There is always one trouble maker in the group.....Cherry

This morning my Cherry Berry was stuck in the fence she is chewing through in this picture. And as you can tell it didn't stop her from going back for more. I tired to put her in with Amber but she was just running around trying to get out....so I let her out...she was driving all of us crazy. She has an ability to get her head stuck in almost everything......she just has to stick her head in every hole or fence......I had to cut the fence today to get her out.... She has 4 acres to eat on but no... she has to have that one particular piece right, ok right......there. I will never be the same.

Enjoy

The Queen eats.....

You can't tell from this picture but she is big too. She is ready to pop any day as well.

Enjoy

Here is what my first baby pen looks like.

This is what I made to house the new mother and baby. The baby is blocked by Angie's head....She is my Queen of the goats and as this picture was taken she was inspecting the birth housing to make sure she likes the layout. The unit comes fully furnished with food, water, heat lamp and ceiling. Not bad.....hmmm I think she approved.

Enjoy

Next up for some kids......

Amber, my elegant lady goat I think is up next....she is big...so I separated her yesterday just in case. I am going to create a baby pen, which is smaller so her baby and her can bond faster. She isn't showing any signs of birthing but....boy does it happen fast.

Enjoy

Now this is 'Peace in the Pasture'

The babies belly was good but I plugged him in for a little more and he seems to be getting the hang of it. He was just a slurping away...and I was standing by like a proud papa. Then when he got full he looked for a place in the sun and collapsed......and I said....'now this is peace in the pasture'.

Enjoy

A baby goat...I'm not ready......I'm not prepared....but nature was.

Oh my, I walked out to my pen today......and saw a surprise...but it broke my heart....one of my does...Little K had a baby and it was dead....so I stood there looking at it wondering why everyone was so upset.... Well I looked across the pen and there was Princess....on the ground pushing something out... I ran over and then my mind went blank. I didn't know what to do..should I pull it out..let it go or what, I just couldn't think so I immediately called Kathy Withers.....she was my godsend. She said let nature happen and it did. Above you can see mother bonding with baby. The pictures below tell the continuing story.

Enjoy

Kathy came right over and knew just what was happening and what to do. She asked a lot of questions...well it seemed like a lot of questions of which I had no answers. I wasn't prepared...my pens weren't ready.....I wasn't ready. Well she said lets get started and that is what we did. We trimmed the hair around Princesses teats so the baby could find them. Kathy is just so good. So we did.....next

Baby and mother bonding....kid now standing on his own. He is just so cute. Oh by the way....Kathy asked me to check to see if it was a boy or a girl. Well I did and I said a doe, she said what about the things between his legs. OH, I gasped.....I stated I looked.....she said, did you feel....I said no...... Learning one.....feel for the parts, looks can be deceiving. Next...

More baby bonding.....but we wanted to make sure he was nursing so we did what I am calling 'Plug and Play' or PNP. Next...

Kathy teaches me how to 'PNP' the kid. It is a lot harder then it looks. You would think it would be a simple thing....well I am here to say it is not. Kathy is just wonderful....a few seconds later you could hear the kid suckling......oh what a relief. More to come....next...

Oh boy....it is going to get cold tonight.....so my friend Michelle and I went next store and asked if they had any little baby t-shirt. They did....and they let me have one. This picture is just so cute...me putting the t-shirt on and the mother checking it all out. Me still out of my mind....I was thinking will I get through this. You would think I was the one delivering.......

Chris, me, trying the PNP....looks liked it worked here.

Well lets make sure your attached. Come on it is right there...just grab hold. I had a teat in one hand....the other held the back of his head with one finger opening his mouth and me trying to put all the pieces to play. Oh sweet success.....slurping sounds.....he is getting some......ok, I can pass out now.......whew I am wore out.....well now that his belly is full he finally gets some rest. Next...

Ok, the baby says 'I am done for the moment and leave me to sleep'......I was exhausted....and the baby naps quietly in the warmth of an Arizona sunset. Success for the moment.

Well Kathy informed me that my other does are ready.....so they are now separated. The bucks have been put into their own pens and are not happy about the whole thing.

I am so grateful for Kathy's help today. I thought I would be ready and ok with the thought of having babies.....I guessed wrong. Nature is such a wonderful thing and I thank God for all the wonderful people in my life and all that he allows me do. I learn new and wonderful things about life each day and I look forward to learning much more.

Kathy, thank you for being the person that you are. Thank you for your patience that you have with me and for showing me how to do things.

Well I am sure I will have more pictures and more stories in the next few weeks...as the kids starting coming.....oh boy....... Lets 'Plug and Play'

Chris

I think I am going to freeze.......

Ok, maybe not but I am not liking the cold. I much prefer the warm to hot weather. When I get home from work it feels like it is midnight when it is only 7 in the evening. To feed I am dressed to go on an arctic hike, gloves and all. The goats love the cooler weather, the days are in the 60's and the nights are in the 40's....so it really isn't that cold but for me I rather the 80's and 90's.
My only concern is some of my females look pregnant....oh I hope not.....my buck broke out of his pen about a month and a half ago.....he was with the females for about seven hours....and we all know that a lot can happen in seven hours especially in the goat world with hormones rushing. Well if I kids then it was meant to be......and I will be just as excited with two or more....time will tell.

Chris

What happens to a plant that has been growing in the same spot for three years...

This Aloe has been growing in the same spot for over three years and I was really nervous about moving it. I needed to move it to clean the area before putting the flooring in place. I thought it would be ok.....but what I didn't consider was it will probably move towards the light because over pulling it in so far.....well it did and it fell over. What a mess. At first glance I wasn't sure what to do with it.....it was just so top heavy. Well I did what I did three years ago when I started the plant...see below.

There it is....all new. Ok, maybe not new but if it grows it will be new..right..I cut the top off...and then pulled off what I could....put root hormone on the stump, which is in the pot about a foot and placed it in a really big pot. The pot at least sixty pounds of dirt it.....I hope it lives..... The other part I picked up and left it in the original pot. Maybe it will grow a new one from the stump.

All this because I started my flooring.....I am building my excuses as to why I shouldn't have started flooring.

Enjoy,

Chris

After five years I have finally started my flooring...Lets Party

As you can see it is started. Right now I am about half way. It has only taken me five years to get this far...lets celebrate.....hopefully I will continue it right across the house. The only problem I am having is when tapping in some of the planks others come apart and that really gets me going.....but I will keep working on it.

Enjoy,

Chris

Hog Panels for Christmas

My best friend Susie asked me what I wanted for Christmas.... I said, 'hog panels'. She said, what, that's what you really want and I said yes. So she came over and we went to the feed store and bought some hog panels. Now I can continue to create pens within pens for my goats. Eventually I would like to enclose the back few acres in hog panels....it will keep my dog, Abby in. Well, at least it will make it harder for her to get out.

Oh, by the way....the panels are so big we had to lay them over the truck. Thank goodness for bungee cords.

Enjoy,

Chris

Not only can I eat from this thing, I can get it as well...

I was out in the pen Sunday evening and caught Sampson enjoying his food so much he decided to get right in it. He was just having his own party......I tried to get a picture of him laying down in it but by the time I got the camera he was up just going to town. Sampson is my second buck and has some awesome mohair. He is one of No Sizes boys.....from Kathy Wither's ranch.

Enjoy,

Chris

Sunday evening in the Love Pen...

Sunday evening I decided to spend a little time relaxing with my herd. This is my buck Double D kissing up to his mate Angie in what I call the love pen. She is my Queen of the goats and tough as nails. I thought it was just so darn cute to see him nuzzling her......I hope I have some kids from her...they will be my first.

Enjoy,

Chris

Me Carding at the Tucson Wool Festival

There I am just carding away at the 'Tucson Wool Festival'. It was great.....I am new to carding and Kathy asked if I would demonstrate the process...I agreed and had a lot fun. People had a lot of questions, everything from how the carder works to the violet mohair that Kathy and I dyed. This picture was taken by Kathy and is also on her Blog at: http://uniquedesignsbykathy.blogspot.com/ So, check hers out...she does some awesome work with her mohair. I am really enjoying learning everything from raising the goats to the finish products made of mohair.....boy...I have a lot to learn.

Chris

Spinning? Me? Ok, Well Lets Try It...

Well, I guess I can learn to spin. Kathy has great patience.......keeping the feet and hands going was the tough part.....once I got it going it seemed ok. I tried to do with the left hand pulling and found it to be much easier for me. I look really focused don't I....LOL...

Chris

Chris Learns to Colour! WOW!

Look at the violet.....Kathy was teaching me to dye the cleaned fleece. I was expecting all one colour, however look at how the violet came out. WOW! I was just impressed....and it was cake dye that did it. The vinegar was the setting agent and the dye is permanent.

The yellow is striking as well. People seemed to like the violet better. I liked the yellow because it is bright. It will be interesting to see how it blends and cards.

Enjoy,

Chris

Help! My Pictures are not working correctly

I apologize if you click on some of my pictures they do not expand like some of the others. I am not sure why.....I have had some friends that know html look at and I replaced the a tag, however, it only does the small picture and not the big one. I really do not want to re-post or rework all the posts so if you know of an easy fix I would really appreciate if you would let me in on the secret.

Thanks,
Chris

October 15th - The Shearer Leaveth

It was so interesting when Penny was done and everything was picked and she was leaving everyone, ok Oyster was standing to the side, was looking at us. It was like they were saying 'Bye' for now and we feel much better. Penny did an awesome job and I am very pleased.

Chris

October 15th Shearing - Can I eat this

This is Farley he is my companion goat when I am not breeding. he was so cute....he just wouldn't leave Penny's blades alone. Maybe he was just feeling left out because he wasn't being sheared....ok he's a goat but like I said before.....I like my reasoning. It may not be right but it sounds good.

Enjoy,
Chris

October 15th - The shearer cometh - Shearing by Penny Salivar-Jernigan

Penny does all my shearing and is an outstanding shearer. She really cares about her work and treats the animals with respect. She runs on Penny time but she does show up and begins her work immediately. If you need someone to shear for you I highly recommend her. You can reach her at penshearing@yayhoo.com or Mobile 209-996-2970. She lives in Willcox, AZ.

So, below are some of the pictures with the captions below them.

Enjoy,

As you can see from the picture above she has very few double cuts, she had none on my buck above. Penny stated this is like an unveiling. If you take a closer look you will notice how smooth and close her shearing is and it practically came off in one piece. He didn't seem to mind too much and Penny really knows just how to calm and remain in control of the animal.

This is a before and after Angie's shearing, I call her my Queen of the goats. The top picture is what she looks like with six months of mohair on her and below is what she looks like after shearing. She was looking at me thinking I am a new woman.....look out and don't mess with me. I am hoping she breeds with my buck this season. She is tough and she knows what she wants when she wants it. She is also very friendly with humans but, when other goats are around....look out and don't get in her way. She will clearly let you know that she is the queen and you are NOT.

Above is Amber, she is my copper female. She is very regal in the way she walks and lays.....she is a lady. My buck Double D really likes her, I think because of her style....ok maybe it is just because she is a female in heat.....I like my reasoning better.

The above two picture are of her shearing in progress. She was very relaxed as you can see from the positioning....Penny has a way of relaxing the animal and doing what she needs to get them sheared.

And there she is....a new girl on the block. During the summer I was concerned because of her darker color....she was always warm. Now she is fresh and cool. She still walks with style and rubs up next to my bucks pen just so that he doesn't forget about her.....ok maybe she is in heat....I like my reason much better.

Penny knows her stuff about shearing...

Chris

October 15th the morning before shearing

Below are pictures taken in the morning before Penny arrived. The caption below is for the picture above. It is amazing everyone seemed to know something was going to happen. It is like taking your pet to the vet....they just seem to know.

Enjoy,

This is Angie and she is looking oh very fluffy. I am not sure what she was looking at but, I bet she wasn't really noticing me taking her picture.

This is Sampson - he is looking just as fluffy as the rest... His main concern was just having fun... He also was sheared and his mohair is very soft. His father No Size will be proud of his sons fiber.

Above is Oyster my Llama....and from the smile on her face you can tell she knows that she is not being sheared. Yes, it is a smile....take a closer look it is definitely a smile. She is just so darn cute.

This is Abby and she is doing what she does best. She is actually patrolling with her keen sense of hearing ok maybe that is her keen sense of eating... Ok, she is ready at a moments notice to protect her house...ok maybe not on a moments notice but you get the idea. I think she has the best deal in town...eat and sleep. Oh, by the way don't worry about protecting anything.....the most she will do is bark from behind a bush......well you can't have everything. She loves her couch and sleeping and I love her....even if she loves to eat the trash.

This was the morning before shearing.

Chris

What happens when you try to sneak up for a photo

The days are still warm in Marana, AZ. Today, Sunday it was in the 90's and thought I would take some pictures. The bottom picture I took from the side of the house. On the right hand side of the picture is Double D. He is my oldest buck at about a year and a half. Next to him standing is Cherry Berry......half mountain goat......there is nothing she won't jump on or try to eat. To the left of her is Samson my newest buck. His father No Size has produced some awesome mohair and I am hoping Samson will as well.

So I thought I would sneak out from the patio doors. As you can see from the top picture it didn't work so well. I really tried to be quiet but once Farley....you can see a little of him, he is the black and white one, got one look at me......his belly went off and he came a running. They soon discovered that I didn't have any food but that didn't stop them from trying....so I gave up on the pictures for now.

One day I will get a few good ones.

Chris

Two batts that I created with some help from Kathy

Kathy Withers is just great. Two weeks ago I went over to her ranch to begin learning about carding. The carder that I am using is on the left and to the right are the batts that I created. They are still from Double D's fleece.

The next step for me will be to take the batts back over to Kathy's and start learning how to spin them. Oh boy, hopefully I won't get stuck in the spinning wheel. I can see if now....my fingers all up in the wheel and Kathy saying 'What did I get myself into'.


I am having lots of fun learning new things.

Chris

My Top Secret drying process...

So, what can you do with a tank full of nothing. Well, make a mohair drying unit out of it. I put a small fan in the middle of the tank inside blowing up.....the top where the mohair is on is a screen mesh....only obstacle is the middle piece of glass. It holds the tank together so I won't bother it.

This is still Double D's fleece that I am working with. After being washed it came out pretty good. After it drys it will be ready for pre-picking and then carding.

OK, so maybe it's not so Top Secret but I thought it was a good idea for me.

Chris