A short update

For weeks we have been waiting and watching our nanny goats expecting them to kid very soon. Well, Lilly, one of our older nannies, had her three babies early this morning. We were expecting Lilly to kid yesterday, so Mama was not surprised to see the three little ones this morning. She had asked me last night if there was a way we could separate Lilly from the others in the paddock, but there is no good way to do so without a lot of work. There are eleven total in the paddock right now, which makes it quite crowded at feeding times. Three of the goats in that paddock are very young – our bottle babies which have never been exposed to a kidding nanny goat. Four are approaching one year old and four are pregnant nanny goats. Dolly, another of our older nanny goats should be kidding in a few days. Most likely this week.

Mama is horribly stressed about the new kids being born and reared into that crowded environment. Lilly is batting and butting the other goats away from her recent offspring, especially the overly curious bottle babies we raised. I may need to find a way to isolate Lilly from the other residents of the paddock to assure the survival of the newbies, but we will know if that is necessary over the next few days. So, three little ones were introduced to Mama this morning, two little girls and one little boy, with the expectation that we will have more coming in the next few days followed by two other nanny goats kidding within the next couple weeks. Additionally, the four pregnant nanny goats we rescued are getting large as their pregnancies advance. I expect to see those kidding within the next four weeks. Certainly, by the end of September. In total, we should have up to twenty little ones born on our farm this year. A moderate success.

One thing after another has delayed the completion of our craft container. Mostly it is a matter of excessive heat, but also my lack of time and energy to work very long on the projects in the evenings. But this weekend I was able to get the entrance framed in so we can apply the foam - perhaps next weekend. That is the next big, expensive thing to be done. As the weather cools, I should be able to do more each available evening to add the little finishes required to spur us toward completion. Mama is anxious to get moved into the craft shop, but she is not pushing me too hard. I too am anxious to get the craft items moved out of the house. At this point, I am about forty hours and $3,000 short of that completion.

Tonight, I will refill the five-gallon bee feeder. I know it will only last the bees about three days, but I plan to refill the feeder no more than once per week. I cannot. Since it takes twenty-five pounds of sugar for each filling, the cost of which is about sixteen dollars, I cannot afford to keep them filled up. Even at once per week, I will be spending over five hundred dollars to cover this dearth and get the hives fed sufficiently to prepare the bees for winter. It is worth the cost and effort on my part, but it is still an added expense for us to deal with.