kids!

[Guest guest]

Two years ago, in my ongoing efforts to improve the health of my family,

I located a woman with two bred Nubian does. I wanted a doe kid, and

she wanted to not have to drive to the auction with just one kid, so I

told her I'd buy whatever her does kidded with, provided there was at

least one doe.

Happily, they each had a doe kid.

And a buck kid.

So I ended up with two doelings, and two wethers.

Being new to goats, I never could tell when or if they were in heat, so

they did not get bred the first winter. So I got no milk last year. I

did locate very expensive commercial raw goat's milk not too far from

home, so I had some.

Last fall I gave up on telling when they were in heat, and put my young

cashmere buck in with them. I figured he'd know. Of course he wouldn't

tell *me* (so I could take the girls to a Nubian buck), but he could at

least fix things so I'd get some milk, if not purebred kids.

Unfortunately, he was too young, and too short, though he tried.

In January we gave up on him, and put the girls in with the old cashmere

buck.

He's not as nice as the young one, but he's, as they say, *proven*. In

fact the real reason we moved the girls in with him was that the

cashmere girl kidded with his son, who unfortunately did not survive.

But the momma gave us a bountiful two cups of milk a day for an

unbelievable six whole weeks of glorious lactation. It was the best

milk I've ever had. Maybe she would have given more, or gone longer, if

we'd known what we were doing. She did seem to enjoy her brief dairy

career. Anyway, for that time they switched pens, and the Nubian girls

were in with the big bad boy. I knew that we'd get milk one way or

another.

And I still don't know which way.

This afternoon Nellie kidded with a black and white boy, and a black and

tan and white girl who looks just like her lovely self. Penelope looks

like she could pop any day now.

So either Apollo the little guy got the job done on the last day he was

with the girls, or else Beau the big boy was really quick!

But anyway, almost exactly two years from the day we located the goat

lady, our dairy dreams have come true.

Of course I couldn't give up the milking, and the milk, after that great

stuff that Beauty gave us in January and February. So I searched and we

bought some more goats, and we've been milking Alees the LaMancha, and

Holly the mini Nubian, for a couple of months now. And for future

reference, we now have Big Sam the Nubian Future Herdsire.

But Nellie is our first real home-grown first freshener. If I hadn't

found those other sources, this would be the day that I *finally* get to

have milk of my own. Well, colostrum. But still!

Just wanted to share--thanks for listening!

Blessings,