Snow does slow things down

because over on the new farm, we had planned to have the younger does moved into their new area last week. But, with the snow staying on the ground, we couldn't check to be sure the fence was close to the ground all the way around. We will be adding a string of barbed wire to the bottom as soon as it comes in. Being the procrastinators that we are, we still have some of the original soil samples we took from these pastures waiting to be sent out. Even after lime, we are finding that stuff doesn't want to grow very well on this area. We're wondering if there is some sort of herbicide residue that still could be slowing grasses. When we planted orchard grass and alfalfa, the alfalfa took, and the orchard grass didn't. Everything seems to grow in slow motion. Right beside this area, there is deep grass that has been there forever. After we find out what the soil tests tell us, I am hoping the addition of nutrients back into the soil in the form of goat poop will start putting back some of what has been taken out.





The does we bought at the Cream of the Crop sale are getting closer to kidding out. We are hopeful about what they and their kids will add to the herd. The large brown doe is by Turbo (a Terminator XX son) and out of a Loverboy daughter. She is bred to Goat Hill's Cherokee Fiddler. He is a Loverboy son out of a full sister to Titan (we have one of his maternal half sisters by Iron Horse already). The black doe is a Rolling Meadows bred doe by Tay Herk out of a daughter of Goldmine I. She is bred to Wild Bill, and we had also bought her doe kid by Wild Bill from last year, so we have some idea what her kids might be like. The real wild card is the light doe I bought on a whim. She is starting to develop an udder, so even though she doesn't look it, maybe she really is bred. At the time we bought her, she had ultrasounded with twins by WHF Hoss. I have nooo idea what she will have. All these does have been in an area of their own since they arrived, and everyone has either 1 or 2 Famacha scores. Of course, it is winter, but they have been in a relatively small area and had the stress of being shuffled to and from a sale and a long drive home, so I am happy to see they are proving to be good tough does.


Back on the old farm, old Marshmallow presented us with twin PB does. I find it funny how we had so many dark kids by Boomer last year, and this year most of them are light. They are two feminine does, bouncing around in the snow, and we hope to get the moms and kids from this farm moved over within the month to the new pasture so they have somthing to sustain their growth that doesn't come from the feed store. Woods full of kudzu and sticker bushes make good forage in the summer, but there ain't much growing in the winter to sustain a goat. The new kids have already figured out that the mama goats leave a few scraps. Not much goes to waste, unless you're talking about hay. We are still trying to figure out the "perfect" homemade goat hay delivery system.