Well hello there! Thankfully this week on the farm has been significantly more successful than the last. There have been no escapees and all the animals are happy and content.
I'm pleased to report that Walrus the goat (nicknamed Walraus because she was as wide as she was tall) gave birth to a healthy set of twins. It was a long and difficult delivery, and Grant had to pull the first twin out by the jaw, which is not an ideal way to deliver an animal. But he was well and truly stuck with his legs tucked behind him and it was the only thing Grant could get a grip on. After labouring hard all night, and a failed attempt at re-positioning the baby, it was clear she wasn't going to manage on her own. Thankfully he was born alive, though understandably stressed. His sister slid out with ease a few minutes later. Walrus has shrunk back down to a more normal size now so I'm not sure if her nickname will stick now she no longer resembles...well a walrus.
After watching the trio for their first hour, we found the boy laying flat on his side and not making any effort to stand. The poor fellow was exhausted and shocked after a rough entry into the world. If a baby goat can't show some fight and get up, there is little a mother can do for it. She doesn't have arms to help prop him up. Thankfully the baby girl was up and trying to feed and Walrus was being a wonderfully attentive mother to her. With little choice, I wrapped him in some old towels to warm him up, expressed off some colostrum from Walrus and brought him inside to let him rest and have his first vital feed. Colostrum is incredibly nutrient and energy-dense, and an hour or so later he had picked up considerably and I was able to return him to his mother. He immediately tried to stand and Walrus accepted him back without hesitation. The trio have continued to go onwards and upwards and is doing brilliantly, the twins are robust and gaining weight fast.
Look at the size of that bulging udder! It's settled down now and she's producing ample milk.
It's never an easy decision to step in and help an animal birthing. As a general rule, mother nature knows what she is doing and it is best for all involved to let nature take its course. By taking a kid away soon after birth you risk the mother rejecting it and though you can bottle feed the babies, it is labour-intensive. You also risk scouring (a form of diarrhoea that can kill them) as formula doesn't have all the vital good bacteria and antibodies in it. Due to being a small farm, we handle our goats a lot and they are used to our presence and our scent, which I'm sure helps when we have to step in. They associate us with kindness and occasionally a mother goat will seek us out if one of her babies is in trouble, bleating at the fence until we find what is wrong and help her. Once they have been reunited, they will wander off happily. The first time I saw a doe seek us out for help I wasn't sure if I was viewing the situation through a human lens, but no. They are clever animals and they are quite amazing to watch.
In other news, Elsie and I went to playgroup on Thursday and brought along two of the boys' alpaca guinea pigs for the children to pat. In a world where so many families are stuck renting, it is easy to forget children often don't have the same level of exposure to animals children of my generation had. When I was growing up everyone I knew had a cat, dog, bird, rabbit, chicken or guinea pig. At the very least they had fish or hermit crabs, and it was quite common for families to have numerous pets. They seemed to be a right of passage in childhood. These days I meet many people who have no pets due to not being able to buy their own home and fearing not being able to find a pet-friendly rental. Though there are laws to protect renters and their pets in Australia, landlords still essentially hold the upper hand. This makes me sad as I think the right pet can be a wonderful companion and experience for people of all ages. They are good company, are often very funny, can give us a reason to get out and about and can be wonderful at helping people feel less anxious and stressed.
By the end of the week, the boys had either come down with gastro or had a cold so on Friday they all stayed home and rested. Thankfully they seem to be on the mend today, though poor Gussy is still flat. We are supposed to be having hot chips on the beach tomorrow with some of his friends, so he will be sad if we have to postpone.
Now Elsie is older and becoming a little more independent, I am finding I am settling into a good rhythm with blogging again. During the week I've been putting out a more article-style blog and then on the weekend putting out a more personal weekly catch-up post along with various links I have enjoyed. This routine is working well for me and I'm enjoying the different styles of writing. I hope you are enjoying it too.
ANZAC biscuits, stewed apples and banana cakes were on the menu this week.
I like being able to promote other blogs and I am still trying to get the long list of blogs I follow up in my sidebar. I used to have an extensive blog list that automatically rotated those who had recently posted to the top, so they were easy to find for those that were looking. If someone wasn't writing their blog would drop off giving others space until they posted again. I really liked the system and though I have moved my reading list over, they are not rotating as they should. It is very frustrating and I shall continue to ponder and meddle about until I can get it working again.
This weekend I have put together a mixed bag of links for you to explore. I hope you find something that takes your fancy.
Much love,
Emma
xx
Some great tips here if you're interested in homesteading/small farming.
This is a lovely little YouTube channel. Elsie and I really like listening and watching the little house on the Prarie excerpts. It's gentle and slow, with simple animated illustrations which she finds really soothing. I will often pop one on after lunch for her and she will drift off to sleep.
I'm fascinated by the Amish, the way they live out their strong Christian faith and how their communities function. Here is a lovely online store that sells a lot of Amish goods which is based in Mount Morris, New York. I really enjoyed browsing their stock.
A great little film on utilizing stinging nettle for health benefits.
These two have been living off-grid for many years, in this video, they show how they do their washing with a nifty human-powered washing machine and wringer. I would have liked one of these when we first started out and I was doing our family washing by hand.
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Hope the boys are all mended soon. Your youngest is so cute...so nice to see the toys in the background...fun times! Very interesting about the birth of the twins! You husband did a great job! That must've been a bit tense. Glad all ended well. Andrea
ReplyDeleteElsie is currently obsessed with Williams old train set, which is very cute. xx
DeleteGlad the little goat came through ok, and fun to hear the mummas call you for help.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that gorgeous little girl is becoming more independent, giving you a chance to manage your days a little bit differently.
Thanks for the weekend reading, always interesting to see how others are living.
They are lovely animals. Elsie is getting so big so fast, it seems to be happening all of a sudden. xx
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