SUNSHINE FEVER!

GOATS:

I'm sorry, I can't contain my excitement over this glorious sunshine! The wet weather leaves me fretting over mud constantly. Normally I buck it up and deal with the mud, it is unavoidable at certain times of the year. But new babies and mud just do not mix well with me. I feel like they can be so fragile their first couple of weeks, I don't want any little thing to be less than optimum to give them the best start. Pearl's kidding was the worst as her babies came the very end of February when it was still snowing up here. I was terrified of them becoming chilled while afraid the heat lamp would break and burn the house down.

Dakota's kids are flourishing. They had a little diarrhea today, but only minor. I'm fairly certain it is due to the fact that they have discovered how yummy mom's grain is this last week and have been trying to get into it. I think they pigged out a little much the last couple of days. I decided this evening to move mom to her overnight pen before giving her any grain. She gets some at night and in the morning while on the milk stand. This way the kids won't have anything but fresh hay and mom's milk and a few little nibbles of grain I give them while doing evening feedings. I will treat them for cocci anyways. I always do a preventative at this time.

They will start to get a small, regular ration at six weeks and be up to my normal kid ration at eight weeks at which point they will finish their weaning. They are with mom all day and alone together at night. At six weeks I will only leave them with mom for half a day, at seven weeks I will only let them be with mom for a few hours in the afternoon, and in the eighth week they will only get an hour with mom a day. This entire time their grain ration will go up as time with mom goes down. By the end of that eight week they will be ready to go to new homes and will be on a good diet of hay, alfalfa pellets and a little grain.

Some photos of Jolie's kids at a week old!:

Firelight Ranch TH Poppet

This is the doeling. She is very elegant! You can't see the levelness of her topline in the first photo, but I wasn't going for any good conformation shots this time around. I love the little speckles around her right eye.

Viking. He is already reserved as a wether. He looks odd in the first photo because he is lifting his left hind leg. He is such a ham and a sweetheart. He was dis-budded today and was a bit resentful I think.

I have been having a lice problem since I brought my new doe home from California. I don't know if she brought them with her or what, but I know goat herds get them from time to time. I kept spraying everyone (and everything) with Permectrin II as per the dilution instructions, but it just wasn't happening. So I decided to just fill a bottle with half water and half pesticide and those little buggers just dropped off my goats. I even used it on the newborns and it didn't negatively effect them, though I was worried even with many reassurances that it was safe. I'm very pleased with the stuff ad long as you use plenty. I'm so happy they are bug free!

The first show of the year will be here in only two weeks! I am freaking out a bit because that is Mother's Day weekend, and I am a florist. I'm planning on getting all my deliveries done Monday through Friday and being closed on Saturday. So hopefully I won't be too run down the morning of the show. My boys are still being little brats about leading and setting up, so I am going to work with them hard every night for the next two weeks so that we are good and ready to go in the ring. Gizmo is still a midget. I hope he isn't too much smaller than the others in his age group. Here is to some great placings!

HORSES:

I believe I mentioned that I sold Romeo. If not, I sold Romeo. It's been probably a month now. I miss him. If I knew he was in a good home I'd be at peace with the decision. Its not that I think he went to a bad place, the people seemed knowledgeable and in love with him....I just haven't heard from them or gotten any updates. I've been lucky with my other "baby". He is a grey Arabian gelding with a really cool "blood marking" on his face.

This is a photo of him at his new owner's place awhile ago. It's been several years since I sold him. The woman still owns him and loves him to death. She swears she would never part with him for the world. There is always the possibility that she will have to sell him, but she truly loves my baby to death. Shahn was one of the horses I was very attached to, and I cried when I put him on the semi truck to send him to California. I'm so fortunate I can keep tabs on him and see photos of him as he goes through life.

I wish with all my heart that I could have kept in touch with the people who bought my first horse. I was seven when I got him, and he wasn't even two. He was a light dun pinto with a black and white mane and a big spot on his neck. He also had appaloosa spots on his rump. I learned to ride on a green, skittish horse. I got dumped every way imaginable, ran off with, drug, rolled on, bucked off....all with that horse. And more! But I had him until he was eleven and he was dead broke by that point. The people who bought him belonged to my 4H club, and the girl was my friend. But her mom was insane and decided that everyone in our club was "evil" after we told some dirty jokes at county fair and forbid her to speak to me. That horse was always easily fat when I owned him, but they nearly starved the poor thing and I have no idea what became of him.

Tequila, was a bay Morab I had for six or so years. That horse was like a puppy. He would do absolutely anything you asked him to. He had the biggest heart and the biggest try. He knew when little kids and beginners were riding him and babied them. If you started slipping he stopped immediately. He tried big jumps for me even though he was scared. He swam in irrigation ditches, slid down mountains and could bow, count and say yes. I could ride him bride-less and bareback over jumps. I am still convinced there will never be a better horse. I sold him to a little girl when I decided to show registered Arabians. She sold him shortly after when she lost interest and I have no idea to whom. I heard someone bought him and put him out to pasture the rest of his days, but I don't know if that is true. I wish I knew.

I've had a lot of horses, dozens and dozens, but those three are the only ones I was very, very attached to. I was also attached to Romeo. I had him for over two years, since he was just a fresh weanling. I broke him and we spent a lot of time together. He is a ham and a doll who has nothing but love for people. He has never been given a reason to fear humans and he put all his faith in me. He was stubborn and lazy at times, but he always listened to me. I will have to see if I can't convince the buyers to send me some photographs.

Calypso is due in as early as two weeks! She is on day 303, which gives her seventeen days until the lowest average of 320 days. Although I have seen plenty of maidens who go from day 315. She started bagging up quite early, so I figured she would be closer to the 320 rather than the later average of 340. Today she looked liked she had dropped some, one side of her croup area is starting to get mushy, her udders are tighter than ever, and she is losing muscle and resistance in her tail. Her vulva hasn't lengthened and the lining is still a normal pink, so I'm sure she'll hold out at least another couple of weeks, but I'm expecting a foal sooner rather than later. But guessing with horses is foolish. They are much more difficult than goats. Goats are easy in comparison if you know how to feel for ligs correctly.

-Calypso Last Summer-

Above is a photo of Calypso's babby daddy when he was at our place a couple of summers ago. He is homozygous, so I am excited for a little tobiano foal. He is a red dun. Calypso is a bay roan. I would love a bay dun or a roan foal.

Things Happening Way Too Fast!

Well, that is partially my fault. :) I have gone from two reservations this year to four for starters. I initially had a reservation with Bellafire Farms and one with Cammana. I still have those reservations, but have added two more from Camanna as well. Beyond that, my first choice doe from my initial reservation with her farm is bred to a different buck than in my previous post. She is bred to Dill's D Lucky Image, who can be found two posts back from this one. He is currently one of my favorite bucks being used by the farm along with Monet. I changed my second choices as well, but they are not finalized. My second reservation is a pretty gold and white doe bred to the same buck (Dill):

Camanna CS Ambrosia Gold

TX Twincreeks AB Cresendo x Suagar Pine MW Amaretto Cream

This photo really doesn't do her justice. She is just beautiful, and I love her color. Nabbing a kid that is a carbon copy of her in color and markings would be amazing.

Again, second choices haven't been finalized, but Arabesque is out of the mix. I'm focusing on does bred to Monet, found two posts back on this blog.

I am also possibly purchasing this doe, bred to a black and white buck with tons of moon spots:

Camanna ZH Say Your Prayers

Old Mountain Farm Zagnut Haze x Mountain Quest AE Molasses

The photo of her udder is her first freshening, and I have to say I'm impressed. First time udders are generally much less capacious. She is overall a nice doe and I am excited to potentially purchase her. The buck she would be bred to is Poppy Patch WL Moondoggie, a very long bodied little guy with nice udders behind him. She may be bred soon, but I may have to wait until late summer or early fall. She herself has some moon spots, and I am excited to be able to add more of these neat markings to my herd.

Sherry is definitely pregnant. I felt kicks today and she is starting to form an udder. Still unsure on her due date, although I am not guessing sometime in May. I think she probably has an entire month to go, but it is really difficult to say. I am so very excited that she is indeed expecting! Here is to at least one boy and one girl, because I have decided I will definitely be keeping a doe and a buck kid from her if she provides me with the opportunity.

Pearl kidded in late February with triplet bucks. Unfortunately, one was stillborn. He looked under-developed, with shrunken little eyes. He came first and I am certain he was the kid I felt sitting on her rumen. He was so evident up there that I am feeling he probably got head butted by one of the other does and killed in the womb. Unfortunate. I put her kids on bottles and sold her a couple of weeks after kidding. She was a more coarse type of doe and I was not very impressed with her udder this year. It was rather small while still well shaped. I have one of her daughters who retained all of her good properties while being improved on where her dam had weakness by the sire. One of her buck kids was sold on the bottle, the other succumbed to what I believe was Floppy Kid Syndrome. Both he and his brother were being fed the same exact way, and his brother was just fine. Yet he collapsed one morning. He bounced back with supportive therapy to completely normal behavior to simply crash again and die. The vet out here was absolutely no help. He just shrugged and told me he had no clue how to deal with sick goats. It is so frustrating to be on our own medically! I have enough medicine to start my own pharmacy!

-Poor little Louis about a week before he passed.-

The remaining buck kid is doing great with his new owner and will be coming back to see me in May to get castrated.

Dakota also kidded, the last few days of March with quadruplets. One was so very, very tiny. She couldn't breathe correctly and died quickly after finally managing to latch on to mom and take her first drinks. I think she aspirated the milk. The remaining kids are vibrant and healthy, two does and one buck kid. The buck is already reserved as a wether along with one of the does. I am retaining the littlest girl. She has such a dainty face, she almost looks like a little alien. She is a carbon copy of her sire as far as coloring. I can't see a thing wrong with her, she is just that perfect. I will have to take some new photos of her now that she is completely unfolded and sure on her feet.

1 Day Old

3 Days Old

I already sent in her registration forms. Her pending name is Firelight Ranch Lady in the Water.

Her sister is pending as Firelight Ranch Compass Rose.

1 Day Old

3 Days Old

I have been calling the little boy Tramp. He would make a great buck, he is looking very handsome but he will also make a great little pet.

And yesterday morning, Jolie kidded as well. She had a very smooth birth with twins. One buck and one doe. I'm really lucking out on does so far, besides the first birth. I really want at least one girl from each of my next two kiddings. Poit is enormous, so hopefully she has enough in there to give me a good chance of girls. I am so nervous about her kids though. I was warned by her breeders that her first kids were unhealthy and died. I am relying on a hunch that she was simply malnourished as were her kids, but I don't know how I will deal with it if she produces a bunch of dead or sickly little kids. Sherry supposedly produces quads every single year, so we shall see how that goes.

Firelight Ranch TH Poppet

Jolie's Doe

1 Day Old

Viking

Jolie's Buck

1 Day Old

It has been so long since I updated this blog that I have had three kiddings! Poit and Sherry are my last two, if Poit is indeed expecting. If not, she is morbidly obese and needs a serious diet. Her tummy is so tight, I can't feel for kids in there at all, and she isn't forming an udder yet. Her pooch is very tiny but looks suspiciously bred. I have never had so much trouble determining pregnancy in a goat, so it is a wait and watch game. My mare is due very soon as well and Mother's Day is the first week of next month (and I'm a florist, it is like D Day) so May should be a sleepless month for me.

I've calculated my doe count for 2012 after I count all my current animals as well as the doeling I retained from Dakota and my reservations. 10. If Sherry and Poit give me girls and I keep one from each I will have 12. Although if Poit gives me crooked legs on hers or sickly babies, she will be sold as a pet, and that will keep me at 10 should I retain a doe from Sherry. With my two bucks plus a potential from Sherry as well that puts me at 12-15 goats! I think I will keep Tomahawk if he does well at the Megabucks show in a few weeks. I plan to take him to one in Red Bluff in May as well and see how he ranks. I should at least see how a couple of his daughter's udders turn out before I decided to sell him. I'm quite impressed with his kid's so far. I have only seen the toeing out on one kid.

MORE....Cant....Stop.....Buying Goats!

Well..... I am picking up a new doe on Sunday (hopefully.) I stumbled across an ad on my local Craigslist for a herd dispersal of double registered Nigerian Dwarfs. So of course I went to the website for the farm and my jaw nearly hit the floor at the deals I saw. So I ended up putting a deposit down for a pregnant doe, due in April. I can easily recoup the purchase price from a single kid whether male or female. These are quality, fresh lines as well. Add the two doelings I am getting from reservations this spring and summer, and I should have a pretty diverse herd. Her name is Roc N Ewe K Sherry, pictured below:



(BRB Kakoakis x Roc N Ewe JM Sugar Shack)

The only drawback is that she is turning eight years old. She has a limited few years in the breeding shed, as I don't like to breed a doe past nine or ten. Nigerians can easily live to be fourteen or fifteen if you don't keep breeding them like goat factories when they are the equivalent of an eighty year old human. I think her worst flaw is lack of brisket, and she could stand to be more level out her rump and more dairy in general. She is a little "old school" in style. However, the buck she is bred to is strong in all of these areas, and Sherry is a long bodied, correct doe with sharp shoulders and good angulation. The owner claims she milks out well and always produces better than herself, making an excellent brood doe. She has also won one championship class as a dry doe. Her owner said that she has produced quads for the past few years and has never required assistance. Yes please!

Since I sold Val this month, I needed a new buckskin anyways. I had someone inquire as to if I had any does for sale. They wanted a 4H project, so I offered them Val, my last grade doe. She should have kids by Tomahawk in May as a first timer. She is missed, but I decided I needed to commit to a fully registered herd. I like to keep a lot of colors and patterns in my animals (although conformation, udders and overall quality are obviously more important) and I have fondness for buckskin. With my luck, however, I'll end up with a ton of buckskins. I want to retain a doe from Sherry, and she is a buckskin crossed on a buckskin, so my chances that all of the kids will be the same color are high (although dad has really fancy white.) My first choice from Bellafire is a buckskin. I am secretly hoping for a doeling that is the sire's neat color from that pairing. And my first choice doe from Camanna is also a buckskin. So I could possibly end up with not one new doe of that color, but four.

In any case, this is the buck that Sherry is bred to:



Little Dipper Big R Spender
PGCH Shooting Stars WS Ransom x ARMCH/CH Castle Rock Rainy Day Fund 2*D

He has two GCH and a RGCH. I love this buck. He is very refined, uphill and he has a great extension in his brisket, something most of my herd needs work on. His dam has a beautiful udder as well and I have seen pictures of his FF daughters that are quite impressive:

Dam's Udder:



I wonder if I shouldn't keep a buck kid from this pairing? I have been having my reservations about Tomahawk due to him toeing out...but decided to wait until I can shave his big furry coat and get him to the Megabucks show...and see how his kids turn out, before deciding whether to replace him or not. And then there is tiny Gizmo. He is so very small! He just doesn't seem to be growing. He has nothing wrong with him. No cocci or worm loads, he gets plenty of minerals and grain, etc. He is interested in ladies finally and is very correct and beautiful, just minuscule. I plan on bringing him up here next week to our new place to see if getting away from Tomahawk helps him prosper any.

We finished a nice roomy pen with two separate paddocks at our new house. Jacob never built me a shelter as promised, but I managed to acquire two massive dog carriers for giant canines and get a roomy kidding pen built with good cover from any elements. I want to bring Pearl, Dakota and Gizmo up Saturday. I will probably bring Sherry directly here as well. Pearl is getting ready to pop. She is due March 1st through the 3rd. Her ligaments are starting to sag and her udder is filling:



I'm not highly impressed this time around, but last year she tripled in size the day before she kidded, so we shall see what the final outcome is in concern to her udder. My bet is triplets, as I can feel and see one sitting on top of her rumen, and can feel one on either side of her rib cage a few inches behind her front legs. Maybe more? EGADS! I need to sell either her or Dakota this year. I'm pretty sure it will be her. I like her, and there are things about her build that I am impressed with, but I think there are more things about Dakota that I really like...besides her wicked personality and her propensity to destroy things. We'll take them both to a few shows and see who does better. That compared with how they both milk this year and how easily they kid will give me my answer (I hope!)

Deposits Paid!

GOATS:

I have my deposits down on my reserved doelings from Camanna and Bellafire. I am beside myself with excitement! I won't be bringing my Camanna kid home until August or October, so I have awhile to wait on that particular bundle of joy. My first choice will not be due until August, and my second choice is due in June. Ideally that will mean that the breeder will hold any doe kids from my second choice until weaning time, when my first choice will give birth and we will know if she is going to give me a little girl. I have some photos to post directly into my blog.

The girl below is Camanna CS Sweet Harmony, aka Glenda. She is my first choice from Camanna



She is of the type I really like and would like to incorporate more of into my herd. She is very refined and elegant with dainty bone. She is uphill with great length of body and perfect teats on a beautiful udder. I love her neck and her overall angularity and dairy character, just look at how sharp she is over her withers.

She is not being bred to the buck she was scheduled to when I chose her. I really loved that buck and was a little disappointed when I saw the change, but when I saw photos and bloodlines on her new date I was just as thrilled. He is just as stunning and comes from star studded Rosasharn lines. He is so very angular, dairy, uphill, level, refined and has stunning legs. There is nothing I can see in him that I don't love, and his family is chock full of amazing milkers! I also love that he is gold and white. I am bound to get some flashy kids from this cross. He can be seen below:



Rosasharn SP Monet
(ARMCH Rosasharn SW Soporro *S x ARMCH Rosasharn Tom's Bit-A-Lilly 4*D 2*M)

My second choice, Camanna TC Arabesque is here:



And she chose to cross her on Dill, who I loved and was going to be crossed on Harmony. So basically, either doe is bred to a ridiculously exceptional buck! I might see how my finances stack up in a few months and see how my bucks do this show season (and see if Gizmo grows anymore or shows any additional interest in girls), and I may just get a buckling from one of these girls!

Dill's D Lucky's Image:



The girls from Bellafire are due much sooner, so I am greatly anticipating their kiddings. My first choice is due May 2nd, Pholia Farm HB Macy Marie. She was sonogrammed with triplets the end of January. Her photo is below:



My second choice, Poppy Patch Peggy Sue (sonagrammed with three) is due the end of April to the beginning of May.



I really love both of these girls and their bloodlines, so I don't care which one I get a kid from. They are both bred to the same buck, and that is one of the reasons I want a kid from one of them as well. He is an amazing, incredible buck:



Rosasharn S Decoroso

With animals like this coming into my herd, I may start to stand a chance in the show pen! Pearl is due in about four weeks now give or take a few days and she is getting absolutely enormous. I still haven't gotten a goat pen set up at our new place, or a goat shelter or kidding pen built. I am planning to set up the pen on Friday, but I am relying on my best friend to build the shelter and kidding pen and he hasn't taken a single step towards building either. I might have to try and construct something myself or see if my father will give it a go. I have all the supplies ready and waiting.

Gizmo finally seems to be growing a bit. I am positive he is worm and cocci free (as free as a goat can be.) I have been dosing him with some vitamin gel and have finally convinced him to love grain over the last few weeks, so with the additional nutrients I hope he will catch up to the height he should be at. He still isn't interested in girls beyond sniffing rear ends and curling his upper lip, but that is a bit more of an interest than he took last month and he is still only six months old. I think that if I get him away from Tomahawk he might gain some confidence. I plan to bring him up here and let him hang with the pregnant girls until they give birth and then give him a pen where he can see the girls and feel like he has his own, undisputed harem. I feel like Tomahawk is pretty superior and might have let Gizmo know that all of the girls are his and little Gizmo accepts that.
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HORSES:

I took Romeo on his first trail ride! I started him in August I believe, and put ten or so rides on him from then until October. I hadn't ridden him since. I took him out to the trail area, longed him for only five minutes or so and did some ground work to check his responsiveness and attitude and hopped on. He didn't spook or flinch at a thing. He didn't even mind the giant fire helicopter practicing dumping water over the wild life area. The only thing he stared at warily was a downed tree, which he then walked around quietly. We even waded through a knee deep, wide puddle. I am very proud of my boy! Now he just needs to finish growing and fill out. He is going through another growth spurt and is super gangly.



~Romeo out on his first trail ride right before I mounted up.~

And FINALLY, photos of my new gelding, whom I received in November. I present Chief, in all his furry winter glory.



~His hip looks smaller than it is because it is angled away from the camera. He has an enormous hip! My best friend, Jacob is riding and is 6 foot 3 so he dwarfs Chief who is about 14.3 hh. That is Jacob's Greyhound/German Shepard mix.~

Chief was super calm. Not a thing bothered him and he was a pro about everything. He was great for Jacob and will be great for my new friend who I am going riding with next Wednesday and who is a complete beginner. He was a solid, confident presence for Romeo to go on a ride with as a youngster. I really love him and can't wait to see if he can run, slide and turn so I can use him to do some fun events with such as reining and team penning. The only problem I had with Romeo on this trip was getting him OUT of the horse trailer. It was his first time in a straight load, which he jumped right into both times. He didn't want to back out because of the drop and the inability to see behind him and it took some serious convincing, but he didn't lose his head. :) AND, I can really feel Calypso's foal doing crazy somersaults. She is expanding like crazy! I can barely keep up with her feed increases!

Let the Count Down Begin!

GOATS
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Only a month and a half until we will be seeing some more of our own little bundles of joy here at Firelight Ranch. I have been feeding my kid withdrawals by frequenting the Goat Spot forum and peeking at photos of new arrivals at other farms. It was especially exciting to watch expectant moms trick me into thinking they were about to give birth, and kids be born via webcam. My friends on the forum were also watching, all of us holding our breaths for the outcome. It is always so very exciting! How many kids will there be, what colors will be produced, what genders, will everything go smoothly? One first timer had quadruplets, which was quite surprising and exciting. As my own get closer to birthing I feel the excitement building much more intensely. Although, with my own, the worry about potential complications also arises. My greatest fear is the need for a c-section or a tear or hemorrhage occurring. Knock on wood that none of my girls has to go through that.

My first doe is due the beginning of March, the second of the month if she were to go a perfect 150 days. She is already looking like a house, so I can't imagine how many might be in there! She is now the size she was only a week or so before her last kidding, and she still has six weeks until her little ones arrive. Last go round she produced two large and robust twins. I am betting at least twins, and if they are not simply very big babies I am voting on triplets. I can't wait to see what colors I get out of this cross. Pearl is black and white with a ton of roaning. Her sire and dam were both gold. Tomahawk, the father, is white with chocolate legs and a few black and chocolate spots on his back. His dad was black with blue eyes, and his mother was similar to his color with more chocolate. I believe he can possibly throw blue eyes if he has a recessive gene but I am not an expert on color heredity. A chocolate and white kid with blue eyes would be very neat.



~Pearl on Jan. 11 at about three and a half months. She is carrying very low.~

I also snapped a photo of Pearl's half-sister Dakota. She was staring up at me inside the gate, waiting impatiently for her nightly grain ration.



You can see her bulging belly on the left side (your left, not hers.) She was very thin looking throughout her last pregnancy, up to the very last month at which point she decided to inflate like an immense beach ball. She is due the last week of March, so she her due date is three weeks past her sister's. This photo makes her look smaller than she is. She is nearly the same size as Pearl, and I am shocked because she is such a long bodied doe that she tends to hides babies well. She gave me triplets last year, so perhaps I'll get quads this time around? I am hoping for triplets that are a bit larger than last year's kids. They were awfully tiny, and the buckling I kept from her is maturing more slowly than I like to see. I am thinking that he may simply end up a somewhat small buck. I would really love a doeling out of this girl, and by crossing Tomahawk with her I should get some extraordinary length and depth of body. I am pulling for a little girl that looks like Tomahawk's dam.

Speaking of Dakota's buckling, Gizmo, I have been worried about his growth lately. He is a little over five months old, so I suppose he isn't too small for his age. And I do know they can go through some funky growth spurts. I just know what can happen as far as stunting goes when kids don't get the proper supplementation and nutrition growing up. He gets free choice minerals, clean water, all the high quality hay he can eat and I try to feed him grain. Try is the operative word here, as he isn't much of a fan. I finally have him where he seems excited about the prospect and digs in immediately. However, he only seems to nibble at it vigorously for about a minute before becoming disinterested and wandering off. I don't generally give bucks more than a small handful of grain here and there as a treat, but I feel it is very helpful and important in growing animals. I am moving him over to our new place in a few weeks with Pearl and Dakota. That will give me the ability to spend more time with him. He has nice, dark eyelids and solid poops, so I am not concerned with cocci or worms at this point. I am probably fretting over nothing. He has gained five pounds in a month, so he is definitely growing. I just hate to see the gorgeous little buck I had such high hopes for at two months looking like a frumpy...tick thing. Lol. When winter is over and I have the warmth available to shave him, maybe he will tell me a different story. Right now he looks like little more than a fluff ball. He has even more hair than my manly yearling, Tomahawk. He still has his adorable baby face and his kid voice. I guess I shouldn't wish for him to mature too quickly, as he is still a cute little doll. However, I really want him to be looking good by the beginning of May for the Megbucks show!

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HORSES
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If you hadn't noticed, I decided to type out two different sections in my blog entries with different headers. I have both goats and horses, and I haven't been giving my ponies due attention. I started this blog mainly from a business perspective. I thought that it would be a more informative and in depth look at how I run things in my goat operation. I figured that prospective buyers or breeders that are interested in developing a relationship with me would like to see deeper into my farm. I feel it is important to have transparency and give associates a chance to get to know how you conduct your business, treat your animals, and get to know your herd better. However, I also love to talk about my horses.

SO, I figured I would header the different sections. If goat only people want to ignore the horse section they can due to the separation. At this point, horses are not a business for me, just a hobby. Finances and space need to be much greater for a successful horse operation of any kind. Eventually, I would love to live on my own piece of property (rather than renting) that has at least ten acres. At that point I could build a barn, set up an arena, and start training services. I would ideally like to buy problem horses, young horses, etc. and train them for re-sell. I love project horses. I love a challenge and the satisfaction of watching my horse progress to new levels. I feel a lot of pride selling those horses to new, suitable homes and knowing that I made that possible for the horse.

My dream has always been to breed horses. Mostly Arabians, Paints and Arab crosses. I have been very interested for some time in breeding Appaloosa and Pinto Arabian crosses. What is neat about the ApHC (Appaloosa Horse Club and the major registry for Apps in the US) is that the Arabian is an accepted out-cross. Therefore, an Arabian bred to an Appaloosa will produce a fully registrable Appaloosa foal as well as a horse that is illegible for Half-Arabian papers. However, breeding horses takes a ridiculous amount of money and time. They are pregnant for an entire eleven to twelve months. Their fertility rates tend to be about sixty percent, much lower than goats. It can cost an arm and a leg just to get them to conceive and to carry a foal to term. Also, birthing emergencies are much more serious due to the ridiculously rapid expulsion of a foal compared to other species. This means the birth is much more violently strong and there is much less room for error. A goat or a cow can labor for a long time and still produce a live baby. A foal will die very quickly if the birthing process lasts very long at all. Not only are they more serious, but paying for a c-section on a horse will likely cost you an arm, and emergency support for failing foals isn't likely to be any less expensive.

As of now, I own three horses. None are registered, although two should be. Romeo and Calypso are half siblings that I traded a little cutting bred AQHA mare for. The mare I had was a grand daughter of Miss Peppy San. Miss Peppy San was a full sister to Peppy San, who was a very famous cutting winner and sire. She was ridiculously short, as cutting bred horses are prone to be. She was also highly sensitive and quick and would have probably made a killer of a cutting horse. By the time I got her, however, she was already fifteen and too old to really get into any circuits besides local open events. I trail rode her, but had several horses including a much bigger mare that fit me better. Mia was very plain and had a poor attitude, but was a blast to ride.

I saw little bay roan filly in a Craigslist ad that I just had to try and own. She was gorgeous and I am a sucker for roans and had never owned one. She was for sale, not trade, but I offered my well broke trail horse (who I had also been teaching to do reining) for the filly. When I arrived at the place, the girl loved my mare. She agreed to the trade, but only if I would take the filly's half-brother as well. So I ended up trailering home two weanlings. I named the filly Calypso, and her red roan brother Romeo. My husband wanted to call him Thor, but it really didn't fit. Calypso is out of a registered mare and a stocky roan Quarter Horse stallion (also registered.) I couldn't get her any papers because the owner didn't have the dam's due to an issue getting them transferred from the previous person. Romeo had the same father, but his dam was a JC Thoroughbred mare. She was also registered, but the owner claimed she was cheated out of her papers. Both Calypso and Romeo should have been able to be registered (Romeo as an Appendix QH). But alas. I am still planning on having them registered with the NHQHA (Half Quarter) although it won't do me much good as it is a pretty back water, small time registry.



~Calypso with my then fiance (now husband) when we brought her home at five months old. I can't believe how time flies!~



~Calypso and her brother Romeo when we got them home. I love his hind stocking. He would make a great dressage horse if he would only get a bit taller.~

Both are now two years old and will be three in only a few short months. I had Romeo gelded at eight months and started him at twenty-seven months. He has had fifteen rides or so, all very light with minimal canter work. They both have had a ton of ground work and desensitization done with them. You can throw tarps over them, ties plastic bags all over their bodies, shake bags full of pop cans, etc. They have been money burning pets for quite awhile, and I am looking forward to the weather clearing up so I can get Romeo out on the trails for the first time!

I ended up breeding Calypso this summer. Now I know some people will gasp and call me a cruel, stupid backyard breeder. I really could care less. I was concerned about breeding a two year old, but my vet assured me it was completely safe. I went on to consult a couple of additional vets including a reproduction specialist. They assured me that she was physically mature enough to reproduce, and that people simply tend to humanize horses and compare breeding two year olds to impregnating teenagers. They reminded me that horses are not people and personifying them as such is just a mental thing. I tried to breed the old Paint mare I had the summer before to a gorgeous homozygous Tobiano APHA stud but she just wouldn't take no matter what we did. He is a gorgeous red dun owned by a friend of ours whose full brothers have been taking championships in NCHA competitions. I ended up selling that mare, and this summer the stallion owner let me know he was seriously considering gelding his boy. I decided to take his offer to breed my filly before I lost the chance to use the gorgeous stallion. She will be over three years old when she gives birth and the foal will be registrable with the PtHA because a homozygous stud guarantees spots.







~Some photos of Calypso in July of 2010. She is so stunning.~





~Romeo in July 2010~

We just got a new gelding in November. His name was Ted, which I really didn't like. He now proudly sports the name Chief, and it really fits him. He is large and in charge and is definitely the boss horse around the barn. I haven't gotten the chance to ride him much in the poor weather, but he is very well broke. He has been all over the mountains, packed elk, been used for roping and all manner of things. He is only eight years old and is a pure white Quarter Horse (grey). He has some flea bitten speckles on his face, but I am hoping they stop there. He has a luxuriously thick mane and tail and a huge hip. He is very well built and I think he will be an amazing reining horse and do well in gaming. I can't wait until the weather is good and we can hit the mountains!



~The only photo I have right now.~

I felt my foal kick for the first time tonight when I was feeding Calypso grain. I almost dropped dead of excitement. I am hoping for a roan or a dun Tobiano. I have a huge chance of getting at least one of those colors. I would love a filly, but will be happy with whatever I get as long as it is healthy and happy. I can't wait another five months! It is a good thing I will be having plenty of baby goats to help time go faster!

A New Year, A New Farm!

We finally found our dream rental in November, after having searched for an entire year. We began to move in the 1st of December. It is a roomy little house on five wooded acres. There are clear spaces where little meadows flourish and it is very private. We have spent the month moving things and getting acclimated to our place. For January, our goal is to fence areas for our horses and our goats! We are extremely excited about being able to move our small herd up to this slice of heaven. It is far superior to their current location. Because there is no fencing in place at our new rental, I had to take all of our animals to my dad's place. He has a small piece of acerage with a large run in shelter. There is a small seperate pen with a lean-to that I am keeping my bucks in. All of the does can go inside to be warm and dry, and I put up some panels that they can go under to get away from the horses. However, my dad's property does not drain at all, and the field is a muddy disaster. I also am unable to seperate anyone efficiently for any reason and feeding everyone so that no one gets bullied out of food or steals grain from one another is quite difficult at this point.

I have also collected an enormous pile of pallets and tin roofing material from which I plan to construct several small goat houses. I plan to have three or four roomy pens with a goat house in each one, then put up two or three does in each pen at night and during feedings, then open the gates during the day to allow them to roam their field. Our new house also has a deck on the front and back of the house, and I am making a portable kidding pen to sit on the back porch. All night kid-watch will be much easier if I can simply open the back door and check on a laboring doe once every 30-60 minutes. I'll have plenty of lighting available and any supplies I need available directly through the kitchen door.

All of my does are now bred, except for Banshee. She is simply still too small. She has honestly doubled in size at this point, which is amazing. She looks stunning, and reminds me of an ugly duckling morphing into an elegant swan. I plan to show her as a dry yearling. If she gains enough size, I would love to shoot for a Jr. Championship and earn a leg with her. I definitely think she has the potential. She has already gained a great amount of length. I am floored by her progress. She has a ton of capacity, a very wide stance and large little teats for her age.

She did come down with some sort of respiratory infection this last week. She had runny eyes, and although she ran up to the fence when I came to the barn and gobbled up her grain, she retreated to a corner by herself afterwards and only nibbled at her hay. I decided to take her temperature because she was acting a bit abnormal and had those goopy eyes. She had a fever of 105-106 (my thermometer was being a little strange.) I gave her some LA200 for a few days and a baby aspirin to bring down her fever, and she is back to her loving, perky self. I am going to see if I can find any of the pasturella vaccine at the Grange. I checked for it at Big R but they didn't have any. I have heard a lot of controversy about the vaccine, that it is a waste of money, that it is a miracle, etc. The thing that turned me was the positive things some breeders I respect had to say about their year on the vaccine opposed to their years without it, and they report that they are now pneumonia free. I reason that it isn't too spendy, and the worst that happens is that it doesn't really work. However, I find that preventative actions are a lot less spendy and heart breaking than attempting to deal with diseases when they crop up. Especially something that can be as sneaky as pneumonia and take your animals down without notice.

I don't have any more photos at this point, but I plan to take some over the next week so I have fluffy winter pictures. I also decided to sell Val. I may wait until she kids, but I also may simply sell her bred if I have anyone who is interested. It is time that I switch over to all registered stock if I am going to be as serious as I want to be about my program. I have a doeling reserved out of one of Camanna's does that is due in August. My first choice is Camanna CS Sweet Harmony (TX Twin Creeks AB Cresendo x Mountain Quest Cinammon Swirl). She can be seen here: [Harmony]

She is out of Black Pearl's grand-dam, and I am trying to diversify my herd a little more...However, I have always really adored this doe. She is very long bodied, has that elegant look I am really looking for in my animals, and is so very dairy and angular. And boy is she flashy. I would love to get a clone of her in terms of color. She is bred to an absolutely amazing buck, an instant favorite as soon as I saw a photo of him. He has gorgeously correct legs, a problem area I see in a lot of Nigerian bucks. He is very long and uphill and you can see how correct and conformationally gorgeous he is even under all the thick fur in his pictures (which is usually very hard to do on a lot of animals.) I am also floored by his pedigree, I just love it and could really use those lines in my herd. He is Dill's D Lucky's Image, and can be seen here: [Lucky] He is the second buck down.

My second choice is Camanna TC Arabesque. I am not looking to add too much to my herd during kidding or show season, so I was looking for anything she had due in the summer. That and she already has a lot of reservations for the does I really liked due in the spring. I already (hopefully) have a doe kid coming from Bellafire Farm during the spring. I will know what my options are when the two does I am interested in from their farm are ultrasounded in January. That way we at least know how many kids are cooking and can see if there is a chance to get on a waiting list. The owner wants to retain a doe kid from my first choice, who is a first freshener. So if she is carrying a single I am out of luck and go with my second choice, hoping that she doesn't decide to retain anything from her if she only has one female. In any case, Arabesque is by Pecan Hollow SF Texas Crusader and out of Camanna CS Acapella. She is very long bodied, correct, with great legs and a nice topline. I love her coloring as well and her breeder commented that her sire's mammary systems have been very impressive so far. I would love to see her bred to Lucky as well, but will be happy with whatever the breeder chooses. She definitely has more experience than I do and an eye for what crosses well. She also noted she would like to see more leg angulation on both Arabesque and Lucky, so I am guessing she won't breed two animals she feels has the same issues. If I were able to choose which buck she were to be bred to, and it is not to be Lucky...I would love Flamin Fiasco, who is by Red & Blue Paisano. I know that wouldn't add diversity to my herd because I have two breeding animals by him, but I was very impressed by his get. I am also fond of Moondoggie from Poppy Patch. I could use more moon spots!

I am almost, most definitely purchasing a kid from Bellafire Farm, but she asked that I hold off on my deposit until she has them ultrasounded. My first choice is Pholia Farm HB Macy Marie. She is by GCH Piddlin Acres Hit the Bullseye +B and out of Pholia Farm RA Mirage 5*M. I always love Piddlin Acres and Pholia Farms animals, and she has a lot of Jobi in there, which is a line I'd love to have as well. She can be seen here: [Macy] She is the third doe down. She is a beautifully light buckskin with blue eyes. If she only has a single doe, my second choice is Poppy Patch PB Peggy Sue, who I really like. She is by NC Promiseland PAL Playboy *B and out of Poppy Patch FM Daisy Mae. Definitely wouldn't mind some more PromisedLand in my herd. Tomhawk's grand-sire is PL I believe. Peggy Sue can be seen here: [Peggy] She is the third down.

Progress!

We are seeing progress with the new girls. Banshee already seems to have grown a bit, which really excites me. When she arrived, she seemed hunched up. Her front end appeared shrunken, and was both smaller and shorter than her rear end. She almost looked like a big tick! Her front end seems to have grown in the short time she has been here. I started her on Purina Goat Chow, and she gets a good portion every night. I have seen both her and Poit scarfing down minerals like crazy, so I am hoping that some of their deficiencies may be reversing. I have been giving them a vitamin gel once a week, with A/E/D & B12.

I still need to get some Copasure so that I can bolus them. I have been looking at their tails, and I think they show signs of being a bit deficient. They don't have obvious chunks missing from their tails, but I think I can see a little of a "fish tail" look to them. My other goats have much more full looking tails. I also need to get some selenium gel to give to Poit. If I give her the recommended dosage once a month, I highly doubt I will be over-doing it. I think I have seem some improvement in her way of moving, but her legs don't seem any less crooked, and I may be imagining an improvement. She has been getting grain as well.

I will have to post photos soon, but I haven't had time to do anything with the goats beyond their daily maintenance and some teasing. It took me awhile to finish the cocci treatment for Poit and Banshee, and I will be worming them with Valbazen tomorrow to be double sure about any worms. Dakota turned out to not be bred to Tomahawk, so I took her to visit the last two days of October. If she is pregnant this time around, I may just think of some Halloween themed names for her kids. I haven't seen Pearl go into heat again at all since she was bred in the first week of October, so I am feeling good about her being settled. I am going to be breeding Jolie this month, and possibly Val if Gizmo is up to it. Jolie may not be as old as I would breed most kids, but she is enormous. She is nearly as tall as her dam. I am crossing my fingers that she doesn't go over height, because I would love to show her, but I am feeling more and more as if that is a hollow wish. At this point I can only hope that she was simply fast to mature, and her growth will slow dramatically. I delivered her full brother, Dutch, to his new home this weekend. He wasn't nearly as enormous as his sister, so I am sure his new owners will have no issues with his height. I am excited about his new home!