I used to keep our buck separated from our does, so we could manage when they kidded. But in the last couple of years I’ve just kept them together, leaving it up to nature to decide when the babies would come. And nature has preferred January and February, even though those are the harshest months for the health of mama goats and newborn kids.
So I was delighted when all our nannies became amorous this month. A goat’s gestation period is five months, and in November our weather is usually mild. If we’re going to be out in the barn in the middle of the night assisting with kidding, I’d much rather do that in November than in January.
Our new billy goat Abraham has big hooves to fill, but he seems to have stepped up to the challenge. Once he’d done his duty in the barn pasture I took him to the other pasture in the hopes that he could work his magic there too.
But so far the girls in that pasture seem unimpressed. I’m hoping they’ll grow very fond of Abraham soon. If not, we may have more January kids after all.
Your captions are hilarious … I trust he’ll become acceptable shortly … 🙂
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I started out just typing a post about timing the kidding, but couldn’t resist having a little fun. 🙂
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Bill, I’m sure the the natural course of things will begin shortly. Nature has a way of keeping things productive. Being able to hear your talk about consuming less and living more peaceful would be awesome. I do hope a video will be recorded.
Yea, I put up three wooden fence panels yesterday. The building of the back fence to enclose the garden has begun. I may be able to get another one up today and begin the process filling around the posts with concrete. It would be wonderful if the fence could be completed this year and keep the deer out. They don’t seem to bother the bigger tomato plants just the small young plants. It has to be very discouraging for you to see the damage that just one night of deer foraging can do. Maybe it’s time for a guard dog?
Have a great day anticipating the November kids.
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A guard dog wouldn’t have helped since our tomato gardens are about a quarter of a mile from our house–unless I chained the dog, which I wouldn’t do. I talked to a woman at a local nursery today who said the same thing happened to someone else she knows. Deer ate up his tomato plants too. Very frustrating, but fortunately everything else is fine (so far).
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He’s a beauty!
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He is a nice looking buck. I was hoping he would be bigger (he’s quite a bit smaller than our old buck Johnny), but he has a great disposition and he made some nice kids earlier this year.
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Good looking dude. Just the one buck? How many nannies, out of curiosity?
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We have two bucks. He has an understudy (Maxwell) who I didn’t think was ready for prime time, so we let Abraham handle both of our pastures. Now he’ll stay in the one I just put him in and Maxwell will be in charge of the other one. We have 30 nannies.
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I am sure Abraham is thinking “it is a tough job but someone has to do it”!
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Yeah, it’s good work if you can get it. 🙂 It’s not easy being a male animal on a farm. Very few of them are allowed to stay. Being one of the lucky ones is like winning the farm animal lottery.
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Abraham is some goat, as we would say in Maine 😉
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We’ve been pleased with him. He’s perfectly tame and not nearly as stinky as his predecessor.
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So, I just had an epiphany on nomenclature (well, possibly, at any rate; ) and, as the story goes, that Abraham was still siring kids as a really old goat… But that could be considered quite a disrespectful way of thinking… So it’s obviously not an epiphany… Right?
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Cherie named him. The hope is that he will be the father of many. 🙂
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Abraham’s Dream Job
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We loaned him to another farm earlier this year and he produced good kids for them too. He’s quite the Valentino it seems.
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we like to think we orchestrate things, but it’s humbling how nature and animals still just do as they please. Like I found out fencing is only a suggestion to cows, and I’m at there mercy for them to choose to stay within it! Beautiful buck!
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I still can’t get over learning that Highlands cattle can jump a fence!
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I’ve seen a cow jump a cattle guard, too. I swear to goodness it looked just like a long jumper.
What’s that green thing next to Abraham in the last photo? I must say, he’s a handsome fellow. I suspect the girls will warm up to him.
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I’ve never seen a cow jump, but Khaiti has. 🙂 That’s an automatic waterer, connected to a well. And that reminds me, it’s time to clean it. 🙂
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I knew that Herdwick sheep could jump, but then again they are moorland sheep and only to be expected. I was quite dumbfounded to see our sheep jump a 3ft fence with ease and can scramble over a 4ft wooden fence when they feel like it. Fortunately they choose to stay in most often.
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I can’t imagine a sheep jumping either, but it does make sense. I think of sheep and cows as heavy plodding creatures. Goats, on the other hand…
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I think of cows as heavy, lumbering, plodding creatures as well. I was surprised and had to do a double take while driving the other day… a full-grown cow, engorged with milk no less, flat-out running to a pond for a drink. I’ve seen calves run and play, but never a cow. But I don’t have much experience with 4-leg livestock.
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