Roses Are Red, Violet Is a Mama!

Violet.  The name itself invokes mental pictures of pretty, little flowers waving gently in the breeze.  Well, to most people.  If you say the name Violet around here it brings disgusted snorts, and eye rolling.  You see Violet is our 3 year old Boer doe.  She arrived on our farm as a beautiful little doeling.  This did not last long, as she got her head stuck and ripped her right ear in half (long way), almost completely to the top of her head.  It kind of gives her this modern, teenage rebel look.  It is nothing to come home and see Violet out in the field, in 110 degree temps, with her head stuck in the fence.  She patiently waits, because she knows we will come rescue her eventually.  I knew we should have de-horned her (sigh).  There is something different about Violet. I've often wondered if she were brain damaged, because she is  VERY different from our other goats.  She even looks "off" in the face.  Not sure what is really wrong with her.

Another issue is that she would never allow any of the bucks near her, even when she was in heat.  She would RUN away, and they could never catch her.  She wanted nothing to do with any of them.  All the other does became mamas, one by one, over the year, but not Violet.  We were told she was probably sterile, but I was convinced she was just chaste by choice *smile*

This year was different.  We noticed Violet plumping up, and we were hopeful she was pregnant, but time was going by and nothing.  As big as she was, we thought she would have delivered months ago.  Nothing happened, and she looked slimmer.  I thought maybe she had a miscarriage, but yesterday we arrived home to find she had given birth to twins (a boy and a girl).  Unfortunately, it was raining hard, and she delivered into a puddle of water, and it appears the little boy drowned.  The little girl faired better, and is HUGE.  She is the size of the two week old kids, while the one that died was TINY.  It was very sad, though I believe our mortality rate was low.  Out of six does, all six kidded.  We had a total of 10 kids born and 2 died.  One of suffocation, as the sac was still on it's head when we found it. And the other was underwater when we found it.

A kidding stall is on the list, and I plan to pay better attention to breeding schedules, so that I can confine them to the barn or a stall.  Maybe our survival rate will be 100% next time. 

Violet's little girl is named Olive.  I'll get a picture soon of her.  She is black and white just like her dad Larry.

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Today,  PH worked on the house (he is adding the plywood for the walls and the Tyvek wrap) Praise the Lord!    I did laundry, canned carrots, taco meat and meatballs.  I also used my new vacuum sealer and sealed rice, beans, dried peas, oats, and pasta.  PH purchased the vacuum sealer to use for when we butcher the chickens, but I had to practice.  He also purchased a meat grinder so that we will be able to grind our own meat when we butcher the goats, pigs, chickens, etc.  It is a commercial grade, 3/4 hp grinder.  I am very happy!  (that makes me weird doesn't it? ha! ha!)