We lost Lily on Thursday. My own feeling is the heat got to her. It's been so hot and so dry for so long.....I know this is a normal state of affairs in some parts of the world and even North America but this is not normal in Southern Ontario. In the late spring it rained for three weeks straight, heavily. Our pastures were flooded, everything was soaked, the goats barely left the shelter. Babies died because they either got crushed in the shelter or not fed because the dams didn't bother to stand up to feed them.
It's been over a month since it rained here. We are watering the pastures to keep a little bit of grass growing but I've been forced to feed hay. The hay is for winter not July! Now, of course, I will need to buy more hay for winter and because of this drought, hay is going to be in short supply. There has already been many farmers who have given up on a second cut. More people are going to be after the first cut which has already been spoken for. Are the animals going to go hungry? No, I don't think so, but hay will go up in price as things always do. There will be enough hay to go around but it will be expensive. And to cover costs farmers have to raise their prices and so on and so on.
The Myotonic babies reaching 12 weeks are in the weaning pen. Boys with boys and girls with girls. Don't want any unwed teenage mothers here! All are doing well and learning to like the new Calf Manna pellets they are getting to help them forget about Mom and milk. Lily's two little girls are still getting some milk to tide them over but weaning will begin for them soon as well. I don't want to upset them more after the death of their Mom. I know how they feel...
It's been almost a year since my own Mom passed away. Aug 03. It's been hard not to miss her every day. I guess that part never changes....
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