Kidding 2021
Well this past year has been interesting. We had retired Chikelu the previous year due to the fact that she had an affinity for kidding quads. She also had a lapsed utter ligament. According to my vet this is not unusual for heavy milkers. She was my favorite milker producing 12 lbs a day, milking once a day .
I kept Chikelu's chocolate with white spots buckling because, darn, he was just too pretty. We had him withered and now, each doe has one kid with them. About a week after delivery, Anaya suffered a facial nerve injury where one side of her cheek was temporarily affected and she would loose some cud resulting in her jaw looking green. My daughter, Cathy, treated her with some some Chinese herbs and accupuncture. She is now absolutely fine and we decided to breed her once more. I wanted to get a polled buckling to replace my polled breeding buck (Jashu) who I wished to retire. His son would be used to breed the new does I planned on getting.
“Best laid plans...” Chikelu and Jashu had different plans and she did indeed kid quads. After weaning, she would not stop making milk and we almost lost her. She was skin and bones. The vet said it was essential to feed her only enough to keep her from starving but not enough to encourage milk production. She could have no grain and only the worst hay we could find but she could have all the browse she could eat. Thus, 2 hours every morning and 1 ½ hours each evening we would walk her letting her eat all the leaves, weeds she could eat. We even would pull down tree branches she could not reach. Eventually she started to fill out, her hair became less wiry and she replaced the hair along her backbone that had stuck up like a stegosaurus.
John built a pen and house for Baily our new little black and white polled buckling and enlarged Jashu's enclosure. Unfortunately Jashu managed to find a way out at least three times and Chikelu may be pregnant again. After a short period, we may take away the kids and bottle feed them. We welcome any suggestions!
The new does, Jole and Jig are expecting. Jole is bred to Bailey. Lady's choice. We found her outside his pen looking very interested, so we put them together.
I can't wait to see what this Spring brings.
