Fall seems like it has begun with the flip of a switch. Last week, I was sweating doing chores, using fans and wishing for cooler weather. Monday night there was a chill in the air that I recognized as the shift in the weather. Although I was wishing for cooler weather just a few days ago, I started to consider the implications of cooler weather and realized the heat was better than frozen water buckets! Tuesday morning, when I went to do chores, the goats were almost unrecognizable, they were fluffy little puff balls. Gone were my sleek summer beauties, they were replaced by my little wooly mammoths that greet me through the winter! This made me realize there were several things I needed to accomplish before the weather completely changes.
This week is one we have been dreading, Rob is in surgery for his elbow as we speak. This means he will be recuperating for the next 6-8 weeks. I am happy that he will be in less pain and his elbow will feel better, however, this also leaves me to be the one to manage all of the aspects of our life. This meant I have been scurrying around for the past few days trying to shove everything into a few days, so I could be more available for him. One of those things was all of the fall goat shots. I realized yesterday that I had not given my adult goats their annual booster of CDT. This is a shot I like to give every fall to prepare the does and bucks for breeding season and ensure they are as healthy as they can be. As a practice, I will not give shots on my stanchion. I feel there is too much opportunity for the goats to jump around and hurt themselves with their heads locked into a gate above the ground. This means giving shots is a two person job. One to hold the goats and distract them and one to administer the shot. This as you can imagine takes all four hands that we have to manage. So I was worried and drew up all of the shots last night to have Rob help me. Needless to say in between Rob's work, and our farm work, it didn't get done. Here is to hoping before I start breeding the goats in October Rob is well enough to help me give the goats their shots! I hope all of your fall preparation is going well and Happy Goating!
