Monster Milkers!

I know this blog was created with the intention of being a sort of diary for my little farm. There isn't much inter-activity to be had with readers (not that I think many people actually read these ramblings.) But today I pose a question. Have you ever had a "monster milker", and what was your response? How did you feel about her and what did you end up doing?

I ask because I now have a "monster milker." She is the most horrid beast! I have had milkers who stomp, kick and even attempt to lay down now and then, but I've been able to work through their issues with patience and training. This girl is a total freak! She screams bloody murder the entire time I'm milking. You would think I was out there stabbing her with a knife. She repeatedly lies down, even if I put an upside down bucket under her chest or poke her with my thumb. She kicks and bucks, and I mean like a rodeo horse, constantly. Grain doesn't appease her, gentle scratches and patience doesn't get me anywhere. I've resorted to tying one hind leg to the back corner of the milk stand and that only marginally helps thing. I think she has a screw loose! I couldn't begin to tell you how much she gives me since she spills most of the milk. This morning she tossed the entire bucket.

The good news is that she is learning to lead and stand for the show pen. The previous owner said she was hopeless as far as that went. I've just given her a swat or an ear tweak here or there when she starts throwing a giant tantrum, and I've insisted she allow me to handle her rear legs. She has gotten to the point where she will stand still and allow me to position her properly. Her leading can be iffy if she doesn't want to go where you are pointing her, but a swift and sharp swat on the behind has seemed to help a great deal. She has a beautiful udder although I'm having some troubles with it being a little lopsided due to her twins favoring one side. Milking her out to empty in the evenings and trying to milk the "less favored" side a little more every morning to encourage production. I would really like to try and show her!

I picked up "Cupcake" this last week. She is adorable and such a sweetie! And she has the coolest color. She looked white in her photos, but she is actually a very pale gold with white spotting. Almost pink looking! I'll have to get photos when the weather stops being horrid. I am going to call her Winry, after a character in a show I watch. Just don't like the name Cupcake. 

-Yuna, at 1 1/2 weeks old!-

Leap Day Kids!

 Tifa kidded around 3 p.m. on 2/29 with twin doelings! Both are buckskin, which was a little surprising to me considering the colors of the parents. But it makes sense genetically looking at grand-parents. Both have blue eyes! The one with the white belt also has a tiny moon spot on her right hip near her tail. They are being called Yuna and Rikku since I am keeping to a Final Fantasy theme with Tifa's kids.

-Yuna, 1 Day Old-

-Rikku, 1 Day Old-

I am retaining Yuna. I think I found another moon spot on her left side,  peeking out of the white band. I am very excited to have a doe kid from this buck. As always, I can't wait to see an eventual udder on this girl. I'm always impatient to see if my decision keeping/buying doe kids results in a good udder. I am content to have them stay adorable, cuddly kids for now. I love my "snuggle time" with the newborns. Rikku is reserved and her new owner will be picking her up in June. My friend Wendy is already attached and she will hate to see her go. They are two days old now and already leap into my lap every time I sit in the pen. It is amazing how quickly young kids discover that humans are awesome jungle gyms and beds. Tifa is a wonderful mother with a gorgeous udder. I just can't believe how much I lover her udder! I can't thank Traci enough for allowing me to purchase this awesome girl!


-Chewy making friends with Yuna.-

In other news, I am picking Klover up tomorrow. Expect another blog entry with more pictures. Until I can get a bander to begin the slow removal of her horn, she will be my unicorn goat. I plan to name her kids after mythical creatures because of this. I don't know how stressful it is on a goat to have a horn banded, and I know there is risk of infection...so she won't be banded until after she has given birth. No need to stress her out further or endanger her kiddos. I am very excited to bring her home!

Ginny (Sugar) came up lame today. She ran through a particularly deep patch of mud to escape me when I came out to halter her...so I'm hoping she just pulled something a little. She was only lame trotting a circle to the left. Lets cross fingers that she is fine Monday when I take her out again. A problem larger than that would mean vet bills and would kill my chances of selling her should it be something that isn't easily fixable. Grrr... I forgot to check for an abscess or sole bruise, so I will do that tomorrow. Annoying, but common and treatable. So I rode Chardonnay instead today. So much energy,  but such a fun horse!


-Charry's beautiful Quarter/Arab face!-

The Waiting Game

I will never get used to the waiting game with these pregnant does! My first doe is "up to bat," so to speak, on Wednesday. She isn't progressing as quickly as I would expect for this close to her due date. The only thing making a huge change right now is the rapidly increasing girth of her belly. I usually see this pattern in does in their last several weeks, not days. This makes me wonder about her actual due date. The breeder had told me, after the first ultrasound, that the vet felt she was pregnant but not far enough along to have taken on the breeding date he was given. The breeder didn't feel she went into heat after that, and when I picked Tifa up she was still indicating October 2nd as her breed date. Now I am thinking that she took one heat cycle later, and that may give her another three weeks until the big event.

-Tifa's udder 2/21-

She has a lot more filling to do to come close to the capacious udder she had last year. I don't mind waiting, but when I have to wait several weeks past the expected date it makes me anxious. I want to see those babies! I've been dreaming about what comes out! She does, however, look big enough for triplets. I need two girls and a boy please. Thanks for taking my order God. :)

If I have to wait a whole three weeks more for Tifa's babies, at least my impatience can be satiated by my new doe, Klover. I pick her up next Saturday! I'm so ecstatic about collecting my new girl. Plus, I get to go to Algedi to get her, a farm I've always admired. I've seen their goats at a couple of shows and they are spectacular. They are a ranch I would love to have a kid from someday, but doubt I could ever afford. It will be nice to see their set-up.

Cupcake was successfully covered by Dandy the 21st of February. She is staying there for a few more weeks to make sure she doesn't come back into season. I am to pick her up around the fourteenth of March. I'm not sure I ever posted a photo of Dandy, or his awesome dam, so here they are:

~Camanna LI Moonlight Dandy~

~CH Camanna CS Moonlight Sonata AND her gorgeous udder!~

Just hoping and praying Cupcake gives me a doe. Of course I pray all my girls have does, but Cupcake, Klover and Tifa are does I really am desperate for girls from since they are bred to great outside bucks I won't get a chance to use again. I would love a doe kid from Poit as well for me to keep, but I can always repeat the breeding.

...And It is Official!

..Well, ALMOST. I will be purchasing another bred doe who is due in April. I will be making the down payment tomorrow, which just so happens to be exactly half of the purchase price. My mother and father decided to chip in the rest as an early birthday present. My mother would also like a whether from her if she has any boys. Done!

Introducing KW Farms GM Kens 5LeafKlover

Her name is really a mouthful! I really like her breeding on the top, but am unsure of the bottom...nothing notable or able to be researched. That said, her top side is Little Tots Estate, a fantastic farm from Georgia. It would be so nice to have some top quality lines from outside of our area (Washington, Oregon and Northern California). I love Pholia Farms, Rosasharn, Piddlin Acres and Camanna, but I feel as if I need more varied blood from other proven farms. I know Piddlin Acres is in Texas, and Rosasharn is in MA, but they are very popular lines here on the West Coast.

She is bred to J-Nels SQ Donnie, who is from a an outstanding show farm in North Carolina and is Rosasharn on top, and Caesar's Villa on bottom. CV! I have loved their animals forever, and I believe the herd is no more. I am so fortunate to have kids coming from those lines, and am really crossing my fingers for at least one doe. Klover had triplet does her first freshening (this will be her second), so hopefully she will keep giving and not decide she already met her doe quota for two seasons! She had a gorgeous FF udder and that really attracted me to her. For me, general appearance and conformation, etc. is extremely important, but udders are where its at.

The breeder should be coming down to Algedi in a few weeks, and I will be able to pick up my girl! AND, she has blue eyes! She is long, long, long with a beautiful topline and very strong front end assembly. I love her extension of brisket and her stretchy neck. I think she'll be strong in the show ring for me. The only problem? She has a scur so bad on one side it looks like a full horn. The breeder promised to band it, but I'm not sure if I can take her in the show pen. We shall see....

I do exist!

I'm still around! I just haven't had the time to update my blog..well, at all! I am the one and only floral designer at our local Michael's Arts & Crafts store. Holidays are extremely hectic for everyone working there, and my quotas were nothing to laugh at. My hours have been cut back and it is more mellow in that regard, but my hands have been full training my project mare (that I did find) while attempting to market and sell a friend's horse. This week was Valentine's Day. Although I gave up my own floral business this year, I did work temporarily for a local shop. It has been chaos, but as of five this afternoon it was over! Ginny (my project horse) is at a stage where I am not having to kick her butt and work too hard with her. She is just about where I want her. And I found a buyer for my friend's horse. Now I can relax a little? Not likely. I have a little time to breathe, but hope to find a new job very soon. I'm just not getting the hours I need, or was promised.

But enough about all of that non-farm related news. The count down is on to the first kids of the year. Tifa is due February 29th. We are fifteen days away from the big event if she were to play by the numbers and go an exact one fifty. She has been steadily expanding, but has really plumped out this week alone. I know she is carrying at least twins, but I'm really crossing my fingers for triplets. If I could custom order her babies, I would want two does and one buck. One of the does and one of the bucks needs either blue eyes or moon spots! I will, of course, be happy with anything I get as long as they are healthy.Sherry is 100% bred and due the end of March. I fully expect multiples this time around, and would not be shocked with triplets or quadruplets. I can feel them tumbling around, she is getting massive, and she started an udder a week or so ago.

I'm REALLY crossing my fingers that Banshee is finally bred. Odin just was not getting the hang of covering the girls. He wasn't extending. He got ahead of himself in his excitement and would jump on, go to town without "prepping", and exhaust himself. It finally clicked for him the very end of January, which just happened to coincide with a growth spurt and a definite increase in bucky odor. I held Banshee for him and witnessed successful covers on two separate days with the characteristic hunching up of the doe. If she isn't bred, she'll come back in within the week. I went ahead and allowed him to breed Angel as well and he did a great job. I witnessed a couple of successful covers between him and Fae yesterday evening (she has been in with him.)

Poit aborted her kids by Final Stand awhile back. She has cycled twice since then and I put her in with Odin last time around. I doubt he caught her last month, so I'm waiting for her to come back in so I can put him on his breeding stand. She is just a very tall doe, barely under the height limit and he is still not done growing. So if Odin is not firing blanks and everyone is fertile, I should have six does bred for 2012 thus far. One in February, one in March, and four in July.

I am also picking this girl up soon:

Not the best photo I know, but I'm very excited about this girl. Her bloodlines are awesome, and she is selling bred to a great buckling from Camanna. Her name is Gladdie Acres BV Cupcake, who is Pholia Farms on one side and Piddlin Acres on the other. Her entire pedigree is crammed with milking stars and champions. The buck she is going to be bred to is Camanna LI Moonlight Dandy, who is by the same sire as my little Odin and out of one of my absolute favorite Camanna does. Her name is Camanna CS Moonlight Sonata. She is a finished champion who is just stunning. Would love her bloodlines in my herd. She is being bred now, whenever she decides to come into heat, and will be confirmed by a blood test before I pick her up.

I've got another doe I'm talking to a farm about, bred for April kids, but I don't know if I could afford her right now. I would love to buy her, but it will likely only work out if I can talk someone like my husband or family members into giving me some cash to put towards her as an early birthday present. I'll keep working on it. She has blue eyes and is bred to a buck with Caesar Villa lines I've always wanted to have.

And my new mare!

She is a grade pinto mare, probably 12-14 years old based on her teeth. I believe she is half Arabian. She is for sale if anyone is interested! Lol. She DOES have a tail, I just have it wrapped to keep it mud and tangle free and encourage it to be gorgeous and long. It is to her pasterns. She was underweight when I bought her and out of shape with a poor neck. We've worked on collection and flexing to the point her entire neck structure has changed. She is super quiet and a great trail horse. Jumped right in the river for me. She does a western pleasure jog, does haunch turns and forehand turns, side-passes, backs, etc, etc. She generally picks up the right leads. All I want to get done with her now before I start marketing her hard is a more collected lope with consistent leads and side-passing poles, backing obstacles, and other things for a trail course. Asking $1200 now, but will ask $1500 when all of that is going well.

Postponed Charry's breeding until next spring because we are hopefully moving to Idaho come summer!

Forward or Backwards?

So many things have changed since my last post! I didn't sell Sherry. I advertised her once or twice, but no one really bit. I didn't take any photos of her udder and without a spectacular udder or a great show record, people just don't want an older doe reaching the end of her reproductive years. She has gained tremendous weight since weaning Fae and being out on free graze pasture. I never thought she was thin, but dang does she look spectacular. She is possibly bred to a buck I am leasing. I'll know in a week and a half or so if she is going to come back into heat. On the other hand, I did sell Poit. I decided that even though she didn't seem to pass crooked legs on to her kids, I wanted all my girls to be able to go into the show pen (which she just can't with those legs.) I actually traded her and her doe kid for a pair of does. Well, I ended up bringing Poit home only a month later as her new owner had issues milking her. While at the new owner's place she was rebred. She hasn't come back into heat, so I'm expecting kids from her around the middle of March. The buck she is bred to is the same buck who was bred to Sherry, Kehilan CA Final Stand:

The boy is stunning to look at. I don't think there is much that I would change to his build but for a more level rump. This photo was of him as a youngster, and he is much wider and deeper. His milking lines were supposed to be very strong from what I researched. However, I heard back from his previous owner after Sherry was already bred by him and the news wasn't good. She informed me that the udders he put on his kids were not bad, but they weren't any better then their dam's udders. I don't know what that means. And unfortunately I can't find out until his daughters freshen, which is a million years off. So now I don't know if I'm as excited as I was about him. I've seen one of his daughters and body-wise she is the most perfect doe I've ever seen, but I don't know how her udder is and I believe she was sold as a junior. I guess we'll see how it goes. I think I'm just nervous because I took a chance on a buck without being able to see any udders in his line, or by him.

I do have two doe kids by him already...the two I traded for Poit and her doe kid. Their dam is alright, but their grand-dam is fantastic. My love for the grand-dam and the build of their sire cemented my choice for them. They are full sisters. I owe the breeder a doe kid next year since I took Poit back. I've had them for probably a month now. I've decided, however, to sell one. I just don't need two full siblings if I want to keep my bloodlines diverse. They are both really well built little girls. Quinn, the small one, has stolen my heart. So Ivy, her polled sister, is the one to go.

Little Odin isn't so little anymore. His butt kept going up and then he froze in height and started bulking out sideways. He is one thick boy. Then all of a sudden he shot up in the front all at once in probably just a week. He hasn't started smelling bucky and he hasn't successfully covered the doe I have him in with, but not for lack of trying. I think that this month or next he'll get the trick. At least he'd better.

Decided not to get the does from Camanna. Instead I bought a breeding for Charry to Rhocky Rhoad! And I am FINALLY picking Latifa up on the 16th, so only five days from now. I'm incredibly excited. I've been waiting so long to bring her home!

I am probably brining home a project mare this weekend with the intention to re-sell her in the spring. Her winter will be full of mountain rides through the snow, getting her ready to be bomb proof and good to go for a beginner rider. And to introduce Charry's upcoming baby daddy:

Growing and Growing!

GOATS:

Almost everyone is finally out to pasture for the year. I am extremely happy to have the majority of my herd all together (and QUIET) in a big field. They love it out there, romping and grazing. The blackberry bushes are a particular favorite this time of year. There is a lot of shade interspersed with sunning spots, and the goats just seem so much happier than locked in a paddock. Poit is the only one still locked up, but she has the biggest paddock and the only one full of grass and weeds (the others are dirt and gravel.) Her triplets are with her, and she will be moved to the field with her doe kid the beginning of September when her bucks need to be weaned off of her. I have both of them up for sale as in tact little fellows. I'm happy with Poit's udder and think they are buck quality. Their legs are perfect, which is what I'm most ecstatic about. They are both blue-eyed, and I know there are a lot of people looking for that in their program, but it is such a pain to sell bucks!

~Poit looking AMAZING!~

I also decided to sell Sherry. I know that I have only had her since this spring...but my main motivation for purchasing her was because of the buck she was bred to. I got what I was hoping for in Fae, a very pretty doeling by Spender. Because I am keeping Fae and adding three BRED does on top of what I have right now, I think making a little room is a good idea. She is eight, but I don't think it is unreasonable to breed her this fall and next as she is in good health and has a history of kidding easily. I will miss that weird old girl licking me in the face.

Angel has warmed up to me considerably. Her and Fae are inseparable buddies, even after turning them out with the adult does. They have definitely come to think of me as the "grain lady" and leap all over me regardless of if I come into the field with a bucket or not. They stick around for scratches after eating (or if I don't have food), so I feel confident they are now my buddies.

~Fae and Angel showing off their length of body.~

And of course I had to get a photo or two of my boy, Odin, all clipped up. My friend helped me take photos and kept taking them angled, so it isn't straight on but it was the best one I got out of the whole shoot. He would get frantic when taking a bottle! He is off the bottle now and even thicker than this photo. Boy is he growing fast!

~Odin exaggerating a stretch..~

And finally, I have my final decision made on the does I am getting from Camanna. Prayer was decided upon a long time ago, but it took awhile to figure out who my second doe would be. I decided to go with a pretty gold and white doe born this year:

~Camanna RP Georgia Peach~

She will hopefully be bred to this guy:

~Urban Acres HB Trumpet Call~

More blue eyes! And out of great lines to boot.

And of course a photo of the buck Latifa is being bred to:

~Because Fireworks is amazing!~

I'm excited about all these does and they should be bred for me within the next couple of months. Won't know a pick-up date until then.

_____________________________

HORSES:

There are a ton of things happening for me on the horse front as well. I started Calypso last week. So far it has been a breeze. I threw a saddle on her a couple of times before breeding her last summer, but never went further than that. She has been off work for over a year. I haven't even been doing ground work with her, just pampering her through her pregnancy. Her filly is three months old this weekend, so last week I thought I'd pick up where we left off. I was planning on throwing the saddle on and doing a few sessions in the round pen wearing it and reviewing all her ground lessons. She didn't even flinch when I tightened the cinch up. I decided to step up and lean over the saddle and she about fell asleep. I then decided to swing my leg over and she was ridiculously non-chalant about the entire experience. She knows to go when I kiss, and stop with a whoa, so we walked around the round pen for awhile and then out into the field. We worked on some basic turning and stopping and she behaved as if she was ridden every day. I was so very proud of her. Rode her again a couple of days later and we got up into a trot. If she keeps up like this it won't be long until we are out on the trail!

Pandora is getting huge. That girl is going to have some kind of muscle when she is all grown up. She has roaned out so much you can no longer see her color within her spots. If she is like her mom was (and her uncle) she won't roan out quite so bright next year, so you'll actually be able to see her color.

~Pandora~

She has gotten into the trailer with no fuss, and stood very quietly for her first hoof trim. She ties and bathes, so now we need to work on getting used to clippers. She is very brave, and very feisty.

AND, I successfully found a trade for my gelding. I already miss him. He was so very laid back. You could just jump on him and go wherever you wanted and never have to worry about him spooking or doing a single bad thing. Just didn't have any go whatsoever. The people who have him now have a gorgeous place and very well cared for horses. They needed a bomb proof horse for his wife, who was terrified of the mare he bought a few months back. She is a 15.1hh Arabian/Quarter Horse mix. She looks almost purebred. I rode her on a trail near their house. She feels safe in that she won't buck or completely take off with me. She spooked a little at something but didn't feel like she would go crazy. She has go and a lot of heart, but you can tell she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She didn't have much of a stop. I got her home and she stopped much better in the arena and backed like a champ. She is just a little bratty and has been allowed to get her way. It didn't take much groundwork to show her who was boss and she quickly started trying really hard for me. She can get a little upset when forced to behave, but the worst thing she has done so far is toss her head and yank on the bit. I think she is a challenge and I am so in love with her! Not only that, but I've always had a dream of breeding Arabians and Half-Arabs and would love to cross her on Rhocky Rhoad someday (a Khemosabi and Padron bred purebred sabino stallion.)

I've also started working cleaning stalls and exercising horses for my old trainer, and am starting up lessons with her again. I didn't last long at my new PT as it was absolute horrible in terms of hours. They gave me crazy full time schedules and it was either my new job or my old job, I couldn't have both PTs since my new one WASN'T turning out to be such. I got a call from Michaels my third week into my new job offering me an actual PT with much better pay, arranging silk flowers. I gave my new job notice and am starting at Michaels on Sunday. So between two PT jobs and a little extra cash at my trainer's barn, I can afford all these animals! People always say, "You are so lucky! How do you afford them?" Work my butt off.