Happy Chickens and Roosters at Gullringstorp
Oh how our chickens and roosters are so happy that winter is over. They are enjoying being out of the hen house . Not only do they have their own yard to enjoy, but they also have recently been enjoying the back play yard with Pumpkin and her daughters. They are eating their grain, and whatever goodies I place on the “table”. Eugene is our beautiful Brahma rooster, Bojangles is our Black Netherlands Whitehead rooster. Then there is our fluffy buff Orpington rooster with no name because we thought he was a hen for so long.They are so much fun to watch.
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Bojangels and his ladies
A curious Brahma hen peaks in the stable
Wonder what she’s up to?
She found a comfy private place in the box to lay her egg.
As you can see, Gullringstorp chickens and roosters enjoy the Spring/Summer and I enjoy watching them.
Spring Weekend at Gullringstorp May 4 & 5
This is a typical Spring weekend here at Gullringstorp. We have the goats and chickens to care for and the property. There are the usual chores on a farm property. Things need mending, fixing and just plain tending to.
The cats and fish that are in the house get fed first thing. Then off to the stable with my bucket of chopped veggies and fruit and molasses water for the mothers. Max always joins me and Leif follows later. I make a quick check on the new mothers and their new babies and when all is fine, I say hello to all the others on the other side of the stable. Max and I fill a wheelbarrow full with hay to take out to prepare the enclosure for everyone who goes out. The boys were so happy to go out as were the other ladies and girls.
We have with the help of Leif and my daughter, finally got names for all the new babies, even the little boy who will be sold.
Iris’ daughter is Blossom and her son who will be sold to a good home is Florian
Pansy’s daughter is Lilly
Poppy’s son is Huckleberry
Pumpkin’s daughters are, Willow and Violet
Peanut is still a mystery, no babies and no heats for the past 5 months! Hummmmmm
Once everyone is out and happy, I returned to the stable to tend to the new mommies and babies.
Iris and her babies :
A fun place to snuggle
Blossom and Florian rest with mommy not too far away
Pansy and Lilly:
Pansy never lets Lilly out of her sight
Pansy’s food station: grain, treats and molasses water
Pumpkin and her daughters, Willow and Violet :
Pumpkin is our wild child goat, but oh what a mommy she is !
Time for a snack
What a cute little bottom !
Willow, with the white front paw like mommy is the little baby that required a splint on her leg. she is fine and her foot is as it should be
Willow and Violet are so cute
Pumpkin is always talking to her daughters
Even when she is eating
This baby wants to try mommy’s food
Willow wants to see what’s in the container also
Mommy gets a kiss from Willow
After I take care of Iris and her children, I work on the other 3 families, starting with Pansy. Then I took care of the box of Poppy and her baby boy. I took all that was needed into Poppy’s box to be able to take care of both boxes. It’s just easier for me.
Poppy wants to see what I’m doing in Pumpkin’s box
Poppy’s son Huckleberry decides to see what’s in all those baskets
What a cutie!
Huckleberry tries to get into the grain bucket
Poppy checks on me in Pumpkin’s box
Huckleberry is determined to jump in t he grain bucket
Mother and son
After the mothers and babies have been taken care of, I went to check on the other goats in the enclosure. They had run themselves out and all resting:
My bucks Toby, Baby Boy(Bear), Little Man in the back and Pip relax in the Springtime sun
Little Surprise and Nanna found a nice place to rest
Petunia found a nice place in the sun
I was a bit worried about some of the ladies out in the enclosure:
Petunia, Surprise and Ivy have never been separated from Iris. They are doing fine as long as they can hold conversations with her from the stable.
Rose is such a mamma’s baby that she never likes to be without Pumpkin. She is doing better than I though, finding a little group to attach herself to in the enclosure. She will stand and eat hay with Peanut and her mother Hilda.
Leif has been busy with our firewood supply. this weekend he has been cleaving the logs he cut earlier. I think I posted earlier that he was cleaving the wood, mistake, he was chopping.This weekend he cleaved the logs with his new machine:
He has a neat old tool that helps lift the heavy logs
Once the log was cleaved in half it was cleaved again into smaller logs to fit into our burner in the basement
Leif was smart and set up the cleaving machine right in front of the outdoor wood storage. After the log has been cleaved, he can just toss it in the storage
Looking at all those beautiful logs, I got an idea; why not bring ion some logs for the babies to play on. Poor Leif, I never run out of ideas and ways for him to help. But he was kind and asked me to pick out the logs I wanted from the big pile. When I found the 3 perfect ones he brought them into the stable and placed them where they belonged. He thought he should cleave them in half so they would have a flat bottom to sit stable in the boxes. When I said no , they are fine as they are he was not so sure. I was.
Here are my 3 beautiful logs
Here is the log for little Lilly
Pansy was so nice, she thanked us for her log which she nibbled the bark off
Poppy and her son huckleberry check out their new log
Look at that baby!! I could just eat him up!!
Pansy says thank you also
Leif had concerns about these logs, he didn’t think they would be appreciated. Well, just look at Huckleberry:
I hope you had sunshine for this this Spring weekend and you were able to be out enjoying it!
Milk Stand Training Day 2, March 23rd at Gullringstorp
March 22nd was the first day of Milk Stand training for my does who are expecting. It went exactly as I had expected. I expected that Pumpkin would resist when she realized she wasn’t leading the herd out to the enclosure. She did just that.
Our sisters Pansy and Poppy can never be separated, this was no exception. As long as they were together and could see each other, they were fine.
Iris was the biggest surprise. She has a bit of history that needs to be explained. She was born at the same farm as our other Pygmy goats. At this particular farm , they do not believe in hands on especially with the babies, so they are not socialized at all. They all arrive at Gullringstorp very timid and it has taken a couple of years to gain their trust. Iris is a bit of a special case. Someone bought her mother at the same time that Iris was nursing. This meant that Iris had to move with her mother until she was ready to come to us at Gullringstorp. Her second mother absolutely spoiled her. Not so sure what she did, but Iris is pushy and expects to be first all the time. It has taken us nearly 2 years to try to calm her down. She will rush in front of the others for grain or even jump into the bucket of hay when I bring hay in her box. She is learning to be a bit more kind and not so pushy. I love Iris , but oh my goodness, sometimes she can be a handful.
Our problem with Iris is the leash. When she is on it she decided she would crawl through the stable , past 5 boxes toward the Milk Stand. Once we arrive at the Milk Stand, she decides to crawl up. I look forward to the day Iris actually walks up the ramp on all 4 cute little feet. Once she is on the stand she is just fine.
Since I am still getting stronger every day from the flu, I had our ladies on the stand just inn the mornings, for now. I will soon be up to full speed and then the ladies will have both breakfast and dinner on the Milk Stand. Because they are not really that comfortable on the Milk Stand yet, I do put grain in their boxes after they have been on the Stand. As they become more accustomed to the routine, they will only have grain on the Milk Stand. It takes time and I will give them the time they need.
We have one young lady who was bred the same time the others were, but went into heat the very next month. I have been under the assumption that her breeding was not successful. With all that down time in bed with the flu, it occurred to me that I hadn’t heard her in heat again after that. So….Peanut went on the Milk Stand this morning. She was accompanied for a short while by her mother Hilda.
You probably never imagined that someone could write so much about Milk Stand training. Well it might just be me , but then again, I don’t think so. Goat owners are always so fanatical about their beloved goats. I am just no different.
Here is Day 2 March 23rd of Milk Stand training:
Pumpkin had her daughter there again for reassurance. I think, or was it just for the grain?
Pumpkin was comfortable enough to actually start eating her breakfast. She had fun with her daughter Rose playing with her.
As you can see, Pumpkin was much more relaxed on her second day on the Milk Stand
Pansy was first on the stand yesterday. Her sister Poppy joined her and enjoyed some grain also
Here we can see Pansy’s baby bump.
My sweet Pansy, I can still see sadness in her eyes since she lost her mother Frida, one year ago. I give her lots of love.
Here is a great way to see Poppy’s baby bump
Pansy stays close to her sister Poppy while she is on the Milk Stand.
Pansy walked away for a moment and Poppy was not too happy
Poppy was not happy at all when here sister Pansy was not nearby
This is Peanut. We bred her with all the other ladies, but she did come back into heat on month after the breeding. We just assumed that her breeding was not successful. Now I am rethinking that. She seems to be growing and I have not heard her in heat since.
Peanut was not talking to me, she was talking to her mother Hilda who was in the grain room eating hay
Peanut did very well for her first time on the Milk Stand. She settled down and ate her breakfast
Peanut is a gentle and very sweet goat , just like her mother.
Peanut has such beautiful eyes and a sweet expression. Can you see it?
Iris was still a bit unhappy on the leash I had to use to direct her to the Milk Stand. She took her time as she crawled on her front legs and finally made her way onto the Milk Stand. She is fine once she gets to the Milk Stand, it’s just getting her there.
I must tell you that when my goats are out of their boxes for indoor activities due to weather conditions, each and every one of them finds their way onto the Milk Stand. The difference here is that they are being directed there. they are all familiar with it and know that there is grain in the bucket. They willingly slip their heads through the opening and enjoy the grain at their leisure.
To have me come into their box with a leash is not acceptable to any of the goats except Pumpkin who leads our herd our to the enclosure. She is quite comfortable with the leash; in fact, she has her very own leash, a powder blue one and that’s the one she expects.
It’s all about repetition and consistency. Goats thrive on consistency , so it is up to me to continue with them.
I will post Day 3 then I will return when they have mastered the Milk Stand. the idea is that I will one day not need to use a leash. I will only need to open t heir box and they will run straight to the Milk Stand and place their head in to be secured in place. This will happen. I have done it before so I know it will happen. I will return when they are at that point. It will be a pleasure to post on their success.
Time for Milk Stand Training at Gullringstorp
After being sick for so long, many of my daily chores here at Gullringstorp have been passed on to my husband. I have been taking care of all the animals in the house and small tasks. I am happy to know that the goats have been so well taken care of by my husband, in my absence.
Last night I struggled with the fact that my pregnant ladies should have already started their Milk Stand training. I could not decide if I should start this morning or wait till Monday . Well I decided that this would be the morning I would start.
We bred 5 does but I have a big question mark over one young lady, Peanut. shortly after she was bred, I did witness what I thought was a heat. We just need to keep an eye on her. I think I may start her on the stand as well.
My first doe was Pumpkin. She was not so happy , but I expected that. She is a strong goat and it took both of us to get her up on the stand.
Pumpkin, finally on the Milk Stand. She was not so happy and had a few words for me. She is shedding her winter wool; not so sure that’s a good idea because we are still quite cold here at Gullringstorp
Pumpkin looked around while on the stand. She had her daughter Rose , who is also loosing her winter wool, to keep her company
Pumpkin is a lot calmer even though she is looking around
My next twi does are Pansy and Poppy. These are Frieda’s last babies born here at Gullringstorp. Their mother Frida passed away just about a year ago. I still miss her terribly but thankfully, I have 4 of her children and one granddaughter. I see her in all of them.
Pansy got on the stand with very little effort. Her Sister Poppy who is always with her , joined her at the grain tray
Pansy’s sister Poppy having fun on the grain tray
We are able to see Poppy’s tiny baby bump. Looks like she will either have a single kid or 2 tiny ones
Pansy and Poppy are always talking to each other. I think they learned that from their mother, Frida who always talked to them
Not so easy to see Pansy’s little baby bump, but it’s there
Pansy and Poppy are sisters and are never seperated
Yummy grain !
Poppy’s turn on the Milk Stand
Pansy walked away for a minute and Poppy was not so happy
Pansy returned and joined her sister on the stand
Here is the last doe of the morning, Iris. She gave us the most trouble. She was not having it! She refused to walk up the ramp and when she did move up, it was inch by inch. Iris is a Pygmy goat and is quite a bit smaller than my Nigerians Dwarf goats.
Iris was not happy with this , at all!
Once Iris made it up onto the Milk Stand, she was more comfortable like this.
Iris may look uncomfortable, believe me she is not. She is just fine.
It didn’t take Iris long to find and tuck into the grain .
Unfortunately, this is the best way to show off Iris’ baby bump. Nanna was allowed out to keep Iris company. I think it helped.
Baby bump!
Overall, the first experience for my does was pretty good. They will soon come to learn that the Milk Stand will be the only place to get their breakfast and dinner. The process works. I have several does who have been through the Milk Stand training and are very comfortable on the stand. It takes time and patience and lots of love. You can never just yank and pull a doe up on a stand. You must take as long as she needs to walk that ramp and then to actually place her head in to be locked in. It takes time. This is nothing to be rushed.
My does will not be milked for some time, but when the time is right, they will be ready. As with my other does, these new mothers-to-be will have their babies with them when they are on the Milk Stand. This way they will help with any possible separation issues that may come up. It’s always fun for the babies to run and play and get used to the ramp and stand.
Oh I love being back with my goats. I have missed them terribly. It’s like being away from your young children. So much happens and you miss so much. I know they are my goats and not my children, but in a sense they are and I am the goat mommy. This has to be the relationship when you own goats. they need all that you can give them, not just hay, straw, grain and water. They need and require your love and attention, individually.
Nanna’s Visitor
So here is how we came to have Tom and Jerry. These tiny babies are born in the stable and come into the goat’s boxes for food and water. I can’t rescue and bring every tiny baby into the house, even if I want to. They are stable mice and really have a great home there. the only problem is they get thirsty and seek out water. This is their undoing. They fall in and can not get out. It’s one of the saddest things to see when we go into change and refresh water in the boxes. We don’t really have a stable cat so these mice are not taken care of through the food chain . I go back and forth with the idea of a stable cat. I do have some concerns. One would be where do they wee and poop? Don’t really want that in the boxes or in the straw and hay supplies. Also cats carry Toxoplasmosis in their poopies and that’s really bad for pregnant goats just as it’s not a good idea for a pregnant woman to change litter pans while pregnant. Exposure can be harmful to the fetuses of both humans and goats. For these reasons we don’t have a real stable cat. Sounds so idyllic to have a stable cat, but these issues must be considered.
We just take care of whatever we find when we go to the stable. If they are in the water, they are not alive any longer and that is always sad for me. It never becomes routine. When I find these tiny babies in food bowls, I am so relieved. I just scoop them up and see where they run to. I put a small supply of grain in the hole they ran too and I try to remember where they ran to and place them closer to home. I have no problem scooping them up because there is no rabies in Sweden so these tiny cuties are not dangerous.
Nanna’s visitor:
This tiny baby was lucky, he had a nice meal and had a dinner partner and didn’t fall in the water bucket.
Just a Quiet Sunday at Gullringstorp
It’s cold outside but it’s nice and warm and cozy in the stable. This is what I was met with when we went in this morning:
Sleepy little fellas resting together. These are my youngest little bucks: Toby with the “hairdo”, Winston and his brother Phillip and little Pip, Alika’s son
Don’t they look comfy? It’s hard to believe that the buck with the large horns to the right is Baby Boy. Do you remember when he arrived at Gullringstorp? He was just a round ball of fur.
I really love to see my goats relaxed, happy and comfortable under our care
Keriana relaxing with her daughter Fiona
Alika is also comfy and is doing very well since her son Pip moved in with the other bucks
Our oldest buck is full-grown, but as you can see he is small. This is Balder, a Pygmy buck. He is a lovely little guy!
I always love when we get our oat delivery. It just looks so pretty filling up one side of this beautiful old horse grain wooden box.
This sturdy old horse grain box was at the other end of our stable but was moved to the “feed” room. One side for the oats and the other for the muesli
We also have a hay delivery. Leif has a trailer that fits 20 bales of hay. A really nice sight for this country gal…
This was once a beautiful huge round bale of straw. It’s ok to look like this, as long as my goats get straw on a daily basis. We have an entire enclosure outside full of neat little square straw bales, under a tarp to stay dry through snow and rain.
Everyone gets a portion of straw. Hilda lies to “swim” in her straw before she eats and makes a bed to sleep in and eat. There is a real challenge in placing the straw in different places for boxes with more than 1 goat. You have to really plan it out or there will be squabbles. I like peaceful boxes so I plan ahead where I place tiny piles of straw, for each little mouth. Here are our tiniest ladies, Ivy and her daughter Surprise, Iris and Petunia enjoy their straw.
It’s not so easy with my little boys. So I solve the problem by placing the straw on their table top and they each get some. They can be well behaved for 5 minutes then someone ends up on the table right in the middle of the straw. Oh well. You just have to choose your battles, even when it comes to goats. Oh, yes, we put up a second hay bag in the boy’s box. Now they have 2 hay bags and a new and improved hay rack.
We are expecting more snow here at Gullringstorp. Burrrr……..
GullringstorpGoatGal
