There's gold in these hills.....

This is Mysty.

A couple of weeks ago before she kidded, we took pictures of her while she was in early labor- she was so huge that we thought she would have quads!

I've always loved her udder and the way she milks- she is wonderful on the milk stand and always a lady, to be sure.

Now, this story isn't really about Mysty- it is about Winsome and her triplets.

Winnie is one of my Guernsey girls. She came from Joan Stump in PA in January and is not a pushy goat- she also has been very polite, so much so, that I feared she would not hold her pregnancy. When Winnie arrived, she became frightened and ran, until we gave her some cookies and then she was just fine. She even found she had friends in the herd from her old home.

So, this last Tuesday, Winnie decided it was finally 'time', so I got her out and made her a place in the shed. Last Tuesday was also a big weather day as well- alternating sun, cold, snow, rain, wind and back again. After two hours of practice pushing and insisting she needed to go back into the barn instead of this nice dry hay to kid on, I let her back in and went into the house for some chicken soup.

After about a half hour, my husband walked into the door and said that there was somone making a huge racket in the port-o-huts. I stepped outside and heard Chicago-

....rubbing his scur violently against the metal. And then I heard a different new baby voice- so we hoofed it out there quick and found Winnie standing wide eyed over three tiny goo covered babies. husband ran for towls and we brought them into the house. Now, Winnie looked like she had one in there- where in the world did she hide three!

And I was very proud of Chicago for being such a good daddy goat and taking care of Winnie by sounding the alarm when the babies needed help!

Winnie is HB1 level BGS Guernsey and these babies are BH2 level BGS Guernsey. Their sire is a purebred BGS Golden Guernsey named S'wind Pendragon, so their names lend themsleves to their mythos- Guinevere, Morgainne, andTaliesin. I tried to get Tally to accept the name Arthur, as it would be a natural progression, but he said he wanted to be Taliesin. After all, he has a 'star on his brow'. :-)

These babies are our first HB2 level kids to be born here, and I could not be happier. Welcome home babies- it makes me really happy to know that my little grandson William will be able to grow up with them and be their friend.

The Kiddie-Winky Condo

I finally got some work done at the shed, the babies got their kid pens- the first big jug was already up at the shed and we got the old hay cleared out enough to put up some 16' hog panels for walls, feed dishes, water bucket and feeders. This one is much bigger than the baby pen we put up last year, and adding a second one for smaller kids will make things much easier.

I call it 'The Kiddie-Winky Condo'.

When a set of babies gets big enough, we set these up so I can put the little ones up at night after they have dinner, let the mamas back into the doe pen or up into the woods, and milk the mamas in the morning. It also allows me to feed the babies with medicated feed to prevent certain parasites that keep babies from growing out well, not to mention keeping their 'hussy' moms from eating all the babies' food!

The jugs seem to be about 4' by 4', or thereabouts, and very heavy duty plastic. they can be bedded down easily and just as easily kept clean.

Since the jug has a screw off lid, a heat lamp can be placed through the top and still be safe for keeping little ones warm on cold nights.

My husband came out to the barn today to prep the hay conveyor for being sold- there was this hen, I think a Golden Comet, who had recently come into the flock that would not leave either of us alone. Methinks she was hand raised and is quite friendly. So, when my elder daughter came out to give me a hand with something, this hen decided that my daughter was the person to bond with. The hen jumped up into her lap and began to cuddle in my daughter's arm. What a hoot!

The last thing that happened today was getting to see a couple of colts that had been born at Carver's Orchard in Cosby. We went for lunch, and to pick up fresh apple cider and grapefruits. this was our reward!

(Stay tuned- the next farm field day is coming- Memorial Day weekend- I'll make an announcement soon.)

It's Spring! ....Well, almost

Young master Willian Salem Snyder-Bush made his entrance into the world on January 29, 2009, to a much relieved Katie and Chris. After two hours- yes! two hours! - of labor, he plopped out and began to charm everyone he meets.

Am I a proud Grandmommy? Yes, I am . :-)


These are our spring goat babies so far.......

With the exception of the little guy sniffing the blue bucket above, all the goats in this picture are looking for new homes. Over the next week, we will have several Saanen does have their babies and then we can start milking for the year-

I've got several does that need to find new situations, and most kids will also need to move their sweet selves to new digs. I've got three Guernsey milkers that need to go after they kid, so if you want to get into the BGS Guernsey program here is your chance. With the exchange rate really good just now, it's not as pricey. And there will be three Saanen milker, plus all but three doe kids that must leave, to keep the herd manageable in these uncertain times.

Email me for particulars......