on being a dairy goat farmer

Kidding season is in full swing here. Not something you can breeze thru easily. I kept thinking today, why? do i do this?  lol.. I love it. The passion for all this work is there. Sitting in the kid pen after they've all eaten and are getting to that stage where they are bouncing around like beach balls. That's just fun. But the hard work is never ending. And i don't think people realize how much work goes into all this. 

It seems it is a never ending cycle of washing bottles, milk bottles, milk jars, buckets and so on. Just when i think i washed them all i realize there are few more in the fridge i need to toss and wash. When you are getting a lot of milk a day waste does happen. Make cheese? of course, between when and when? :) 

The constant cleaning. The milk room, the stand, the goats, the stalls, the kids. Everything is in a cycle of disarray. Clean the stalls. Clean the hay room. Clean water buckets. and so on. that is everyday work on top of now goats giving birth. and now twice daily milkings. 

Today was a particularly hectic day when a goat kids. You really can't plan for it. While you might know that goat is going to kid today or tomorrow you just don't know exactly when. 

Serendipity kidded out right at 4 pm. This is the normal time i bring the girls in to milk. And then after bring the kids bottles. Yikes. I had to sit down and plan out my attack - it was all happening at once. Who do you take care of first? Existing goats ? newborns? momma that just kidded ? or babies that need their bottles. I literally came in the house after grabbing the two newborns (put them in the stall) and sat down. what comes first? It sort of puts you into this daze of so much to do you do nothing...

Serendipity seemed fine. but needs to pass that placenta. I don't want that on my stand or in my milk room. We let her be... The newborns they weren't standing yet. but content. No crying or adverse signs of distress. I let them be for a bit as well. I know some say you MUST feed colostrum within first hour. I say not really - you have hours before that window closes. What next ? 

Existing milkers were SCREAMING to be milked. That in itself is enough to put everything else on hold and get them settled. Luckily, they're in a good place and stand at the door to be milked. I bring Jasmine in first. She is a bit of a bully. Ok, let's face it she is an ass. .. so in she comes. Gallon easy today after i've milked her twice today. i Realized i'm out of metal containers for new milk. Crap. Now i'm moving milk to jars for customers, moving milk to plastic for me. Made room for the new milk and we continue....

Then comes psycho and abbey my two first fresheners and they're slowly getting the drill... I don't have to chase them across two paddocks to catch them. They know now yummy food awaits beyond that door. A blessing it's not a rodeo the first two weeks i was milking them. Wait? what? i check calendar. Wow. It's almost a month i've been milking those two. Where did that time go? 

They're all milked. Lets check on new mom.. she is now ready for her first milking. Because she is an old hat at this, i didn't even need to coerce in to the milk room or even on the stand. So happy for that. 

First thing is clean that udder. Its a mess. You've got all kinds of bloody mess on there and it all needs to be pristine to milk. I would say this is a 10 minute ordeal. She milks out but not good. Tastes a bit salty still -- I've been treating her for that since her last milking months ago. So glad i milked her last. This way the milk gets tossed. and bucket is ready to be cleaned. She is still eating. I treat again. and i give a bit of meds since she isn't uber bouncy. Granted she just gave birth but you just know when they are a bit off. She seemed just a tad worn out more so then normal. The younger ones heck they might drop their kids, and then run to the hay bin not ten minutes later. It's one of those things you learned to discern when its help time. Or when it leave them be. 

What did i forget? Oh the newborns. I need to make some colostrum from a bag. Meanwhile, friend shows up to help me feed the bigger kids. So happy for this help. By the time i've made the bottles for the newborns she is almost done feeding the piranhas. yes, at this point they are just that. Just point a bottle at them and they'll suck it down in nothing flat. 

I feed the newborns. But not without some trouble. Neither want to latch on. And you have to sort of trick them into this. With patience doable. Who has patience at this point. :) 

So you sit. and wait. And try again. And sit and wait and try again. Sooner or later they figure it out. They each get 8 oz and wow. we're done... 

Not so fast. The bottles need to be cleaned. I need coffee. and food. I eat a few slabs of cheese and keep going. I go into milk room and remove the feed. (must hide from chickens). Clean the stand. Hose the floor. Realize i need to make room in fridge. Again. I sit and pause. What else? Spray down the table. Come in house. Pour coffee. Sit down to write this. Till i hear babies cry. OH NO! not another one kidding ... are you kidding me? 

So from start of the moment i saw the newborns today and documenting all this, it's been about 5 hours. Granted, because i'm a bit older i don't rush thru things. I will sit and stop and take a breath. And guess what? It's time to feed the newborns again.  

Like i mentioned above ... this isn't for the faint of heart. and the passion needs to be there.  And like i told a friend of mine, what else should i be doing ? sitting on the computer and scrolling thru Facebook? 

Today was definitely a long day. So glad tomorrow is Saturday. With nothing planned. I think.