Re: Day 145 for my Gretta ! I'm also looking for .....
Well Gretta kidded Friday the 22nd about 2:00pm, DH kidded her out and i was stuck at work till 4 - it about killed me !
She kidded no problem DH said, and clean out right away, but never really showed interest in the kids. And well she wanted nothing to do with her buckling ( she had a buckling and a doeling ) and DH took him away for good by the time i got home, he says she was attacking him, picked him up by his ear and threw him, and was still going after him till DH could get to him.
And to top it all off, she wouldn't mother the doeling either - we gave her till about 8 or 9 pm, and i held her several times to let the doeling nurse, but she payed no attention to her and would even knock her over when she walked by her, so we decide to play it safe and bottle feed both of them.
I milked mom ( and still do and will continue to ) and feed them about every 5 hours - somtimes every 4 or 6 hours, as that is just what our schedual allows - even through the night. The little girl doesn't have a huge appitite like the boy, but will now eat about 6 oz every feeding, the boy eats about 8-9oz - is this enough ? When can i go to not feeing them in the night ? Or when can i go to 3 or possibly 4 times a day during the day ?
How much should these little Alpines be getting at every feeding ? Mom is milked 2 x per day, am and pm - she is giving me about two of those ball canning jars (wide mouth ) ( the size that also works well for drinking glasses - i think they are a quart maybe ? or pint ? ) per milking, so 4 of those total. We use it all up on the kids - they go through it fast - so i'm a bit worried about their appitites increasing, as for now we have enough milk - but will we keep having enough ?
The kids are doing great though, it was a bit hard getting the doeling to take the bottle at first, then she would only eat if i held her in my lap, but last night at the 2 am feeding she took the bottle on her own standing up just like her brother :+)
They are adorable, and i'm very happy with them. I'm still working on getting somebody out to take pics so i can post them - they look very nice to my untrained eye but i'd like some knowlegeable opinions. The doeling is white with black face stripes/markings, a black stripe from head to tail down her back, black markings on her feet, and a tan/gold/lavender? rump - very pretty, very girly, her face reminds me of an arabian horse, just dainty and girly. She also seems to have very nice conformation and is a major improvement in my herd ! One issue i see with her though, is her left front and rear leg are a bit crooked, they like are a bit shaped like this ( if you are looking at her from the front ) - ! ) - The ! is her front right, the ) is her front left - it is NOT that curved, just slightly, nobody that has seen her has noticed it till i point it out - and it seems to be getting straighter and straighter, i deep down think it is just from being in the womb, and will be perfect in time, but really just wanted to ask.
The buckling is great as well, very friendly and cute ! One ear is a bit swollen and flops though, as thats the one Gretta bit. He is the same color as her, choc. brown, with tan accents at his flanks and elbow, and a white spot on his side and white stockings and stripes on his face.
Thanks everybody !
