Happy December

My it's been a while since I've posted. We went out of town for the holiday and that wasn't not exactly something I wanted to advertise online.

Now I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit and I must say, I'm failing miserably. Perhaps it's that Christmas has been "on" since before Thanksgiving. I'm so sick of the Black Friday "spend your money on Made in China garbage" message bombarding me constantly.  Maybe it's this wet cloudy weather. At least it's warm here. I just don't feel in the spirit. I even went so far as to make a wreath with the boys yesterday and put Christmas music on Pandora. I'm still not feeling it.

On the farm, I have Sally here to be bred to Ike. She went into heat a few days after she arrived, so I put Ike in the pen with her. Poor boy, she tried to kill him! You see she has horns. He does not. Seems she only had eyes for Magnum. She kept kissing on Magnum through the fence and pummeled Ike each time he got close.

I decided to tie her to a post so she couldn't hurt Ike. She nearly pulled the post out of the ground! Finally, I stood- in the dark, in the rain- on the buck side of the fence and held her nose to nose with Magnum while Ike worked up the nerve to approach her again. Magnum and Moses were thrilled to have me in the pen with them and took the opportunity to rub all over my legs.

Finally, the deed got done. A few extra times for good measure. And then a few more because I didn't want to do that again. I got Ike back in with the boys and released Sally. Then I got a shower. I may have to burn those jeans.

Sally flirted with Magnum the entire next day and I feel like I should have repeated the process, but she was wise to me and wouldn't let me tie her up again. I hope ten times was enough!

It should be. Even after spending the entire morning watching Fawn and April with my friend's mini-mancha buck, Eli only got each of them twice. He's so slow! But today is 22 days after they were bred and neither is in heat today.

Here's April doing some barnyard acrobatics. She's such a cutie.

I haven't seen Onyx or Buttercup go back into heat but I'm feeling paranoid about them, so we drew some blood yesterday and sent it off for Biotracking. I'll know next Wednesday for sure. I am absolutely certain the Alpines and Trixie are bred. They're even starting to look pregnant now. Kidding around here will start approximately March 10.

I decided to move Magnum in with the girls since the only goats I have any question on need to be bred to him anyway. I'm fairy certain the only doe not bred is Kat.

I called the vet about Kat before Thanksgiving. She said either take her to Auburn University for an ultrasound and a culture or cull her. I called Auburn after Thanksgiving and got the same advice. You may recall that Kat aborted about 40 days along last fall and didn't settle again last year. She goes into heat right on schedule but nothing comes of it. She's now been bred 3 heat cycles and I still think she's open. She's the only doe that Magnum is showing special interest in now that he's in with all of them. She should cycle around the 10th if she's not bred. I'll have to haul her in to Auburn if she does.

I really don't know what to do if they tell me there is actually something wrong with her. Or for that matter, if they don't find anything but she still doesn't settle. I simply will not keep a goat here who is not producing. I was impressed that even though she didn't freshen this spring, she kept giving me a quart a day all summer, but now she is dry. I guess it's the sale for her or else have the vet put her down. Perhaps I'll be able to sell her as a pet, she's a big love. Do any of you have any advice?