Well I posted earlier in the week that my 10 month old goat Lucy was having a bloody discharge. After taking her to the vets I was told that she must have miscarried a baby but that she was still carrying one. (Well the verdict is still out on that - we'll have to see if she has a kid within the next couple of months).

Anyway, she is feeling better. The bloody discharge has almost stopped, she did past some tissue along with the blood. She has one more shot of antibiotics tomorrow.

She is happy and eating which makes me so relieved that she is just about back to her old self. If she isn't pregnant then I will breed her next year once she has had a good amount of to really recover.

Today we bought the materials to build a goat house, a small 6 x 5 house. Just big enough for the two goats that I have. We are fencing in a small pen area (15 x 12 sheltered area) in case one has to be kept quite or is going to kid. The house will be in the pen area. Usually they just roam the 1/2 acre of fenced in yard with the dogs with a sheltered area under the deck. I was keeping Lucy on my deck to keep her quiet but pretty soon she got bored (even though my deck is 600 sq ft) and jumped the gate back into the fenced yard.

I would really like to have more goats but have come to the conclusion that 2 is all I can handle and have adequate housing for right now. I'll have to be patient, wait till next year and breed the 2 I have and see how everything goes and take it from there. It's really hard to be patient and logical when you really want something. Oh well, we have lots of other projects that need our attention. We are going to build a turkey pen with a shelter so that we can get turkeys in the Spring and I have two chicken tractors and we would still like to build a proper chicken house and run for the layers. All in good time.......

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

-- anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), November 17, 2001

Answers

Glad things are going better. Keep trucking.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), November 17, 2001.

Anita, you are just not having the best luck with your goats! I'm so glad Lucy is feeling better. I don't think they can come up with too many more "surprises" for you that predate your ownership and you sound like, despite miscarraiges and dehornings, you are still enjoying your goats. It does get better than this, REALLY! It's great that you've gotten the supplies to build them their own space. Doesn't it feel like great progress?! Good luck!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 19, 2001.