We knew this day was coming last fall when Jessica and her family visited us at the homestead. After listening to the family, learning their goals and needs in respects to having goats, we offered to sell them Keren Happuch and Jesse. In addition, we offered to breed Keren to one of our unrelated bucks, either Ethan or Eli, with the hopes of producing at least one additional doe to start their herd. Deposits were taken and a deal was struck. Since their barn had not been built and the woods that their goats would roam were yet unfenced, we agreed to keep Keren and Jesse with us until Keren kidded in the spring.
Jesse 2014
Over the fall months, we enjoyed several visits with the family and grew more and more pleased with the arrangements. My biggest concern was hoping that 18 month old Keren would cooperate and get pregnant. My hope was for a single doe to be born. Twins are nice, but just starting out, I thought three goats testing fencing, needing hoof trimming and regular care were probably sufficient. It had been for us. The reason for my hope of Keren kidding a doe is obvious. While whethered bucks are every bit as cute and make great pets, this family wanted milk for cheese, yogurt, and soap making- a doeling would be a better result.
Keren kidded on March 16th. One large and lusty doe. Weighing in at nearly 7 pounds and feisty from the start, this little girl was all I could have asked for. Keren kidded beautifully. Her maternal instincts kicked in immediately. Text book. Jessica arrived just minutes after the kidding and took a hand in caring for her doe and new doeling. We discussed what was best for her family and decided to wait a week (for Piper to get established with nursing and past any potential immediate medical concerns) and 5 days more (so Keren could get introduced to milking).
As it turned out, Piper needed nothing from us. She took to milking immediately and is a healthy, thriving kid. Keren's first go at milking was every bit as difficult as we anticipated. She kicked up her back legs, stepped in the bucket, stepped on us, and generally made her displeasure known. We collected a good amount of milk that first day despite Keren's best efforts to thwart us- none of it usable. Day two was markedly better. Keren attempted to kick at the very beginning, but within minutes settled into eating her grain. We did not let our guard down, but I had every hope that in a few days, she would settle down.
I was relieved to learn from Jessica that she did. It took her a couple days to settle in and eat as much as she should. Grain + Hay + Demand = Milk Supply. Keren chose to not finish her grain. Jessica tried to tempt her interest with some cracked corn. A couple mouth fulls and Keren was bored with that, too. We suggested mixing in some healthy greens, like carrots, spinach, and peas with her grain. The salad worked. (Or, Keren just settled in from the shock of moving to her new home, realized she was treated like a queen and decided eating would resume.) Either way, her milk production has began to increase. It is still much less in quantity than I hoped for, but with time and patience, I am
eager to see how well she performs.
And, the family? They are over the moon...
Their chariot awaits...
Jesse and Keren settled in for their ride to their new home
I will explore after I am convinced there is food in this new place...
The Walk of Triumph... Goats are in the Hooooouse... *ahem* Garage...
Jesse noticed some places that needed shoring up first thing. Very helpful of him. ;)
Lally Broch Farm Goat Adoption Kit
Our Adoption Kit:
* Basic Goat Guide and Workbook with your goat's medical history and parentage, custom breeding charts, recipes, medical, worming and milking worksheets, resources and space to write your own observations.
Piper thinks her grain manger is a perfect daybed.
* Carrying Tote
We have written it before, but it bears repeating... Our goal is not to simply breed goats. We do things differently than many larger operations (Steps on Soap Box....) For us, it is not about pedigree or show titles, but rather about breeding responsibly in order to produce the healthiest kids possible. Our desire is to build the best milk producing lines, as organically and naturally as we can. Though many of our goats could be ADGA registered, we do not pursue that. Thus, our goat kids are not tatooed. Since we have no interest in showing goats at fairs, (where it is a requirement to do so) we do not disbud our kids. We believe that goats should have their horns intact. I started writing about our philosophy of care and went off on a HUGE tangent. Erased from this post, I expect it will come up in one very soon.
Jessica says, "Life is good, drinking coffee with your goat."
Back to the point of this post, we want our kids to have the best start in their new home. To that end, we are available to help answer questions if the need arises. We provide an adoption kit with every kid. We will not sell single kids. And, we will take the time to listen to you about your needs before we talk about your purchasing kids from our herd for yours. This was our first experience with selling goats from our herd. I am thrilled it was so positive for all of us.
We will have a limited number of goat kids available for adoption this year. Stay tuned for that post in the coming months. :)
Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're sure glad you are here.
The sweet scent of fresh hay and newly-born goat kids lingers on my clothes and I am in need of another shower. I couldn't be happier. Sean was right. Keren kidded quickly in less than an hour just after noon time. Keren's new human, Jessica, wanted to try to be present for her kidding. We'd been texting through the morning with updates, hoping to be able to give enough notice for her to be there without spending all day waiting around in the barn. But, when it was time to come, that kid was on no one's schedule but her own!
We were able to catch a video of her, making her grand entrance:
Jessica arrived about 20 minutes after Piper entered the world. Other than the necessary task of helping to dry her off, we left everything else for Jessica to see and/or participate in as far as she was comfortable with.
Keren did great kidding and possesses good maternal instincts. As soon as Piper was born, Keren immediately helped clean her off, calling softly as she licked her new kid dry, learning each other's scents and voices.
I love the look on Piper's face as Sean checks to see her gender.
Our most pressing hope was for a healthy kid. Second to this, we really wanted a doe for Jessica's family. We bred Keren specifically so that her kid would not be related to Jesse. A doeling would give her a nice start for her family herd, since both Keren and her kid would be able to be bred with Jesse. As if we had anything to do with matters, Sean and I shared an enthusiastic "high-five" automatically when we discovered that the newest kid was a doe.
Piper tipped the scale at nearly 7 pounds, a healthy respectable weight for a first kid. Piper is 1/2 Lamancha, 1/4 Oberhausli and 1/4 Boer. She should grow to be a good sized doe with hybrid vigor and a decent milk supply. Piper inherited her Daddy's Lamancha elf ears. A quick inspection of Keren showed a nicely-developed udder; large in size, evenly filled, and attached well. I couldn't be happier about Jessica's prospects for her new herd.
Jessica's goats will remain here for about a week. This will give Keren time to settle into motherhood and to make sure Piper is growing as she should. It is bitter sweet to see our first goats leave the farm to begin a new family. Keren is two years old now and a mother in her own right. Jesse was born last year and is ready to sire kids. Sean and I are extremely selective about who we sell our kids to; a wealth of knowledge and experience are not necessary, good hearts and a love of goats is a MUST. It is not about selling goat kids quickly to make a few bucks. It is about finding the right homes for our kids.
Our farm is not the least expensive place to purchase goat kids, but our kids are healthy, friendly, and come from a good line of milkers. We spend time talking with perspective buyers answering their questions and asking our own. We have to feel good about where our goats are going to live. We only sell goat kids in pairs. Our kids come with documents detailing their parentage, medical history, and pictures of their births- if we have them. We also supply a basic goat first aid kit and are on call to answer questions for folks for as long as they need us. As I said, Sean and I are thrilled with the new family these goats will have. I know they are going to be well-loved. ♥
For those keeping track, we now have seven healthy goat kids born this season. Four kiddings completed with excellent results, two (maybe three) more to go before we are done for the year. We'll have updates with images and video to share with you.
Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're sure glad you came.
My intention of holding a little give-away based on guessing first, when Rachel would kid and then, when Leah would do the same was foiled by my coming home to find them newly delivered, wet and cold in our barn last night. I am pleased to announce that Kelly Ann, who guessed April 7th, was the closest to the correct day and is the winner. Please, email me your address and I will send you a semi-fabulous prize. ♥
For the past few days, I have had a horrible sinking feeling that I have been unable to shake. I actually thought that something was going to go wrong with the goats. It got to the point that I confided in Sean that I have him turn on the lights and check the stalls each morning before me because I am afraid of what I will find. It is an unfounded fear and irrational, but perhaps understandable in the wake of Sapphira and Pepper's shocking deaths last month. Sean assured me that everything was fine and it was. I still couldn't shake this feeling.
Sean and I discussed how to arrange our schedules to maximize the amount of time one of us was home through April, so when the new kids came, we would be there. Leah miscarried last year, but Rachel had never been bred. Being new "Mommas-to-Be," Sean and I wanted to be present to assist in any way we could- even if the Momma is doing all the hard work. By my calculations, Rachel and Leah were not due for another month. Rachel had just began to "bag up" (fill her udder), but Leah looked no where near ready. They were not exhibiting any signs of imminent delivery; no change in their regular behavior that we discerned, no discharge of mucus, and they were both still relatively small- nothing like the ungainly mass Miss Ruby attained to before her delivery.
I had to work an event for my regular job, which was going to take me from home for about 4 hours, but Sean and his game night friends were hanging out at our house after Sean got home from his work in the evening. Normally, Sean will check everyone and give their evening feed and water when he gets home at 5 pm. Wanting to tidy the house before his friends arrived, he thought to delay that until I got home at 6 pm. Hands full of brief case and pizzas, I heard the goats all calling in the stall as I walked inside. While I got dinner settled for the guys, I asked Sean to check on the goats and put everyone to bed for the night. Not 5 minutes later, Sean returned inside with 2 wet, cold, and very clearly newly-birthed kids. I grabbed towels from our vet bag and wrapped the kids in them and headed to the bathroom to get them clean and dry. Sean returned to the barn to see who had kidded and get her moved into the basement kidding stall.
My job was to get those kids warm immediately. I laid one on the floor, wrapped in a towel and began to wash off the other with warm water and a clean cloth. It only took a few minutes to clean the first kid up. A quick check to see it was a "him" and then, he was bundled into clean dry towel and given to Seth (one of Sean's friends) to hold near the wood stove to warm up further.
Sean returned inside with both Rachel and Leah. Both of them had red and bloody tail ends, made more obvious by their white coats. Rachel had a stringy glob of placenta hanging from hers. At this point, we were unsure whether they were both in the process of kidding or if they each already had. Sean carried them into the basement and returned with some grain, fresh hay and molasses laced water for them. Our does always want to eat and drink while they are in labor and after they are delivered. Having delivered 4 human children, I was always more interested in a warm shower and some sleepy time after having my babies, but I am not about to argue that with our does. They want a bale of hay, an extra half ration of grain and buckets of water? Then, THAT is exactly what they shall have!
While Sean was settling in the does, I took 5 minutes to wash off and dry kid number 2. She was very cold and limp. She did not bleat at all while I cleaned her. This sent up a red flag, but getting her clean, warm, and dry was my first priority. I was hoping the handling of her, the drying and the warming, would perk her up. It did, but she was still not as active as the other kid. I brought both kids to the basement to be with their Mom or Moms. How would we know who belonged to whom? We hoped they would know. Thankfully, they did.
Leah responded to the buck's calls with licking and allowing him to suckle. Rachel was interested in the doe's cries, but would not allow her to nurse. Rachel licked the doe kid head to tail, but moved away when the doe tried to latch on. Ruby acted similarly after she birthed Hadassah, not wanting to nurse until she'd delivered both her kids. So, though I was a little worried, I was not overly concerned about it. I thought that perhaps Rachel had another kid to deliver or maybe she was just new to this whole thing and needed some time to figure it out. I was encouraged that Rachel was protective of the doe, even if she wouldn't nurse yet.
Judah born March 23, 2013 Weight 7 pounds
Oberhausli/Boer (Sire) & Sanaan/Lamancha (Dam)
I spent 3 hours with the goats, clearing soiled hay, watching them interact with their young, and taking pictures. I made certain that the does' udders were clear and their precious colostrum was available. I attempted to help the doe kid to latch on, but she both she and Rachel were disinclined to nurse. Rachel passed the placenta and I disposed of it. I suspect Leah had already delivered hers in the barn and disposed of it herself. No other kids were born. I remained a little anxious that our doe was standing stiffly and not moving about like the buck was. I checked her tail and cleared some meconium (the first tar-black, sticky waste). But, I decided that since there did not appear to be anything physically wrong with her, I would give them some time to settle in and re-assess things in another hour. It was nearly 9 pm, I was covered in yuck and more than ready formy own (now cold) dinner, too.
We needed some names for these new ones. We decided to name Leah's lad, Judah. And, Rachel's lass, Keren. Judah was the name of one of the Biblical Leah's sons. Keren is the shortened form of Job's lovely daughter, Ke'ren Hap'puch.
Keren born March 23, 2013 Weight 6 pounds
Oberhausli/Boer (Sire) & Sanaan/Lamancha (Dam)
We checked the does at 10 pm. Leah and Judah were settled in just fine. Rachel was laying down, resting, but she was not laying closely with Keren. Keren was cold to Sean's touch, especially her hind legs and stomach. Sean brought Keren upstairs with him and we discussed whether we might need to bottle feed her. If we did, at least, we would have a plentiful supply of milk handy. That was a last resort, though. We believe that animals thrive best when they are allowed to live the way they were created to. We bottle feed as a last resort. Other farmers have their own philosophies and practices, but this is how we do it.
It was late and we were all tired. I hoped that Keren was just tuckered out from being born and that once she was rested and warmed thoroughly, she would do better. I could not keep my eyes open for another minute, so Keren came to bed with us. Trying to infuse my warmth into her, I snuggled Keren unto the crook of my left arm, wrapped my knees around her tail end in the form of a "comma", and we all went to sleep. Drifting off into the "half" sleep that many parents develop, I remembered holding my own children so, when they were newborn infants. I cannot say I slept well. First of all, I am fighting a sinus infection, which makes my breathing labored. Secondly, I was mindful of not rolling over, nor releasing my protective arm from around Keren. And, without a diaper for protection, I was mentally prepared to move quickly, should the need arise.
Around 1 am, Keren stirred and began to "meeeeh" softly. I woke Sean and asked him to bring her to her mom to see if Rachel would respond. A few minutes passed until Sean returned kid-less back to bed. When the does heard Keren's cries, all 3 mothers woke and stood. This aroused all the kids, who simultaneously began to nurse- including Rachel and Keren. This morning, when we checked them again, everyone was behaving normally, nursing with vigor, and doing well. What a relief!
I spliced together this video for you from the footage I captured last night.
Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We are glad you are here.
Sean and Sonja ♥
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