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So, just to set the record straight, I would like to publicly apologize to my husband for comparing him to a Pygmy goat in one of my posts. He does not look like a Pygmy goat at all. He is much taller and has a lot less hair and no horns. I also need to apologize for calling his Boxers idiots. His Boxers are not idiots They are not that smart.
Never thought he'd actually read this blog! :)
Having said that I can now get on with my post.
First and formost, we, at BJS, have acquired 4 new goats from a breeder in London, Ont. They are registered Miniature Silky Fainting Goats and I am really excited about it!!
This is Riding Mountain Treasures Shadow, registered Foundation doe. In 2009 I actually brought this doe in from Manitoba and sold her to the breeder that I have bought her back from. Make sense? No? Well, when I sold her I was not thinking about breeding Mini Silky goats but this year I thought about it and it just so happened the breeder had her and 3 other mini silkies for sale. Shadow is now 2 years old.
This is San Sujos Poncho, registered buck. What a sweetheart! He is very friendly and doesn't smell too bad. Beautiful coat on him except for the part where another buck was chewing on him. He comes all the way from BC and he is 2 years old.
This is Crooked Post Goats Gumdrop, registration pending. She is a tiny little doeling, born in May of 2011. Poncho is her sire and her mom is next, Twilight Acres Sweetpea.
As promised, Twilight acres Sweetpea, registered Foundation doe. Sweetpea is 4 years old and extremely friendly.
So that is our new babies. My registered Foundation doe, Esme was already bred to my Nigerian buck, Captain, when I brought these babies home so we'll just have to wait and see if her babies can be registered too!
The rest of the bred does are starting to look the part. All of them are getting quite round. Time to get those pens ready, Dear....
So I'm walking around the goat yard this afternoon looking at my girls. I have 29 does and all but 12 of them are bred (I hope). The majority of them are beginning to get very round. Pygmy does are especially funny that way. It's almost like the day after they are bred they blow up like balloons and stay that way until the little ones are weaned. I mean, they look like they all swallowed a spare tire. And waddle!! Short little legs, big round belly (sounds like my husband), waddle, waddle waddle. And if you laugh, they know what you are laughing at and will give you the worst stink eye you ever saw.
The Myotonic does are not showing as much. Some of them never show much. Some get huge but it's a more gradual thing with the Myotonics. More lady like and dignified, as it were...
Pygmy does are like, BLAMMM!!! BABIES COMING!!! LOOK OUT BEHIND!!!
Myotonics are more like, hmmm, well, there might be a small change some time in the near future....hmmm....
I mean look, just LOOK at the belly on this doe and she's not even bred! Just imagine, if you can, the size of the bellies on the bred does! It boggles the mind.
Seriously though, kidding season will be upon us soon and it's time to get prepared, well, as prepared as one can be for the arrival of new life. It is always a wonder to me. Every spring, the same thing happens. New babies are born to does who, for the most part, created little lives last year. BUT, the new little life is always different from the last. Each one is a wonder upon itself. A new colour, a new pattern, a new attitude.
Construction will, once again, start in the barn, where we build four kidding pens in each of 3 horse stalls and 2 pens in the small stall at the back of the barn, giving us a total of 14 pens. Well, I have actually, 17 bred does. How the heck...ok, so it's going to happen this way. One doe will be placed in each pen with the exception on the middle stall which will be divided into 3 kidding pens. One doe will go into each smaller pen and 3 does, younger ones, will be put into the larger kidding pen making room for the extra doe on the first stall. (I know, confusing). Anyway, there are still two more does to kid, you say. Why, yes, there is. Oh, darn!
Well, it just so happens that I was a forward thinker, for a change. The last two does are not due to kid until the following month. Late April or May. So there will be room in the barn for them. Ha!!
But first, I need to convince my wonderful husband that he needs to, once again, put the barn back together. GEEZ!! He just took it all apart back in August. He's not a goat lover, like me. In fact, he pretty much steers clear of all the animals except his two idiot Boxers. But every now and then, I do require his expertise in some areas, like, say, making kidding pens that won't collapse on the kids. He's good at that sort of thing. :) And since it needs to be completed before the middle of March I better get busy convincing...
We just got some great news in the mail today! Registrations from the Miniature Silky Fainting Goat Association for Esme and Dessie. They have both been approved for foundation status!!! We had applied for registration for Zeusy too but his hair isn't long enough. That's ok, we'll just have to get a really good little buck. So exciting!!
