| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 16 2010 : 11:41:21 AM
Well, the first kid this year that I thought was a girl, is not. It's a stinkin' boy. I noticed he was peeing from the tummy and I thought, well, that's not how a girl pees. So I felt and sure nuf, there they were.
And Faith had hers this morning. Only took about 35 minutes from the time her water broke. I helped pull them both out. One right after the other. And guess what? Pure white twin bucks. So that's 3 so far and we have 2 does to go.
I am not a happy goat momma. At least they are all healthy and cute. I am just a little upset right now. Sorry if I sound bad but this is just a repeat of last year. Like Grounghog Day, the movie.
I still love being there when they have the kids. It's so exciting. Especially when I see the little hooves poking out. I did have to help Faith. She seems really tight at the butt bones so I have to stretch her out and help. I was so glad to see the nose.
So 2 down, 2 to go. I hope I get at least one little doe. I sold the 2 does last year that had my only girls. Not very bright.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 04:01:22 AM
Sherry, By all means you can contact me. This is a incubator that we borrowed from a friend. It had it's own turner. We did keep the incubator in a bedroom. Sometimes I feel that if you keep it in the barn or other outside building the incubator is trying to adjust the temperature to often. Of course, I really don't know. We did notice the fresher the egg, the quicker it hatched out.
Angie, I am so glad you are enjoying our adventures in "Barn Life" I know I would if I didn't live on the farm.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| amomfly |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 03:51:56 AM
What a great chat! It has een great reading this. Lots of luck to all of you ladies on all of your barn animals.
I lvoe this forum!
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 23 2010 : 8:11:00 PM
Well good for you, Gena. Good thing you did wait. The little kids were both completely dry when I went out this morning. So that's good. They seem fine tonight. They do act a little hungry though. Her udders are full and the teats feel like they are sucking on them. So I may need to get them some milk in a bottle in the morning.
I went ahead and put 6 eggs under the silly hen. Just so she'll actually have something to do while she just sits there all day. Now it won't be like she's wasting time for nothing. Maybe they'll all hatch. We'll see.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| sherrye |
Posted - Mar 23 2010 : 7:24:12 PM
gena i am so happy for you. can i get my sons wife angie to connect with you? i just sent her home with 2 incubaters spelling sorry. we are excited. they turn the eggs. thanks sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 23 2010 : 6:42:08 PM
Okay now the total ended up as 10 Buff chicks. They are adorable.
I see you were right about Sandy. I hope it didn't get too cold.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 22 2010 : 4:26:10 PM
Gena, that's great! I don't like ducks either. But 9 Bukk chicks. How sweet. I really don't know how the hatching works. If you should help them or just let nature take its course. Like they might die anyway. So I don't know what I would have done. Or what you're even supposed to do. It is sad but that's nature. When I did the incubater full of eggs, I think 32, and they didn't hatch because I didn't put water in the bottom, I just cried. I could not throw them away for awhile. It was so sad. Because it was about halfway into it when I realized what I had done. Or not done. So I will not do an incubater again.
I do have a Buff hen that has gone broody. Darn hen. I have chased her off that empty nest for a week. I just left her in there tonight. Dumb bird. On an empty nest. So I am wondering if I want to put some eggs under her. If I do and she gets up and wastes all those eggs, I am gonna be MAD! But then do I want mixed birds? And do I want to fool with most of them being roosters too? Oh, what to do?
And still no kid from Sandy. Darn goat! Her udder is getting bigger though. So maybe any day now. How many times have I said that? It's going to be so cold tonight. Watch her have them tonight. She would. Just to spite me now. For all the times I have lifted her tail to look. And messed with her udders. And just watched her. Hmmm... Darn ole goat.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 22 2010 : 3:48:27 PM
Okay, the grand total chicks that made it is 9. I would have had 2 more, but for some reason they started pecking to get out, but died before they pecked their way out. I wonder if I should help them, when it seems to take them to long. There were 3 eggs that don't seem to have anything to come out. I will give those one more day before I throw them out. I thought we did good for not having a clue what we were doing. Now, a friend put 6 duck eggs in there also. It will be the end of the week before they are to hatch. Hubby is hoping they don't make it. That is so mean! We usually don't have luck raising ducks. Something seems to always eat them.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| maggie14 |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 3:55:40 PM
How wonderful Gena!!
Hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Friendship is not something that can be bought, it is earned. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 08:15:16 AM
Kris, They are purebred Buffs. That is the only breed I had. I just bought some assorted banty chicks a couple weeks ago. I am just going to let them free range. I will keep you posted on how many I have. Does anyone know how to tell males from females??
At least that stinky rooster is good for something!!
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 07:27:07 AM
Hey Gena. No little doe yet from Sandy. I checked her a few times last night til about 12:30 then went on to bed. It was pitch black in the barn and I worried all night about her having kids and not being able to see them and them dying. But I don't know what she's waiting for. I hope the kids are alright in there. Her udder is getting bigger. But I really don't know why all this waiting. I've put her back in the back yard. It's raining. She has the hay barn to get in with only one bale of hay all to herself. So maybe today?
And how exciting for you! I bet the little grands will have a ball watching this. Are they all pure Buffs? I might have to buy some from you. Or maybe we can swap something. I have my game hens and Buffs with the 2 roos running together. The roos have their harem of both hens. So I need to try to put the Buffs back up again to get real pure Buff chicks. (I really need to put them up because here we go again with scratching around in the garden. And I don't want them in there.) I have 2 hens going broody here. A Buff and a game. I have had to chase the stupid Buff off an empty nest now for about a week. And I would rather have the eggs to eat and sell. And with them broody they will not lay eggs. So I am down 2 eggs a day. Let me know how many you get. I love baby chicks.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Candy C. |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 07:22:19 AM
Gena!! How exciting!!
Candy C.
Farmgirl Sister #977
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 07:13:30 AM
Okay Kris, did Sandy have her little "doe" yet. I feel sure it is a girl.
OH, OH, Guess what! You know I am trying to hatch eggs in my incubator, well, I can hear them peeping! They have started to peck little holes in the eggs. They aren't due until Tuesday. We marked the different eggs, so that we could know which ones hatch better. The ones peeping and pecking are the ones we put in that were laid that same day. I guess they hatch first because they never got cold. I am soo excited. These are all Buffs from my own chickens.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 5:10:28 PM
Ya'll are too funny! Yep, the nekked dance sure sounds good right now. It's hot out there. And yes, I was a bit scared during that one. I'm glad she just had one. I don't know if I want to breed her ever again after that. After watching all those videos of goat births gone wrong, I think I did pretty good.
I just got done getting them all situated out there in the Outback Goat Motel. I put Sadie and her little one in the last suite then Sandy next to her with a gate up so Faith and Abby can't get to her. They are like vultures, those 2. I had to keep them away from the pregnant does becuse they would attack them. Yhose raging hormones.
Sandy is again showing some signs of impending birth. Her tail is as loose as it can get. And the white trailing discharge. She's my last hope, farmgirl sisters. I used a different buck on her so here's hoping for a black and red spotted doe.
Ya'll should check out www.chickensintheroad.com. Suzanne has a story on there about her doe and buck breeding. She writes romance novels. It's so funny. Ya almost need a cigarette after reading it. AND there's pictures! Go look.
I might have to do a nighttime check tonight. The first time ever.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| MommaJ9 |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 1:51:39 PM
Gosh, I've been laughing my butt off! This post is playing out like a weird novel that I can't put down! Now I'm just as anxious as you Kris to see what Sandy has!!!! I remember when we were raising sheep how excited we would get at lambing time...we even had a hole in the wall of the barn so we could watch the ewes give birth...they were kind of private gals, but we didn't want to miss out!
I really hope you get a girl!
Farmgirl #783
http://jabezfarm.blogspot.com |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 1:33:10 PM
Man Kris, we are for sure going to do the naked dance next year. It may not help with having does, but it should keep any other wild animals away from the barn! LOL!!!
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| cajungal |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 12:58:36 PM
OMG, Kris! What a busy day. I'm sorry you've got another buck......stinkin' buck. But you've earned your labor and delivery gold star!
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 20 2010 : 12:14:00 PM
Well, Gena, I am going to have to do that dance next year totally nekked. Because Sadie Mae Belle just had the 4th STINKIN' BUCK! And it's white, too. I am SO not happy. And it was such a hard birth, too. I noticed last night her udders were just the same as they have been. But this morning I had to do a double take. They were huge. Just overnight. So I put her and Sandy in the back yard. I had to leave for awhile and when I came back I went out to check on them. She was laying down pushing. And I remember last year with her. She's a screamer! And she has the smallest birth opening ever. And when she pushed her rectum would push out too. So I called my friend Faith for help. She said don't worry. Wait a few minutes and see what happens. Well, a few minutes later I could feel the head up near the anus. And it was UPSIDE down. I was worried then. So I called her back. She said to push the head back in and go in and turn it. By that time she had almost pushed the head out and I could feel feet. So I grabbed feet and started pulling. Also lots of golden yellow stuff coming out. So I new their was some maconium. So I pulled it out and she said to swing it gently upside down so all the stuff could come out. I did that. And I dried it off. And he's back there trying to nurse. His tongue is kind of hanging out a little so he may not be able to. I went ahead and milked some into a bottle and he got a little then. I hope he'll be ok. And that's that. Another stinkin' white buck. But he has elf ears like his momma. What a day! Now if only Sandy will have hers we'll be done.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Mar 19 2010 : 07:43:22 AM
Do we have to get naked? LOL!!
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| magnoliakathy |
Posted - Mar 19 2010 : 07:02:37 AM
 our surviving kids last year were 2 bucks, both neutered and dehorned as soon as they were old enough, and both are in the freezer now. MiHija (me-ha) is due in June and Sienna is due in July, got my fingers crossed for at least 2 doe kids. Didn't do the nakey doe dance, but if we get only boys again this year I will do it during the next breeding season. Big Al, our new buck, comes from a good milking bloodline. We are hoping to increase our herd by 2 more does for more milk. (Remember we are milking Nigerian Dwarf goats.)
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 19 2010 : 06:44:21 AM
Well, right now I have Sandy in a pen. She is showing signs of labor or the beginnings anyway. I have never been with her when she kidded. She'll have them right out in the middle of the yard with the other goats all watching. She's so funny. So here's hoping for at least one little Nubian doeling.
Alee, I think that must have been what happened to the first little kid that I thought was a doe. I didn't feel anything when it was first born. But a few days later there they were. And a friend of mine just had that happen to one of hers too.
Wish us luck for a girl this time!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| cajungal |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 8:43:47 PM
"stinkin' boys"...... It's so funny. I often walk around griping about too many boys of something, whether chickens, rabbits or goats. My hubby always jokes around how the men folk around here aren't respected.....
I hope you get more girls!
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 8:27:27 PM
Kris- it's true that the uncastrated ones will grow faster, however I used to volunteer at a vet clinic and the vet there raised his own stock for his freezer. He always castrated his because he said otherwise the meat would taste different. I remember it really clearly because he was really P.O'ed with one pig because he has an undecended testical that was playing hide-and-seek inside. It was kind of funny actually... LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 4:28:55 PM
Kris: You are a sweetheart for the explanation. I have learned so much from all of you farmgirls! Let me know if you het any does. Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 4:12:33 PM
Marly, I can get more money from a doe than a buck. And that's kind of why I am hoping for more does. And I would like to keep 2 if I ever get 2 this year. Abby's getting older and I really wanted a doe from her. And I really want a Nubian doe from Sandy. That's why I want does.
Alee and Candy, I have heard so many dofferent things about castrating or not when you are going to butcher them. I had ram lambs I was going to sell for meat and did not castrate them. They were huge when they went to the butcher. And I castrated some of the bucks last year and the uncastrated bucks were bigger. That's why I have heard they are castrated to make them grow faster. And if they are not in with does they won't have the bucky smell. I have noticed that too. So I just figure why put the poor guy through so much when they are going to get whacked anyway in about 8 months or so. I'll just let them have fun while they can. And the horns will help them out with crazy Mazie!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 3:54:21 PM
Kris:
Good luck. I guess you want girls because they can have more babies. I don't know much about this. LOL. Hope you gets lots of girls. Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
