two for tito.

hay!

tito turned two months old! his little horns are growing. and he's been weaned down to two bottles a day. leaves and grass are replacing milk. he's been outside for a month now and is fitting right in with the rest of the herd. although, he still prefers the company of humans.

comin' at ya!

dried leaves are like 'tater chips.

sitting in a chair on the porch.

on a sad note, we lost of one the orphaned twins, russell this week. we knew this might be a possiblity. orphaned goats have a harder time. their immune systems can take a hit making it difficult to fight off even the least aggressive diseases. still, we are heartbroken. his sister, ramona is doing well. and we are hoping she will thrive and grow into a lovely pygora doe.

been so long...

sorry i've slacked this week on posts. haven't really felt up to it with the loss of marla. can't bear to break out the old canon and shoot any pics. but i will let you all know the kids are fine. russell and ramona are doing phenomenally well. have not needed milk replacer. weaned themselves. amazing little creatures. they are growing by leaps and bounds. and the goat heard has taken them under their collective wing. and then there's the sheep... who also have a bond with the twins. so, things are going really as well if not better than can be expected.

me, i started my new part-time job today. caretaker. my father in law (who had a stroke back in april) is at home and needing assistance during the day between home health visits from his various therapists and while my mother in law goes back to work. i will be doing this a few days a week alternating with other relatives who are giving their time as well. never pictured myself in this position, but here i am. and after all my cancer/surgeries/etc... i have a bit of experience. if nothing else as a patient. and it's nice to be able to give something back. karma for all the love and care i received when i was in need.

promise new pictures sometime soon. until then, check out my husbands new blog, provenance farm which is exclusively illustrated with photographs by the brilliant photographer known otherwise as me.

c'mon 842!

goat eight hundred and forty two

all the pregnant nannies have delivered except for resident refugee 842. marching to her own drum as usual, she prefers to bang her head against barnyard gate and practice her vocabulary. in addition to "ma, ma, ma" she has added "hot, hot, hot". perhaps she thinks she is one hot mamma. i choose not to delve too far into her riddled mind. it frightens me.

instead, how bout some cute kid pics?

audrey in the sky with straw

i'm russell!

leaping leon!

ramona

twins, goat mid-wife, and the mark of the horn.

this has been an interesting week. two days after audrey was born, marla finally gave birth! to twins! a boy and a girl. she had them in the morning before i awoke. and after constant observation, the little boy did not appear to be nursing and looked a tad unthrifty. baby goats need to nurse especially right after being born. if they do not get colostrum (milk with antibodies from mom that is only produced for first day or so after birth), they will die. i first tried to get the little feller to nurse. tried holding him up to nipple and squirting a bit of milk. the little man wouldn't have it. and to top it off, marla panicked a bit. marla is a big big goat. and even though we've had her for over a year, she is still pretty wild. oh and by the way, all this is happening while my husband is at work. so i'm here alone. step two: try to milk marla. why did i think this was even a possibility? i crawl into kidding pen with her. and bribe her with treats. grab a hold of her horns. and then let go with one hand and try to access teat. she takes advantage of the loosened grip and tries to butt me. i put free hand back on horn. talk sweetly to her. pet her nose a bit. then try again. again she tries to attack. this goes on several times. and finally ends with... bam! she flings me against the side of the stall. and leaves a perfect imprint of her horn on my thigh.

i decide i need to jump ahead to plan 3: drive to town and pick up colostrum replacer. long story short. fed little boy colostrum replacer several times throughout the day. and by evening he nursed from mum. and is doing well. meet russell and ramona....

the twins and marla

russell (named after russell brand)

ramona (named just because it sounds good)

a few days go by. and we wake to daisy going into labor right as jason is going to work. he asks if i'm going to be ok alone. i feel confident. daisy is a sweetheart and has no horns. i gather my supplies. bucket, warm water, book with birthing assistance instructions, gloves, lube, and snippers (in case i need to trim umbilical cord). i take a seat in field with daisy. and watch as her water breaks and bubble appears. next i see two little hoofs. no head yet. she seems to be straining. goats need assistance if labor goes on for more than half an hour after water break. so... i consult book. by this time daisy really looks like she needs help. i put on gloves. lube up hands and grab hold of the two little hoofs. then i see something frightening. it looks like the baby has suffocated. it's tongue is sticking out of mouth and appears rather blue. i gentle pull on hooves and the head comes all the way out. i wipe the mucous off face. i see little nostrils blowing bubbles. i clear mucous away from mouth and out comes a sweet little cry. the rest of goat slides out. mom is fine. baby is fine. she cleans him. and within a half hour the little boy is standing and nursing. what an amazing act.

daisy and little boy (not named yet since this just happened)

mother and son

what's next? 842 is still pregnant. i feel it will be within the next few days. and talk about wild goats.... 842 makes marla look like a trained poodle. i'll be wearing armour on that day.