Detour Ranch

Doe 12, Finally!

Wendy — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:54:43 +0000

Finally Trudy decide to bless us with the presence of her children! She kidded out triplets today 2 girls and a boy. They weighed in at 8lbs. 10oz., 9lbs. 13oz., and 7lbs. 9oz., respectively. That’s almost 30 lbs of kids! No wonder she was so huge! She did really great, no problems at all with her kidding. Now we are just waiting on Lexi and Ruthie to kid out and then we will be done for the season, with more to come in the fall. We will probably start kidding again at about the end of September.

Dr.’s

Wendy — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:33:31 +0000

Ugh! Well, Jerry had another doctor appointment, but all the way in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What a pain, as I have 3 does waiting to kid, chicks waiting to hatch, and all around stuff to do. So we got i the car on Thursday, and drove 500 miles to go to the doctor on Friday. Just for the doctor to tell Jerry to squirt salt water up his nose three times a day. Well not really, but that is what it seems like. I just know that my girls are going to have their babies while I’m gone, but, oh well. I know that nothing is going to happen on our property that God can’t handle all by Himself. We’ll be home tomorrow and we’ll see what new additions we have.

Baby Chicks!

Wendy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:48:46 +0000

We have started hatching! We have 8 baby chicks, and more on the way! We decided that with the CSA program, if we are going to offer chicken, we need to start raising them, so Jerry built an incubator. We put the first batch in a few weeks ago, and now they are coming to life! So the good news is, IT WORKS! I’m excited! Everything is taking off with the CSA program pretty quickly.

OK, Countdown Does 12,13 &14…..

Wendy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:13:01 +0000

We only have 3 does left to go for this kidding season. Trudy, Ruthie, and Lexi. We have no idea when they are due, it is just a guessing game. Trudy is huge, I would imagine she is probably gonna have quads. Ruthie looks like a normal twin and I think Lexi is just gonna have one, but we will see. The race is on I guess.

Countdown Doe 11 ??

Wendy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:08:42 +0000

Well doe number 11 is not Trudy. She still has not kidded, big as a house, and looking miserable. Doe number 11 is Esther. She had a big, gorgeous baby girl a couple days ago. Eve weighed in at 9 lbs. 13 oz. Esther had no problem with the delivery. It went very easy. We were watching her, and hoping she would have more than just one, but no such luck. Oh well, she did good with just one.

A Little About Bill

Wendy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:00:46 +0000

Now you have to understand, here is this pig that weighs probably somewhere around 1200 lbs. not a small fella. I have never seen a pig, or an animal so lazy in all my life. But that is ok, that is Bill’s problem. Watching Cathy and Bill and how they got along was an experience. It was funny how so many things reminded me of our own human characteristics.

There was a day where Bill was laying in a mud puddle, and Cathy walked up to him and laid down next to him and he just kinda pushed on her. She promptly got up looked at him like he was stupid and wandered off, kinda like she was saying, “well you just screwed up, see if I talk to you for the rest of the day”.

Finding Cathy a Boyfriend

Wendy — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:16:01 +0000

About a week ago we decided to wean the piglets off of Cathy, and find her a boyfriend. Apparently if you wean piglets, the sow will come back into heat with 2 to 4 days afterward. I would not suggest breeding a sow back that soon if she has not held up her weight very good, but Cathy has, she still looks really good, and the weight that she lost when she had the piglets, she is already gaining back.

We have a friend that has a Durock Boar that he said we can borrow. Now ‘Bill’ is huge. I don’t mean he is a little bigger than Cathy, I mean Holy Cow, are you sure that’s a pig! We went over to the house to pick Bill up, and he wasn’t so bad to get into the trailer, but it took some maneuvering. We took him home, and he settled right in, and within just a day or two he decided he really liked Cathy. And the really good news is that Cathy really liked Bill, so we should have piglets again in 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

When Will I Ever Learn??

Wendy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:23:00 +0000

So, I have had the privilege of caring for goats for about 3 1/2 years now, and you would think that would be long enough to learn something. This year has been a year of firsts for us all the way around. I have had girls swell up a month before they give birth (they are supposed to swell up within 1 to 2 days, not 30). I’ve had girls not get a tight bag, It’s just been crazy.

So Doe 11 was Trudy, well she is still as big as a house and has not dropped her babies yet. But we got home from church yesterday and Cheyenne had a baby girl! We put her and mama in the OB ward, and a couple hours later, here’s another girl! Good deal, twin girls. One was 6 lbs. 13 oz. and the other was 8 lbs.

So now we are just waiting on Trudy, she might give birth sometime this year. Then we have 3 left after that. I’ll be so glad when kidding season is all over.

Finally 9 & 10!

Wendy — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:16:55 +0000

Well Reba and Suzie finally decided to pop! On Friday, April the 9th. That morning I was sittin at my computer, had just turned it on, I barely had time to take my first sip of coffee, when Jerry comes in the house. “Hey, Reba has afterbirth hangin, and I can’t find any babies!” So I run go put some clothes on (I was still in my pajamas) and go outside. Reba didn’t have afterbirth, her water broke, and she was starting to deliver. So we got her moved to the OB ward, and a couple hours later she was the proud mama of a girl and a boy!The girl is the traditional (white body, red head) and the boy is the paint. She did a real good job.

Shortly after all the excitement with Reba was done with, Suzie got to lookin kinda funny. She was just starting to go into labor. Whew, ok, no big deal. Put her in the OB ward with Reba. Jerry and I had to go to town that day, and when we got back, Suzie had a little girl on the ground! Well, Reba was confusing Suzie’s for hers, so I moved Reba and the twins next door, and left Suzie with her little girl. Ok, now are we done for a bit, I hope so, cuz delivering two does on the same day is exhausting!

Countdown Doe 11

Wendy — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:47:23 +0000

Poor Trudy. She looks like she was bred to a mack truck. She is so HUGE! She looks like she is about to explode! I’m not sure when her due date is, but I would bet that she is gonna have either trips or quads!

The really funny part is to watch her try to run, or even to walk. She doesn’t even waddle, her whole body just sways as if being pushed side to side.
And through all this she does not even slow down on her eating not one bit!