Again another interesting week here at Spring Peeper Farm. Winter has hit and it's hit hard. Cold, cold and cold. I've lived in Alberta for a little bit several years ago and I have to say -40 degrees Celcius in Alberta is equal to -15 degrees celcius in Nova Scotia. Actually our -15 feels colder than the -40. The wind and the dampness of the ocean goes right to your bones and doesn't leave until July hits. It's not usually that cold here thank goodness. Where I live the winter stays around -5 to -10. But this year the thermometer is stuck at the dreaded -15!! It's so cold.
The 3 things I really hate about winter is the wind, static cling and carrying buckets of water to the livestock. Other than that I really like winter. We are in the middle of a storm at the moment. It started yesterday and it's just about done which is good, since I have to go for minor surgery tomorrow and it's a 2 hour drive to the hospital. We'll have to leave around 5am to get there on time.
Well the mange is gone from Febe. It seems to be anyhow. She's no longer itchy and her coat is getting shiny again. This is good. Now I have a new problem, she refuses to go on the milking stand. I was talking to my goat lady and she said the only reasons a goat refuses the stand (this is a goat that is used to the stand) is if she's been scared by something or sick and she's neither. I could let her dry up and say forget it till next kidding, but that's letting her win. With goats this is a very unfavorable situation. You can never, ever let them win. Because next kidding when it's time to start milking again, she'll say "I didn't have to go on it last winter, I don't have to go on it again. Meh."
So, since Dave leaves usually at 4am for work and he could help me get her up (she's heavy 150 lbs) I don't want to get up that early. So I'm going to change her milking to the evening when he's around to lift her up. These goats are going to be the death of me! ARGH! Whisper I cannot tell when she's in heat. I have been looking every day twice a day for 6 weeks and nothing.
The goats were getting cold, so I thought I'd get them sweaters. Febe's only needed the arms cut a bit but I cannot find one that fits Whisper. She's so small. I got them at the local thrift store.
Well that's about it for now.
Have a Blessed Day!
Lisa
Your goats really will let you put clothes on them? They don't nibble them off? I tried to put a webbed cloth collar on mine and nibble nibble they started to chew them off. They have their plastic ones back on. JuJu, the big goat seems fine in the cold. Maggie shivers. But then Maggie shivers when it was above freezing. I agree, hauling water is not fun. I keep one in the house ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI know but you still have to haul it and it's heavy. They don't nibble at it. They will nibble at my clothes. But I took the sweater off Febe. It wasn't working out.
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