Heritage Hill Homestead

Getting Ready for Kids

We spent a lot of today getting the barn ready for kids to come.  Sad news first thing this morning, Dh went out to check everyone and came back to tell me that one of the goats, Cookie, had already kidded sometime early morning and the baby got too cold.  Now... we spent some time yesterday afternoon after feeding looking all the does over and talking about who was closest to kidding.  We picked out 4 to shut in one of the horse stalls "just in case".  We already had 2 that are the first due date penned.  Wouldn't you know that the one that kidded wasn't one we shut up!  How does that work?  We noticed her belly was really hanging low and commented that we needed to keep an eye on her, but her bag was not very big, so thought she was a ways off yet.  I "noticed some activity" last fall for some of the girls and wrote the dates down, however those boys are sneaky and we have no due date for quite a few.  I have decided that next breeding season we will get a harness for the buck to wear that will mark the doe during breeding.  That will sure be a big help when time to kid, we can be a little more prepared! 

It snowed all day, and though the temps were cold, I was out almost all day and really didn't think it was bad.  I am however not looking forward to bundling all up again and going out to check does tonight. Something about sitting here at the computer where it is warm and cozy is more fun.

We had left overs for lunch, so that was easy.  Went to a friends for a little while this afternoon to pick up some hay and helped her with a few chores. Mom needed milk, so we got that and stopped by her house and swept her porch off.  She is really good about staying in during bad weather and not taking a chance on falling. The snow covering the ice helped some, but it is still really slick underneath.

God's blessings on you, yours and the work of your hands.

Marilyn~at Heritage Hill Homestead

Winter Weather

{ 07:25, Thursday, February 1, 2007 } { Posted by countryheart }

It sounds like you all are really getting alot of winter weather this year. I'm sorry to hear about your goat. When you live on a farm thats all part of the game isn't it? My neighbor lost a goat Saturday, the goat was carrying 4 kids and got toxemia. She came down to get my son Chad to go down and dig a hole with the backhoe. She was pretty upset. I hope you are staying warm. I wear muck boots and my feet never get cold. I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

Toxemia and Muck boots?

{ 08:10, Thursday, February 1, 2007 } { Posted by heritagehill }

Was she treating her for Toxemia? If you catch it you can sometimes bring them through. That is so sad to lose them all!
I have been wondering about Muck boots........they don't look warm, and with the cost! Dh got some Ranger boots this winter and they are very warm, he is so pleased with them. I had read about them on one of my homestead yahoo groups. They are half the price too. I have been trying to find a pair for me, but this late in the year it is hard to find a small pair.