The New Males in Our Life

Meet Boudro. 

Meaning:  Boudro , boudro meaning , definition of boudro , what is boudro - Friend, Term used to describe a buddy or pal in lieu of their name. Particularly in Louisiana, Texas and surrounding states.
Some examples : Hey Boudro, let's go grab a beer after work.

He is a year old, Nigerian Dwarf / 12.5 % Lamancha buck.

Ratz - Lionhead buck

We look forward to breeding him with our Tara.  They are going to make some pretty babies.

 
This big buy doesn't have a name yet.  We have been throwing around the idea of Bucky.  He is 1/2 Dutch & New Zealand.

We are going to mate this big guy with our big girls.  We are planning on eating the offspring of the large rabbits.

I am to soft to kill them but the neighbor kid said he would do that.  We can clean them after that.

Homestead General Update

Looky what hatched a few days ago.  Now it takes us about a year to tell the sex of the Muscovy Ducks so we'll have to get back with you on this one.








We also have 11 guinea chicks down at the neighbor's house.  They were nice enough to let us slide eggs under their broody hens.  There are still a few more eggs we are waiting to see if they will hatch.

We also have 8 eggs under our single broody Australorp hen and & eggs under a Muscovy hen in the coop.  If we can keep the snakes out we should be good to go.  We have quite a few guinea eggs in at least one nest that I can find.  I wish those girls would go ahead and go broody.

Other than that I have cut, dried, and stored some hay in the barn.  Some of you may not know but I do this by hand with a scythe.

We also purchase 25 square bales at $4.00 a bale from the field just to our south as our land is leased out for hay production.

We finally went down in the back to see the results of the logging.  Let's just say we no longer have woods.  We have some trees.  There were many areas my father had clear cut.  There are piles of debri in several places and what once was beautiful is just ugly now.  All I keep thinking is that is was a rape.  The area I considered by sacred place is pretty much destroyed.  It is sad and I am not sure when I'll go back there again.  I knew it wasn't going to be a pretty site.  I was right.

We have also been working in the garden some.  We got a late start which might hurt us this year but last year's early start hurt us too.  Sometimes you just got to do the best with what you got.

So now you guys are kinda caught up and I have to go work on a rabbit hutch.  After seeing Randy's hutches I am changing my design for the better.

The Milk Stand is ALMOST Complete

It doesn't seem right that it is taking this long as I have been working a total of maybe a day.  Then again, it takes what it takes.  I found some wonderful plans at Fias Co Farm although I have had to make some minor modifications as we have Pygmy/Nigerian Dwarf mix goats.  Which means they are not quite as big as regular goats.

It should be entertaining the first time we try to milk.  I am sure our girls will throw a wall eyed fit for sure.  I promised Bacon and Eggs to give her an update on how it goes.  Hopefully I'll have that information tomorrow as it is my plan to complete the stand TOMORROW.

Update:  Ok, it may be the next day before it is complete because I want to paint it before it all goes completely together.  I want my milk stand to be pretty as well as functional.

ShaNayNay aka NayNay Gave Birth

NayNay gave birth to two creamed colored brown eyed little girls around 8:30 pm tonight.


Opal was the perfect midwife.  Both babies were almost totally cleaned off and they were standing by the time we arrived.


Now if we can just convince Opal to let them be to bond with their momma and learn how to nurse without any problems.  Opal wants to lick them to death.

Sugar, NayNay's twin checking things out.

Update:  Last check before going to bed at 1:00am

All is well with Momma and babies.

Opal is still on duty.

We had to put their sweaters on because they started shivering.  That is no way to spend your first night in the world.

Update:  December 17, 2011 am

An Evening with the Animals

Here are some pictures and video I took this evening when we sat out back with the goats, sheep, and dogs.  Sometimes a chicken or a guinea or two.

Sheri - What do you have there?

Our newest kid - Laura Croft
Nanny's baby - December 13, 2011
Name may change in the future

Laura Croft

Tippy Toe
Penelope's baby - December 12, 2011

Pyrenees Love
Opal

She relaxed so much she fell to the ground.

Our Opal and Buttercup
What would we ever do without them.

I hope you enjoyed an evening at the homestead.

Nanny Gave Birth

Nanny gave birth to this beautiful blue eyed baby girl at 3:03pm today.


Welcome to the homestead little one.

Nanny cleaning up her baby.

Everyone like to watch

Nestled in the manger with momma, Nanny.

We Have a New Kid - Sugar Gave Birth

Sugar and her brand new baby

Sugar gave birth to her baby this evening at 4:20 pm.  We thought with her being so big that she would have two maybe even three babies but she only had one.  A mostly black female with a tuft of white between where her horns will be.  Her ears are also salt & pepper.  At 5 hours old she was already wanting to play.  She is the first baby to be born in the new manger.


The baby was breach.  Harriet was able to assist with the delivery when Sugar started having a strong contraction she pulled the baby right out.  Thank God Harriet is a retired Lay Midwife.  I'll be honest I was lost at what to do.  I can build but birthing is a whole other ball game.  I think Sugar did good for her first birth.  Thank you for the new addition to the homestead Sugar.

Opal and I watching Sugar clean her new baby.

Opal wants to help Sugar clean the baby.  I have to lay on
her to keep her from assisting.

Can't I help Momma?

Opal finally gets to help.

Such a pretty face

Momma Sugar and baby.  Five hours old.

The day the Pyrenees Came

Sugar and her playful baby.  She is five hours old.

The baby outside the door are the ones born just this past June.

Ornery is the male and close to the end you will hear him butting his sister into the door with a loud boom.

Just In Time - The Manger

I decided since I am better at building shelters than electric fences I would build a shelter in the backyard for the goats and the coming kids.  At least they would be closer to the house so we can make sure they are ok.  Besides we haven't even test the not so finished fence.  This will get me just a little more time to get things together in the back fenced area that I created for the goats.

The dimensions of the manger, yes that is what I am calling it are 8 X 6.  I am planning on putting a partition 4' out to help contain warmth better between it and the house. 

I worked into the night Friday to get it this far since we had a forecast of rain and cold coming in.  I got it done just in time.  As a matter of fact the drizzle started as I was trying to finish up.  I am happy to report that Saturday and Sunday we got some good rain.  Rain we need so desperately here in Texas.

Before

After
Momma Ewe approved

Built from recycled material.
Yes, I cut off all that nasty stuff.

Mary Lamb - My little helper.

Mary lamb followed me around all day.  She was very helpful when I was digging the post holes.  She would dig in my pile of dirt throwing debris into the hole for the post.  Before I had put the post in.  She really thought she was being helpful.

Mary actually thinks I am her mom and she thinks her mom is just another sheep in the herd.  She follows me around the yard with the dogs and the goats.  I am the herd/pack/flock leader.  Such responsibility let me tell you. 


Yesterday we noticed the utter on Sheri one of our goats has dropped and filled.  We think we might be having some babies soon.  I am hoping it waits until just after this cold snap.  Wednesday night is is suppose to get down to 29 degrees.  No babies need to be born in that weather.  My bad for wanting babies by their dad before he was fixed.  Keep the little ones in your prayers.  It is not their fault I am stupid and insistent sometimes.

Food! Food! Food!

The look of hungry goats.  They think they are starving all the time.  Let me say, between letting them out to graze, the hay, and the branches I throw in the back yard for them to eat.  They are so far from hungry.  Oh, and let's not forget the grain they get.

I am so grateful for the cooler weather and the rain.  I can now see grass shoots coming up in the yard.  It is so cute.  My yard has a green crew cut.