Disbudding

The little goats got disbudded to day.  dehorned before they start.  They were not happy, but it was quick and now they will be better tolerated goats by humans and also it is safer for them. They can't get caught in fences or hurt each other. Nat came up and brought all the equipment and did all the dirty work and all she got was a hot chocolate in return. 

As soon as she left, I hotfooted it down to borrow Ed's truck to go pick up the corral panels I bought on Craigslist. I actually got there on time and the owners helped me break it down and load it onto the pickup. I left 2 panels there because they would not fit safely.  Home and they are sitting in the driveway. Hopefully Brian will help me unload them tomorrow am and I can go get the others or wait till next week to get them.  Not sure till I know how long to  unload them.

I gave the counter a 4 th coat of  tung oil finish and that will be the last one.  I need to let it cure for a few days before I use it at all and that will work with my plans.

Busy Day

First of all, I still have to milk the goat with the bad teat a couple of times a day.  I finally got some bag balm for her and it actually looked better tonight but I could be imagining it.  I took a trip to Tractor Supply for some grain and bought bag balm and probios for the dogs.  My vet thinks they should be on it. Then a short trip to an antique store to look for Howards beeswax. They were out so I ordered it online. I am going to try and treat the countertop after I finish putting tung oil on it.  Bill and Brian worked on the kitchen all day.  Bill says I am going to be surprised at how low the bill is for the kitchen.  I doubt it. .  They finished the plumbing so I have a working dishwasher. Brian d id the rest of the backsplash and the window trim .  Bill put up my Mason jar light which looks really cool.  They determined that my brand new kitchen heater has a cracked fan and that's why it suddenly started to make lots of noise.  Bill put one of my new lights in the bathroom and couldn't find a part to put the other 2 up so he will be back to do that but not till Thurs.  I gave him my paint color for the kitchen so they might be starting that on Thurs, but they still have to grout the backsplash. 

No new kids today.  hurry up or I am not going to be able to go to Maine.  Kathy came over to meet the kids and she helped me put up 2 new heat lamps and lower the existing one. Those kids are warm now!!  toasty warm.  They will be running and playing up a storm tomorrow. Nat is coming over to do their horns tomorrow afternoon.

My nanny cam doesn't work well at night for some reason.  It works very well during the day. sound  keeps cutting in and out and so does the picture.

Goat kids

Goat kids

I had my first set of goat kids twins born last night about 5pm. I did not go out early to put the sheep in the barn and I waited to go out in a minor snow storm. Dare and I struggled to get them in but they couldn't see Dare so did not go where he asked.  Anyway while we are out there flailing around and almost have them In I here some little animal crying way back near the arena.  I had all the lambs up near the barn and I thought I had all the goats but I guess I didn't count. I put Dare away and went back there to find 2 new baby kids.  I grabbed them up and got the mama to follow me very slowly back to the barn.  I put her in the stall with the kids.  They were still a little wet and seemed cold and not all that responsive, but what do I know about goats?  I rearranged the heat lamp over them and left them for a while. I came back out numerous times to check them. I added more straw , I lowered the heat lamp, but  what I was watching for was nursing. Finally I saw one of them nurse and I decided to tube feed the other on because I really had no idea. Their mouths were not as warm as I would like so I tubed them.  I thought I was giving them a good drink but this morning when I looked at how much I was supposed to give them, I barely gave them a sip.  I even brought one inside to warm it in front of the stove and then back out into the cold again.

I worried about the little suckers all night so when I woke up at 1:30 I went out to check them and again only saw one nursing so I brought the other inside and warmed it for an hour and tubed it again  and back out again.  Tired, this morning but I went out to check and no real change , they  are just kinda lying around not too active.  And the ewes teat was swollen and had not been nursed on.  So ai called Nat to come and check them out.  The came this afternoon and milked the ewe out again and told me what would probably happen in the next couple of days and reassured me the kids tummy were full of milk so they must be both nursing on the same teat. (when I am not looking). I made little coats for them and I brought them both in and warmed them by the stove today.  I went to tractore supply to get a digital thermometer and took their temps.  They were both about 101 and normal is 102 to 104.  I got one up to  103 and the other up to 102.7.  THey will be fine.

I called on a round pen today in Spencer and went over and bought it this afternoon. Waiting to hear from them to see if they can find somebody to deliver it for me.  Hope so , I hate to try and got get it myself.

Black Walnut kitchen countertop

Finals Points

This kind of caught me by surprise.  I knew I was amassing a lot of points but I had no idea that it would put me this high in the standings.  I have no trials from now until May so I will certainly drop considerably but hopefully have enough points to qualify for Finals in Texas this year. 

Stockdog Final Standings

For all trials processed from 6/1/2013 thru 1/15/2014

Cattle

1.

HOF PCH WTCH CHUCKANUT ROYAL SECRET RTDcs PATDcs CDX AFTDs GV

JAN WESEN

BOW, WA

31.0

2.

WTCH ROCKIN'C PICKUP MAN OFTDds(Dually)

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

24.5

4.

WTCH FINLEY'S DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU OFTDs AFTDd

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

20.0

Ducks::

 .

1.HOF PCH WTCH CHUCKANUT ROYAL SECRET RTDcs PATDcs CDX AFTDs GV

-JAN WESEN

BOW, WA

25.5

5.

WTCH ROCKIN'C PICKUP MAN OFTDds

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

20.0

9.WTCH FINLEY'S DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU OFTDs AFTDd

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

17.5

Sheep

1.

HOF PCH WTCH CHUCKANUT ROYAL SECRET RTDcs PATDcs CDX AFTDs GV

-

JAN WESEN

BOW, WA

28.0

2.

WTCH ROCKIN'C PICKUP MAN OFTDds

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

28.

26.

WTCH FINLEY'S DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU OFTDs AFTDd

DIANE F MENARD

STURBRIDGE, MA

12.0

Dually and Nanny cam update

I forgot to update you all on Dually.  He's fine. He had xrays and a couple of fecal exams during which they pulled out a large piece of plastic toy that was causing a lot of discomfort.  They gave him some special canned food and some metronizole.  He seems to love the canned food because he has been eating like I have never seen him eat and I am mixing it with a very inexpensive kibble.  Go figure.

The nanny cam dried out completely and I have been enjoying watching the sheep in the barn at all hours.  I also watch the goats be assholes to the sheep. If it wasn't so darn cold out they would stay outside and the sheep would stay inside at night but I am a soft touch so Dually puts them in one of the little stalls and the sheep get the big stall.Tonight all 4 goats went in one stall together. That's a little close.  Last night Ihad one goat in one stall and 3 in the other. The one goat somehow bumped the camera so it was upside down all night.  I fixed it this morning. Good thing, they can't really  get to it or they would destroy it I'm sure.

Tomorrow I will have updated kitchen pictures.  The countertop is finished except for the tung oil finish and the backsplash has been started.