Christmas is less than one week away, which means that we’re picking up Fran in just a few days!
The only thing better than getting a goat for Christmas is getting a PREGNANT doe. And you guys, we’re just days away from bringing Fran home. I’m cautiously so excited, but I’m also a bit nervous that something will go wrong and the deal will fall through. Send some positive vibes our way, friends! Below recaps a few of the ways that we’ve been preparing for a pregnant goat over the past few weeks.
Goat House Improvements
Ben took advantage of the warm weather last weekend and decided to make some minor improvements to the goat house. He repaired a few small leaks in the roof (and previously added insulation) to make sure that our girls (especially our pregnant doe!) stay toasty warm throughout the cold winter weather.
While Ben worked on the roof, I bundled up the kids and headed out to the farm. The weather has been so cold lately, which makes it a bit tricky to contain a sassy 2 year old while wearing a 5 month old in a sling. It was so nice spending time together outside … until she belly flopped in a muddy puddle. And let’s be honest, that muddy puddle was probably filled with chicken poop. Needless to say, our farm excursion was cut short. Farm germs are good germs though, right?!
Shed Conversion
Our chicken coop and goat house structure has three separate parts – the chicken coop/run, the goat house, and the shed. Up until recently, we’ve been using the shed to store our tractor, lawn mower, tools, and farm animal supplies. Now that we’re preparing for our pregnant doe, it’s officially time to convert the shed into a kidding stall and future milking area. (Newbie goat enthusiasts – a baby goat is called a “kid” and the “kidding stall” is used during labor and delivery.)
We (I mean Ben) has a lot of work that needs to be completed for the shed conversion. Cleanliness is super important, so he’s been taking a few extra steps to make the shed completely rodent proof. Ben is also adding insulation and heat to make sure that our goat kids are warm as well (hypothermia is a huge risk.) We’re hoping to complete the shed conversion in the next few weeks, so I’ll post all the details on the blog when it’s finished!
(the shed is directly below where Ben is standing/where the sliding barn door is located)
Online Training/Preparing for a Pregnant Goat
We’ll have a vet on call, but we’re also taking an online training course in Goat Kidding to help while preparing for a pregnant goat. We clearly have so much to learn over these next few months, but I’m so excited.
Experienced farm animal owners – I would love to hear your suggestions below!
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