A day in the life of a homesteader.

[Corky]

This morning I went to do chores. Molly, my only milk goat refused to eat again. She has done this sense she gave birth to triplets 7 weeks ago.
She has been treated for milk feaver and everything else I and the vet can think of to no avail. The good news is she will browse just fine. It's a good thing or she would be dead by now.
It goes without saying I have no milk for us to use as she barely has enough for her kids because she won't eat grain of any kind. She is very thin but still getting around fine. OH well...
On to work...
DH meets me on my lunch hour to take the runt goat to the vet to be dehorned as he was too small to have it done when I did the others and my disbudder that I bought last Spring quit working. Decided to have him banded too so I could keep the little fellow as a companion for the buckling I will go to Maryland and get next month.
Vet is taking forever! He comes out and says " those tiny horns have a hugh base so I had to cut them off and then burn them. Does he need CDT?" Needs booster about now so gave him the go ahead.
Kid crashed! Doc came out again to tell us this and that the little fellow has a really bad heart murmur. He is in a bed on oxygen. Vet gave him shots to help bring him around. Says the kid can't be stressed but may live a long time without stress.
I now have a kid that is not big enough for food, not strong enough to be kept with a buck. Cant be put in with the other animals later and the pecking order must be established and he can't take that. I, of course , am attached to him. I want to fine him a home where he can live with a gentle doe as a pet. Not much chance of that happening. OH well...
NEXT!
DH calls when he finally gets home with the buckling. It has come around well and is in the pasture with Mom and siblings but..... Ready for this?.....
I left the gate to the feed room unlocked again... (twice in one week) and the donkey, alpaca and wether got into the total goat feed and had a little snack.... no... a BIG snack! The goat should be just fine.. I am getting good at this. fed him a big bunch of soda and a long strip of probios.
I called the vet because the donkey ate goat feed too and it has meds in it for cocci and urinary track meds for bucks. Vet says I will just have to watch her and call him if she goes down. RATS!!!

Now why am I a homesteader again??????

[BrahmaMama]

Oh Hon, you need a glass of wine!

Cyber (((hugs))) too!

Tomorrow is another day... :baby04:

[Westwood]

Now don't you want to have 89 of them and have a dairy???
Wine? Maybe someone from near Winslow will bring some of that wonderful home made wine.

Hang in there Corky!

**** happens.
This too, shall pass.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
The tractor will run out of gas at the farthest point from the gas can.

[okgoatgal2]

corky, aren't goats fun? hmm, have you given her pro bios/fast track, something like that? how about a shot of B vitamins? that's all i can think of right off the top of my head.....

try feeding her dog food....mine love it

[Corky]

Bramama, Tomarrow is another day.....

Dennis.... FUNNY! AND NO!!!!!! A beer would be good.... don't have any.

Laura, tried that and that and that and ........ It may still be calcium but I have poured so much CMPK in her that I probably fried her gut. Won't do that any more. as long as she eats brush and herbs I am going to just let her be.
She won't eat alfalfa pellets either. I keep the kids off of her except at milking time then let them in to her one at a time and moniter who gets how much. Doeling gets top priority then the runt then the strapin big buckling.
I let the first two nurse one teet each till they let go and then pull them off.
The teets fills up again a little and that is what the big boy gets. They are doing just fine on that. they eat grain great and browse good too.
Come to think of it I could give her another bo-se shot. That wouldn't hurt.

[fricknfarm]

Are you SURE you left it unlocked?? Both my goats and my horse "work" things constantly. The goats will even use their horns on doorknobs. I have to keep the walk door from my basement locked...I kept blaming my husband because the goats were getting in(we keep the feed in the room by the door) no, wasn't my husband, the goats discovered they coud turn the knob with their horns.
Ruby the horse "works" things with her lips and can open some gates.
Maybe you DIDN'T forget.
Feeding dogfood to a ruminant might not be the best thing. BSE is a product of feeding ruminant to ruminant.

[okgoatgal2]

fricknfarm, it was a joke about the dogfood. my goats steal it every chance they get-kids get to stand out there to keep the goats out of the dogs' food dishes. i'm well aware that dog food isn't good for goats. corky is too.

[Corky]

I am very sure it was me because I do have smart critters so I have critter proof locks on every door and gate.
I have chains with strong spring lock snaps on the gates and padlock type barn door latches with snap links in place of padlocks.
I used to not have the snap links until I saw the buck use his foot to turn the handle of the door. He had to hit it hard but with a big strappin buck that is not a problem.
Yes I know not to feed dog or cat or people food to goats.

[mpillow]

A suggestion for getting nanny eating more....a box of cheapo corn flakes or sugared flakes and Black Oil sunflower seeds....I have a doe in milk that gets a tuna sized can of cracked corn, another of BOSS, and one of calf manna as she doesn't like the 16% the other goats get And b-complex will also stimulate appetite....or go sit and have a BEER with her....no joke it is good for her in moderation...I let my girls have a nip on a hot day

If your little guy is on a bottle add yogurt to it (a tbs)...this will help develop his rumen and add calories as he is on the "mend".

I've done the door thing too which is why all mine can get into is hay now...the grain I keep in my sunroom....and I do have one doe who opens doors whenever she feels the need she is quite good about meeting her own needs!!

[fricknfarm]

Okay guys, glad you know about the dog food. I DID see one fellow on TV one time feeding his poor elderly neighbor's sheep for her with two big bags of elCheapo dog food. some people just don't know the obvious. i have two wethers that are NUTS about catfood. I gotta watch them too.

[Corky]

I don't know of anyone around here feeding dog food to sheep or goats but I did know a lady that fed it to pot belly pigs.
It's just as bad for them. People think pigs, like goats can eat anything.
pot belly pigs have a tendency to fat and have to eat a low fat diet just like some of us ladies.