Back in November last year, we put bucks and nannies together for 2017 goat breeding time.
Sadly, our multi-colored buck Rocky was too injured to do the job, and so eventually we had to put Shakespeare with the younger nannies as well, which ended up spreading out the birthing over a couple of months.
But Shakespeare did the job, and here are some of the results! Interestingly, it was 3 to 1 bucklings to doelings:
Earlier:
(What a great picture, IMO: 😀 ):
And then on the day they went to their new home:
Sadly at the end of one day, one of the little bucklings was stammering around, and couldn’t keep his balance. With the extreme heat, we thought maybe he had a sun stroke. We got him into the barn to try to help, but over a few days, he got worse and worse, and eventually, when it sounded like fluid was building up in his lungs and I didn’t want him to drown, I gave him the coup de gras. Sigh…that’s always hard to do, especially when all your efforts are to try to keep the animal alive. But, death is a reminder of sin, and something I believe should help us understand a little as to how much God hates it.
But, we are thankful also that there were no other issues with mama’s giving birth or kids dying…thanks to God!
But, sadly also, over the winter we lost Gracie, and then Winnie. We’re not sure what the reasons were, but we are thankful to the Lord for all of the provisions He granted from them.
Winnie started it all way back when. She was always the queen goat…I called her “your highness”. 🙂 Goodbye Winnie…
And here is Gracie. Goodbye Gracie…
And sadly as well, Rocky ended up maybe too injured to do much, and after moving him into the barn to take care of him, he eventually succumbed to something, and we lost him too. We thank the Lord for all of the kids He granted from him as well. Goodbye Rock…
However, another buck that had been used by others in the fellowship became more available for us to take over care for, and so he and Shakespeare have been pals ever since, and we look forward to him going to work with our younger does this November, Lord willing:
Finally, here’s this year’s 2018 kid provisions video:
We are always grateful to God for His provisions, and try to never take them for granted. We deserve none of them, and so every one is a gracious blessing! And we now thank Him for the milk He is supplying from them!
— David
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