We tease my husband about the time he said "so when are you selling some of these goats, you're not keeping them all right?" and 5 does died within a week.... Or the time he said "Hey didn't you say we were selling a couple of these bucks" and two died the next day from feed related bloat.

Today I said to the boy, "I need to send some of these kids out to the garage, they're ready." He says shush shush shush, the last time you said that Whammo we had three does kid.

So today we get to the goats to find his "new" Peaches with a baby hanging out. Not what I want to wake up to, I'm sure it wasn't high on her list of ways to wake up either.

For about 10 seconds I could see him start to panic. Then he asked about the legs, and I noticed she had a head and only one leg and what was out was dry, she'd been at it for a while it seemed we figured the baby was dead, so I told him to go ahead and pull... he felt to see if maybe he could feel the other foot and the baby licked him. He had no problem getting the baby out, the hard part really was done she just needed a boost.

I start milking and see another doe who's looking like she's ready, so I have him haul her in so we don't have to wander around to find her later.

We go to have lunch and decide to head back to check on the impending birth, and find a different doe kidding. She was looking close, but not that close, but she's kidded before, so we weren't concerned. Greg didn't even call for me, she was in trouble by the sounds of it, but she was too far up the hill for me to go after her. Greg brings her in with baby in tow, or maybe he brought the baby in with her in tow. She wasn't done. The first baby was just big and she needed a little boost, she probably would have been ok on her own, but we were there. So we're waiting for her to get with it already to have baby number 2, and she literally lays down, sneezed and plop, there was baby two.

Just about this time, the doe who we thought was getting ready in the morning, decides to get the show on the road. Only it was a really long road. Very very long road with lots of stop signs. I am pretty sure this was the second slowest kidding I have ever watched. And she was a bitcher. Whine, bitch, complain, stop pushing. So dramatic. So here's the boy, coaching her. Common Keep Pushing. Like this.. Urrgghhh (at that moment I'm thinking, OMG the poor woman he marries) and about that time the doe has half leaned against the wall and is letting her butt end sink to the ground and she gives him this look like "OH for gods sake shut the hell up with the pushing." She rolled her eyes in only the way a true togg can, and gave him what we call togg lip, where they wrinkle the skin on their chins and stick out their lower lip, and just look truly pissed. He said, "I don't think she like my Lamaze coaching. Well fine then, but KEEP PUSHING! "

So the count today (didn't I say I thought I was getting break)

Peaches- single buck (who is an escape artist already, waltzing back and forth through the fences)

Firestorm- twins doe/buck

Firecracker- single buck

6 flippin' gallons of milk a day that I'm bringing home and we're not even bringing it all home, I'm out of containers to haul it in. Aurgh!

It was bound to happen. Today was the day of the bad kidding. We get one every year. The tear inducing kind. (not mine oddly) That's one thing I love about my son. I'm not sure whether he's sympathizing with the goat or himself, but when the going gets bad, homeboy gets in there and gets it done, usually shedding more than one tear while doing it. We have two small two year olds. We knew they were small, this is no shock and we were frankly surprised when the first kidded with no problem. This one wasn't so lucky, and of course, is the boys favorite.

It's never easy to pull a baby. It's really not easy when she's screaming in pain. You know it's hard, you know it's ugly, and you know it HAS.TO.BE.DONE. The boy is my trooper. I couldn't do it alone, just holding the doe for him to pull today was just about too much, my air left the building. We got it done. I should say, he got it done. All I do is direct. It's like kidding Cal-Trans. I'm the one holding the shovel.

That was one big friggin' buck. Yeah, of course, after all that work, a buck. A really friggin' big one. We thought he was born with a broken neck, but he was just limp limp. We rubbed and rubbed and he popped up and stood before we were done milking, how on those poor legs I don't know. This is one reason why small twins are always better.

So lets see what's the update now: (hell what's the date?)

2-18 Tundra twins doe/buck (gah, she's a psycho.)

2-19 Dawn single buck (moose)

One of our babies is the dude at a frat party who chugs his beer and then crushes the can on his head yelling AURRGGGHHH DONE!

Yeah, she's that kind of eater. And she's about 3lbs. Teenie tiny. Ok, maybe not that small, but she's little. She only stands 10" tall. But she's all about a bottle then she gets all wiggly, totally reminding me of the frat party dude. ;-)

Personally feeling OK. Off my predisone right now, unless I'm working. I can't stand the swelling and puffiness anymore. Now my back hurts like hell. I go get my IV port put in on Wednesday for 10-14 days of antibiotics at home. That will be fun to work around. I had the time off, but a client called and wanted to get back on test, and I didn't want to put them off too far. March sucks for me. Plus my auntie is having back surgery and when I find out when I would like to be there. It's the least I can do for my uncle after them sitting with me through all my dads surgeries.

So the goats are milking me out of house and home and I'm feeling OK as long as I don't overdo. All is well and right.

Off to feed these glutton guts, need to use the 3 gallons of milk in the fridge somehow.

And the obers are making up for the last two year dry spell of no doe kids.

2-17 Autumn twin does

For those keeping score: To date:

2-11 Stormy twin bucks (one rode the short bus to town)

2-13 Capers twins- doe/buck

2-14 Shikari Twins- doe/buck

2-14 Leah- Abort (Greg's alpines are off to a roaring success! /sarcasm)

2-15 Charlotte- twin bucks (thank god she wasn't up to any records this year)

2-16 Escapade- single doe (first freshening yearling)

2-16 Endora- twin bucks (first freshening two year old)

Not quite half way. So far we have 3 keepers and one buck we're going to grow out a little to "see". Greg's not having any luck so far with his alpine project but he's had a great offer from Sarah that I think he's going to take her up on. He has one alpine left to kid but she's a real bitch, and I wouldn't put it past her to eat them just to spite us. ;-)

So far I'm drowning in milk. Remind me of this is a month when I'm scrounging for more. Though with this doe rate I'm liable to have to buy a calf. I'm really only milking 3 of those does so far (charlotte had her kids til this am, and the other two JUST kidded) and I'm getting 2 gallons a day. Charlotte will add another at least gallon a day to the milk alone, but those two firsties I don't except much from. With only 4 mouths to feed after Thursday...... I'm freezing it as fast as they produce it.

I expect by the end of today at least one more will kid if not 2 or 3.

====================================================

Edit to add:

2-16 Maddy twins doe/black both black (She makes the birth of the year. Our first black doe in years, and the first doe she's ever had.)

V-Day self love day brought to you by the ever so slightly hung over Snackipoo. (They had a rockin' valentines day party last night.)

So the game is to list one thing you like about yourself this V-Day.

I've had this picture downloaded for 4 days, you'd have thought I might have put a little thought into this. So I guess my power of procrastination shouldn't be it.

I think I'll go with my dedication. To pretty much everything except this blog. Work, animals, friends... I'm pretty much there until you either shit on me too many times (which changes daily) or shut the door in my face.

The end.

My chickens are high. It is winter. We all know that. You know, fairly cold, windy, rain.. I mean LOOK outside, it's not pretty, well most of the time. These moron freaks are LAYING every darn day. While most chickens are smartly molting and I dunno, just eating, this time of year, mine are making short work of my refrigerator space. Bill is actually fixing eggs before work. We only own 4 of these hens, 4 are supposed to be my moms, but her coops isn't ready yet. Thankfully only 5 are laying.

Greg's foot is on the mend. Still icing daily and wednesday we'll start hot/cold soaks to start trying to break down the bruising. Yeah! Fun! Not.

Still.No.Babies.

Kidding season is baring down on me. We clipped about half the milkers today. Tomorrow we'll catch the skitzy ones and get them done. We did manage to get all the kids caught and clipped and it looks like one might go down the road with the "not bred" does. She's young, but pfft I just don't need her. She might be due late, but whatever hasn't kidded by the end of March, and doesn't look close by then... is hitting the auction trailer.

I am tentatively willing to say I think my one and only AI stuck. Though I thought she came back in heat, it seems she's going to kid on her AI date. She'll make a liar of me and fill her udder a month early just to screw with my mind.

Other than that it's a crap shoot from now till the end of march. I pen bred and have dates for all but 4 of the does, those are all the kids I bred to one buck, all penned in the same pen I can't see in from the barn. Out of 21 breeding that's not so bad.

My mom went back to the DR today. SHOCK! I haven't heard what they said so will call her later.

I have plans to do 10 days of IV antibiotics at home the end of this month to the beginning of next month. Other than that I am still in the testing phase. I'm holding off on all further tests until I get these anti-s done. My arm had to heal from the last tests before we could have a port put in for the antibiotics, which is why I'm not doing these over this week off. My arm finally has healed, now it just looks stained where the hematoma was. Heat and ice helped immensely.