Friday afternoon I got the CAE test results back from Bio Tracking and the entire herd, even Stormy-the- Wether tested negative for CAE.

Normally I don't give the does barn a good cleaning until March, but it was such a beautiful sunny day (high of 55) that I decided to go ahead and get the project done.    Bekah is nearly seven years old now and much more of a help than she was last year, still I was surprised that what used to take me two days to do, we completed in just a single day!  And since we got finished so much sooner than expected I got out my new Andis AGC2 clippers  and trimmed Mystery's and Millie's udders.  Previously I have used scissors and cheap Oster trimmer, so this was my first time using "real" trimmers.  It cuts so nicely, the girls were lucky I didn't just give them a summer haircut on the spot!   I used a #10 blade, but now that I've some experience with it, I will probably go back and use the proper #40 blade on them in a few days.  

Millie came into heat today and was bred to Mojo so that concludes the breedings for this year and I have now posted a 2011 Kidding Schedule.   There is at least one blue-eyed parent in each breeding pair this year, so we should have a lot of blue eyed kids running around here in a couple of months.

I have also decided to put Mystery up for sale.   I purchased Mystery because she is an exceptional doe with very nice confirmation and a fabulous milking pedigree.  (Her dam is a 6# a day milker.) Unfortunately after a year she just hasn't been able to adjust to my grass based dairying practices and requires grain to keep her production up.  As a first freshener she was milking 4#s a day when on grain.  As a second freshener she peaked at 3# a day on just browse and alfalfa pellets.   Three months into her lactation I gave up and started giving her a little bit of grain - and noticed an immediate improvement in her production.  But since I prefer grass based dairying I  have come to the painful decision that she needs to go to someone with a traditional set up where her full potential can be realized.     She is AGS/ADGA registered,  CAE negative and could be bred to Mojo at her next heat at no additional charge.  $350

Every year in February Oregon State University invites goat owners to bring their animals in for the free Caprine clinics so that their veterinary students can get some experience working with goats.   This year the Ultrasound & Castration clinics are going to be held on February 11th and the Dehorning clinic is going to be on February 14th.    Reservations are required, so if you are interested you need to call

This year I will be taking my three first fresheners in for ultrasounds.  Depending on how far along the doe is they can tell us how many kids she is carrying and sometimes even the gender.   Tsunami and Roni, who are due in March, will be too far along for them to tell more than if they are carrying a single or more, but they won't be able to tell how many more.   With Rita not being due until mid April they might be able to tell me how many.    Roni isn't putting on the width the other two are, so I'm guessing just a single for her.   I won't be taking Mame' (lower right) who is due March 15th as this will be her third kidding and she has given us triplets at each kidding, so I'm expecting multiples from her again.

Izzy is now 14 months old and Cleo will be 3 months old this weekend.  Despite the age and size difference they really enjoy playing with each other.   Izzy is very tolerant of her sharp puppy teeth and penchant for biting him in tender places, and usually lays down to play with her.

Once again this year Teen Challenge was kind enough to give me the unsold xmas trees from their lots.  As you can see I now have a mound of trees in my driveway.  Being browsers the goats love nibbling on the trees and especially stripping the bark off of them.  When I still had my Dexter cows they also enjoyed nibbling on the trees and Maggie liked to pick them up and toss them around with her horns too.  Since I have way more than I need, I'm  happy to share with anyone that would like to come pick some up.

We added a couple more hens to our flock last night.  The lighter colored one is a Buff Orpington and the darker one is Americana.   We now have three Americana's and are looking forward to seeing their green eggs in the spring.   This brings the total of our little flock to ten hens and one rooster.