Penny was a great goat...

On Monday our sweet goat Penny had to be put to rest after a tragic accident. We found her outside the back field moments after she had broken her hind leg and foot in multiple places. Alas, Penny had tried escaping, gotten caught in the fence, and freed herself, and in doing so she injured herself beyond repair. We drove her to the vet and laid her to rest.

Penny and her twin brothers were the first animals born on our farm in April 2009. After an intense four-hour delivery Mamma Hops had three floppy-eared kids.  Penny was the only doeling, and she was the only kid to come out in the correct position – like Superman. We bottle-fed the triplets and spent countless hours being entertained by these acrobatic and social creatures.

I could elaborate, but I’ll let the pictures speak for Penny.

Sweet Penny

April 8, 2009 - February 14, 2011

Shearing Day Photos

 

Maggie looking fluffy and cute in her winter coat.

“Hey! Where did it go?”

Maggie squirmed her way through her first shearing.

"Hey! I don’t remember you."

The post-shearing fights begin.

Poa dreams of green pastures and sunny days while her winter coat is shed.

And just look at those bellies. Four weeks and counting.            

 

Shearing Day

Yesterday all 12 sheep were sheared. Shearing day may be my favorite day of the year because this is the day when I can begin guessing which ewes will lamb first and how far they are from lambing. All five ewes were successfully bred, and the first ones should lamb in three to four weeks. Although the first possible lambing date was March 1st, I had a feeling things would take a little while to get going, and I was right. While all ewes have some udder development, Crystal and Mocha look like theirs are the largest, which means they'll be the first to lamb. Clover still looks pretty small, but she isn't due until the 22nd of March. 

Pictures will be up soon.