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Barnyard Buddies:  Kidding season is approaching!!  |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 29 2014 : 05:04:31 AM
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My Nubian girls were bred in August so babies should be coming in January. Their milk bags are filling up and so are their bellies!
One of my moms is very vocal when she's pregnant. She "talks" to her belly in some sweet, low-toned grunts. She does this every year. Even during labor, she turns her head to her belly and talks to it. She always has twins and talks to them the whole time she's cleaning them. So precious.
Are any of y'all 'expecting'?
Catherine
Sister #76 (2005)
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt.
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2015 : 06:42:20 AM
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One of my Nigerian does, Mocha is due any day, she just keeps getting bigger and big. Looks like twins, two years ago she had triplets. DH says she is waiting for the coldest and wettest day of the year. I have extra hay down and two heat lamps setup for extra warmth.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2015 : 4:19:44 PM
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Omg, your DH is so right...mine usually kid on the coldest, wettest day. That's usually what happens when I let mine breed in Aug/Sept. I thought they were gonna have babies last week when it was raining every day.
All my girls' bellies have dropped and their tail bones are starting to sink in. Oh, I love goat babies!!! I don't have anything scheduled on my calendar so that when they arrive I get to just sit and cuddle them.
Catherine
Sister #76 (2005)
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt.
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2015 : 06:57:13 AM
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Here are some pics of my dairy girls.
The first is Millie "talking" to her belly. It is so precious to hear the soft tones she makes.
The second is Tawny with her huge milkbag. Her teats hang so low to the ground that I usually have to help the babies latch on in the first couple of days.
The third is an example of how loose and relaxed the tailbone ligaments get before labor. Normally, these muscles are tight and I wouldn't be able to put my fingers around the tailbone. Here you can see that I can grip the spinal cord. This is usually a good sign that babies are coming in a couple of days. When birth is very near, I can almost wrap my fingers around completely.
The fourth is Tess. She's just chillin'.
Catherine
Sister #76 (2005)
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt.
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2015 : 05:26:04 AM
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The season has not started off too well.
One of my goats had two babies, a boy and a girl, that were not healthy and died within 24 hours. Then, Tess, the momma goat, seemed to be suffering from Ketosis or 'Milk Fever' or maybe even both. I treated her with anitibiotics, nutritional drenches, calcium drenches etc... She perked up after a couple of days. Then, one morning, she was near death and I had to put her down myself.
Another goat momma, Tawny, had twin boys. After several days, it became evident that one of the boys was blind. Sadly, I needed to put him down, too. It makes me wonder if changes by the manufacturer to the feed played a factor in decreased nutrition. I switched breeding bucks last year to bring some varied genetics to my closed herd. Maybe he doesn't have the good genetics I was looking for. I'm waiting on a couple of more moms to kid. I'm hoping for a better outcome with them.
Tess, who I had to put down, is the 4th picture in the above post. She was 5 years old and had given us 4 sets of twins and tons of milk. She is loved and missed.
Tawny, in the 2nd picture, had the twin boys with one being blind. As I said in the previous post, her teats hang so low to the ground. I did have to help the babies nurse by holding her teats at an angle. Tawny is Tess' twin sister.
Millie, the matriarch of the herd, is getting fatter every day. She is almost 7 years old and is such a pro at birthing/kidding. Her first year, she was very needy of my attention and practically asked me to sit with her during the labor. She was scared of the babies and didn't know what to do. Now, she just pops'em out and takes care of them immediately. She's a fantastic mom.
Catherine
Sister #76 (2005)
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt.
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7014 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7014 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2015 : 05:39:14 AM
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Catherine, I am so sorry for your losses. It breaks my heart to hear about Tess and the babies having to be put down. It took great compassion on your part to do it yourself. Sometimes the last thing we can do for our animals is to let them go.
Sara
Walk in Peace - Live with Joy
FarmGirl Sister #6034 Aug 25, 2014 |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2015 : 12:08:39 PM
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So sorry for your loss. Loved the pictures.
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 |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2015 : 3:19:59 PM
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blood, sweat and tears...such is the life of farmers and ranchers, been in your shoes with cows/calves, does/kids, ewes/lambs...I am hoping your other nanny has no troubles and healthy kids...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2015 : 3:30:54 PM
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Catherine, I am so sorry to hear of your losses. I am finding it hard when we lose a piglet for whatever reason.
Praying that all goes well with Millie and that she has a safe and healthy delivery.
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Calicogirl on Feb 22 2015 3:31:51 PM |
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Goat Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
51 Posts
Katherine
Lunenburg
Vermont
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - Mar 31 2015 : 07:06:33 AM
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It sure has been a tough winter. I am so sorry for your loss. My sister raises meat X in Windsor Vermont and all the kids came in January and of the 40 that were born 6 were lost and 7 had to be bottle fed; they were born after midnight check and almost froze to death. One of their bucks died, he was 9, and they had to put one of the does down after kidding. She lost her two kids and she couldn't bounce back herself. So far, I have only lost 3 hens at my place. One was my favorite, more a pet. I think one of the goats stepped on her. I hope that the rest of this season goes well for you and that you have good things to look forward to.
Vermont Goat Girl |
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Barnyard Buddies: Kidding season is approaching!! |
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Kidding season is approaching!!
