A Quandry

I'm really struggling over the goat vs. cow thing. I definitely don't REGRET buying goats, but I chose them because I thought it was more cost effective for our small homestead. I was looking at the actual cost of the goats themselves. Now that I've been doing this for a year, I am seeing a LOT of hidden costs. Fencing that will hold goats is at least 3X higher than fencing for cattle. They are much more difficult to contain. Then, to get the cream from the goat's milk I need a cream separator for at least $200, maybe more. Goats have higher nutritionalrequirements, and so if you look at it pound for pound, they are more expensive to feed, not less. On the flip side, I couldn't cuddle and play with a calf like I can the kids, and I seriously doubt a cow would be as affectionate as the adult goats are, either. Goats are pets that produce. Goats were definitely a better choice for learning to milk and manage a dairy animal. I would have been SO overwhelmed with the volume of milk a cow would produce in addition to adjusting to the routine of milking. Thoughts, anyone?

The Kids

I can't believe the kids will be three weeks old tomorrow and I haven't posted any pictures of all of them together. Here are some pictures of them at one week of age: I love this one with Nigel and Sassy. I can just hear them talking, and Perle telling them, "This is good to eat." It's hard to believe they were all born at the same time! Sassy's trying to get her bluff in on Tonka. :-) -and Nigel leaping off the log. You'll never catch me! The mineral dish makes a nice double bed, apparently.

In Like a Lion out like a ... Lion?

Today is our first day back to school after a glorious spring break. Early last week we had highs in the upper 70's. It felt like early summer. This is what I awakened to today:

BABIES!!!

At approximately 7:30 P.M. yesterday (March 10, 2011) Perle delivered one beautiful doeling and two precious bucklings. When I got home from work I knew she was getting close, but then, I've thought she was close for over a week, so I tried not to get my hopes up too much. Here is her final belly pic, taken about two hours before she kidded:

Here she is having a contraction:

I only saw her have one contraction in an hour, and so I thought it could go on for several hours before she actually delivered. I put her on the back porch and started making supper. I'd been inside about thirty minutes when Perle cried out. I turned to Wayne and said, "She doesn't usually do that!" (I've been keeping her separate from the herd when I can't be with her for a few days, and she will talk if she hears me in the pantry, but not like that!) I went scurrying out to her and immediately saw two HIND legs hanging out of her. I jumped over to her and took the legs and tried to soothe her. Thankfully, she had another contraction almost immediately and I was able to pull the kid with it.

It was a doe! :D She took almost no time to get up and around. Wayne says we should name her Spunky.


After about fifteen minutes #2 started to emerge:

With the next contraction she made real progress. If you look closely you can see his perfect presentation with two tiny front hooves and his little nose.

He is HUGE!!! Almost twice as big as his siblings.

Perle wanted to keep licking #1, and I kept trying to get her to work on #2. I really didn't expect her to have another one in there. (Her first two births were twin does.) I was sitting right beside her when she grunted and pushed and out popped another pair of hind legs!!! I grabbed them and pulled with that same first push. #3 slipped right out!

Being born is hard work!

Perle's Belly Pics

Perle assures me she is just as anxious and I am for her babies to be out of there! I have a hard time believing it, though. :) I knew I wanted to get belly pics, but I wanted them to be as big as possible. When things changed rapidly on Sunday I decided it might be now or never. She isn't officially due until March 9th. I sure thought it was going to begin any minute on Sunday! Her ligaments were almost completely gone. I could get my thumb and forefinger within about half an inch of touching where her ligaments are. (That's supposed to mean labor is imminent.) She's still looking pretty much the same today, three days later. She'll probably torture me and be over due!

Here are her teats. I found it odd because last year when I got her her entire udder was pretty dark grey. This year it's quite pink. Maybe this means her capacity is growing and things are stretching out! Her mother's udder size really exploded at her fourth freshening. I'm hoping for that with Perle. (This is her third.) Last year she provided plenty of milk for us to drink and cook with, but no surplus for cheese making, which I REALLY want to get into!

And finally, her WIDE LOAD belly! I feel confident that she is carrying twins. I was sure hoping for quads (she showed a lot early in her pregnancy), but I reckon you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. There is really no predicting what they will have, either. I've known people who were just sure their doe was having multiples and there was one large kid, and other times they didn't hope for many and there were lots of babies! You just never know.

This picture shows her nice udder and how other things are looking quite ready. She wouldn't let me get a closer shot. Each time I tried she would tuck her tail! She's a shy girl...

...but not with her own kind!