After owning wagsranch.com for almost a year, I finally took the plunge and set up a website at that url today.  And since it has a blog feature I will be doing my blogging at that site.  Hope to see you there!

Castilleja Jasmin

Today we purchased Castilleja Jasmin who was born 5/07/2006, from North Fork Nigerians.   She was one of a set of quads, and she has has kidded once previously with a single doe.  Jasmine inherited her father’s length of body and has a beautiful udder that I am looking forward to milking.

Sire: AGS Sandy Hollow UK Balboa
(AGS Rosasharn’s TL Ukelele Ke’a +*B x AGS Goodwood KD Chiapas)

Dam: Blue Mountain Princess
(AGS Tupence Moonshadow x AGS Valley View Redstart’s Roselin)

"Mani" was enjoying his breakfast when we arrived

She is currently bred to Diji WP Blu Dyumani (“Mani”) who is a very handsome blue eyed buck.   In addition to his blue eyes, he also has some unusual patterns on his ears that I am hoping will show up on his kids.

Jasmin’s estimated kidding date is July 30th,  but she isn’t showing very much for only being 4 weeks out, so I am suspecting that she will only produce a single kid.    This is one of those rare occasions when I’m actually hoping for a buck or to be more exact a herd sire quality buck kid.    If I get my wish, we will retain that kid as our second herd sire, since the pedigrees on both dam and sire are outstanding, and he would be completely unrelated to the rest of my herd.

Needless to say Ari and Bekah are thrilled about the new addition to the herd and that there will be more goat kids in the near future.   She is a very sweet lady and I am hoping she will also pass along her very gentle and calm demeanor to her kids.

Bekah and Jasmin getting aquainted

"Hey Mom! Can we get a ride?"

Today was moving day!  Not for the whole ranch, just for the “big boys”.     We wanted to put them to work clearing brush, so I picked up some cattle panels and t-posts this morning and got most of them pounded in before I ran out of steam.    Took a break and then got their current shelter moved up the hill on the little garden cart as far as the gate.   When hubby got home he helped me finish up the fence and move the shelter the rest of the way.   In the mean time the boys had fun hangout in their new “trailer house”.

A feast for even the pickest goat!

Once we got them moved to the new temporary pen, they did some nibbling on the abundance of forage and then promptly stuck their heads through the fence and started eating on the other side.   Guess the grass IS always greener on the other side. 

The grass is always greener on the other side.

In other news, a fellow Nigerian Dwarf Goat breeder stopped by to check out my herd yesterday.  She was very impressed with Sunshine and thought he would bring top dollar if only I was willing to part with him.    I was quite pleased with that – even though we have at least 1 1/2 – 2 years to wait to see what sort of udders his daughters will have.    I plan to keep him around for awhile.

Rita and her brother Rocky

All of the babies continue to do well and Rosanna and Roni and diving right into playing with Rita and Rocky.   Ricochet, Reggie and Rudy are slated to go to their new home on the 28th of this month.  Sure is going to seem empty without them here.

After much discussion last night, we finally decided on “Roni” for the first born doe, and “Rosanna” for the second born.   Roni means “joy” or “happiness” and that pretty much describes what we felt at getting a very colorful doeling.

Momma and babies are doing very well.  Roni and Rosanna have been busily exploring their new world this morning.   Roni was even having a go at climbing the slide like her older half siblings have been doing.

Rita introducing herslef to her new half-sister Roni.

Rosanna this morning

Roni this morning

Roni & Rosanna playing on the slide

When we went out to give the bottle babies their mid-day feeding I noticed Allie was laying on her side in the kidding shed.   Told Bekah we better hurry and get the bottles given cause I thought Allie was going to be having babies soon.

Sure enough an hour later we had babies and Bekah and I got to watch the whole thing from start to finish.  And it was a good thing we were there.  The first sack didn’t break, and I could see the babies mouth moving so I broke the sack.   Beautiful color on baby #1 – lots of flash.

Just seconds old

The sack broke on baby #2 but it got stuck with just its head out.   I snapped a couple of pictures and than realized that things were not progressing as they should.  Felt around and discovered that both front feet were back.   I carefully fished them around and out and then the rest of the delivery went smoothly.

"Hey - get me out of here!"

I was so excited when I realized that baby #1 was a doe, and when I checked baby #2 I just couldn’t believe that we had another doe.   I checked both of them a second time just to be sure.  Momma and babies are all doing well and now we are left with the “chore” of picking out two more names that start with “R” for these lovely little ladies.

Allie cleaning up baby #2

Ari checking out baby #1. He wasn't interested in seeing the birth.

Baby #1 - look at all that flash!

I moved Allie over into the maternity paddock on Friday evening.    June 13th will be day 150 for her and is her “offical” due date.   But Nigerian Dwarfs actually have a “normal kidding range” of 145-150 days.   No sign of impending labor today, but she is craving even more attention than usual so I know we are getting close.

Allie on day 144 of her 4th pregnancy.

The other goat kids are all doing well.  Millie is sometimes letting Rocky and Rita play a little bit with Ramie and Rudy.   As soon as Allie kids I will probably move everyone but Allie and her kid(s) over to the larger pasture.   Richocet, Reggie and Rudy are all scheduled to go to their new home on the 1st of July.  My days of bottle feeding are, God willing, almost over!

Rocky trying to entice his older half sister Ramie into playing with him.

Ramie at 2 1/2 months. She will be staying here on the "ranch".

Bekah getting some love from Rocky

Rita & Rocky being silly kids!

Rita giving me a little sugar. She is such a sweetie!

In other news I sold our tractor on Thursday.  Going to miss it, but with the new focus being on the goats it isn’t quite as necessary.  And I can hire out for tractor jobs for cheaper than I can own it right now.

Now I just need to find a buyer for my heifers.  I am going to be sad to see them go, but I just have wrap my head around the new direction we are going (concentrating on Nigerian Dwarf goats) and put my energies into that.

There is nothing like newborn kids to show you how much the older kids have grown in two months time.  All four of the babies born in March are now in the big goat pasture and Millie and her twins have the maternity paddock to themselves.   So far the older kids have shown only a mild interest in their new half siblings.

Millie continues to be a great momma, and is very attentive.   At least for now it appears she will be an easy milker, but the proof will be in what happens once she is actually up on the milk stand in a couple of weeks.    While she is definitely a one finger milker (which I’m used to) the flow has been very fast,  and she has stood still while in the pasture.   In fact Bekah even snuck over and tried milking her and Millie mostly tolerated it.

We also settled on names for these twins.  The doe is going to be called “Rita” which means pearl in Spanish.   And the buck will be called Rochester – Rocky for short.

Ari & Bekah feeding Molly's babies - Rudy & Ramie

"Rocky" and "Rudy" getting aquainted through the fence

Rita with her momma Millie looking on

Millie wasn’t due until the 6th of June, but she surprised us with an adorable set of twins this afternoon.

The doeling is mostly white with gold spots and it appears blue eyes. The buckling is very flashy and could very well end up as a herd sire like his half brother Ricochet! So far we haven’t come up with names for them yet.

Bekah and Ari went out to play around 5pm and came running back into the house yelling “Millie has babies!!!!” I didn’t believe them at first, but sure enough, two brand new little ones.

It was a great day to have them, sunny and 74 with only a slight breeze. And I am happy that I won’t have to be sleeping out in the kidding shed waiting for their arrival!

Buck kid born to Millie and Sunshine

Doe kid born to Millie and Sunshine

Bekah holding the buckling while a worried Millie looks on.

I love cows, and have always wanted a few of my own. But after almost a year it is plain that I am the only one in my family that loves them, and since everyone else is happy drinking goats milk and I’m the only one that wants cows milk, I think it is time, for the sake of family harmony, to put “my beautiful ladies” up for sale.

You can see my Cragislist ad for them here.

It was a beautiful morning for doing chores today.   Not quite warm enough for a t-shirt, but I didn’t need a coat either.   The cows were in a mellow mood and I was able to give Matilda a good brushing and even Maggie stood still for a few strokes.  It seems the more pregnant Matilda (blue halter) becomes the mellower she gets, although she still won’t allow me touch her unless there is food involved.  At least I can now pet her before I actually give her food.   (Her EDD is July 11th.)

The girls enjoying a sun break

Now on to the goats.  The bottle babies are doing well and Bekah is a big help with feeding them.  Last night she went out and fed both of them on her own.    All three boys have been sold to the same family and will go just as soon as they are weaned.

If there was a “wide load” contest I think Millie could easily win it!  With three weeks to go until her due date she is looking very large and uncomfortable.    Needless to say, since she is a first timer I will be camping out with her until those babies arrive.   Allie is due one week later and is also looking large, but last year she looked huge too and then only had a single large kid.  This will be her 4th kidding, so I’m not as anxious about her.  She is a good mother and knows what to do.

Allie (left) and Millie enjoying some clover