I must have been good last year, as Santa was kind enough to upgrade my camera and lenses for Christmas. For the last six years the blog has depended on my old camera, but it had some shortcomings, especially in low light conditions, so I’m quite excited about the upgrade. I’m still getting used to the differences between them both, as it’s amazing what they can pack into a DSLR these days.
I spent some time with the girls in the barn yard this morning, specifically because the lighting down there is always challenging, as it’s surrounded by tall trees, and this time of year gets a lot of dappled light. I think Lotus approves of the results, though.
“Hey, I like this camera, it makes me look gooooood!”
Although we’re currently enjoying a slight lull in farm activities, and using that time to get ready for spring planting, and a new batch of spring chicks, the ladies in the barn are busy making some spring preparations of their own.
“You know what happens on the farm in spring, don’t you?”
This season we have five does that are scheduled to have kids between late February and the end of March. The first doe scheduled to kid this year is Lotus, in just over seven more weeks, at the very end of February. I’m not sure that day can come quite fast enough for her though. Poor thing.
When you can’t scratch your head with your hoof anymore, a barn wall will do
Lotus only ultrasounded with triplets in November, but I’m seriously questioning now if we missed one.
We could clearly see three, but it can be difficult to get an exact count
Her girth is already impressive to say the least!
Lotus still has just under two months to go!
She always has been an over-achiever, but we love her for it. This is how she looked a few weeks ago, in mid-December…
Notice how much darker the photos were with the old camera?
In livestock, ultrasound isn’t always an exact science, especially when there are multiple babies to count. They can easily hide behind each other, making accurate counts tricky, but we know she’s carrying at least three. It could be more, we’ll have to wait and see.
For some weeks now Lotus eagerly greets me at the barn gate, because she knows that humans have these wonderful inventions called opposable thumbs, and fingernails.
“Might I bother you for a scratch? Pleeeease?”
Not only can humans fill hay feeders with their nimble digits, which is perhaps the most important thing for them to do, but they can also reach all of those itches that are impossible to scratch with mere teeth, and hooves, this time of year.
Although barn doors and hay feeders work as impromptu scratching posts, too
Lotus’ daughter, Lily, is striving to follow in her dam’s footsteps, and is already getting noticeably more round.
Lily isn’t even half way through her pregnancy yet!
However, Lily isn’t due to kid until almost a month after Lotus.
She looks quite proud of herself, doesn’t she?
That said, Lily did ultrasound with quadruplets this season, so I expect it’s going to get very crowded in there by the end of March.
Even Minnie is looking a little more round this season, although we expect her to kid with the same number of kids she had last year.
“Minnie, can we show everyone how round you’re getting?”
Minnie is a little shy, and not always as eager to pose for the camera.
“Do I have to?”
Oh well, maybe we’ll catch a picture when she least expects it.
Gotcha! Sorry, Minnie.
Poor Minnie she’s been working hard to maintain her trim figure this season.
“At least I haven’t completely let myself go”
Royalia, though, is the one to watch this season. Like Lily, Royalia ultrasounded with quadruplets back in December, but that’s because we could only fit four of them on the screen at the same time.
We know Royalia has at least quadruplets
There is some considerable question as to whether she might actually be carrying five this season. This time last year, with two more months to go before she kids, Lia didn’t even appear pregnant from the outside. You couldn’t tell just looking at her, but this year she’s already starting to show some increased girth.
Royalia has just over two months to go, and is just starting to really show
Last spring we added one more senior doe to the herd, Ocean Flower, and this season she’s expecting triplets.
Ocean fits in very well with the herd, and you’d never know that she was the most recent new-comer to the farm
Most of our does crave a lot of extra attention when they’re pregnant, and Ocean is no exception.
Ocean is expecting triplets this spring
Every time I look down, she’s usually at my feet, and if I sit down, she immediately comes over and puts her head in my lap.
“Mind if I rest here a while?”
If you been counting, while reading this post, you now know that between just five does we’re expecting approximately 17 kids this spring. Although I’m somewhat in denial, I know all too well that the next seven weeks will zip right by, and the sleepless nights, and endless rounds of bottle feeding adorable fuzzy babies will soon be upon us.
So, while the ladies kick back in the barn, for the next few weeks we’ll be busy clearing out the greenhouse, and starting seeds for our late spring and summer crops.
If we continue to get some more rain this winter, we’re hoping to plant at least a small garden again in spring
A new dedicated hay shed is being constructed the first week of February, weather permitting, and a new flock of Dark Brahma chicks will be arriving that week too.
New Brahma chicks, and baby goats. We’ll be very busy this spring!
Then we’ll have just enough time before kidding season starts to reinstall the kidding pens, and then spring on the farm will, once again, be in full swing!
Woah, I didn’t even know goats had that many kids at a time! That is one large Mama! You are definitely going to be busy in spring 🙂 Enjoy your new camera! We got a DSLR awhile back so we could take better indoor pictures of the kids, and it’s been wonderful, both indoors and out.
At least twins aren’t uncommon in most goat breeds, but this breed, especially, tends to have larger litters. It’s not uncommon for these does to carry 20% of their body weight in babies!
I love the new camera. My old DSLR has been great, but it’s amazing how much the digital technology has improved, even in the last 6 years (it shoots HD video too). I’m looking forward to photographing lots of bouncy babies in spring!
Oh Clare 17 kids….my goodness. So lovely to see all the does new and original. Loads of work but you do so love it that is clear. Can’t wait to see all the new growth and life born on your farm.
They will definitely be a handful, and the babies keep us very busy, but it’s a good busy 🙂 Just need to get the garden ship-shape before they arrive!
Whoa! You are going to be very busy. But super exciting to have so many kids around. Glad all the mamas are doing well. I don’t envy them carry around those loads.
It will be a little hectic here by the time the last babies are born, but I’m spending the first few weeks of this year getting everything a little more organized around the farm so that we’re not too overwhelmed. I just can’t believe how quickly the last year flew by, and that we’re getting ready for yet another round of kids! 🙂
Oh, my! All I can think about is that you are going to be very busy! Do you have hired help on your farm now? I wish you all the best and happy farming in 2015!
Alas, no hired helped, yet! In part because by the time I train someone, who may or may not last the season, I could probably get done what I needed to. That said, I do have a couple of friends that have offered to help during the most busy period in March, when I still have does kidding, at the same time I have lots of little mouths to feed. My goal this year is to be much more organized and efficient, and be able to enjoy spending much more time with the babies when they arrive 🙂
I hope you are getting in some extra hours of sleep while you can! Yikes!! Ocean has a very sweet face. Looking forward to oodles of photos of cute kids.
I wish we could bank sleep for future use 😉 I am enjoying the calm before the storm so to speak, and the weather this month has been fabulous. I’m actually getting things spruced up outside now, so hopefully spring won’t be quite so crazy! Lots of photos, and video, to come!
I didn’t have a clue either that goats could have that many kids. 2 definitely and 3 sure, but 5???!? WOW. I remember when Lotus and Minnie were just wee babes themselves, seems like it wasn’t that long ago. What are you planning to do with all the new babies, will they be sold?
This particular breed is prone to lots of multiples, much more so than some of the larger dairy breeds. Last year Lia kicked off the season with quads, so I’m very excited to see what she has this year. It certainly looked crowded in there during ultrasound!
I actually only have plans to retain 2 baby does, and possibly one buckling to our herd this season. All of the rest of the kids will be sold. In fact, I’m already sold out on doe reservations for this season. Now I just have to cross my hooves that we have lots of girls born this spring 🙂