. At Little Rock, a wealthy breeder decided to come from Ohio and take the show by storm. Bringing their herd from the North, they marched in the barn with their prize goats, little knowing the surprise waiting for them in the Nubian show. Huckleberry took the Nubian show and then won best doe in show. It was then, I decided to go to the Nationals.

The Nationals were some 17 hours away in Colorado. Because of the almost 2 weeks needed for the trip, it took lots of preparation. We drove all through the night. When morning came, I stopped and fed all the goats and milked. Some five hours later we arrived at the National show. The final hours of the trip were not without incident. Road construction crews were out in force and we hit a large bump which must have thrown the goats in the trailer. While unloading the trailer, my eyes fell on Huckleberry, her knee was the size of a baseball. Sick wasn't the word for it. Prayerfully, we started treatments right away with hot and cold soakings and everything else we could think of. Since we had a couple a days before the Nubian show, we hoped in vain that the swelling would go down. On the day of the show, she could walk pretty good but her knee was still swollen. She was picked to be at the top of the class. As the time in the ring passed, walking around the ring only caused her knee to get sorer. The judge and his consultant began earnest talk all the while pointing at the Huckleberry. Turning to his consultant, the judge took him by the shoulder and shook him… finally they put Huckleberry in 3rd place and the judge gave his reasonings. "My heart is on the 3rd place doe but with her injury, this is the highest placing I can give her today." My heart sank as I heard those words. Later, I visited privately with the judge and he said that she was his choice for National Champion and that the injury was so unfortunate.

Putting her in the paddock, Huckleberry was greeted by cousin Magnolia and two granddaughters, Sultana and Sugar baby. As I walked away, I thought of the influence this wonderful doe has had on my herd. There is Legend EX90 and her last baby, Explorer who is now grown up into being a big yearling with kids of his own. There is CH Pruittville's Huckberry Frost 91VEEE who in her turn is a lovely doe who stood 4th place, 2nd udder at the Nationals. This year, her fore has a farther extension than ever. Then there is Razzberry a promising first freshener. While yet, another daughter Plum lives with Paula Butler in TN. I thought of her granddaughters and grand sons in the herd. Classy bucks sharp and dairy with lovely toplines, Montana and Triumph. Finished champion granddaughters like Gardenia 91VEEE and other promising ones like Lantana, Apple Crisp (who just won her class in two shows), Berry Parade and Sultana (10th place Junior kid - National Show and was just Reserve Champion 2 X recently) and great granddaughter Carmel Corn who was just Best Junior Doe in Show twice and the list goes on and on.

Yes, Huckleberry has been a wonderful doe and when she crosses the rainbow bridge, I know I will feel pain in my heart but I have no doubt she will live on in her offspring for many years to come.

Tim Pruitt
701 Pruittville Dr.
Haynesville, LA 71038
[email protected]
http://www.freewebs.com/pruittvillenubians/

 

[Sondra]

Yet another from pokyone42
Scary, but humorous kidding finale
4/22/10

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And so, we have had LOTS of kidding problems this year, but fortunately, most ended with great results! We lost one very special mama, (Elliot) after she miraculously delivered premature and dying quadruplets, (who are now spoiled 50 pound brats...) and we lost one kid, (Little Bob's brother,) but we had a total of 41 kids born, from just 17, apparently... VERY fertile does...


Well, yesterday, our last pregnant doe of the year, and our favorite yearling named "Floppy," (because of her strange curly ears...) was in obvious labor. At first, I tried to deny it.....but, with the long rope of goop hanging out of her rear-section, and the obvious stretches, as she was laying there grunting, yawning, and grinding her teeth AND looking at me very pitifully.... with her deep liquid brown eyes and those weird rectangular pupils.....I could no longer just pretend she just had a mild, (or even a very BAD) case of indigestion.

And so then, I did what I usually do, when things do not go the way I plan or hope. I panicked, and acted like a moron, as dear Floppy was not supposed to have her impatient little brats until May 20th! I was SOOO disappointed. Floppy was going to abort, -no doubt about it,- and I KNEW (being the smart goat-farmer that I am,) that trying to push the goop back in was not going to stop Nature, so I did not even bother to try!

But... of ALL the kids expected this year, Floppy's were the most important and most anticipated, as she is our most gorgeous, and meatiest type goat ever born here. (She looks like a purebred who would be worth lots of money. She ISN'T worth alot, except to us, but she LOOKS like she is, and so her kids should bring more money too, except that we would probably KEEP her kids..) ....

Well, we were sooo sad about the pending abortion, and knew, that we could do nothing to stop it, and so, as hard as it was, we just resigned ourselves to it....

And so...

With heavy hearts and minds, we moved our mellow and sweet Floppy into a kidding pen after all of the morning barn chores were finished, and then, after kneeling with her, and giving her a bit of comfort as she rested her head on my knees, we sadly walked back down to the house, and left her to it.

And so, while we waited,

I began washing the never-ending pile of dirty dishes, (a chore I absolutely HATE....and would rather be doing almost anything else, such as trimming the hooves on a buck who is smelly, wet, and just plain a 250 pound pile of grossness when in rut....) as Chuck left to go and buy hay.


No sooner did he walk out the door, when I heard what sounded like PUSHING on the baby monitor! I turned the water off in the kitchen and just listened to the monitor... I heard baby goats talking to their mamas, and mamas talking back to their babies......I heard the steers mooing....I heard the goats chewing cud, (and by the sounds of the hammering and sawing noises going on in the barn,) I figured that our talented goats were also, apparently building furniture.

I also heard Beau, our stupid barn-rooster (who lives in the goat-barn instead of the chicken house, because the other roosters hate him...and so do I....) crowing right into the monitor, as he ALWAYS does...morning, noon, or night. (I may end up strangling that ancient idiot one of these days.)

It always amazes me how far-reaching that little Evenflo baby monitor is! I mean.... people could keep their baby in the next COUNTRY, and STILL hear it if it squawks!

But, anyway, enough about our wonderful baby monitor.......

The one thing that I did NOT hear when I turned off the faucet, were pushing sounds from Floppy.

And so, I turned the water back on, and resumed my odious task of washing the dishes....(I would be VERY happy, if someone were to invent very cheap disposable pots, pans, baking dishes, etc...so that I would never again, have to waste my time washing dishes, instead of building a fancy schmancy hay rack, or painting a portrait of my favorite goat, dog, even a groundhog!) I have MUCH better things to do with my time than wash dishes.. YICK!

Well, then I heard that unmistakable noise again! "Grrrrrunnnnnt! GRRuuuuUUUNNNTTT!!!!!!! And I SWEAR...I heard Floppy yell "It's TIME, ya moron! Get up here and assist me, and don't forget the towels this time!"

OHHHH! This girly was FAST! Yearlings are usually sooo slow and dramatic when kidding! Not Floppy, apparently! Nope! She was NOT being a drama queen! NOT AT ALL! All business for THIS young lady! She was giving birth...RIGHT NOW!


I yelled really loud and was waving my arms like an insane woman, as I ran like a Banshee toward Chuck as he was driving out the driveway, and fortunately, he heard and/or saw me! (and probably wondered what the heck I was doing NOW, as he probably rolled his eyes and sighed under his breath and said..."Oh darn... didn't get out of here soon enough!".)

And so....


We gathered the iodine, towels, lube, etc, and ran up the hill to the barn as fast as our old arthritic legs would carry us.
There was Floppy, laying on her side, and pushing, with a foot hanging out of her keester. I looked at that foot, and then had to just stop and think for a moment... WAIT a minute!. Yes...I was looking at a baby-goat foot! But, it was not the foot I expected! THIS foot was a BIG HAIRY foot! This was not a tiny preemie month-early hairless foot! YAY!!!! And then... I saw a nose... a big fat hairy Boer nose! And so, I thought that our naughty buck kid Jefferson must have escaped the fence yet again and bred this doe, (as he had bred a FEW does I had not planned on last year.) But I KNEW that she had gone into an obvious heat and I had put her in with Joe...after Jefferson was sold....... !!!???

And so, I wondered what had HAPPENED! How could she be having babies a month early, when I SAW her bred to Joe, and Jeffy had been long gone??


Well, Floppy pushed out a gorgeous 8 lb. buck kid, and followed it up with an 8 1/2 pound doe kid! WOW! It was a normal, uneventful textbook kidding! I was ecstatic, as we had two LIVE and big full term KIDS! AND... she did it all by herself!
It was also in the 60's, perfect kidding weather! Sure beat the three below zero crap that the other kids were born in!
And so, later, after I made sure that everyone was fine, and sent hubby on his way to go and get hay, I was updating Floppy's records. OOPSIES! That is when I found my teeny tiny little mistake.....

She had been bred on November 20th...that would make her due on April 20th, NOT May 20th!
And so...lacking the math skills that I needed to predict her due date, we were VERY happily surprised with day-late babies, and not month early preemie messes! Floppy, Cody, and JoBeth are all doing just great! What a GOOD way to end a stressful and difficult kidding season!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sally
Hann-Yauk Hill
Boer crosses and a few Alpines
Cameron Mills, NY

 

[Sondra]

"Cat Fishing" by Pokyone42

We went canoing and fishing the other day...(as we need to have the trailer inspected for the REAL boat, so can't take it out yet.) To make a long story longer, we came home with a CAT. WHO KNEW? LOL!
Years ago, my kids took me fishing for Mother's Day, and we came home with 3 chicks that we found abandoned in a park, and who were very friendly! There was a red one, a white one, and a black one. I figured that they were "discarded" Easter chicks, as they were no longer small and fluffy, but at that awkward and goofy-looking stage between babies and adults. (Okay... I guess they were pubescent chicks. lol) We rescued them. We named them, Ella Bella and Stella, and my love affair with chickens began that day. (Old Bella, the red one, and the last of the first 3, just died this last fall, at about 8 years old.)
Okay, and so maybe we don't catch a whole lotta fish on our fishing trips, but we DO have an interesting time, and come home with unexpected creatures, who sometimes lead us in unanticipated directions. As an example, I had been divorced and depressed, but then found those needy baby chicks, who I found to be alot of fun, at an otherwise sad time. THEN... I met Chuck, because we BOTH had CHICKENS! Had my kids and I never rescued those 3 chicks that day many years ago, I may never have met Chuck, who is now, the love of my LIFE! Life can be so interesting! LOL!
Anyway....
Two kittens found us when we were putting the canoe in the water the other day... I heard mewling,, and was looking to see where it was coming from, just in time to see 2 kittens running towards us, down the middle of the road, getting honked at constantly, etc..one was an average looking kitty...black and white but with an obvious neck injury, as she held her head funny. The other was BEAUTIFUL! Ivory colored, with orange-ish on her legs, ears, face, and tail, AND... BLUE EYES! She has HUGE "Thumbs" too! Seven toes on one foot, and six on the other!
Anyway,
I was so afraid they would get hit.... they were both emaciated, and had obviously had kittens recently. Their ears were full of mites...UGH! Poor babies. They were SO sweet, and were just BEGGING us to rescue them...They came right to us...(Animals just seem to know softies when they see them. lol) I picked them up, and immedietaly they were snuggling into my neck and purring. I estimated them at about 6 months old. Well, you know me! I could not just leave them there to be run over, or to starve and suffer a slow horrible death ya know. (And Chuck is SO sweet... he is such a softie, too, and I am SO grateful for that! I looked at him with pleading eyes, and he just said..."Whatever ya think, Honey." How GREAT a guy is THAT?!) And so, we tried to put them into the cab of the truck, but they both freaked out and jumped out, and then stayed just out of arms' reach. (They were both OBVIOUSLY people-friendly. I am sure they had been dumped out of a car or truck, poor darlins. They were terrified when we put them in the truck..) We did not want to frighten them anymore, so we left them alone, and decided to go canoing. We got in, and the current was ALOT stronger than we had anticipated and we were going backwards, so, after I began to panic, we managed to use the paddles and get to the other side of the river, to re-organize, and drag the canoe upstream to put in, in calmer water. We planned to use our trolling motor to go upstream as far as possible, and then float back.(But, at 52, and 47, we are getting WAY too old for this canoing crap! lol)
Well....The 2 kittens were now on the opposite side of the river from us, and crying for us. They had run along the bank, as we were being carried backwards by the current, so they were still right across from us. Well, then....I saw the prettier of the two, the ivory colored one, sticking a foot in the river,,, and I yelled "NO! DON'T DO IT!" Just as she launched herself into the RIVER!
She had JUMPED RIGHT INTO THE RIVER! I could not BELIEVE IT! Chuck could not believe it either! We just stood there and watched her battle the current, as there wasn't anything we could do! She was SO little, yet SO brave. She looked SO tiny as she swam for her life in that wide river! I started calling her and cheering her on....She was swimming so hard, but getting carried downstream! OH NO! I was so worried, but by golly that little cat MADE it, and came running to me! When she got to me, she took a turn shaking each paw, and then she sat down and she looked up at me like... " Are ya impressed by me NOW!?" Chuck and I just looked at each other, dumbfounded! Right then, I KNEW she was a VERY cool cat! (We lost the coolest cat we had ever met last September... our Sprocket-kitty, who also had been a dump-off. We only had the pleasure of knowing that little guy for about 2 1/2 months before he got killed on our dirt road. He is now buried in our yard.) Well....THIS little blondie cat had BALLS! She jumped into a river with a STRONG current and made it across, JUST to get back to US! Chuck was impressed. Hell. I was impressed, and I have NEVER been a cat-person!!
I patted her on the head, and told her she was very brave, (but maybe a little stupid, too. lol) and told her to stay out of the road AND the river, and wait for us... that we would be back... In the meantime, her little friend had just climbed up the bank and walked across the bridge, (braving cars and trucks) instead of trying to impress us with the desperation and drama her ballsy friend had shown us by braving the river, and SHE was now right with us too! And so, we decided, that if they were still there when we got back from our fishing trip, that we would take them home, take care of them, and then figure out what to do with them.
We canoed for about 3 hours. (I kept looking behind us, to make sure our little kitty friends were not trying to follow us by swimming up the river.) It was a wonderful trip, tho it rained on and off. We saw a family of wood ducks, and a mama deer nursing her fawn WHILE standing in the river! lol. VERY CUTE! I caught a fat smallmouth bass, and a river chub-thingy.. It was a fun time, but I kept finding myself worrying about those 2 kittens.
When we got back, I could hear one of the kittens. I called and called, and finally the little ivory colored kitten came out of the woods and ran to me shyly. Chuck and I decided that she was meant to be OUR kitten. I looked and looked for her little friend, but could not find her anywhere. I called and called, too, but got no response. I only hoped she had not jumped into the river to follow us and drowned....
And so, we loaded everything up, and brought our new little kitten home. We named her Criver. The C is for the name of the river... the Canisteo, and river, because she jumped right into it to get to us! Maybe we should have named her "Catfish," as we WERE going to catch FISH, but instead came home with a CAT!
Criver is adjusting to the 3 dogs and 2 cats just fine now. This morning, we vaccinated her for Rabies and Distemper, and cleaned and treated her ears, and she was a trooper, and did just fine, and was still purring afterwards. She is eating canned cat food, and dry cat food with goat's milk, and thinks she died and went to heaven. At the moment, she is happily snoozing in my recliner!