Things are running pretty smoothly at the farm. My goat herd size is easily manageable now. I only kept my favorite goats – Annabelle & kid Pebbles, Sweety & doe Gracie, Molly the Fainting goat, Herman the very little Pygmy wether & Bongo, the Nubian/Boer wether.

Of course Frosty the registered Saanen is the queen (although she doesn’t rule… the littlest one, Sweety – she’s the boss! Frosty continues to give me a quart of milk (2 lbs), twice a day.  Sometimes a little more but that’s fine with me.  I’m still trying to figure out how to use all she’s already giving us!

I get a lot of pleasure from milking her. It’s very relaxing and very rewarding.  I’m still amazed at this “gift” that comes from her.  If things are going smoothly at the barn, she may produce a little more but if things are crazy – like if Sweety is trying to boss her around, she produce a little less milk.  I guess her udder is temperamental!  She’s so different from the Pygmys.. she’s very calm & gentle.  Never acts “starved” like the Pygmys – always comes to her food very nonchalantly – not like, “Finally!  Food!”  I’m very happy with her.  She’s a wonderful addition to the farm.

The horses are getting fat off the pasture.  They’re all very healthy & playful with each other.  However if they see me, they too think, “Yes, food!!!”  What is it with critters?  Is food all they think about?

Summer heat & humidity brought on tons of flies.  One afternoon I noticed how many there was… my poor horses were so covered with them it was like their entire faces were black!  Because they didn’t like the spray (I had to fight them to put it on), and the roll-on was too expensive, I had to find another solution.  Danny at the feed store recommended Python Magnum – these are tags that are attached to cow ears & they repel flies for up to 4 months.  I put one on each side of their harnesses & I am extremely pleased with the results.  Of course they still have flies but I’d be willing to say the tags eliminate 90% of the flies.

The only drawback is that I had to put halters on them – I’ve always been against this practice because anything can happen in the field.. they can get hooked on a fence post, they can hook their rear hoof in the halter while scratching.. any number of things can occur.  And of course something did!

I noticed last night that Daisy June (miniature donkey), had a sore under her chin – who knows how she hurt herself but the halter rubbing against it made it much worse.  She’s penned up now, getting penicillin and ointment & I think she’ll be fine – just needs some meds for a few days along with some TLC & she’ll be okay.  I had to pen up Madigan with her – Madigan worked herself up all night because of this separation – poor thing brayed & pranced all evening!  However, I think Daisy June enjoyed being away from her… Madigan’s the bully & Daisy June is real mellow & quiet.

The 3 llamas Stormy, Major & Big Al are not enjoying the heat either.  I’ve set up 2 large fans inside their shelter.  We turn them off at night and you can be sure that by 10 am the next morning, all three are laying in front of the fans waiting for them to get turned on.  Once the fans are blowing, the llamas stay there until the weather cools down around 4 pm.  Big Al will also stand near the garden hose & wait for someone to come around and hose him down!

Pork Chop & Bacon are enjoying their life…  eating, getting fat, wallowing in the pond – life doesn’t get any better!  Enjoy it porkies… come Autumn, you’ll have to live up to your names!

My 6 Bantam hens have given me over 100 chicks since Spring – however because they’re free roaming, only about 6 of the 100 have made it to adulthood.  Wild animals, hawks, barn rats – all have contributed to the diminishing number of chickens.  I finally decided to have a large fenced in chicken coop added to the barn – hopefully that should be up by the end of summer – it would be up sooner but it’s just too darn hot out there to expect anyone to be working outside!

Right now I’ve got a hen that’s running around with 12 chicks and another hen sitting on 8 eggs.  Hopefully the coop will be built soon enough so we “save” all these cute little guys.  Chicks are so adorable – truly you have to watch their interaction to appreciate them.  They’re not so cute when they’re chickens but it’s nice to be there for the journey from chicks to chickens.

My ducks were prolific this year but not all the ducklings made it.  I really felt sad for this hen… for 30 days she sat on that nest & protected those eggs with her life.  All the while her sons from last years hatchlings stayed nearby & patiently waited for mom to finish her job.  She hatched 9 live ducklings and after keeping them confined for a week they made it to the pond… only to be greeted by a snapping turtle who proceeded to eat (kill) 6 of them before we realized what was going on & set up a trap.  Then mom & one duckling got run over.  The only ducking that survived was adopted by the other hen who was smart enough to stay out of the pond.  All 7 of her ducklings are still happily paddling in the pond!

So it’s been a good summer at the farm.  Life is good.  Everyone is healthy & happy & it still brings me so much pleasure to interact with them.  Being around my critters is therapeutic.  It doesn’t matter how much manure or goat poop that I clean – I still enjoy doing this.

I’m looking forward to Autumn, when the weather starts to cool down and that I can stay outside longer without sweating so much!

It’s nice to be at a point where the number of animals that I have is so manageable.  When in a hurry, I can get everyone fed & watered within 30 minutes.  Add an extra 5 minutes to medicate Daisy June & that’s all it takes.  Of course with fewer animals, there’s a lot less clean up required too!  It’s been all good but its even better now!

I feel so blessed that I have been able to do everything that I had dreamed about as a child.  Life has been good, very good & I thank God everyday for loving me as much as he does.

If you want to contact me, please email me at christine@crazygoatlady.com – I might miss your comments if you post them on my site & I hate it when I realize that I have a comment that has not been replied to.

This will most likely be my last post until Autumn – May you all have a safe & blessed summer and thank you for being a faithful “fan” of my website.  A bientôt chėres amis!

I don’t know if any of you have ever had to do this.  I’m going to tell you a little about how it goes on down here & although I’m going to keep my stories to those of selling animals, the same thing happens no matter what you’ve got for sale.

I put a lot of work in putting up accurate descriptions of what I have for sale.  I list everything I possibly can about each individual animal.  I also put up pictures & videos & links to more pictures & more videos.  I also indicate what I’ll do for them in the price I list.  Vaccines, worming, hoof trimming….  I’m also very honest about their level of “tameness/friendliness”.

If you compare my animals to any other offered online either via craigslist, my local LSN website or any other out there, you’ll see that my animals look much better than most available.  My prices are very fair & there’s a reason why some doelings are $100 while others are $75.  If you read the description, you’ll clearly see why.

In any case, the reason I’m writing all this is that once you’ve seen my listing, you’ve learned enough for you to make a decision if you want one of my goats or someone else’s.   At this point all you need to do is email me or pick up the phone to make an appointment.  Easy, right?  Too bad that’s not how it works.

Here’s a scenario… Mrs So & So calls and talks my ear off for 10 minutes about how she’s always wanted a goat for a pet.  Then she says she’s been on my website and want’s to know what I have for sale… duh?  They’re all there lady…  After I spend another 10 minutes asking her what she wants (adult, doeling, buckling, etc.), she asks me if she can come now.  Seeing that I want to be accommodating and that I do want to sell my goats, I rearrange my schedule and make sure I’m going to be here when she & hubby arrives.. after all, it’s an hour drive and I wouldn’t want her to show up and I not be there.  Well, do you think she shows up?  Nope.  Do you think she calls?  Nope.  Not only did I waste half an hour on the phone with her but I changed my schedule to accommodate her.  You would think she would have the decency to call to say she’s changed her mind.

Then there are the people that start off right and I send them a Paypal invoice for a deposit.  Lady gets the requests and emails me to ask if I can wait until the end of the week for her to send the payment.  She really, really, really wants these 2 goats but she doesn’t deposit her paycheck until Friday.  Okay.  I understand.  I’ll wait.  And I turn down a sale because this nice lady has dibs on 2 goats.  Friday comes & goes & I have to resend an invoice reminder.  The next day I get an “I’m sorry” email… “I’ve changed my mind”, says the nice lady.

Here’s the best story (& probably the one I understand the least).  Lady calls from Ashville, NC., around 3 pm on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  She really, really, really wants 2 of my goats and asks if she can come that day.  I tell her that she’s at least 3 if not 4 hours away.. wouldn’t she like to wait to start in the morning?  Oh no she says… I really want them & my husband doesn’t mind driving at all.    They don’t have a GPS so I tell her which exit to get off and call me at that point & I’ll give her further directions.  I even hear her say, “Honey, they’re off exit 347 on I40 East!”   She’s so excited she says, she can hardly stand to wait!  Twenty minutes I spend on the phone with this lady while she’s on my website asking me about each goat listed!

At 7pm no one is here and I’m at the barn for evening feed… I call her up and I’m so sure she’s on her way that I just ask her which exit she’s at.  She asks me to hold & I hear her say, “She want’s to know what exit we’re at?”.  The husband comes on and says, “Huh?  We’re not making a 6 hour trip at this time, what are you talking about?”.   At this I say, “What?”  YOUR wife said you were on your way, what da heck?”  He has the nerve to say that he didn’t know his wife said they were coming and by the way, they don’t have any money right now any way.  I kid you not.  This is the truth.

What is wrong with people? I actually posted about this a few years ago – you might want to read about that experience.

People don’t understand that when you reluctantly hand me $100 for a goat that I’ve kept & nurtured for a year, the value of that purchase is more like $300.  All the time & money that I’ve invested in that little creature (not to mention the TLC), adds up to a lot more than $100.  Especially if you’re the person that kept me on the phone for 20 minutes, had me reschedule my day and then spend 45 minutes “shootin’ the sh**” when you pick up your animal.  And that’s if you buy a $100 goat!

Most folks are truly oblivious of this when they buy from private sellers, whether it be animals or anything else you find online.

Don’t get me wrong… I love talking about my pets & I want to be sure you know what you’re getting into when you buy one of my animals but for crying out loud, don’t waste my time.  You know who you are.  I cannot believe that people who don’t have the money can call in the first place!

I did have one wonderful experience earlier this week.  A very nice young lady called – she pretty much knew what she wanted & she also had over an hour drive to come here.  We made an appointment & she said she’d call when she was about 30 minutes away.  And she did!  Then she got here with her adorable little girl and her mom (Gramma).  I almost had a heart attack… this young woman & her little girl pretty much knew all of my goats by name!  You could tell that these 2 had done their homework!  It was such a joy spending time with them!   I hope they read this post…  Thank you ladies for being so informed & knowing what you want!

A man once told me something very wise & profound that I’ll never forget.  He said, “If you want to make a small fortune with goats…. start with a large one!”.

In the last few weeks I’ve been quite busy answering all kinds of questions left for me in my various comments section. Not only have I helped goat owners (I think?), but I’ve also made several new online friends! Isn’t the internet an awesome media for learning stuff & networking? Just remember folks, whatever I respond is just based on my experience & research. If you have any doubts whatsoever, please contact your vet or nearest veterinary teaching university – there is usually someone there able to answer any of your farm animal related questions.

That being said, I think I’m ready for summer…While we were working in Daytona, Tim “mucked” out the barn & the outside sheds. I cleaned out the tack/feed room and my medical/first aid cabinet. I took out all of the heated buckets and replaced them with my automatic watering buckets. Just that makes everything so much simpler! All I have to do is tip them over for a quick rinse and then just let them fill by themselves!

Winter wasn’t harsh here but it did seem to last way longer than usual. Of all the animals to care for during sub zero weather the rabbits were the most time consuming. Their water bottles were not heated and so twice a day I had to replace frozen bottles. That meant I had to lug hot water from the house to melt the water nozzles! It got to be a little crazy so I found a good home for all of them… except Lattée.

Lattée has been freely roaming the barn area for more than a year. I’m amazed that she hasn’t been caught by something. This little bunny is crippled… one of her rear legs was bent when she was just a fluff puff and she just holds it crosswise under herself. But she can still run fast! Nothing can catch her! Every morning when I open the door to the barn, she’s just laying there in the middle of the barn looking like she owns the place! I hate to admit it but I have a resident barn rat that’s nearly as big as Lattée!

Speaking of rat, this thing is so brazen that it walks across the barn.. doesn’t run! So I set up a live trap to catch it to relocate it (what, me kill it? No way). Well, the next morning, there was this rat in the trap. Big one too.. Had to be at least 8 inches long, not counting the tail! I was about to put it in the truck & bring it to an abandoned barn down the road when I looked at it’s belly… wouldn’t you know it.. she had 2 rows of little buttons (nipples).. which only meant that she had babies somewhere! I couldn’t take her from her babies – so I let her go! The only damage she’s done is to dig tunnels under my feed bins. She doesn’t get into the feed but I leave bowls out for Lattée, so now I just leave out a little more. What can I say? God created barn rats too.

I sold several goats & both Glory & Coquette (who’s due to foal by the end of March). Over the last few years I had accumulated way too many animals & it seemed that my hobby had become a job. I spent so much time “working” at it that much of the pleasure of having a petting farm had disappeared.

I’m still working at thinning the herd – most of my does are pregnant and are due to kid during the month of April. There is no more enjoyable time at the farm than to sit and watch the antics of a bunch of little goats! They can be so entertaining!

I think “Uncle Stormy” the llama, senses that there are babies on the way. He seems to prefer to stick around the barnyard than to roam the 8 or so acres of pasture that we have for the 3 llamas, 3 miniature horses & 2 miniature donkeys.

Still quite a bit of work to do over the next week. All the goats need to be wormed and vaccinated. As do the mini horses & donkeys. My friend, neighbor and farrier will need to come and help me trim 20 hooves. We’ll take a few days to do that… it’s really back breaking doing those little guys!

The llamas will be loaded in the trailer & brought to L & J Farm supply – I need to use his cattle scale to get an accurate weight to worm them. They’ll also need to be vaccinated. Waiting to hear from an expert as to what to vaccinate with. CD & T or horse 8-Way??? In a few weeks, Bobby the shearer will have to come by and give them their summer “make-over”. Fiber sheared & hooves trimmed. These guys need to be handled in a llama chute for this kind of work. Major’s fiber (which is high quality), will be sent to a lady that spins it and makes stuff with it.

The 3 pot belly pigs probably need to be wormed… Another use for Safeguard for horses.. just double the dosage & insert in a Twinkie! How easy is that?

Grumpy & Lulu have survived winter in their “dogloos”. As long as they had plenty of blankets to wrap around, they were fine no matter how cold it got. I got an entire new appreciation for “pig in a blanket”.. these guys really know how to wrap themselves to stay warm. You have to see this to believe it. They were totally “rolled” into their numerous blankets inside their dogloos. These animals are very smart!

My little black Cochin Bantam hen is again sitting on about a dozen eggs. The other 4 hens were laying eggs on top of her.. when I moved her into a safe hen house, she was trying to incubate about 30 eggs! Poor thing! Once she was settled in her new nest box, she sorted out the “bad eggs” and kept about a dozen. Another nest has been started in the hay feeder but none of the hens are sitting on them. If I don’t see some motherly action soon, the pigs are going to get a nice big omelet!

The ducks are ignoring the laying box I set out for them.. every day or so I pick up a large duck egg from the strangest location.. in Miss Piggy’s bowl, under the goat feeder, under the manure buggy… not the smartest animals at the farm.

Before I tackle any of the above chores, I’m going to beautify the barn. Time to remove the Fall Harvest theme (yep, never got to taking those down), and put up plastic flowers, colorful bird & butterfly decorations.. and just spruce it up!

Sound like a lot of work? Well it is but I enjoy every minute of it! If you’re in the area, drop by and lend a hand… the pay sucks but the benefits are great!

Well, enough rambling.. time to move on! Please join me on Facebook, where friends gather and share our crazy love for our critters!

February 14th Oreo finally gave birth to twins… Valentina & Valentino were born without any help from me.  I showed up for morning feeding and “voila” two extra little mouths to feed!  Tina was mostly black, the typical Pygmy goat coloring with gray muzzle & ears while Tino is a solid,  solid jet black.  Not one white hair anywhere!  He is a darling! I have since sold Tina and kept Tino – not sure if I’m going to keep him, castrate him or sell him… I’m on the line with this one because I think he’ll end up being a bit taller than my current stud.  Flip is very small & compact and since I’m trying to breed small, he’s just perfect!  We’ll see.  If the right buyer comes along, I just might let him go.

At this moment my rabbit has 4 little bunnies.  This is her 3rd litter since I’ve had her but all the bunnies from the 2 previous litters died within the first 48 hours.  These little guys born Saturday the 18th are squirmy and very much alive.  Of course it’s much warmer these days than it was when she birthed earlier this year.  I’m anxious to see what the little ones will look like.  Flopsy is a gray Lop Ear and the buck is a solid black  Lionhead.  They should be very cute.

I also have two hens that have hatched 7 chicks.  They’re so funny… they have their boxes side by side in a large cage (to keep them safe from Possums & feral cats), and they keep stealing each other’s chicks!  Strange thing is that hens can be really mean to the chicks… they often peck at one chick in particular and often times wound them mortally.

Stormy my goat loving Llama (referred here as “Uncle Stormy”), was sheared on Saturday.  He looks like a different animal altogether!  I think he’s not too happy with his looks as he’s been keeping pretty much to himself inside his stall.  Maybe he’s cold?  Could be… all of his wool is gone!  Note that this wasn’t a “show” trim but just a plain old shearing – no fancy cuts!  In a few weeks he’ll have some growth & he won’t look so strange!

About a month ago I bought another miniature horse… named Cowgirl.  She’s a caramel color with blond mane & tail and came with a cute little wooden cart.   I renamed her “Ol Blue because of her beautiful marble blue eyes and the fact that she’s at least 20 years old!  I was able to drive her but realized that the cart (and me!), was way too heavy for her to pull comfortably so I bought a little “Easy Entry Cart”.  She does much, much better with it but it still is difficult for her on these hilly roads.

Saturday (April 18), I had my petting farm set up in town and drove Ol Blue all the way into town with Toffee tied behind me.  It took us about 45 minutes to get there… it’s a 5 minute drive in the car!  She did well on & off… she tires easily and I don’t want to overdo it with her.  So now I’m shopping for a younger horse!  Ol Blue is a very gentle horse and very well mannered.  I hope that my farm will be her last… she’s such a good horse – she deserves a final home here!

So, final count, I have 6 adult does  4 of which I’m sure at are pregnant and should kid end of May, beginning June.   That would be Noelle, Chausette, Brownie & Blackie.  I don’t think Old Goat is pregnant (she may never be), and Oreo isn’t yet…  Molly my fainting goat looks pregnant but I can’t tell for sure yet.  She & Bambi would also be due end of May.  My young little Cocoa looks like she’s about to pop a kid any day now & I have to keep a close watch on her.  She’s way too young to be birthing but she came to me that way in January.

I have several kids for sale at this time and you will find their pictures/videos on my “For Sale” page.

Here are the most common signs of birthing.  However, I’ve had a couple of goats show absolutely no signs at 7pm yet at 7am they came to eat accompanied by a little one!

These signs are in no particular order:

• The doe digs a nest, paces, paws at the ground or bedding
• There is white vaginal discharge, loss of the mucus plug, followed by a streaming of clear, runny mucus
• Has loose tail ligaments; tail lifts up
• Appears restless, rises and lies down frequently
• Eyes are luminous and possibly stargazes
• Smells the ground and may exhibit the Flehmen reaction (curling of upper lip)
• Looks behind her, licks or bites her sides
• Hollows out: from the side, hollow areas above the back leg under the back
• Elevates her front end by standing on something with her front feet only
• Bottom of her belly starts getting lower to the ground
• Squats and urinates frequently
• Udder begins to fill, teat have a waxy, shiny look or are strutted (pointed slightly out to side rather than downward) – this sign is usually right before birthing – expect kid in 24 hours
• Vulva becomes flabby & puffy
• Bleats or “baby talks” to the unborn kid
• Grinds teeth
• Breathes faster, pants, yawns
• Goes off by herself to a “private’ place (that could be out in the rain or cold)
• Acts out of character: becomes more affectionate or more standoffish
• Acts uncomfortable and pushes and rolls as the babies get into birthing position
• Vocalizes or grunts when contractions occur
• May refuse to eat the morning of delivery (very rare here!

Remember, all goats are individuals and may or may not show any of the above signs.  By knowing your animals, you’ll know when something’s up.

Being present at birthing is a beautiful gift – it’s unlikely that your doe will need help but if she does, just do what comes naturally!  Most times all she needs is to hear your comforting voice, especially on first timers.

I love holding wet babies and having them smell me from the moment they’re cleaned off.  Then suprisingly, watch them jump around only hours after entering this world!  What a joy!

Winter kids have it very hard.  I’ve experienced it first hand this year.  I’ve lost a few to chills (moms kidded outside in the rain when they had access to a warm dry barn – go figure), and at this time in January most of my kids have the sniffles, runny noses and lots of coughing.  It’s very hard to see these little babies not healthy as they should.  Because of this, I will not allow any of my does to breed between May and October (hence avoiding kidding between October & March).  I’ve had to learn the hard way but certainly not as hard as my little goats!

April 28th, 2010

I’ve added this link to a video of a normal birth – no problems or issues.  Brownie is mildly vocal, some can be much louder and others will not make a sound.  You’ll see me grab the little hooves & pull.  Only do this if you feel the kid is stuck but before you do pull, insert your fingers to feel for the little muzzle.  If you don’t feel the nose, do not pull – it could be that the kid is not presenting itself correctly.  However, this is no cause to be alarmed.. not yet.  Most times the contractions will realign the kid and all will go well.  Sometimes, like the case with Gracie, this didn’t happen & she needed an emergency C-Section.

Most recently we were invited to our local elementary school for the Kindergarten & Pre-Kindergarten classes.  Once there we were asked to stay a little while longer so that the rest of the students could come see, feel and experiment being close to these animals.

I was surprised that although we live in a rural area, most children had never seen a donkey or a goat!  Of course none had ever seen a camel!  After our visit we heard some of the cutest stories… kids would tell their parents that a camel came to school and the parents didn’t believe them!

This was a last minute arrangement that was organized by one of the teachers, Mrs Billyinthia Hill, the wife of my good friend Danny.  He owns and operates L & J Farm Supply here in Spring City.  I get all of my supplies and feed from his store but what is more important is the wealth of information I get from Danny and from others through him.  As a matter of fact, Danny provided all the fencing for my animals for both of the times that I had them out.

Speaking of Danny (L & J Farm Supplies), I’d like to give him credit for all of the help he’s been to me.  This man is so knowledged  – there is not much that he doesn’t know when it comes to farm animals.  And if he doesn’t have an answer for you, he knows who does & he gets right on it!  It’s not all about the stuff you can buy in a store but what you can learn from those who’ve been there before you.  Thanks Danny, you’ve been a great help to me!

As I said earlier, I’m not in the “Petting Zoo/Farm” business but if you’d like to come with a small group of children for them to experience mostly miniature farm animals, please contact me and we’ll see what we can arrange.  For me there is no greater pleasure than to be able to share all that I have been blessed with.

To whom much is given, much is expected!