Way to go, Starlight!

I waited until Starlight's triplets were 5 weeks old before beginning to separate them at night and milk her in the morning.  At 6 weeks fresh, she's SO VERY CLOSE to a quart per milking!  I am really thrilled with her production.  She's probably making more than half a gallon of milk per day at this point, considering I don't relieve her of every bit in the morning (after all, she has three hungry kids that are going to mob her when she gets off the milk stand).  Those kids are very efficient at emptying an udder, and nurse all day, so I'm sure they get more than a quart of milk from her during the day.  She is a great doe, and I'm so glad to have her!

This is really not the best udder shot, but it's the only one I have from this freshening that's on the computer for me to use.  This is Starlight's udder at 5 weeks fresh, 9 hours bagged.  Hope to add some more soon.

Pics of North Forest Farm Spice

This is Spice.  He was named by his new owners, who he gets to meet in a few weeks.  He had a bout with diarrhea, I think from getting so much of his mom's milk.  He's a little piggy!  I had him in the house so I could wash him up and get him dry again.  I was also actually hoping he'd poo on the floor so I could get a sample to do a fecal on him.  I wanted to make sure there was nothing else going on.  Of course, when you want a goat to poo on the floor, he won't! ;)  Any way, after a few days of probios he was fine.  He is such a cutie!  Very unique in his coloring too.  I'm not trying to breed for color, but I still like seeing all the colors that show up.  He's a chamoise, but it's hard to spot through all the white.  I just love his big, dark eyes!

Meet Twister and Her Twins

I'd like to introduce you to Twister (registered name, French's Dream Twisted Sister).  I decided to get a Nubian doe, and she comes with twins! :)  It's going to be fun learning about another breed of goat, and Twister seems like she's going to be a great doe to work with.  Her son will be wethered and raised for meat.  I haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep her doe kid, or if she'll be for sale in the future.  I have been long thinking of breeding my Nigerian bucks to a full size breed of doe, and then keeping the resulting mini breed as my milkers.  I was looking at Oberhasli, as I love their coloring and their body style and head/ear type.  However, I have a friend who does a great job raising Nubians.  I really trust her and think she knows her stuff!  I decided if I was going to go for a full size doe, I couldn't go wrong getting one from her.  I'm feeling very fortunate to be getting this doe.  It looks like she's going to be a great mom, and a good milker as a FF.  I'm not sure that she's a great "show doe", but she has a pretty little udder, and so far appears to be taking after her mom, Poplar Hill Magic Legs, as a true milker.  You can visit the French's Dream herd at Baa-si Farms.

Twister and twins

Sold Out

All of our 2013 kids are currently sale pending.  I expect deposits on them this week.  I'm always so happy when I feel they're all getting great homes where they'll be loved and appreciated.  I feel sure that's the case with the ladies who will soon be bringing them home. :)  I'll try to continue posting information about Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, and whats happening here at North Forest Farm.

If you're interested in future kids from our farm, keep checking back.  There's a SMALL chance I'll be breeding a couple of yearlings next month for September kids.  I'm still waiting on one of them to reach 40 lbs., which is where I personally feel comfortable breeding them.

If I don't breed them this spring, I"ll be breeding four does for spring 2014 kids.

For now, though, we're just going to sit back and enjoy playing with these kids until they're weaned in May. :)  And milking!  Of course, milking.  I can't forget that.  Of course, we had one tragedy in the loss of Cupcake, and Panzy's hard kidding has caused her to have significantly less milk than she would have.  I'm not sure that it will pick up again, but she does have a fat and happy doeling who is growing fast, so I guess she has enough milk.  Starlight, however, appears to be trying to single handedly udderly?  make up for it.  She is nursing her triplets, and yet still always appears to have a ton of milk in her udder.  Tomorrow I plan to attempt to milk her in the morning without separating her from her kids.  Not sure how much milk she'll let down for us that way, but I'm going to give it a try.  When the triplets are three weeks or a month old, I'll be separating the kids at night and milking the does in the morning.  I'll try to get some udder pics at that point, starting with only 8 hours of separation.

More Pics of New Babies

Introducing Starlight's Triplets!

Starlight kidded uneventfully (thank God!) on Sunday, March 10th.  She had triplets, a buckling and two doelings.  #1, blue eyed doeling, 2 3/4 lbs.  #2, brown eyed buckling, 3 lbs.  #3, blue eyed doeling, 3 1/2 lbs.  All are doing well, bouncy and nursing great.  Starlight has more than enough milk for all of them.  Either buckling or doeling #3 are sale pending!  I'm a very happy, tired goat mama!

Triplets are Shere Country SH Starlight X North Forest Farm Shamrock

Laboring Starlight

baby #1

Our awesome new goat go to gal, Alisa, with one of the triplets.

Baby #1 and #2

Alisa dries off baby #2

Japanzy's Blue Eyed Doeling

Japanzy kidded on Saturday, March 9th with an adorable little doeling we've nicknamed "Kimmie" in honor of the veterinarian who helped her into this world.  Kimmie is a black and white, blue eyed doeling.  She weighed 3.8 lbs. at birth.

Kimmie had a twin who died sometime before birth.  The stillborn twin was seriously holding up the birth process, and was tangled up with the live twin trying to be born.  I couldn't untangle them so we made a trip to the vet.  Little Kimmie came out breech but pretty easily.  The twin was coming out front feet first, head wrapped over her back.  We had a long struggle getting that kid out, and it wasn't pretty to say the least!  Japanzy is hopefully recovering, but she's sore and moving slow.  She's on antibiotics to prevent a uterine infection now, and I hope she makes a full recovery.  She's such a great mother, and a great milk maker too!

Here's little Kimmie (Frostbitty Japanzy X North Forest Farm TR Aspen)

Kimmie already has a sale pending!