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 

2020 Kid Snuggle Day(s)

We were really looking forward to making new friends and welcoming returning friends to the homestead this weekend, but with growing concerns surrounding the transmission of Covid-19, we have made the difficult decision to post-pone until April 25th. When the CDC and governing officials ask us to help protect the most vulnerable within our community by avoiding gatherings, we listen. For those of you who have already purchased tickets, we will honor your tickets for the same reserved time on April 25th. If that won't work in your schedule, we have opened June 27th as a back-up date. Emails have been sent to current ticket-holders and we'll follow up by Friday with anyone we haven't heard back from. :)

The upside to this is that we have *more* time to prepare for you! Maybe the studio will be finished before you come? Maybe the goose enclosure will be completed, too? Perhaps we'll have chicks and goslings to snuggle? Who knows! Whatever additional work we can complete, most of all, we'll be looking forward to seeing YOU making friends with the animals who call our homestead their home.

I have updated the new date on the tickets available exclusively online HERE. If you missed out on getting your tickets, there is now still time! ♥

We are looking forward to your visit! 

Eden's Passing

Eden passed at 6 am. Despite the antibiotics and our best efforts, after her initial rally in the morning (see yesterday's posted video), Eden steadily declined through the afternoon and into the evening. Sean and I stayed the night on the couch with her held in my arms. She became limp and unresponsive at 4:30 am and died shortly after.

Initially, Sean attempted to resuscitate Eden, but with her long-term prognosis being grim, I asked him to let her go. While there was a chance for her to recover and for us to look into surgery if she lived long enough to grow large enough to attempt it, I was willing to do what I could to help her survive. Once her body began to shut down, no matter how sweet a kid, we had to let her go as peacefully as possible. She passed in my arms, warm and loved.

This is one of the hardest parts of farming- the feeling of futility that comes in the face of an inevitable loss. It never gets easier. Often such losses feel like a personal affront to the love, care and great effort expended in the hopes of a good outcome. "Not on my watch!" we determine. Then, sanity and reality return. We are not all knowing. We hold no special powers to correct congenital defects. So, we are left with two choices and it is not in us to quit. We choose to do our best for those in our care, whether that means helping them to fight to live or helping them to ease their suffering. We simply do our best. 

What did we learn from this? After 10 years, we were bound to see a case of cleft palette. Along with a myriad of other conditions, it happens. Now that it has happened here, we will know what signs to look for sooner. The prognosis is still poor, but with early detection, we might avoid the complication of aspiration pneumonia. I've been reading up on the condition on reputable Veterinary and Medical sites since Eden was diagnosed. If you want to read more on this topic, these links might interest you:

From Goat Vet Corner: Cleft Palette Information: https://www.facebook.com/notes/goat-vet-corner/cleft-palate-and-cleft-lip/1935830623330010/

Cleft palette in goats because of eating plants: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2089736

Prenatal cleft repair in goats to assist in human applications (We do NOT support intentionally breeding animals with defects in order to cure diseases, but this article is interesting in terms of what repairs might become available to help when this condition happens naturally. Animal testing is repugnant to us.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2089736

I began writing again because I missed it and with the first round of goat kids behind us, and the next set not due until May, I thought this was a good window in which to begin. Lots of posts about chicks hatching, creamery build progress, and happy bouncing kids. In the days to come, I am hopeful to get back to those kinds of happy posts. 

Meanwhile, thanks for visiting with us, Friends. We are glad you are here.
Sonja and Sean♥

Eden's Update

Eden had a rough night. After tube feeding her last night, she was lethargic. Her breathing was labored and raspy. I hoped she was just feeling contentedly "milk drunk", but my instincts feared otherwise. Her lack of energy could be from the struggle to breathe properly with the congestion in her nose and chest. Or, it could be a result of the extra stress of going to the Veterinarian's office and receiving injections of an antibiotic and BoSe. Maybe being apart from her family caused her to shut down in defeat.

We took inventory of the situation. Since Dr. Sarah recommended pulling her from her Mother altogether, we decided keeping her in with us overnight might be best. At worst, Eden might pass during the night in my arms. At best, I could be close enough to respond if she needed us. I wrapped Eden in a soft towel and held her in my arms until 2:30 am. I applied peppermint essential oil in a coconut carrier to the towel near her nose to help loosen her congestion every 90 minutes or so and wiped her nose of any mucus.

She woke with a plaintive cry at 2:30 am. I woke Sean and he took her outside in case she needed to urinate. She didn't. She couldn't stand on her own and at this point we were pretty sure we would lose her before morning. Eden collapsed back to sleep until she stirred again at 6 am. Sean took her back outside to see if she needed to urinate, but again- she didn't and she still couldn't stand. She was fussing and mouthing at the blanket, so we tube fed her 3 oz of warmed goat's milk and dosed her with her antibiotic injection. I didn't tube feed her in the middle of the night because she was so lethargic, she wasn't breathing well, and could barely hold her head up. I don't want to lose her, but I also don't want to contribute to her suffering needlessly.

By 7:30 am, it was time to milk, so Sean brought Eden outside to her mother to watch over while we did that necessary chore. I didn't see it because I was preparing for milking, but Sean reported that as soon as he reached the barn, Eden heard goats bleating in the field and stirred. When she saw Birgitta, she ran to her and immediately attempted to nurse with interest (which is not ideal, but understandable). Birgitta accepted her back, but didn't let her nurse more than a minute before kicking away to eat her own breakfast. By the time I saw her after milking, Eden was following her brother around and attempting to escape through the pen slats.

We tube fed Eden again at 10 am and immediately returned her to her Mom. Birgitta, Micah, and Eden were curled up for a nap at noon. So, that's where we are. Her congestion seems much less than yesterday, but her lack of energy is a huge concern. We'll keep evaluating through the day and night.

Thanks for visiting today. ♥