R.I.P.

Sometimes.... No matter how hard we try, or how much we love a living creature.... They still slip through our fingers like grains of sand, and that fragile thing called 'life' fades from our grasp....

 Yesterday evening, we lost dear, sweet Penny.... 

Since early July, I have been in hand to hand combat with a "mystery illness" that plagued my goats. A few other goat raisers in the area were complaining of the same thing, but no one, not even the vets, could figure out what this was. All of my adult goats got it, but the majority sprung back to their normal selves within 3-5 days. Except Capri and Penny...

 For some reason, they couldn't handle the stress of being sick, and spiraled down in to coccidiosis... Capri seems to be slowly making a recovery, but is still in a very precarious position. I thought Penny was doing better... Until I saw her yesterday afternoon.

 She was away from the herd, and curled up like a cat. She had lost all motor skills and could no longer swallow anything. The spark of life had gone from her eyes.... And she wanted to die. I pleaded with her to get up; to try and live... Her three week old babies cried softly, wanting to nurse. Penny just looked at us.

I decided that whether she was going to live or not, she couldn't do it where she was, in the far corner of the pasture; so I gently picked up her scant 100 lb. form and carried her towards the barn...

With tears, I cried out to God and asked for a sign of some sort. Should I keep on trying to save her, or was it her time? I rubbed Penny's back, and kept her company... Then an interesting thing happened. Every single animal on this small farm, came over and they all gathered around Penny. Right down to the 13 laying hens. Heidi, who has always hated Penny, lay right next to her. This probably lasted 15 minutes, and then in one accord every single animal left. Just like that. And I knew then, that Penny would not live to see the next day.....

 If I couldn't save her, I at least wanted to make her last moments as comfortable as possible. I cradled her head, massaged her with lavender oil, and sang 'Into The West'.

 And then, at the last... She just laid down.... And her heart stopped....

 Some dear friends of ours came over and helped us bury her....

And she is now in peace...

'Into The West'

Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You’ve come to journey's end
Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across the distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

[Chorus]
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say: «We have come now to the end»
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

[Chorus]

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West 

Introducing: Caprine Academy

Caprine Academy
Caprine: Latin genus name for 'Goat'. 
Academy: A school giving instruction in some science or art

Caprine Academy invites you to an all day workshop to increase your knowledge about goats!

Starting out with goats can be a huge challenge when the majority of today's goat knowledge comes from books. It can be hard to find the hands on experience that is usually needed when first beginning. Caprine Academy is a very humble place; just a barn filled with goats on 'Goat Song Farm', but here, you will get that hands-on experience that you need, and you will learn firsthand knowledge that will make life all the easier as you start out with goats. This is an all day workshop that covers a broad range of topics; you will have the chance to learn various skills, and ask any questions you may have.

Where:
Goat Song Farm. Sheridan, Oregon [address and directions sent when you sign up]

When: 
August 27th, 2011
9 am - 4 pm

Price:
$100 per person. OR $175 for two.
[materials and lunch included in cost]
If you would like to pay in advance to ensure a spot in the class, please e-mail me.

Materials needed:
Included in cost.

Lunch:
Included in cost, but you are always welcome to bring your own if you wish.

Topics covered in this workshop:
CHOOSING A GOAT: What to look for in a goat, conformation, health, ages, milking ability, and CAE/CL testing.

FEEDING: Different rations for each stage in life, amounts to feed, and mixing your own rations.

HAY: What kinds are best to use, what to look for, and how to judge good hay.

BREEDING: Age/weight to breed, heat cycles/symptoms, flushing, what to look for in a buck, buck care, hand breeding vs. field breeding, and care of doe during pregnancy.

HOOF CARE: parts of the hoof, how to trim hooves properly, hoof health, and tools recommended.


DEWORMING: What to use, when to do it, chemical drugs vs. herbal, fecal testing, symptoms of worms, and methods of deworming.

BASIC HERBAL REMEDIES: Herbs to have on hand, how to use herbs, dosages for goats, making your own blends, salves, and tinctures, and herbal remedies for basic illnesses such as worms, scours, mastitis, hoof rot, bloat and many more.

Please note that while the above listed classes are what we will plan for, time may limit what all can be covered. If you have any questions, or if you would like to sign up, please feel free to e-mail me HERE

Just A Bunch of Crazy Goats

And that includes me!

Small Shadows

One evening, the human shadow stopped and looked at itself...

"I'm so small... How could anything as small and insignificant as me, do something in life that is worthwhile? Is it even worth trying to do something great in life, when there are so many that say you will fail?"

And the shadow watched its shoulders droop in despair.

Then a second shadow appeared from the left...

A very small chicken shadow...

And the chicken shadow looked up and said, "You are not small in my eyes; you are a towering giant! One who is capable of many things when you put your heart, mind and soul to it. So do not despair, you still have many things in life that can be done... If you try.

And with that, both shadows parted. Each one feeling a little happier than before.

Home At Last

See? I promised I would let y'all in on my secret on July 16th, and here I am!

 But before revealing my secret, a story must be told, and we have to go back 13 months ago....

 A friend of mine raises Nubian goats as well, and last year in June, we went to go buy  a 2 year old milker named Ivy. While there, I spotted the most beautiful little, eight week old, salt-and-pepper colored doeling. Her name was Pepper (you'll never guess how she got her name!), and she was for sale. Alas, I didn't have the money for her, so I reluctantly had to pass her up. But I wanted her so bad... There was a definite "click", between us, if you will. Or you could call it a bond, connection, or whatever; but it was there.

Time passed... 13 months to be exact... I had to take some kids over to my friend's house to have them dehorned last week, and after the deed was done, we went to visit her goats. I have to say, I really admire my friend's herd. She has somewhere around 20 Purebred Nubians, and they show the results of 12 years of patient work and breeding. We walked over to the pen that the yearlings were in. They were all munching on their hay, but upon seeing us, one yearling disentangled herself from the gangly mass of doelings and came running over to see us. She was a lovely girl, and looked strikingly similar to the doeling I had liked so much a year before.

 Then the pieces fell in place... She had all the same markings, she was a yearling, she had the same parents, she recognized me and came over, even when none of the other goats did...

It was Pepper.

It was that feeling you get when your pet has been missing, and you never thought you would see it again; and then BOOM! By a strange twist of fate, you find yourselves back together again.

 I didn't even entertain a second thought about it. I bought Pepper, and my friend brought her over today.

 This, is Pepper...

And she is home at last...

American Meat

Saw this Youtube, and just had to post it on here.

Go Joel Salatin!

It's Official: I'm Hopeless

Every year, for my birthday, we have a girl's day out and go visit some local antique stores, and this year was no different. We went to just one antique place this time, and I found lots of lovely vintage fabrics, buttons, kitchen ware, etc... But what did I end up bringing home with me?

This.

This is an old singletree; used with draft animals to balance the weight of their load.

I could have gotten those pretty fabrics. I could have come home with some new teacups. I could have come home with all sorts of things! But being typical me, I brought home an old piece of farming equipment. Figures. ;)

The wood on the singletree is still in great condition, and it looks like it still has some years of use in store. Once Frodo is big enough to pull a load, then we'll really get to test this treasure out. :)

Best of all, I got it for the whopping price of $12. Not bad, if I do say so myself....

And my family is convinced now: I'm a hopeless case. I go to an antique store for my birthday, and buy an old piece of wood. Farm girl, am I.