1/27/15

Mid-Winter . . . The Barnies

 It's the middle of an unusual winter at MeadowWild Farm --
 still nowhere near the snow we saw last year;
we hope the lack of insulation won't harm the hay fields.
 January started out with some seasonal temperatures:
 e.g., -18 the morning of Jan 5 (zero was the high that day), and a series of nights with windchills in the -40s.
The gentlemen's heated bucket iced over
and frost formed around the rim of the ladies' bucket.
 The goats put on their "furry" faces
 
 
 and burrowed into their cozy nests.
 Momma Kitty toughed it out in the garage (still ignoring the toasty shelter Barb built for her)
while Dustin basked in the sunlight
 and snoozed in front of a heating vent. 
 We're enjoying a warmup now at the end of the month
 with days that look more like March than January.
 Snow removal equipment languishes in a corner
 
 while the girls enjoy a constitutional on the clear driveway and lawn.
 Back in the barn they congregate around the hay feeders.
 Chandra has developed the bad habit of hopping up into one -- which allows her to nosh at peace, but is not very sanitary.  No matter how many times she's chased out, she keeps hopping back in.
 The goats enjoyed a visit from farmer Rick (Northern Harvest Farm), Henry and Lila
 
 
 who treated them to peanuts.
 Mojo waits more or less patiently for his share.
 Then neighbor Tom brought over lots of evergreens
 
 
 
 another taste treat.
 The ladies share notes about morning sickness and unusual cravings
while Barb bones up on goat anatomy in preparation for the March deliveries.
(Chart by Sophie Corrigan.)
 (This one has been bouncing around the internet for some time; we don't know who the clever artist is.) 
 After some harrowing deliveries the past few years, Barb is stocking her medical cabinet with aids such as the "kid puller."  According to Estep Livestock Supply, "The kid puller is an instrument used during birth to correct neck and head deviation, allowing repositioning of the fetus for delivery. The device is also used to assist delivery of a fetus having a LARGE head. Can be used around lower legs to give a firm grip when assisting at the birth of a kid."
 The Gryphon Tor Farm site shows how it should be used to keep the head in the right position for delivery.
Meanwhile it's award show time -- and the season would not be complete without . . .
The Barnies!