Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[TanksHill]

I am glad to hear you went on your date. Too bad on the fight and your dh having to get involved.

Good to hear the garage is going well.

The goats are coming, the goats are coming!!!!


Pictures plese???

g

 

[lorihadams]

Well....they're here....meet Bered, Bethoron, and Tally!

Last night Chad had a softball game so he left me with the kids and 3 hours later, I had Bered milked.

She wouldn't get up on the milk stand. After he got home from the game and put her fat butt up on there for me I milked her out fine until the last 2 minutes and she put her dang foot in the bucket.

This morning was better....only took me 45 minutes from start to finish and I'm pretty sure I didn't get all her milk out but she started kicking me again and I had 2 cups out of her by 8am. I figured she would be okay if I milked her again by about 7 tonight. She looks pretty good now, she's not bagged up tight.

I talked to the breeder last night and this morning and we are going to modify our milk stand cause I'm pretty sure it is way too wide. She keeps trying to lay down on me. Killing me.

The sad thing is that I'm doing fine on the actual milking....I just can't get her to stand still or even eat any feed while she is on the stand. That has me worried. I know she's eating hay and stuff from the pasture and drinking plenty so I'm not that concerned. Her poop looks good and she's peeing regularly so I just think she is still trying to adjust to her new home.

I may go get some beet pulp and alfalfa pellets for her to mix in with her feed and maybe that will help entice her to eat some. She is still eating the same food that her breeder gave her, we were able to find it in our area.

I also think she is missing her babies. Her first kid left her yesterday morning and then we took her away from her 3 others when we left so she cried all evening and this morning for them. She'll get better with time. The children are doing well with them but we have to have a conversation about pulling leaves off of trees for them. We have a wild cherry tree on the edge of the property well away from the goats but I don't want them pulling anything off and feeding it to them without me out there.

They are running off the neighbor's dog as we speak....Tally keeps butting the fence at him and I'm afraid she's gonna hurt herself.

My builder is putting on siding on the garage today while his pregnant girlfriend sits in the yard watching him. I'd invite her in but she just got out of jail for shoplifting....no thanks.

Today I am just pooped. I haven't done any "schoolwork" with the kids in 2 days....I'm exhausted. If I could get them to be still I might try to lay down a while. I'm on my 4th load of laundry today and still have 2 more to go.

Chad hurt his knee last night playing ball too and he is going to the doctor today. He got the rear brakes put on the truck Monday night and was supposed to go to our friend's house to put the front brakes on tonight but we'll see how he feels. No more church ball.....

 

[glenolam]

Milk!!! Yay!! You'll love it! Bered will get better (or should, rather). It is a new setting, new hands milking her and she's just got to get used to you.

Sounds like you've got a TON going on! What are you going to do with yourself once it's all done!?!? You'll feel lost!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Yay! Goats!
I have employed a new method for milking, cause my doe thinks its funny to try and knock the bucket over now.
I milk one teat at a time into a wide mouth pint jar, held right up under there. Its poured periodically into a container set nearby.
Milk stays clean, and I expect after a bit more time, she will learn that I will not be bullied around.

 

[gettinaclue]

Congrats on your goats!!!! They sure are pretty, and that's saying something because I don't like goats LOL.

I've read that if you can tie one of their legs back to keep them from kicking and putting their foot in the bucket. ...but I don't have goats either, so I can't say for sure.

I hope things get better for you on the home school front. Wish I could offer some advice there, but I got nothin'.

Hope Chad didn't hurt himself to bad. Knee injuries can be a real pain...no pun intended.

Sending you all prayers.

 

[lorihadams]

Thanks guys....been so busy getting everything ready....we had to build a goat trailer to haul them in. We used scrap lumber from the garage to build up the sides of our trailer and then two pieces of extra plywood screwed to the top. It ain't pretty but it worked. Now we gotta take it all apart. We may leave the sides up but just screw off the plywood on top. They were really comfortable.


I know she'll get better once she gets used to everything. I may try the wide mouth jar trick...my aim ain't exactly the best right now I got a lot on me this morning but not too bad for never having milked anything before and having a 10 minute crash course from the breeder. I think Chad was impressed.

He really surprised me....he has a way with goats....his new name is the "goat whisperer" and Tally just adores him. I think I'm gonna go lay down for a bit before he gets home and just rest before round 3 this evening. We are going to cut the milk stand in half. My breeder uses an old weight bench as a milk stand and it works great. She just puts a towel down on it before she gets the girls up there.

Funny story....when I was getting my milking lesson the breeder's husband was mucking out the barn and had leaned some stuff against the wall of one of the stalls. All of a sudden here comes this little baby sailing up onto the milk stand and nursing Bered. He had climbed up a pallet and jumped over 2 stalls to get to the milking room.

 

[Javamama]

They are gorgeous! Good job on the milking - you will have a system figured out very quickly.

 

[TanksHill]

Those are some gorgeous goats Lori!! Ar you milking all 3 or just Bered?

By the way what nationality are the names? I have no idea how to pronounce them.

I can't wait to hear more about them.

g

 

[Farmfresh]

Bea-utiful!

It will get easier to milk every time.

 

[LovinLife]

They are so purty!!