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SSN 2021 Kidding Thread

16K views 298 replies 22 participants last post by  GoofyGoat 
#1 ·
Woohoo! I've made it another year! Most of the girls should be bred at this point so I figured it should be time to put this up. Earliest anyone should be due is early jan, and I think only 1 of them is due around then. The rest should be due Early-Mid march. Almost everyone was bred back in august, but they all ended up going back into heat in October.

Only early girl(I think) Due Jan, 8th is Winnie the sheep. She is a 1.5yo Katahdin(mix) ewe bred to cowpoke my KatahdinX ram

Then in no particular order. I haven't gone through and done Due dates yet, but most should all be due the first 2 weeks of march.

Boers/Boer X are bred to Tarzan a BoerxAlpine % buck

Bubble
Rootbeer(Not bred yet)
Twinkle toes
Not confirmed/Unsure if I will breed, May 2019 does
Abbey
Tala

Nigerian Dwarfs/Mini. All are/should be bred to Peewee

Ashleigh
Meredith
Lady
Sarsparilla
Liv
Butter(Not bred yet)
Biscuit(Nit bred yet)
Mara(Not bred yet/Unsure if I will breed)
Ginger(If she puts more weight on, if not she will not be bred. 9yo, this would be her last kidding)

And the other Dairy X girls bred to tarzan
MaryLou
Anime

I also have a few ewes who should be lambing they would all be bred to Cowpoke my Katahdin/St Croix ram

Sheep #1 a big Merino girl
Sheep #2 a big Suffolk girl
Winona a Jacobs
And Winnie a Katahdin

I think that is all! Except for my Gertie girl, rootbeers June 2019 doe. I don't think I will breed her until at least mid-2021. So there should be 16 kidding/lambing, possibly 19-21 if I end up breeding everyone. Fingers crossed all does well this year! I will try and get some pics up later.
 
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#4 ·
Oh boy I get to watch and cheer you on! I’m so excited to see peewee’s kids this year. I’ll bet he’s gotten bigger and more Bucky. He was such a little squirt when you got him. Tarzan, I’ll bet is handsome as always.

I can’t wait to see everyone’s pictures (especially Mara) I’ve been so invested in following your herd I’m as excited as If they were mine. :)

I know you’ve been super busy, so I’ll be patient ... not ;)
 
#6 ·
Well, still no pictures. Windy and cloudy today, then lots of rain and snow the next week.

Rather interesting day. A neighbor called and said that 4 sheep had been killed, 5 more injured by dogs. Asked if I had seen any. I hadn't. A few minutes later I go out and see a dog running towards the pasture whining/barking...prey drive. I quickly got over there before anything happened and got the dog inside. I saw this dog a few days prior but didn't know where she lives. I called the non-emergency dispatch and they sent someone out. They found someone who knows the owner quite quickly. They took her and that was about it. Then the actual owner showed up. Was she ever rude! "Um, so what did my dog SUPPOSABLY do to your animals!?" ...Nothing. I just didn't want any hurt and didn't know where she lives. "So your first option was to call the cops!?"...I mean, I had no idea where she lives at and last thing I wanted was the dog to come back when I am not home and kill my livestock. Pretty suspicious that she shows up not even an hour after I talked to the sheep owner. Of course, her dog "Is friendly, and she would never do that! She probably just wanted to play" She clearly didn't see her when I walked her past the rabbit pen! That dog didn't want to play. Some people. On top of that, poor ginger the oldest girl. I'm not sure if it was stress from the dog or what. Not long after I went in after all that I saw her lying in the pasture doing the dying goat kicks. I got out and carried her to the barn. Pumped her with probios, antibiotics(she has had a bit of a runny nose) and B-complex. Her temp was cold. She is now eating and walking ok, but I worry she may not make it through the night. Days like these, though few and far between, suck.
 
#7 ·
I would rather talk to a jerk..about THEIR Responsibilty running loose. Than have to clean up the destructive aftermath. I think you did the right thing. The owner of the dog should be grateful to you. Hang in there. You did a very kind thing for that dog. Your Goats are alive & well. The dog wasn't shot..hes been rescued. And the Jerk will always be a jerk. So 2.out if 3 are :great:..

:heehee:
 
#8 ·
Yeah, just frustrating to have to deal with it in the first place. Like was said to the officers, I have no issues with dogs as long as they aren't bothering anything. There are several other dogs that come and go from my property but none of the care for the animals. If I see this dog again, if she is actively hurting any animals, S.S.S. If she is trying to get them but not hurting them...either the dog mace or bear spray if she won't leave. Sweet dog. She just has crazy high prey-drive and should be contained for her safety, and also the safety of other animals. Having an attitude doen't help anybody and now I have yet another neighbor who doesn't like me.
 
#9 ·
That's ok..those kind of neighbors aren't worth having. Not reliable.! I'm not as patient as you are. I tell the people one time. If the dog is on my property after that....he just disappears. Hmmmmmm. So I understand your frustration. But I also know the devastation the dogs can do. So I choose the SSS...and then no reason to talk to the jerks anymore...right? Hang in there.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Prayers sent for sweet Ginger! I really hope she gets better poor thing!
I hate people who let their dogs go unchecked. I don't give them a second chance I opt to take out any threat. I'm not losing my animals to a dog. Yes, I feel sorry for taking a life,but it's better than losing 5 like your neighbor.

Edit:
If the dog isn't near the goats I let them Waunder home after shooing them off ...but showing too much interest...SSS
 
#14 ·
Same here. It drives me crazy. It should be their job as it's owner to keep it safe, just as it is my job as the owner of my livestock to keep them safe.

Just scares me a bit as someone from fairly close to here once shot 2 dogs that were harassing his sheep. It was ruled as a justified shooting. Owners tracked him down, broke into his house and beat him! He ended up in the hospital. Some people, and I am not going to mention any breeds here, but especially people with this breed seem to think their dog wouldn't hurt a fly and that anyone who thinks otherwise is just making it up because they hate the breed. I have a german shepherd, one of the more powerful/dangerous dog breeds. He is dog reactive, which many are known to be. People are scared of them because of it. I do not sugar coat it, he can and quite possibly WILL kill another dog if it gets too close to us or is on our property. Especially near the animals. Do I let him do that, no. I don't want my dog hurt or responsible for something like that, but I am not hiding and saying he is friendly or just wants to play. He doesn't. They seriously(and even the cops) didn't seem to understand a dog can be super friendly with people and other dogs, but have high prey drive and want to kill anything that runs, or be fine with prey and humans but hate dogs, etc. I thought about apologizing to the neighbor for calling the cops first instead of looking for her, but I decided not to. I don't think I'm in the wrong, and maybe I sound rude but I hope they got a dog at large fine and have to keep their dog contained like she should have been in the first place.
 
#13 ·
She is still alive. Just not well. She walked around and ate this morning. I have a heater and blankets on her with all the food she wants but she isn't moving. As much as I want to get the vet out, It just doesn't seem worth it at her age. I will put her down if she is in pain, but she seems OK right now. I think she is almost 10yo and with all the dental issues she had and the weight loss, I just don't have much hope for her as it is getting colder. 9°F windchill right now and everyone is shivering. Hoping the blanket and heater are making her more comfortable.
 
#15 ·
I did manage to get some pictures of the girls. Not the best as it is cold, windy, rained and snowed last night and I still don't have the barn ready yet.

Back to front. Abbey, Tala, and Mara
Vertebrate Plant Goat Mammal Goat-antelope


Sheep #2 (No name yet) I just got these girls in September. Wasn't able to get them shorn before it got too cold. Still skittish but getting better. These girls are HUGE pushing 470lbs for #2 and 340lbs for #1
Working animal Sheep Terrestrial animal Grass Snout

Sheep #1
Vertebrate Mammal Terrestrial animal Sheep Grass


Left is Winne and right is cowpoke the ram they are bred to
Grass Terrestrial animal Snout Livestock Landscape


These pics are harder to see, everyone was trying to eat at once on a feeder I still need to fix. Left to right. Chonk(2020 kid not going to be bred) Gertie, Mary-Lou, and Bubble
Terrestrial animal Fawn Working animal Snout Livestock


Mara giving me her "Go away" Face.
Goat Working animal Goat-antelope Terrestrial animal Natural material


Liv
Mammal Goat Terrestrial animal Snout Working animal


Left(or back) to right(or front). MaryLou, Lady, Not sure, Anime, and bubble.
Mammal Goat Terrestrial animal Goat-antelope Snout


Butter
Head Eye Goat Goat-antelope Sheep


I couldn't get pictures of, Ash, Winona, Meredith, Rootbeer, Twinkle, Sarsparilla, or biscuit. I will try and get those when it isn't so windy.

Just for viewing pleasure here is this years batch of keepers(Chonk is staying as well)

Back to front. Rain, Dog, and Birds
Vertebrate Mammal Goat Fawn Working animal

And Half blind Huata who is always on my tail!
Vertebrate Goat Mammal Terrestrial animal Sheep
 
#20 ·
We lost ginger Friday night, along with a wether sheep. Looks like he got stepped on by the horse in an unfortunate accident. Ginger looked like she was getting better, but I woke up Saturday morning and she was already gone. That was a bad start to the weekend.

Anyway, it's been pretty boring and non-eventful since. I am getting hay tomorrow I hope. That's when it always feels real. Once I get the barn cleaned and ready and get the winters hay. Maybe wishful thinking but I think Winnie seems to be getting rounder. She should have about 50 days left if she is bred. That's about all that is happening, lol. I think tala and abbey may have been bred last week but never actually saw anything happen so we will see.
 
#24 ·
Aww I am sorry about Ginger and the wether. That stinks. :(

But yay for babies coming!! Exciting to watch again, such pretty girls and I agree, it looked like that sheep was wearing a big fluffy coat, I rather liked it LOL. We have Katahdins and they're just now getting their fluffy and super soft winter coats! They look like little wooly bears haha.
 
#26 ·
Got my hay! Woohoo! Makes it feel real that kids are coming shortly. In 3 months, 1 week anyway.

Hay just makes me feel so happy. What makes me even happier is that by chance I saw a post of hay last night on CL, saw the house in the background, and thought it looked familiar. It was my neighbor who is only 2 houses away. 80/20 3rd cutting Alfalfa/Grass(Perfect for me!) Super leafy. It was only $6!! Per 85-90lb bale for me. The cherry on top. I watched it grow and be harvested from start to finish. Which is pretty cool. I always thought they used the hay for their cows. That was pretty lucky. The other hay I was supposed to get was $9 per bale, plus delivery and stacking.

Got 50 bales today, I will get another 50 tomorrow and I should be good until April. Smells amazing, looks amazing(So green!), feels amazing. I can't wait to give it to the girls tomorrow and see how they like it. The stuff they have now is more of a grass/weed/alfalfa and they like it, but I already had some trying to hop the fence after I gave them a handful of this new stuff, lol. Needless to say, I am one happy goat lady today! Aside from my back hurting from stacking, and the thunderstorm, rain, and 30mph winds that appeared out of nowhere as I was trying to stack everything in the hay shed, it's been a good day.

Pictures don't do justice how green this stuff is!
Plant Wood Grass Shrub Groundcover


Next projects. Finish cleaning the barn. Fix and move the hay feeder into the barn. Build a creep feeder for the kids. Destroy and replant the pasture. Fix fences. That should keep me busy till it is closer to kidding season.
 
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