More kids!

I don't plan on turning this into a goat blog, but goats are on my mind. I have 3 does and all 3 have now kidded. Sister kidded on Thursday, 01/10 with twins. Three hours and 40 minutes later she had a triplet. She is now refusing to nurse the third baby since she arrived so late. Thank heavens my hubby is home to bottle feed Squirt. Sister had 2 girls and 1 boy.

Saturday I opened up the barn for fresh air. When I went back out after a couple of hours, I was missing a goat. Desi was gone. As she was due any time I figured she headed out to the blackberry area to have her kids in peace. It was raining and quite chilly. Hubby and I searched thru the blackberries for an hour looking for her. I asked him to check the, now empty, buck pen and he said the gate was closed. Darn, that would have been easy. We're soaked and cold and bleeding from those darn blackberry vines and beginning to search areas twice when he calls out that he found her. Where, you might ask? Why yes, in the buck pen as the gate was wide open. Arrgg. She hadn't kidded yet so I haul her back to the clean barn. She kidded with triplets, 2 boys and 1 girl about an hour later. Good mom, too.

Sunday I opened up the barn for fresh air. One goat left to kid and I was guessing maybe Monday. Went in the house, came back and yes, indeed, missing a goat. Sigh. I had to listen to hubby tell me 'I told you so'. Having learned a lesson, I went to the buck pen and there she was. Hauled her up to the barn and closed the doors. Hubby was working on a new door for the chicken house and left. I turned around to find Chelsea showing every sign of being in labor. About 25 minutes later we had a kid born. Five minutes later, another one. One of each sex this time. Now I have 4 boys and 4 girls, all healthy ones too. Barn sure seems smaller all of a sudden. Once the last kids are at least 3 days old I'll open up the barn during the day and kids can bounce all over outside. If it's not raining anyway.

I may try selling a boy or two at the 4H sale depending on how they grow but they are meant for the freezer. It's a good feeling knowing that we will have meat in the freezer come fall. Meat that we know has no anti-biotics or growth hormones. Meat that has had a good life prior to being meat, that knew sunshine and grass, jumping and playing with their buddies. Meat that was killed in a humane manner. My brother owns a meat store so I'll talk with him about doing the butchering, cutting and wrapping. That way I know for sure the meat I get is the meat I took in. I'll know it was prepared in a clean manner. Nice to know that I don't have to worry about getting sick eating that meat. That will make it all taste so much better.

What's in your meat?