Locked and Loaded

Buttons is coming down the home stretch. Wider than she is tall, and with ligaments gone, I am hoping the kids will come in the next few days while I'm home. Buttons has kidded twice, both times by herself. She does just fine by herself. By the time you get out there she has them born, licked off, and nursing. If she could dip their navels she would. She's a good momma.
This time I am determined to be there with camera in hand.
I'll keep you posted.

Read All About It

Today we had a very important visitor to the farm. A reporter, Susan, from the Peninsula Gateway, came out to take pictures and do a story on the Key Peninsula Goat Club. Several members and the reporter came out after school, enjoyed the sun, and cuddled goats.


New member, Maree, with Herron Hill Silver Lining, one week old. The smile says it all.

In A Blur

Sun Glorious Sun

Too Early for Easter

It was almost too pretty to eat...almost.

Kidding Schedule

Kidding season will be upon us in a few short weeks with Buttons first out of the chute. She is bred to Pepe for some possible blue-eyed kids with loads of personality. Next, much to my surprise, is Cora Belle. I say it is a surprise because I thought we missed Cora Belle this year. She came into roaring heat twice very early in the fall...so early I didn't want to breed her and have kids in the winter, so I waited and then when I wanted to breed her she gave a half-hearted attempt to come into heat. I drug her over to Herron Hill Dairy to breed her to the new fancy buck with his Rosasharn genes and his champion mother but Cora Belle shut him down at every attempt. She clamped her tail and scurried away.
Back home we went to wait for the next heat.
It never came.
I was sure I'd missed this year and was disappointed because I want to put Cora Belle on milk test this year. She is a pretty heavy milker for a Nigerian.
But then she started to look a little bit heavier. Then she was definitely heavier. The goatfarmer stopped by a while back and I had her take a look. It was still hard to tell for sure since she had been enjoying the rations of a pregnant doe.
A few days ago after feeling Buttons unborn kids kicking and rolling inside her I thought I'd give Cora Belle a feel. I put a hand on each side of her tummy while she nibbled her grain and waited...and waited...and waited.
Kick.
Kick. Roll.
There it was. Cora Belle had a baby in there. And a very active one at that.
Still not trusting what I felt, as I have been known to pronounce an animal pregnant because I feel the kick only to have it never deliver, I tried again the next day and felt a distinct kick from a tiny hoof and then a lot of rocking and rolling.
I don't know how it happened but it did.
Last will be Buttons' daughter Boots. She is also bred to the fancy new buck at Herron Hill with his Rosasharn genes, champion mother, blue eyes and wattles.
Boots isn't due until the end of May so we have the babies spread out to keep the fun going all spring long.


Koo had better get his rest now. When there are babies on the farm he never lets his guard down.

Pig Flip Procrastination

I don't know why every time the pigs need their feet trimmed we procrastinate. It takes 20 minutes when we get right down to it.
We always put it off and then mean to do it but don't. I tell Hubby that this weekend, for sure, we are going to do the pig flip. He agrees and then we just don't.
Maybe it's all the screaming. The pigs scream from the moment you enter their pen until you place them back upright after their trim and swig of worm medicine.
The pig flip is where Hubby runs up behind them and grabs their front legs flipping them over onto their backs into his lap. Then he holds all four legs in the air while I trim their hooves and then top off the torture with a swig of wormer.

Today was the day. We did the pig flip. I trimmed and wormed.

It took 20 minutes.

I'm sure I talked about it more than that.



I know I thought about it more than that.

Goat Club

The Key Peninsula Goat Club (where milk is the key) met at my house today for our monthly meeting. The weather did not cooperate so some members could not make it and the goat clicker training was postpone until next month. Good thing because I have another month to prepare.
We passed the time eating chili and talking about the upcoming kidding season, the first annual Peninsula Classic Goat Show, participating in the grueling 5 days of the Kitsap County Fair,

and friends we knew who were nurses.....we got sidetracked...a lot.

One of our youngest members of the kid's group, Kids Inc. colored in her goatbook and entertained me with stories about time travelers and fairies.



A good time was had by all...



especially Solomon who learned the joy of following a 4 year old who was eating tortilla chips.

Stay tuned for updates on the Peninsula Classic Goat Show that will be more than a goat show. It will be a goat extravaganza held on July 9th at the Longbranch Improvement Center.

A Tired Dog is a Good Dog

Bijou and I went to visit my friend, the dog trainer extraordinaire, yesterday and we did a little impromptu training session. Bijou is food and toy driven and loves to play the training game. Maybe she is just what I need to get back into the training game myself. My friend gives private competition obedience lessons and has offered to help me work with Bijou for experience working with toy breeds. She currently has a dog from every breed group that she is training...except the Toys. That's where Bijou comes in with her "put me in coach" attitude.
Bijou was so tired and satisfied when we got home, she slept all afternoon. In the picture she is dreaming of treats that come her way just for sitting on her bottom.

That's why my motto for living with a dog is.....a tired dog is a good dog!

The Full Picture (for Clare)

The Nose Knows

make sure you click on the picture to get the full effect.

Signs of Spring

There have been some subtle signs of spring in our area. A slight greening and growing of the grass, the peacocks are screaming, and we got our first chicken egg of the season.
I would like to think that Ramona the Brave laid it.

She's my favorite hen.


I'm going to give her credit.

But the color of it would suggest it was....


my new favorite hen, Smokey.

Curious George Gets a Home

The most darling young couple with an equally darling baby came to the farm yesterday. They have a six acre farm with a couple of llamas and were needing some goats to keep the brush down and be part of their farm attractions. They have plans to put on weddings and parties so the goats will be petted and fed treats.

Sounds like a good life for George don't you think?

George was perfectly happy staying with his momma and nursing...at 8 months old. He and his companion from Herron Hill, Jimmy Jr, who had just left his mother at 8 months old were thrown in a stall one night to bond before they left for their new home. After the initial shock of seeing a new goat the boys got along quite well. They bonded in their fear of what was going to happen.

Both were wild as only dam raised (for 8 months)kids can be. George cowered by the wall while Jimmy climbed the walls. I couldn't believe how wild George had gotten over the winter. I was worried that when the darling couple saw these wild childs they would head for home...without the boys. I was confident that they would tame down really fast but would they want to take the time?
Undaunted by their thrashing and cowering, the darling couple took the two roommates home and settled them into their new stall and pasture.
I received an email today that the goats are settling in and the darling couple is very happy with them. Jimmy is a treat lover and is taming very fast.

George is still plastered to the wall.

Not so Lucky

Something (a huge raccoon as big as the neighbor's dog) got two of my not so lucky ducks. The beautiful green-headed male and one of his wives. Whatever it was (a huge raccoon as big as the neighbor's dog) couldn't get in so pulled them through the wire.
The remaining three are quite traumatized and are recovering in the chicken coop.
I was equally traumatized when I found my dog, Grace, chewing on something...it was the green-headed drake's bill.
Bad doggy!

My, what big ears you have

The Other Green Egg

While all the chickens I know took the winter off, the ducks have not.


And one even lays a green egg.



I don't know if this is typical of ducks but we got at least two eggs a day all winter and now we are up to three. I sell the eggs to a friend of a friend who can't eat chicken eggs. I'm really glad for that because although I do use them for baking, I can't get over how messy ducks are. You will notice that their eggs are dirty...just can't get that out of my mind...thus no boiled duck eggs for me for breakfast.
So if you want eggs all winter...and can get over the messy thing...oh and the dabbling in everyone's water...then get some laying ducks.



They are beautiful.

Companion Dog Excellent

Miles died today. He was only 13 and never had a sick day in his life. I found him this afternoon when I got home from work. I thought he was sleeping. He wasn't. He died calmly and without drama just like he lived. Always a gentleman.

Miles was my son's dog. His 4-H project that he bought with his birthday money. He wanted a Sheltie and I wasn't so sure I did. All that hair...and aren't they yappy?
We found a good breeder and went to see the only puppy left. He wasn't as flashy as his brothers and sisters so he was still available. My son signed the papers, handed over the money and named his new puppy Miles. We took him home and that night when we went to bed we put him in his crate and didn't hear a peep out of him until morning...always a gentleman.

That was one puppy that was lucky to not be so flashy. His puppyhood was spent being doted on by a boy and his enthusiastic 4H club. Although still my son's dog, I took over his training when the boy moved on to other things.
He was the first dog I clicker trained and he loved to work. Show him something three times and he had it. He loved obedience, agility and even dabbled in tracking one summer.

Miles was a cherished member of our family and will be missed but don't spend a moment feeling sad for him. He had the best life a dog could have had.

Solomon is not enjoying her one bit

Housebreaking in Winter

It's been a few years since we've had a puppy in the house and I had forgotten all about the challenge of housebreaking in winter. Add on to that a 2 pound California born Chihuahua puppy that thinks behind the potted plant in the living room will do just fine when it's 38 degrees and raining. I'm not a big fan of puppy pads...I want them to learn to go outside. In the summer it's great. Doors are open. The yard is a pleasant place to take your time and watch a puppy meander around taking their sweet time doing their business. But in winter it is all about who can make it back to the door first.
I am very lucky though as most of the housebreaking and crate training was done by my son and goldilocks so Bijou has no accidents of the #1 kind but she was still having a few of the #2 kind...well a lot really. It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention. I know how to housebreak a puppy and have taught a few people to housebreak their puppies. When I did obedience classes at our civic center I used to tell people that if the puppy had an accident to roll up a newspaper and hit themselves on the head and say-I didn't watch the puppy, I didn't watch the puppy, I didn't watch the puppy. I would say it very dramatically like I was going to say to hit the puppy with the newspaper.....it got a laugh every time.

I wasn't watching the puppy.

Needing inspiration, I plopped myself down in front of the TV to watch my favorite dog trainer, Victoria Stilwell. She was at a rich couple's house on Long Island that had four little dogs that were pooing and peeing in the house. So imagine my surprise to see author, fellow blogger, and now TV celebrity, Terry Golson, and her clicker trained chickens. She gave the couple a quick lesson in clicker training using her delightful little hens. She was very funny...and I like funny.
Victoria didn't tell me anything I didn't know (it just sounded better with her lovely British accent) but inspired me to put Bijou on a schedule and set a goal of no pooing in the house. It has been working quite well. So far we have only had half an accident, if you can imagine that.

I've been watching the puppy.

Happy Holidays!

My son and his wife are here from California for our holiday celebration. I gave them an enameled dutch oven and some wrenches and they gave me this......



Meet Bijou, a little tri-colored Chihuahua. Solomon thinks they brought her for him.

photo by my daughter-in-law Stephanie