Farm Friday

This week we decided to take a break for the holidays and to give the gardens a chance to rest so we aren't making deliveries until the new year.  However, the goats did not take any time off and we've had a number of kids born.  Unfortunately, as in the past, kidding this time of year is always hard and we lost a number of babies.  We had a particularly difficult time with our goat Susie.  We were pretty sure she was in labor but were hesitant to intervene as that can sometimes cause problems.  After about 24 hours, we knew we had to help her.  While I was examining her, I realized her baby was breech.  There was no way I could turn the kid but I was able to get its legs in a good position and pulled it.  As we feared, it was stillborn.  Although we don't know if an earlier intervention would have made a difference, if we suspect a goat is in labor in the future, we won't let it go as long.  Fortunately, Susie seems to have recovered her trauma, with no ill effects.  Goat herding is a learning process.

On a positive note, we have nine new baby goats!  Sharona, who I called "mother of the year" after she successfully delivered and raised triples during this past harsh winter, has done it again.  Here's another goat, Barbie, with not only her own kid, but Sharona's three cuddled up with her:

On a side note, I've gotten back into making my own vegetable stock and was able to put up 12 cups this week.  I'm also trying some new recipes and, if they turn out well, I'll share one or two of them.

Have a great weekend!