I haven't updated in all eternity! I was a bit depressed about my farm for several weeks, and didn't feel like doing much more than taking care of my animals. Sadly, we lost Narf in June. She squeezed through the fencing into our neighbor's yard and ate something poisonous. She was literally nearly two times the size of the holes in the fencing, but managed to wriggle through like an octopus. She had diarrhea when I brought her back over, but I'd been having problems with that and figured it was the rich grass she was on. She was happy and active, so I gave her some Pepto and put her up in a dry pen. She was fine the next two days, and then went downhill almost instantly. I found her collapsed one evening, and we lost her within twenty minutes, too quickly to get help for her. I loved that little girl dearly and she will be missed. I then went and bought a truckload of chicken wire and put it up on the fence, so none of the kids can shimmy through the panels. R.I.P Narf. :( I am hoping to acquire a gold/white doeling next year out of some Piddlin Acres lines if I can find one. Apothecary Inn doesn't plan to breed next year, but if they do I am first in line for a kid from Narf's dam, whom I adore. If I am able to name the kid, I want to call her Lady in the Water in memory of Narf. If I can not get a doeling I want, I might keep a doe from my buckling, Tomahawk and give her that name.
In happier news, my last doe gave birth July 26th at about 1 A.M. She gave me two healthy buck kids. I got a nice buckling out of Pearl, but really wanted one out of Dakota. She gave me an insanely splashy little chamoise buck. He is gorgeous and absolutely perfect. I'm not sure on a registered name, but I'm calling him Gizmo. The second buckling is a carbon copy of mom. I planned to wether him, but he was very slow to "unfold." Now that he has, he is an extremely correct and elegant little guy who would make a stunning herd sire. We call him Gomer. While Gizmo was active and energetic right out of the womb, Gomer was very slow. He didn't have a suckle reflex at all, and after an hour of trying to help him nurse I tube fed him as much colostrum as I could. He was standing fine but seemed to have troubles walking, but by morning he was nursing like a normal baby. He had a bit of a crooked front leg, and he hobbled unsteadily for several days, all hunched up with his head down. I made sure he wasn't constipated, and at about five days old he suddenly transformed.
-Gizmo, One Day Old-
He looks amazing now that he is a couple of weeks old and a bit bigger and much stronger. I will post new photos in the next week.
-Gomer, One Day Old-
Again, he is much nicer looking now. AND, I lucked out again with blue eyes on both of these guys! Unfortunately, Gomer injured his leg at a week old. We are not sure how, but we moved them into a different paddock until I can figure out where he cut himself. A flap of skin over his rear left leg was completely ripped off, down to the bone. I almost wonder if our cat attacked him. He was very tiny, and our cat is very big. It really looks like something grabbed him, but in the ten plus years I've lived in that house we have never had any predators, no matter how small, in our field. And he was up at the top in and around the barn. I was very worried, particularly that the tendon may have been damaged. But only a week later he is finally running and jumping on it like a normal kid. It is firmly wrapped up so that the tissue remains still and clean. I have a ton of medical supplies and a giant pile of gauze and vet wrap. I am very grateful that I keep my veterinary kit well stocked. It seems that if something can go wrong around here, it will.
In any case, I'm going with a Gremlin theme for these two, and am thinking "Mogwai at Mignight" for Gomer. In the movie, the cute little Gizmo is called a Mogwai. In Chinese culture, however, a Mogwai is a human type spirit. It casts no shadow, and wears unhemmed clothing. It can not see humans properly. We appear to it as a red light. Apparently they can breed, and reproduce in the rain. From what I can tell, they are mischievous spirits, but not actually malicious. The people pay them now and then to leave them alone. I thought the actual history of the term was interesting. Gomer is black, which helps with the midnight part of his name. That, and it just seems to me that midnight would be an appropriate time to run into a spirit, and that it would also be the freakiest time. I also thought about "Russian Rhapsody." Its the title of a Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring Gremlins that try to sabotage Hitler's bomber. For Gizmo, I have a ton of different ideas, but none seem to fit. I thought of something as simple as Gremlin's Gizmo, but that seems a little corny. I also thought of "Gremlin in the Gears" or "Gremlin For Hire", since Gremlins are traditionally little imp-like creatures that climb into machinery and break it. I have awhile to decide.
I will leave you with new photos of Pearl's kids, now over two months old. Dutch, the buckling (with less white), is for sale. I am retaining Jolie, the doeling.
-Tualatin Acres Flying Dutchman "Dutch"-
-Tualatin Acres Jolie Rouge "Jolie"-
