JANET DELIVERS! (2 baby doelings!)

Janet had her kids today! She had a rough night last night, as we could hear over the baby monitor, she was very uncomfortable, tossing and turning....

Today, I noticed she was going into labor as I left for a few hours of work....

(Trust me when I say, I was NOT HAPPY TO LEAVE!)

Ed came home from skiing, to oversee the laboring doe in the event I didn't make it home from work on time, THANK GOODNESS!

Janet delivered her two baby doelings just moments before I pulled (a million miles an hour) into our driveway this afternoon. She did a great job, needing no assistance, which made our complicated situation much less complicated.

 The two doelings just moments after birth, already standing!

 Here, I am introducing each doeling to Janet's udder. They required almost no assistance at all and were very quick learners. (I attribute this fully to the fact they are females.)

 Happy goat keeper! See the other doeling already nursing...Janet looks tired.

 I put the hobble on for just a moment or two to keep Janet from kicking off her baby girls. As soon as she realized 'the program' she was way into it, and I removed the hobble.

 Once the girls has fed a little bit, Janet decided it was cleaning hour and proceeded to lick every square inch of her fuzzy new baby girls....and my entire face as well. She was VERY glad to see me finally I think!

 Both doelings still have about  6 inches of umbilical cord attached, which I doused in Iodine and antiseptic spray to keep out bacteria. They should fall off in the next few days, just like humans.

 The proud mama with her girls.

Those small doggie sweaters are coming in MIGHTY handy on this cold, snowy afternoon and evening!

Needless to say, I am bummed to have just barely missed the actual births of these two gorgeous doelings. BUT could not be happier to have had our first successful kidding, not to mention TWO GIRLS!!!

So happy. La La La...

Stay tuned for 'The Runty Situation'...until then, we adore and play with our newest additions.

Hugs and Warm Molasses Water~ The Jack Creek Coyles

Seedlings Love Fish Fertilizer

 Here's a couple shots of some of our seedlings at six weeks of age.

They are starting to go crazy...and the snow still flies outside.

We are planning on making long, narrow hoop houses to cover each row in our garden this spring, rather than one huge greenhouse structure.

The local winds, heavy spring snow storms, and wide array of temperature needs of our plants has greatly affected our decision to spend alot of money on a huge, high-profile structure. Instead, we will work with each type of plant individually under each tunnel to better meet that specific plants' needs.

 The broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes and really beginning to get strong, and will be moved into our cooler mudroom in a short few weeks.

 Some of the random items I have recently purchased in preparation for our goat kids: a baby monitor, to listen for signs of midnight labor from the goat shed routed straight to our bedroom, a nasal aspirator, to clear mucousy new born airways, some cute and ridiculous XS doggie sweaters for tiny kids born on cold Montana nights, and last but not least, WINE for the stressed out goat keeper to sip after kidding!!

 Here's our favorite fertilizer to hit our veggie plants with once a month or so....totally cheap and worth every penny! (be warned, very stinky, dogs love.....)

 Hey look! Our turkey poults are getting big! As you can see from the photo, the two turkey poults in front are really starting to take off in size. I think we may have one Tom as well because one of the poults is much larger than the other, with some crazy tail feathers developing....

Last weekend we moved our chicks and poults from the chick brooder to this larger chicken tractor.

The advantage of owning a chicken tractor (Ed made this one for me) is that they don't have a bottom, making them ideal for putting the chickens out in the yard anywhere you want them. It is very light and easy to move around so that your grass doesn't get ruined. Right now, we have the tractor on the ground inside our chicken coop, with some hay layed down for warmth. Also, there is still snow on the ground outside....

Sorry this post is a little all over the place, but I was up until 4 AM last night as we sent off our good friend Joe with a going away party. Joe is moving to Mount Hood, in Oregon, for the summer and working as a Rock Climbing, Back Country Skiing, and Mountaineering Guide. He's awfully fun, and we will miss him, but hope he has a great season out there.

Have a happy Sunday~ The Jack Creek Coyles

Pregnant Doe(s)?

 Hey there. Katie here. First off, sorry about this month and the lack of communication via blog.
I am finally taking the leap and starting my own art school for children here in Ennis, and my life has been a whirlwind of crazy lately.
I have a degree in Art Education, NOT business, so this has very  much been a (semi-stressful) learning experience. Every day I am facing new, awkward challenges, and just hope that by the end of summer, I will have everything running smoothly and an overload of eager students to contend with. Our school officially opens on May 2nd, with classes running after school until the first week of June when school closes. Then summer programs will commence...
That said, the action has been few and far between with these dang goats!!!
As you can see from the top photo, Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty, is not getting any smaller.
She pretty much groans whenever she sees me coming at this point, as if to say "Do I really have to get up??"

 Little Miss Runty remains a big question mark in my brain. Although she has definitely gained weight over the last month, I can't help but wonder if it is because of the extra grain I have been giving her...
The one thing I CAN say, is that she ACTS pregnant. Lying around the pen with the same lack of energy and luster as Janet exudes. They are two peas in a pod lately, and it just makes me wonder. Maybe she is indeed expecting?

 Seriously wide load. Look out for this one. She'll take out your ACL if you're not paying attention.

 What do you think? Pregnant, or just finally up to size?

 At this point she has trouble getting up on the milking stand. It's a little bit amusing/mean to watch actually.

 An aerial shot of the mini.

Let me know what you think!
Also, our sister herd, in Bozeman had their first kid on Tuesday and I was lucky enough to make it over to their farm to witness it! So amazing.
And so it begins...
Again, my life is a bit crazy right now, with two weeks until go time with a new business, but I will keep you posted on any kids that drop in the near future in Jack Creek.
Hugs and manure on your jeans, The Jack Creek Coyles