GRAPHIC: Becca Gives Birth

Becca with her kid

Plans changed.

We thought I was going to make two double batches of soap and then work on some lotions for delivery to our friends at Tiller & Rye in Brewer, ME. Sean thought he was going to frame in and install a door in Bucksport, ME. Nope. By 8 am, plans changed. 

Mid-delivery.

Becca was in active labor, pushing. A few days earlier than I had planned, but nothing to worry about. A quick check showed perfect placement; nose and hooves getting ready to greet the world. Larger than I would like to see in a goat of her size, which made me think she probably had only a singleton coming. I HATE singleton births. In my experience, 9 out of 10 times, a single kid is larger than kids born as twins. As such, they often require assistance. Sometimes that assistance is not enough and the kid or the mother is lost.  

First Milk.

Still, Becca is a pro at this and I was aware of the potential risk, but I wasn't overly concerned. Within an hour, and with very little help from us, Becca delivered a strapping, healthy son. Like Tabby's son, Riker- he was a monster in size and was quickly able to stand, walk, and nurse. 

Cleaning.

Julia in labor

Just as Becca was finishing her delivery, Julia went into labor. Julia is a two-year-old, first freshener. (A first freshener means that this is her first pregnancy.) First pregnancies always make me nervous. Complications can happen to any goat, but I always worry more the first time through. I think it has to do with (1) the uncertainty of what might happen and (2) past bad experiences with unproven does. Does tend to follow trends, like whether their milk comes in early or later or how long they labor. With record keeping, (and barring fluke occurrances) you can almost map out a delivery. As to the second point, our worst experiences seem to come from young, inexperienced does. Julia worried me so much more than Becca. Would she have ring womb (failure to dilate)? Would she have kids in bad positions for delivery? 

My gut felt wrong. We messaged our local group of goat folks and asked neighbor, Shea Rolnick from @Knotty Goat Soapery to be on stand by. Sean called our veterinarian, Dr Caputo of Belfast Veterinary Hospital to let her know we might have a problem. Then, we waited. 

The first stage of labor can take some time. Does will sit and stand- seemingly unable to find a comfortable spot (I remember this well from my own pregnancies!), stare off into space, may want to eat or go off food. Until they start actively pushing, there isn't a lot to do. We try to keep the doe as comfortable as possible and wait with her. Around noon, Julia was still in the first stage and seemed to be making slow progress; her vulva was opening and a small stream of mucus started.  Knowing we could still be hours away, Sean and I went inside for breakfast and to warm hands and feet. We continued to check on her every few minutes. 

Around 1:30, Julia began to really dilate and actively push. We could just see a hoof. It was big. Too big really, but we weren't overly concerned yet. 30 minutes later, we messaged Shea asking her to come out. Julia continued pushing to no progress. I gloved up, slathered on lots of lubricant and carefully felt inside to feel what the situation was. I felt the right front hoof and head just above that. I slipped fingers along the other side, but couldn't feel the second hoof. Not perfect, but still maybe workable. I was most concerned with the kid's size. Normally, I would begin attempting to pull a kid, if I can, but concerned about the size, not wanting to put Julia through unnecessary pain if she was going to need a C-section at the vet, and knowing that a second opinion was only minutes from arriving, I decided to wait. 

Shea arrived and repeated my exam. She was also concerned with the size of the kid presenting. She attempted to pull the kid very gently, just trying to see if there was any wiggle room and quickly ascertained there wasn't. We were Veterinarian bound. 

At the Veterinarian

We carried Julia to Sean's van and drove the 20 minutes to Belfast. They took her in immediately. We waited in the parking lot. We explained we were willing to pay for a C-section if needed. About 40 minutes later we got the call telling us that the kid did not survive, but Julia thankfully did. 

Julia was sent home with pain meds, an antibiotic and instructions for watchful care over the next 72 hours. Back in the barn, Julia settled into her private stall and ate grain and hay with a decent appetite, but not her normally voracious vigor. That is to be expected with the pain meds she was given. 

It is always heartbreaking when we lose an animal- even one we hadn't truly met. We'll spend the night examining all the decisions we made; it is easy to second guess each one. And, we'll balance that with visiting with sweet, healthy kids and our beloved herd. 

Becca & Healthy Son

For those keeping track. We have had seven healthy kids born to five mothers; and one mother with a lost kid. By our count, we have ten more deliveries for 2021 before we can breathe easy. I hope the rest of them are as easy as the first five were. 

Thanks for visiting with us tonight, Friends. 
Sean & Sonja

Molly Goes on a Diet

Maternity Photo Shoot
Photo Credit: Caitlin Phair

While Molly was pregnant, her food needs increased to help care for those growing pups. After her emergency spay and the heart breaking removal of her deceased pups, her dietary needs changed. We adopted two 6 week old Border Collie puppies for her to foster, feed, and care for. This is not something we planned for, but the back story seems important for context, so I will retell it here. (I wasn't writing at the time it happened, and only shared it on our FB page.) 

We were very pleased to allow Molly the chance to be a mom. Our dogs and cats are routinely spayed to help control the pet population. But, we decided to allow Molly to breed one litter for several reasons including her temperament, intelligence, age, and her disinclination to accept outside dogs to our lives. {Our 10 year old Husky, Fenn, was laid to rest the year before due to a marked deterioration in his health. Our 17 year old Pomeranian mix, Buster, passed in 2020, when Molly's adopted puppies were about 5 months old.} With Molly reaching middle age, we didn't want to wait until she was gone before welcoming another dog to love. We found a lovely sire in a young, healthy German Shepherd we knew. He had just the characteristics we hoped to meld with Molly's- intelligence, loyalty, desire to work, and the ability to deter wild predators from preying upon our herds. Black Lab/German Shepherd pups were exactly what we wanted and we had a waiting list of families to adopt the rest of the litter. With this being her first and only litter, and with minimal exposure, we hoped for a smaller litter size.

Molly in labor with her toy "babies".
May 3, 2020.

We got that right- Molly became pregnant with a litter of two. Honestly, that was perfect since both pups were claimed and would be loved. We would keep one and my eldest daughter claimed the second puppy. In actuality, it was not so perfect. The day of delivery things were proceeding normally. We were in touch with our veterinarian just in case there were any complications, but it looked to be going well. Within a short period of time, the first kid was born. It was stillborn. That was sad, but we didn't lose heart. We didn't know at the time that there were only two pups growing, so we expected the next pup would be born alive. Time passed. We called our Veterinarian again. Pups should be born fairly regularly in a normal delivery. Something was wrong.

An ultra sound revealed one other pup inside. It was giant. Much too large to be born naturally... and it wasn't moving. The veterinarian was almost certain the pup was already gone. Our hopes were further shattered when they advised an emergency c-section AND spay. It was too dangerous to Molly's health to allow her to try again. 

We were scared and devastated. Molly was our first priority. We pooled every penny we had to fund her surgery. What should have been a relatively easy (so much so that controlling the unwanted pet population is an ongoing challenge) and joyous event turned into a nightmare. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we couldn't even be inside the building with her while she waited for surgery. The technician suggested we go home and they would call us in the morning. Nope. That wasn't happening. Sean and I waited in the van in the parking lot through the night. In the morning, we took our girl home.

Molly snuggling her new puppy, Luna.

Immediately, Molly was changed. I wouldn't have thought she knew what was wrong, other than the obvious after care of having surgery. The pain medication she was given kept her physical pain in check. Her behavior was something else entirely. She was in mourning. In the days after her surgery, she created nests around the house and filled them with squeaky toys. She frantically attempted to nurse them and frustrated howled and bayed when they didn't move or respond. I have never seen anything like this kind of deep, mourning in any animal in our care. I've seen cats lose a kitten, cry for it, then accept its loss and continue living. Sometimes a goat doe will call for her lost kid, they sniff the dead body, and accept its loss while they care for their living young. Nothing prepared me for the kind of mourning Molly was experiencing. After a return visit to our vet, a visit by a close friend (and former vet tech) who knew Molly personally, and much prayer and discussion, Sean and I looked for a pair of young puppies to adopt for Molly to care for.

Luna

I am convinced we found an answer to our prayer in finding a pair of 6 week old Border Collie pups. I found the listing in my search for fostering puppies who might need milk. I wasn't sure Molly would accept them or want them- they weren't tiny pups. At 6 weeks, they were drinking their Mother's milk occasionally, but were eating solid food already. We made sure that the farm would accept them back if that was the case. The point was to help Molly, not cause her additional stress. We carried the puppies home, wrapped in Molly's blanket to help transfer some of her scent. Molly's behavior changed almost instantly. She sniffed the pups, cleaned them, and offered them milk. She stopped whining non-stop and turned her attention to caring for the new pups. I was so relieved. Within 24 hours, it was clear the pups would be accepted and stay.

Echo & Luna
Belfast Dog Park 2020

The larger puppy became part of my daughter, Caitlin's home. She rents our basement apartment, so the transition when it came, was both smooth and easy. She named her puppy Echo. The smaller puppy joined our family. We named her Luna. Molly and Luna are best friends. Echo comes upstairs for doggy daycare while Caitlin is away at work and returns home with her mother in the evenings. The dogs have an outside yard that connects to both our back doors so they can come and go and play as they want to. It is an arrangement that works well. 

Molly is so patient with Luna

The puppies have very different personalities. Echo is quiet and loves to cuddle. She has learned to shake hands, turn in circles and sit when asked. She also loves chasing a frisbee and retrieving sticks. Luna is pure energy. Hugs are not appreciated, but she wants to be next to me wherever I am and constantly looks to me for direction whatever we are doing. Luna knows sit, lay down, catch, back up, off, to me, come and we are working on stay. She is getting better at catching her frisbee. She has been introduced to the goats with the mind that in time, she will help work them with us. 

Echo (left) & Luna (right)

Breakfast~ February 2021
Molly eats much faster than Luna!

All this brings me back to the point of today's post: diet.

While Molly was pregnant and nursing her adoptive puppies, she was fed a puppy food formula before switching to Rachel Ray's Nutrish Dish. We are not animal nutritionists, but we believe that feeding the best food we can afford has a positive impact on our animal's health. We like the ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, dried peas, whole dried potatoes, pea starch, pea protein, poultry fat, cranberries, flaxseed, and vitamins and minerals. We also feed farm fresh raw eggs & farm made plain yogurt a couple of times each week. The puppies are doing great on this formula. In time, however, Molly began to gain too much weight. The combination of being spayed and eating this diet, caused Molly to be about 20 pounds over weight. We tried feeding less at each meal and increasing Molly's exercise, but that didn't work and the pounds stayed on. 

Rachel Ray Nutrish Dish
with added chicken

Concerned about Molly's health, we switched her to another dry food. She is currently eating Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm Raised Chicken dry formula. The ingredients are similar, but it has only 8% fat compared to Rachel Ray Nutrish Dish. And, it seems to be working. She is starting to lose a little extra weight. At her next visit, we will re-examine her nutritional needs with our veterinarian and listen to their recommendations. We want this girl to be in good health and happy with us for as long as possible.

Purina Beneful Healthy Weight
with added chicken

Have you had good success with a particular brand of dog food? Or, one that you didn't like? Share your experience with us in the comments, please! 

Thanks for visiting with us today, Friends. We are happy you are here. 

Sean & Sonja

A Birth Story: Tabitha & Riker

Riker: 24 hours old.
Look at those waddles!

Because we knew Tabitha (Tabby/Tabs) was getting close to her time to go into labor, we were still on goat watch around the clock. For those keeping tabs, this means that 4 of the last 5 days involved setting an alarm for every 3 hours to check for signs of new kids being born. We might not be needed, but it is February and as I have written before, freezing cold nights can cause hypothermia and death in kids quickly. Also, if we *are* needed, we want to be there as quickly as possible to deal with a complication. Tabby went into labor between the 3 am and 6 am barn checks.

Riker was positioned 3rd down on left side.
We assisted the delivery.

At 6 am, there was a discharge and the promise of a hoof just peeking out. Out first thought is always relief when we see that hoof appear. It should be followed by a second hoof and a nose in a perfect presentation. By 6:20 or so, the nose appeared along with the original hoof. She was making slow, but steady progress. We were conscious that the second hoof needed to be coming along, too. If not, we would be looking at two complications which might need our assistance. (1) It could mean the other leg is folded forward and caught up under the kid's chest. In this case, we glove up and glob on lots of lubricant. Carefully inserting a hand with fingers closed together to find the other hoof and help pull it forward. This usually releases the bottle jam and allows the Mother to push the rest of the kid herself. (2) It could mean the other leg is laying flat along the body, in what we refer to as the Superman pose. (See 3rd image on left of diagram.) One leg forward, one leg back. This position causes the shoulder area to be thicker than otherwise is normal and can cause a hang up. In our experience, gentle but firm traction on the delivered leg and head of the kid while the Mother pushes usually is all that is needed to get the second shoulder delivered. Once freed, the Mother can deliver the rest of the kid normally in most cases. 

Riker's head and left front leg presenting.

And so it went with this delivery. Once the head and leg were visible and no other hoof appeared, it was clear we needed to attempt to help. Sean was already gloved and ready. {I had been in charge of taking pictures and videos, so I wasn't wearing gloves. Plus- Sean is stronger than me... like a lot. All things being equal, when required Sean does more of the exterior traction and because my hands are smaller, I do more internal pulling~ if it is necessary.} He held onto the back of the kid's head and it's leg and pulled out and down with each contraction. Within minutes, the kid was delivered to its torso. Sean stopped assisting and Tabby was able to deliver the rest of the kid in 10 minute more. I made sure the kid's mouth and nose were clear of amniotic fluids and encouraged Tabby with my words and hands.

Tabby was immediately attentive.
Between cleaning her offspring, she curled
her lip to check his scent.

Tabby presented us with a gorgeous, single, strapping bucking. He is a beast in size and attitude. Within 10 minutes of being born, he found his feet and began searching for milk. Because the temperature outside was in the 30's, we filled a couple empty soft drink bottles with warm water to provide a warm spot where Mom and kid could lay. Heaters in the barn are a fire hazard that we don't take. These work great to give some ambient warmth on cold days. 

Goats have a vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ)
in the roofs of their mouth. Curling their lip helps draw
new scents into it to help identify them.  

Checking on the pair through the day was a delight. I love healthy, precocious kids who nurse without interference and experienced mothers who clean and care for their young immediately. I'll always be ready to help when it is needed and since I am generally worried about something, its not out of the way to add a new family to my list of concerns and prayers. But, the feeling of contentment and relief that comes in the wake of a good kidding, is the best. When I have nothing to do but enjoy the new life before me, take pictures and videos to share with you all, and pray in thanksgiving. That is the best feeling.

Almost clean

This handsome guy reminds me of beloved Asher, except he has his mother's waddles- which means I love him already in memory of his grandfather. I can't wait to see his personality reveal itself in the coming months. Sean has tentatively named him Riker. Because I know that financially, we cannot keep every single animal who is born here, I understand the need to find good adoptive homes for some of the yearlings each year. We don't separate kids from their moms before they are weaned. And, we don't offer single kids for adoption.

Dry and warming by a water bottle.

Based on the name Sean bestowed, I asked him, "Are you sure we don't want to keep him to be a future herd sire?"

Sean grinned, "Nope. But, for now he is Riker. If we decide he must stay, we can change it."

I can live with that. 

Thanks for visiting with us today, Friends. We are very happy for your company. If you enjoyed this story or if you have any questions, please comment below. I write because I love to and it becomes a diary of the story of our farm. Still, your comments make me feel like I'm not alone here. :) I posted a short video below of Tabitha giving birth. There is a jump from when Riker's head was delivered and his body while I assisted Sean and Tabby, but if you want to see what it is like to help bring new life into the world, check it out.

:) 

Sean & Sonja

Birth Story: Keziah and Damaris & Isaac

As we suspected, Keziah went into labor last night. It was text book in its simplicity. Within 20 minutes both kids were born and within an hour she had them cleaned, dry and nursing. If the rest of the season could go this smoothly, that would be really great. Really, really great. 

In lieu of a long story, since there really isn't much to tell. I have lots of pictures and videos to share with you. I hope you enjoy them. :) 

Damaris

Getting ready to get
down to business

Isaac was born minutes later. 

I love this picture of Mom and kid looking at each other. 

Standing and looking for the milk bar. 

Damaris

Isaac

Damaris & Isaac, 12 hours old

Tabitha looks ready to have her kids any minute. If she has them tonight, I hope to have more videos and pictures to share with you tomorrow. Stay tuned! 

Thanks for joining us today, Friends. We are happy for your company!
Sean & Sonja

Signs that Kidding is Near

Farming, homesteading, husbandry... whatever you want to call it, this life is far from glamorous. For every sigh of relief, triumph of plans actually coming to completion, or simple progress there is the undercurrent of worry, lessons learned the hard way, and the feeling of never getting ahead to balance it. It is not for the faint of heart for sure. 

I do not have to tell you that 2020 was a nightmare. You lived it, too. But, we are pragmatic folk here. No sense in wallowing in the past; time to plan for the future as best we can. As the days lengthen and the promise of warmer weather is in the air, we prepare for the next season: Kidding Season.

We restock and have ready our Kidding Kit: 

Our kidding kit includes: 
* Nitrile gloves (in case we need to assist internally)
* Lube (lube is your friend if you have to assist; use way more than you think you need.)
* Disinfectant for hands or tools
* 6-8 Clean towels (to help drying kids, only if needed.)
* Puppy pads (very absorbant- helps keep area dry and relatively clean
* Scale (to weigh kid)
* Iodine (to dip umbilical cord)
* String (to tie off if needed, rarely necessary)
* Scissors (to cut umbilical cord if needed, rarely necessary)
* Selenium/Vit E paste (in deficient areas)
* Empty grain bag (to dispose of wet puppy pads, gloves, placenta, etc.)
* Kid pulling loop
* Laminated diagram of proper kid placement (helps with figuring out issues if you have to assist.)
* Thermometer (first question vet will ask- temperature of goat in distress)
* Birth Record Form (We record information for each kid. Parents names/breed(s), Birth Date, Weight, Birth Order, Complications, Vaccinations, etc.)

We also make sure to have medications and additional support items, which might be necessary, on hand. 90% of the time, these items aren't needed, but when they are, you don't want to have to locate them at a store after the fact. Being prepared is especially necessary in rural areas when your Veterinarian or the closest stores might be an hour away. 

These include: 

* an antibiotic+ (in case the doe needs one for an infection),
* Karo syrup (for quick sugar applied to gums), 
* pain reliever+ (in case of complications and mother needs some relief)
* colostrum (freshly frozen from another doe, if possible or a powder replacement)
* heating pad (to help warm cold kids. ONLY use with direct supervision. FIRE HAZARD)
* tube feeding tube and 60 ml syringe
* Oxytocin+ (in case of retained placenta. We have a herd of 50 and keep 2 doses on hand
* goat sweaters (only if needed, usually kids and Moms do fine regulating temperature)
* Pack n Play (if Mom dies or rejects kid and you need to bottle feed kids)
* bottles and nipples (if Mom dies or rejects kid and you need to bottle feed kids)

We have 2 kits stocked and ready to go.  Don't forget to have a way to take pictures of your sweet newborn!

+ These items may require a prescription from your farm veterinarian. We recommend discussing your specific needs ahead of time with your trusted veterinarian. 

Iscah presented us with a beautiful doe kid on January 31, 2021. We have many more deliveries to go. We suspect Keziah will kid overnight. She is showing All. The. Signs. She usually delivers in the wee morning hours, so that means we are still on kid check round the clock. Not far behind her is Tabitha. Exciting times! Kids being born means milk for cheese making and goat milk soap production and planning goat hiking activities. These are the things that help pay to care for the goats who live here. We did not host goat hiking in 2020 because we were all new to Covid-19 and what it meant for all of us. After a year of taking precautions under our belt and with the roll out of vaccines, we feel better about planning some private tours for 2021. If you're interested in booking an activity, message us or watch our web page for tickets to reserve your group's private tour within the next month.

Watch the Bangor Daily News video about Hiking with Goats HERE.

If you are new to goat keeping or would simply like to brush up on your reading, I recommend these articles. Because I want to make sure my information is factual and up to date, I prefer to stick to current university papers, or veterinarian written articles. It's not that folks, like me, don't possess knowledge, experience or wisdom, but I am always open to learning new and better ways to care for my herd. I feel that these sources offer the best guidance I can get, along with the advise of my farm veterinarian. :) 

How to Prepare Your Farm for Goat Kidding Season

Goat Reproduction Parturition & Kidding

Thanks for visiting with us today, Friends. We're happy you are here!
Sean & Sonja

First Kid of 2021: Iscah & Ja'el

Ja'el, hours old.

As kidding season closes in, does begin to show various signs of impending birth; the ligaments around the tail soften and feel like they disappear, the udder becomes full, and often there is a discharge. One of the sweetest signs is catching a doe "talking" to her belly. As we get closer, we take precautions to make certain our kidding kit is fully stocked and ready in case we need to intervene. We clear and set up our private kidding stalls and we begin checking on the does every couple hours. 

Empty soft drink bottles refilled
with hot water make great insulators,
along with hay.

Iscah, in typical goat code form, hid all signs of her immediate delivery so she could surprise us with a single doeling between noon and 2 pm check in. Sean went out for what he thought would be a quick perusal of the barn for any does in labor only to find a very loud, half cleaned goat kid all alone. Because the temperature was 10* that day, he scooped her up and brought her inside for me to help warm and clean her up a little more. The internal temperature of goats runs much warmer than humans and to go from a wet, balmy 101-103* to an amniotic fluid covered kid, born in 10* can be shocking. Most of our experienced Mother goats make quick work of cleaning up their offspring. Iscah is still new to the game. She clearly made an attempt before deciding that hay and water beckoned, but didn't finish the job nearly well enough to be entirely useful.

When it is necessary to intervene, we normally employ a gallon zip lock bag to encase the kid, then carefully submerge the bag in a sink of warm water. This is a very efficient way to warm kids quickly. This singleton would not fit into the bag. And, since Iscah chose a dirty corner of the barn to give birth and not a nice clean stall, the kid was covered in frozen bits of stickiness and bacterial laden grime. We used a wet cloth to wash her body well from shoulders to hips and down legs. We left the head and tail messy. It is important to leave Momma's scent on the kid, especially since we don't want bottle babies if it can be helped. While I was cleaning the kid up, Sean went searching for the missing Momma. It is very easy to see who had recently given birth. 

Hay nest for added warmth.

Iscah and Ja'el were reunited in a clean, private kidding stall. Iscah has only had one other kid, born 2 years ago. She was vocal and attentive to her kid, but disinclined to let Ja'el nurse. Sean patiently held Iscah's leg to prevent her from kicking her young. It is necessary for kids to get colostrum within 18 hours of being born- the sooner the better. This gives them some protective antibodies that help the kid to thrive. Ja'el was very weak. She had a suck reflex, but the combination of uncoordinated legs and unwilling Momma made it quite a task. We tried for about an hour before Ja'el was too tired to continue and settled into a hay nest to sleep. Being born is hard work! We left the new family to bond and checked on them regularly, encouraging nursing each time. 

Bottles were quickly accepted.

By evening, it was clear that Ja'el needed some additional help. Sean milked one side of Iscah's udder and I attempted to bottle feed 3 oz of colostrum. Ja'el took to the bottle without any trouble. Satisfied that she had a full belly, we returned her to her mom. Three hours later, we offered a 2nd bottle when we were still unable to get her to latch on well- even with guidance. We set our alarm to checked the family through the night, ready to bottle feed if necessary, but weighing that need against the real risk of nipple confusion and potentially working against our end goal of Iscah caring for her own kid. Sean got Ja'el to drink several times through the night and things were looking up at the 5 am check in. 

At 8 am, Ja'el took a turn for the worst, again. Ja'el was curled up next to the hay manger, cold and slow to respond, away from Mom. We brought her inside to warm her once more. A healthy kid can usually maintain their temperature- even in the cold. But, we believe the extra stress of not being cleaned and dried quickly, maybe set her back and made her susceptible to the cold. Once she was warmed, I attempted another bottle. Ja'el refused it for the first time. Not a good sign. We repeatedly tried to get her to nurse from her mom to very little progress.

Sweater time!

Faced with the challenges of a kid who couldn't maintain her temperature nor yet master her legs and a Momma who was reluctant to nurse, paired with incoming snow and more cold weather, we decided to bring both goats into the laundry room for the night. The tiled floor is easy to clean and the room hosts nothing of danger to harm them. Through all of this, I messaged images and video to my local goat people group. Even when you are sure you are doing the right things, another perspective- other suggestions are useful. Ja'el absolutely refused to take a bottle from me. She would nurse for a minute before plopping down to sleep under her mother. We set the alarm and checked the pair through a second night. Finally at 8 am, Sean witnessed Ja'el nursing normally without assistance. Relief! 

Finally sorted and doing well.

We kept the pair inside until the evening. Iscah finally seemed to fully accept her daughter so we took the chance of putting a goat sweater on Ja'el to help keep her warm in the barn. We watched the pair through the night, but no more assistance was needed on our part. And, with a bit of drama, 2021's kidding season has begun. I am thankful that it turned out well. I really needed to begin this season with some happiness. Ja'el's welcome cetainly fits that bill nicely. 

Thanks for joining us, Friends. We are very happy you are here. 
Sean & Sonja 

That face! Ja'el looks like her Momma.
We think she'll be naturally polled, too.

A Different World

From April 2020:
Did I pick a crazy time to try to return to writing on our website! The world is upside down with fears running wild. In nearly 50 years of living, I have never seen anything like *this*. Schools are closed. Bangor has mandated all non-essential businesses to be closed for the next two weeks. (UPDATE: The State of Maine is under a "Shelter in Place" order until April 30, 2020) Restaurants are "Take Out" only, with doors locked against would-be customers wandering inside. Many people cannot return to their regular workplaces. Some can work from home; others are unemployed for the near future. We are doing the best we can, like many other micro-businesses- we're taking what comes day by day, uncertain if this pandemic is what will cause us to shutter our doors for good. There is no use worrying. Whatever lays at the other side of this will come and we'll adapt to it- even if that means we cannot homestead anymore. We hope that won't be our reality.

We are taking steps to change with the current state of things. Instead of hosting classes in person, we filmed two live demonstrations and offered incentives to purchase soap and lotion from us on Facebook. Additionally, we offered an online lotion making class via the app, ZOOM. I hoped to sell 12 tickets for it. We sold those within 18 hours and went on to sell another 6 besides. In this way, hay was paid for, grain purchased, and the humans living here purchased groceries.

We were blessed richly in other ways, too. The first blessings came from our hay supplier. Generously, our hay guy (who will always be nameless- homesteaders guard their hay source as if they were a hidden treasure- which they *are* in many ways...) offers us credit through the winter months; we settle up in the spring. Each year we hope we won't need to avail ourselves again come winter. It hasn't been the case yet- like many farms, late winter is our hardest time. That extension of credit, in itself, is a rich blessing. When Sean brought a gift of cheese and eggs and paid on our account a few weeks ago, our supplier unexpectedly informed Sean that he cancelled some of the debt because he wanted to help. Stunned by the offer, but not the generosity behind it, Sean declined, but our hay supplier insisted. Then, the folks of Mudpuppy Farm, who are adopting four goats from us this year, picked up several bags of goat grain to help us feed the herd. Their goats are still living on our homestead, and providing grain and hay is our responsibility until the goaties move to their new home. This gift was also unexpected, but no less appreciated. It took some pressure off our shoulders.

Sean is using the forced time home (first inclement weather and then Covid-19) to make real progress on our goals. He built the interior wall separating the milk room from the creamery and installed a couple doors; one to the new breezeway entrance and the other from inside the breezeway leading into the milk room. Sean also installed the new metal roof on the breezeway.

Last weekend, we worked outside. A dear friend, Kathy, donated a 25 foot long piece of metal from when a new roof was installed where she lives. It was the perfect size to replace old, rotting OSB walls in the duck/goose yard. We'll buy another section for the 3rd side, but it looks so much better and will provide a much nicer shelter should any of the birds choose to use it. A spring storm caused the fencing near the roadway to be damaged, but Sean is replacing it, too.

Times are uncertain. We're strictly obeying the Shelter in Place guidelines, but we are also planning for the immediate future, just in case, you know, the world doesn't end just yet. :) It's a rare thing that Sean has extra time at home to work for us. We are going to do our very best to capitalize on that. To move forward with our dairy, creamery, and commercial kitchen licensing, we need to:
(1) Order the new metal roof for the milk room and creamery (April 10th)
(2) Pick up the insulation, plumbing & wiring (April 22nd)
(3) Install the sheet rock for the Creamery (April 29th)
(4) Lay the tile flooring in the Creamery (April 17th)

As of right now, I figure we can spend $1200 on the inside of the creamery. That will just about cover what it will cost in materials. The roofing is another matter. We have our thinking caps on. It's going to be a challenge to come up with an additional $1000 for the roofing materials. Challenging, but not impossible. And when we are through and the Covid-19 is contained, we can't wait to host a party to celebrate with all of you!




I never completed this post to share with you. The world indeed turned upside down. The creamery progressed, but we weren't able to finish it in 2020. Still, the roof was installed, tile flooring finished, walls and cabinetry completed, one sink was dry fit and our heating oven was set it place. And that is where we are today. Still here. Still moving forward. Still uncertain for tomorrow. 

Please stick around, friends. I am thankful for your generous support and am working my way towards once more sharing the stories of our lives with you. 

Sean & Sonja