Secret Stuff, Spring 2016

We have a little secret that we're very excited about: two of our goat girls are pregnant!  Due at the end of April we're doing our best to ensure that they are all safe and well taken care of.  Special hay and lots of extra attention has been the rule of the day.  If you thought the girls were spoiled before, you haven't seen anything yet!  Boer goats are well known for having twins, but triplets and quads are not unheard of.  We're just hoping that the girls are all able to take care of their own babies and are good mommies.
For now, all is aglow at our house as we enjoy the happy thoughts about dancing baby goat feet!

Is it Spring yet? 2016

We're all getting a little stir crazy as we wait for Spring to finally arrive.  Temperatures warm into the 40s and 50s, then plummet back into the teens and 20s.  The chickies and the goat girls stand at the doors of their respective homes and stare out at the weather.
"What?  Are you nuts?  It's cold out there! We want WARM food! Can't we get something delivered inside?"

Then it happened: a warm day.  DH opened the front of the barn and out bounced the goatie girls.  Oh, happy day!  They ran back and forth as they bounced and they played.  This continued until the skies began to turn grey again.

"Awwwww Daddy! Make it sunny again!  We want to play some more!"
After a little more bouncing, they came racing back into the barn.
"Did you see us?  We ran really fast!  Can we have some cookies?  We've been really good!"
A cookie for each with a scratch on the neck and each little girl pranced back to her house, ready for another adventure this afternoon.

How cold is it? Feb 2016

I was amazed.  By the end of 2015 we had had just a scant bit of snow, leaving Winter to look like a bust.  Since then the temps have been all over the map.  Up into the 40s and 50s, then plummeting into the teens and less.

 I counted our blessings when we only got about 18" last week, barely missing the bulk of a storm that dropped over three feet of snow just 20 minutes east of us.  Once the wind laid, DH was able to get out and clear a small area for the goat girls to play in (no fun to drag pregnant tummies in the deep snow).  I wish I had my camera as they bounced and froliced around him, so happy to see him, so happy to get outside to play!

The weather changed abruptly.  Bitter temps and high winds caused dangerous conditions for all the beings on the farm.  Extra hay was added to all the coops and stalls, providing protection and a nice warm bed to snuggle down into with friends and family.
How cold is it?  Air temps averaged 3F yesterday.  This morning, the thermometer indicated that it was -11F. So how cold is it?  It was cold enough to take a warm egg out from under a hen, and, by the time it took to walk with it back to the house, it had froze and cracked. 

Holy CATS!  That's cold.
I think it may be a good day to find warm things to do inside the house.