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Baby Goat
On a new experience.
A shrill screech raced through the trees Tuesday night while I watered the Shropshire lambs.
That didn’t sound good. I ran the truck back to the barnyard. In the goat pen, the older pygmy doe lay on her side, straining.
I watched for a while before her baby’s head first appeared.
But then, even though she tried, the goat kid wasn’t moving. He was breathing, fortunately, but not making any forward progress.
I soon found the problem: one leg was tucked back when it should have been pointed forward. It was a problem I’d seen in sheep and cattle, but this was the first goat I’d ever seen being born, let alone pulled.
I corrected the situation, then tugged. He was so small I could wrap my hand around his entire rib cage, and I hoped I wouldn’t crush him.
He made it to the ground, crying and crying until his mum came over and fed him.
Thanks for Reading!
And I hope you feel refreshed and rejuvenated for the week ahead with this moment preserved in picture and prose. Consider:
What new experience are you anticipating this week?
Share your answer and this newsletter with them.
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This Week on the Farm
Now, Jeff and I are discussing what to name the baby goat. And that reminded us that we need to announce the winning name of our Lamb Naming Contest!
Followers of our Facebook page guessed how many lambs we would have during the ‘23 lambing season. Rachel M. guessed the closest! We sent her pictures of the ewe lambs, and she and her daughters decided to name Beatrix’s lamb.
We want to name her Ramona. We got it from the book and movie Ramona and Beezus, which is a kid’s name for Beatrix. It’s funny, when I said I was naming a lamb, C. said we should name it Beatrice. So I told her the one mom’s name is Beatrix, so we picked that one to name.
So, Ramona it is. That name will be going on her registration paper for the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association, which means that Ramona will always be linked with our flock in international records.
Farm Shop
From meatballs to salads, American lamb is fresh, flavorful, and delicious!
We'll have freezer lamb available this fall and winter. Let us know if you’d like to reserve one!