Success!

Raquel's scab on her teat had come off since last night! The teat is still dark on the front where the cut was and there is still a thickness where the cut was. However, it sure looks GREAT and what a relief to get it healed up so quickly. Lesson learned thru this is that betadine is wonderful BUT betadine ointment isn't the best on a doe's udder and teat, especially if they self milk! Boy, that went thru her badly so was a one time thing and never on a teat/udder again.

Cinnamon stood quite well considering and I got to milk her most of the way with both hands tonight! Last night I had to tie one foot to the stand and today was a big improvement. She also only thought of laying down 1 x and was on her knees briefly and gave up. When she does that I've been jamming the coffee container up under her at her belly button front udder area and pressing my other fist (still holding on to that teat) up into her gut firmly. She doesn't like that and stands right back up. :)

I've changed my routine for chores, feeding, and milking. I've been feeding their grain early so they have taken the edge off their hunger or are done eating in their pen before milking. Then when I bring them out to milk there's a bit to nibble on but they aren't really hungry and are willing to stand and chew their cud or at least not be in such a "panic" to gobble their feed and my milking being secondary importance to them. It's really working well. Plus, Cinnamon is the lowest in the pecking order of the 6 milkers in that pen so she doesn't get all her eating done before milking but at least gets some and then has time to finish up on the milk stand. She's coming to the stand calmer and not ravenous and not having been pushed around while waiting for her turn. I've switched their order around so the 3 yearlings/FF's get milked first and can go back in their pen and have some peace and quiet for a bit while I bottle feed and milking the older does who are the top of the heirachy. This way the 3 get a better chance to enjoy their grain and some hay quietly. It seems to be working much better.

I suspect I have an unintended breeding done. Daisy (Boer X and dam of the triplets who are all well into weaning) came in heat. She's having some problems with her feet again and the kids really drug her down so she's pretty gaunt looking (more like a dairy doe and she is 1/4 Alpine). She's been hanging in the the barn aisle and my milk area (I only milk for us and don't sell, give away or do shares with my milk as it's illegal here.). Buckley, yearling buck managed to break out and break in to the barn. There's a chainlink gate at the barn door with an ornamental piece that has a vertical piece in the center that seems it would have got him but he managed to clear it! Also, his horns splay out to the sides and IF he's fertile (being it's summer and not his rut time as he's 100% dairy) then she'll be due mid November. I hadn't intended on her being bred until Spring. She has time to get her weight back up and I'll take back over her hoof trimming as hubby has been doing hers as she's his favorite of the goats.

I'm am really bummed that my feed store is going out of business the end of this month. I got another load of goatie granola mixed and brought home today and will get another order next weekend. That will have me ahead for a while and with a few other items I'll get, I will only need cracked corn and some shell corn for the rest of the summer. I hate the thought of driving so far to get feed. That being, I'm going to cut back on my Boer goats. I know hubby will want to keep Daisy and I'm not sure how many does we REALLY need to have. I hate making this decision but it's time. I've sure enjoyed the convenience of having my goat feed mixed and bagged for me. It definitely improved milk production and the molasses has made it much easier for the amonium chloride stick better for the bucks' UC prevention and extra vits or such I wanted to feed anyone too. It also made it harder for the does to sift out what they prefer. Daisy, for one, will pick out the grains and ignore the protein pellets. I can't get good alfalfa hay for the dairy does and Boers with kids nursing so alfalfa gets added to the granola to keep their calcium balance in line. I'm really going to miss the owners too.

I had banded Becca's little horns and the 2nd fell off tonight. There was a small amount of blood so I doused it with some baking soda and it did the trick. Unfortunately her horns grew some from the time I banded them so she has some nubs sticking up. This is my first attempt at banding and I don't know if they'll continue to grow (scurs can grow for the life of the goat) or what will be. I need to "catch up" with the people who have done this more and see what they say. I had also banded Raquel, Danika and Cinnamon. Raquel has lost her bands over the last few days. I'll have to do a better job of super gluing and re-do them. I'll add a 2nd band below the first next time. I've heard and read good and bad about this procedure and have decided research is what helps medicine progress so I'd only know by trying it myself. There's definitely pros and cons of banding and there are also pros and cons to disbudding. So far I don't have a problem with it but need to improve my method or technique.

I'm due for another hatching in the incubator and the young turkeys are about to move out to the horse trailer with the "chicklets" out there. We've had a few days of low night temps and some storms so I wanted to wait to make the move after we are back up to higher night temps so they transition easier. Then I need to clean the brooder out to put the chicks currently in it back in and the chicks from the other brooder in with them. I'm also going to change the top to make it easier to get a water jar in and out without slopping so much in doing so. The wet can cause mold that is bad for the young chicks. One wouldn't think there would be so many details to putting some eggs in an incubator and then chicks in a brooder and tending them! There's more too it than I had expected! And, being addicted to this, I've got more eggs saved to go into the incubator as soon as this hatch completes!

I'm "addicted", but I could stop and just don't want too! I'm having fun with these little chicks and watching them develop their little feathers and wondering their adult color, pattern, etc. Most are Cochins which I'm REALLY liking, some are the Salmon Favorelles, and a few other breeds. The Jersey Giant and black Sex Linked are doing great also. They are really cute and quite a few are really inquisitive and friendly. The chicklets in the horse trailer are quite friendly also and I decided I need a stool out there so I can go in and sit down and observe them more. I've had a few jump out the door on me but have been lucky enough to get them back. I think it would be safer to just go in and sit with them. It's time for the silver laced Cochin trio to go to the barn now and then the chicklets and turkey poults can have the whole trailer to exercise in. Their tag games with pieces of grass and clover will be easier to run with more room too!

I hope you all have a great weekend and have time with family and friends!