Kidding and Selling

We've been a bit busy on el Rancho the past two weeks. As expected, Doublestuff kidded on Valentine's Day and Oreo followed on February 15th. Double did indeed have three kids, all bucklings, but one didn't make it. Oreo had a buckling and a doeling. I was there when Oreo kidded and all was uneventful Cute, cute, cute! Kids are so entertaining to watch!

I had already decided that the pygmy girls would be leaving after kidding. Between getting my house ready to sell, helping D3 build his house, and, oh, yeah, my full-time job, I don't have time right now to acquire a new pygmy buck and keep the pygmy girls separated from the big bucks. So, when the kids turned a week old, I posted all six on Craigslist, offering bottle babies, or three-in-one packages of mom and two babies. Wow! my phone and email were on fire! I started meeting the potential owners on Saturday and sold all six to the first two buyers.

On February 26, I went out to el Rancho after work to check on Doll who was confined in the kidding pens with Oreo. To my surprise, Khaki, who was in the Middle Pastures with the does, was about to kid! I tried to sneak her out, but Big Momma barged through with her kids, too. While I was trying to sort things out, Dan, my knight in denim, showed up and helped get goats where they belonged, brought loads of hay to everyone, and delivered about 15 gallons of water to the kidding pen.

Khaki took a while getting ready and finally lay down -- not in the hay-filled goat hut I had prepared, but in the middle of the round pen! Eventually, I saw a hoof, a big hoof, and realized the other leg was malpositioned. Going in, I was able to push the baby back and pull the other leg forward. Wow, two big hooves. Big kid with a big head. Good thing I was there because it took me gently pulling and Khaki mightily pushing to bring that ten pounder into the world. Twenty minutes later, his seven and a half pound sister slid into the world uneventfully.

Khaki stepped up as a great mom, cleaning up the kids, making sure they nursed and cuddling up in the hut. The next day, the two kids were bouncing and charming...

On Saturday, DoubleStuff and her boys were picked up by their new owners while I was out-of-town for work. And Doll? Well, maybe she's waiting for the caprine midwife (me) to come home. Or perhaps she just wanted some pampering!

Boil, you darn kettle!

Well, the maternity ward at Asno Blanco is full. Today, Double stuff started zoning into nanny hood. She's usually pretty elusive, but today allowed me to walk up and give her all manner of pets and hugs. She's locked into the round pen with her own goat hut, food and water.

I really thought that Khaki would kid a couple of weeks ago, and now Doll and Belle are boasting huge udders. Sigh.

So, they may all kid at the same time, which has some advantages. The donkeys seem ready for goat tending duties and I trust them with the little ones.

Right now, this is the youngest goat, sharing some chow with the Jenny's. Soon, after the kettle boils, we will have younger kids!

Intermittant Kidding, wethers on the way

The last month has been busy. Immediately after my last post, I ordered business cards online. A lot goes into the look and feel of a card--- color, fonts, placement, graphics and information. I used a cute little pic of After-You as my good luck charm.

Sadly, a few days after I sold him, he died of quick-acting pnuemonia. As a rancher, I know that animals will die, but it was a bit hard anyway. He was too young for a pneumonia vaccine, but I'll always wonder if there was something I missed. He was a cute little fellow and I'm glad he's on the front of our cards.

Jupiter and Sister have been growing at a prodigious rate. I can barely pick that buckling up! He is a lot more social than the doeling. If you enter his pasture, he will run up to be picked up. A true goat puppy, gently pawing at your feet to remind you that he is there. He's definitely the 'adventure' goat so far, curious and fearless. He's got a protective streak as well, guarding Sister when she wants to nap. She's more shy about getting picked up.

The donkeys are quite taken with the goat-puppies and provide good protection. Surprisingly, Fiona has turned out to be the donk most intrigued. When the kids are tired and lying down, she will hover nearby, keeping the grown goats away. I love watching her tiptoe over them, carefully placing her hooves on dirt, not fur. I've also watched delivered well-placed kicks to errant adult goats, reminding them of who is in charge.

So, last week I anticipated more kids from Khaki and the pygmies, Oreo and Doublestuff. As usual, I was wrong! But they are sure to kid this week while I'm gone. Maybe.

All three have good udders right now. Khaki is arranging the kids in their tight quarters, murmuring to them in nanny-speak. Oreo is wider than she is tall, and we might rename DoubleStuff to include a treble portion. Only time will tell. We have two pens set up for mommas and babies. I am hoping that the Cookie twins will bunk together, but you can never tell which does will be jealous or will steal kids.



I'm hoping to have a lot of bucklings v. doelings. I plan to keep the doelings from good mommas (mothering is a heritable trait), but sell all the wethers and other doelings. In March, Doll (multi-colored) and Belle (red) will deliver the first kids sired by Billy BA. He's currently relegated to the Triangle with Z1, ZeeZee, Fea and the wethers. That way, he won't bully the pregnant does or prevent them from eating feed. The three does with Billy should kid in May or June.

Then there's Freakazoid, the screaming La Mancha. She is pregnant and should kid by May. I hope the father is not Stupid.

Look! A baby goat!

The past two weeks have been pretty hectic. Big Momma has tried mightily to provide for three kids, but we ended up supplementing the smaller one with two bottles a day. Since we don't live at El Rancho (yet), we could either bring the baby home and let him stay in the backyard alone; bring a 'mini-herd' to the backyard, consisting of Big Momma, all three kids, and a wether; or leave the kid at the ranch and take the bottle to him. Since someone goes to the ranch most days, we elected to take bottles to the kid.

What a sweet buckling. Big Momma and the kids would line up at the gate, ready to move to another pasture where I was serving grain and milk. The buckling began to thrive and we began to look at our options again. On Thursday, luck sent a buyer our way, a woman whose teenage daughter wanted a pet-- either a pig or a goat! We talked on the phone and I realized that she was aware of thrice daily feedings for a while, when he would need shots, etc. She lives 30 miles away from College Station and the ranch is 30 miles beyond College Station, so we decided to meet up at Tractor Supply on Saturday.

"After You"-- sold!

Danny rode with me from the farm to TSC, holding the soft buckling in his lap. We parked next to the buyers and made introductions, including the goat. He was an instant hit, making cute baby goat noises and snuggling his new owners. While standing there, a woman walked over.

"Is that a baby goat?" she asked. "Is it for sale? Do you have more? Do you have a card?"

For a moment, I was speechless. Someone was approaching me, asking to buy a goat! I told her I was out of cards, but wrote down my number and email address, telling her I hoped to have more kids for sale soon, and what type of goat was she looking for? (Note to self--- print some business cards).

Today, the whole family went to the ranch to check on the critters and throw some hay. Dan moved a round bale closer to the Triangle Pasture and I noticed one of the pygmy does looked closer to kidding (well, maybe). Half-hearted attempts to catch her for a physical exam failed, but Danny and I are going out tomorrow to work on the Middle Pasture, so we'll check then.

On the way home, we called in an order for burgers at Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill. It was early for dinner and we were the only customers, so I struck up a conversation with the barmaid. Naturally, the talk turned to goats and I learned she wanted to buy a pygmy goat (!!).  Well, I says, I have two pygmy does, ready to pop within the next few weeks! I'm out of cards, but could I drop one off for you in a couple of days? (Second note-- Business Cards!)

Dubble-Stuft   a pregnant pygmy

So, a potential buyer lined up before the kids hit the ground. The Dans wanted to know how I knew the girl wanted a goat, how the conversation turned to goats, but my pathetic explanation didn't satisfy their curiosity. What can I say? It's the gift of gab.

The farm needs to turn a profit, and selling goats is how that happens. I can always take goats to a livestock auction, but the price is uncertain, but costs are low at $6 per goat plus gas. I can also sell goats as pets, or as 4H projects (wethers), or as breeding stock, or as cabrito. There is also a buckling market for Muslim holidays. I feel that I will find my niche, which will probably include two or three of the markets. Now, for those business cards...

Merry Christmas from el Rancho Asno Blanco

As we near the end of our first year in operation at el Rancho, I feel blessed.

The animals are a constant reminder that simple things have value. The donkeys are always happy to see us, braying a capella  in that mournful longears voice. The sound lets me know my presence is both valuable and wanted. The goats remind me that staying together and working together is both safer and more enjoyable-- it can keep the wolf from the door!

The new kids remind me that when you need to bounce, bounce!

And sometimes you just need a nap.

Some things have been really challenging, like realizing that I can no longer work straight through without a break for several hours, and that sometimes I just need to sit and rest my feet. Bending over to tie ground-level wire  is a no-no, so I bought extra pairs of jeans because the seat of the pair I'm wearing is probably wet and/or dirty. I got a new warshing machine, so that's not a problem at all! I also sit on the ground to trim goat feet, but more importantly I sort the goats so that I can do the ones with the hardest hooves first, before my hand strength gives out. Work smarter, not harder. (I do try to heed my husband's advice!)

Being at el Rancho, 10 - 20 miles from a store, also brings out the Girl Scout in me. Be prepared!  Thus, the back of the car has my 'vet box' containing all types of med, syringes, needles, and tools for the goats and donkeys, as well as ibuprofen for me. There are halters, ropes and head ties, random tools, feed and treats. Extra t-shirts, towels and trash bags. Plus stuff that usually resides in a car! Recently the back seat has held bags of wood shavings for the baby goat house, a few sacks of goat feed, and Christmas presents!

And gloves, lots of gloves. I almost always have on gloves at el Rancho. If my hands don't hurt and I'm doing little things, I wear thin leather gloves (do the goats care that they are kid gloves?). I also have some thick cowhide gloves, Isotoner nylon stretchy gloves, cotton gloves, and Mechanix gloves with knuckle guards. A bad enough rap or twist on the fingers can find that hand out of commission for a day or two, so I am careful.

At the end of the day, some of which are long, it's all worth it. My animals are healthy and content, the family is closer to making the big move to el Rancho, and I am still able to get out in the fresh air and work. Now is a great time to remember those you love and tell them so.

And for heaven's sake, don't forget to hug the donkeys!