The Weaning Days of Winter

The sad news to report is that Dolly's remaining two kids died not long after my last post. My husband went to check on them the next morning and found them in the shed, huddled together near the wall. He said there were no marks of abuse; we were wary about Elvis and Jerry Lee being so playful, but that didn't seem to be a reason for what happened. Now, we can only attribute the turn of events to the fact that Dolly had a serious infection and perhaps passed something along to the babies.

We had the large animal vet out to look at Dolly a few weeks ago. I can now tell you from experience, that it isn't cheap to have a vet come to your house. Fortunately, the blood test came back negative for mastitis or any other illness. The vet figured that the swollen and non-functioning udder was due to a prolonged infection. She gave Dolly a shot and some antibiotics for us to administer mashed into a piece of bread.

That was some good medicine. Dolly's hardened and enlarged bag began to shrink, and she is doing well. She has become more cantankerous, but the vet says that's normal. One goat will be dominant, and it looks like Dolly's taken the lead. She head butts Cora while they're eating at the trough and generally lets her know who's the boss. Maybe that's just her natural personality coming through now that she's feeling better.

The boys are doing swell. They are still devouring their two bottles a day, but they are in the process of weaning themselves and moving on to solid food. Jerry Lee has been standing in the trough during feeding time for a while now, but lately he's actually eating the sweet feed. Elvis, the more robust of the brothers, has been slower to take to solid food, but he seems to be getting the hang of it. Today, I went out and fed them some bread. Jerry Lee eagerly took the bread and my fingers. I had to persuade Elvis until he finally realized it was good stuff. Cora hovered the entire time, waiting for her share, never mind that I had fed her and Dolly before I started with the kids.

My husband took the boys to the vet this week to be banded. Since we decided to keep them, he thought they would be less aggressive if they were, in effect, neutered. The horns will stay, their only natural defense against any critters here. The boys weren't so excited about the vet visit or the particulars, but they seem to be doing well.

Their horns are more than buds now, about half an inch long. Elvis is the sturdy, fat-bellied one, and Jerry Lee is the more precocious when it comes to culinary exploration. Elvis seems to enjoy being petted. He'll stand at attention while my husband runs his hands down his sides, like one of those whirling brush things at the carwash. Jerry Lee is a bit more reticent. Still, he allows us to pet him, something the older females have not warmed to yet.

We should have some sunny, warmer weather this week. Soon, we'll collar the boys and take them from the pen on a leash for a walk around. I'm anxious to see how they do, and how the dogs react. So far, the dogs have been curious and friendly towards the goats. Goats and dogs have come nose to nose through the fence with no problems.

I've been thinking lately about how important it is to have things outside yourself to focus on. Raising and caring for animals is a good thing for moving you outward. My husband grew up on a ranch, and he will still make sure the animals are cared for before he has his own dinner or a second cup of coffee.

Such actions curb entropy has we age. I can't help but think that caring for something other than yourself is a way to keep one necessary and needed, and who doesn't need that?