As the days grow cooler, and daylight becomes shorter, we’re beginning to prepare for the even colder and harsher weather we can expect in winter.   Now that we’ve had our goats for about six months, we have a better idea of what we want and need from our barns and barnyard. 

We originally built our barnyard on a pretty steep slope.  The goats and chickens both enjoy the rugged terrain, but unfortunately they have seriously undermined the retaining wall along the higher side of the yard.  One good rain or snow storm and the whole thing could come crashing down!  Now we’re adding another retaining wall below the first one to shore it back up and support it.

The old, undermined retaining wall, and the new one we’re building, to fix it!

We also built the goat barn on a slope, which again, they seem to enjoy, but when we have to get in there and work, or just hang out to help deliver babies, etc, it’s not very comfortable for us!  So we’re digging that down so it’ll be  a flat, level floor, and then we’ll reinforce the walls with concrete. 

 Finally, we’re going to build a milking shed, so I don’t have to stand out in the snow and milk.  I’m really pretty happy about that!  

We’re also gearing up for baby time around here.  : D  Jessie, our pregnant Nubian has about 2  weeks until her due date. We’re getting so excited!  We bought her already bred, so we’re not really sure how accurate her due date is, so we’ll just keep an eye on her, watching for the signs, and be ready ahead of time.  This last week I dug my “kidding kit” box out of the closet & checked to make sure that I had all the necessary supplies.  It’s now sitting in a handy place in the living room, ready to grab as we head out the door to assist with delivery.

Jessie seems to have recovered fully from her encounter with the bear, and we’re praying that the babies are all okay in there and the birthing process goes smoothly.  As you can see from the pictures, the seroma is almost gone, but she still looks awfully skinny to be 2 weeks away from her due-date!  Just in the last few days I think I’ve felt some baby movement in there, but there’s so much going on in there, it’s hard to tell if it’s babies, or just digestion going on.  ;)

I have been giving both of our pregnant does my  “Mama Goat Herbal Tonic”, a special mix of herbs designed to help with pregnancy & delivery.  After they deliver, I will switch them to my “Got Milk? Herbal Tonic”, which helps to increase both the amount of milk as well as the nutritional value of it.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll be able to post pictures of the delivery and sweet babies!  

Happy days!!