I’ve been fighting the achy flu for a week now.  No gut problems.  Just hurt like hell.  My lovely bride, the Dragon Lady, was looking for remedies online.  She asked me tonight, have you ever had a “hot toddy”.  I laughed and asked if it involved whiskey, honey, cinnamon and lemon juice?  She cocked her head at me and said, “Yes.”  I answered, “I was just thinking about mixing one.”  

      She then said, “I guess this was a Sam Barton kind of deal?”  Honey, you are correct.

Sam Barton was my step-grandpa, but he might as well have been a grandpa.  I was the oldest grandkid on that side of the family.  Sam went by the name of “Pa” to all the grandkids.  He was a lawyer in Ellis County.  He also had several brothers that were lawyers.  His shingle & business cards had the slogan: “Defend the innocent, Prosecute the guilty and Protect the Widows and Orphans.”  

       Sometime, when I was about Duke’s age, I had a cough-due-to-cold.  I just happened to be at Granny and Pa’s house.  Pa asked if I needed a Hot Toddy.  I wasn’t sure, but he told me that it would get rid of that cough and sore throat.  “I’ll mix you one”, he said.  Well, he mixed two.  I asked him if I needed both.  He said, “No.  One is for me.”  I said, “Pa, you sick also?”  He replied, “No and I don’t want to get sick, so I better have a hot toddy.”

    It’s hard to argue with a Hot Toddy.  Cinnamon, honey and lemon juice mixed with a stiff whiskey.  There is a lot of science that backs a mixture like this.  Honey makes EVERYTHING better.  Lemon juice adds vitamin C and cinnamon has a lot of medicinal properties.  And whiskey, well, it just makes a really good carrying agent that opens the sinuses, ups the heart rate and warms the soul.  A hot toddy also works extremely well for a drench to jumpstart a goat kid if it is a little chilled or is having a sluggish start.  But, you better mix two.  One for the goat and one for the goat producer.  And you can’t go too heavy on the honey.  

      Another Sam Barton story.  About 1984, at Christmas time, somebody got Pa a glazed piece of cow shit that had been made into a pen holder.  There was a card on the “pen holder”.  He laughed when he read the card.  But then, he wouldn’t let any of the grandkids read it.  As the evening progessed, and after all of the other kids had scattered with their new presents, I asked him if I could see the card on the cow turd.  He let me read it.  It said, “If you can’t dazzle them with diamonds, baffle them with bullshit.”  

        Years later, this became my teaching mantra and I still kind of use this in my daily life.  For some reason, I always tend to be short on diamonds.  

     Wheww!!  When I wrote that “cost of production” blog a couple of nights ago, I did not imagine the amount of responses that it generated.  Calls from those that were depressed because they sat down and figured their costs.  Texts “detailing” what their costs were going to be and how they were going to depreciate items and their 3 year plan.  Several statements acknowledging that “they never dreamed that it cost so much to raise a goat”.  Some even said that I need a sensor.  

     Can you believe that?  Somebody (or two) thinks that I need a sensor.  I went back and re-read that blog.  It was better the 2nd time.  Nothing controversial, just straight up.  I just wish I knew how many breeders sat there and roughly figured what it cost them to raise a goat.  I know several have it down to the $.  

     There are a lot of variables in terms of cost of production.  The farther north you go, the more facilities are required to keep them warm.  The farther south, the more you have to pay to truck in high quality hay.  And a wicked good buck costs a pile no matter where you live. 

      And in the spirit of cost of production variables, you can NEVER plan on the next goat calamity.  I’ve had calls this week regarding a doe that wasn’t in good shape, turns out it is some kind of stress induced problem.  Had another call with a yearling buck that was choking.  I lost signal.  They texted a few minutes later.  He died.  It’s always something new and unusual. 

       I don’t know that this deal is about making money.  Some will call it a labor of love.  I don’t love dealing with does.  I just don’t want to lose money.  It’s hard to put a price on the fun, the thrill of a good baby on the ground, the good people associated with this industry, watching kids achieve goals and the stories.  Most importantly, it’s about having my own kids involved with livestock and making a network of people and life experiences.  

     As far as the making money part, it looks to me like the big check comes when you have a dispersal sale.  It’s amazing what panels, feeders, huts and all the other stuff brings at those sales.  

I saw a new quote today and I liked it. 

“If we concentrated on the really important stuff in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.”

     Of course, right now, we would have to go ice fishing.  Have a good day and a better tomorrow.

      I have been feeling a little uncomfortable the past few days.  This weekend was wicked cold.  Of course, this would be a perfect time for a heater to quit working.  We called a guy Saturday afternoon, but he didn’t make it.  By Sunday afternoon, it was really getting cold and I was worried about pipes. We went to calling more people.  Then, I thought, heck, we’ve got a fireplace.  It is a a gas fireplace and it hadn’t been lit in years.  It has now.  Shortly after firing that fire up, a repairman showed up.  A corroded heat sensor diagnosed and fixed and we were back to being comfortable.  

      On Saturday afternoon, Tammy said that she was going to Woodward to watch some kids show their pigs at a jackpot show.  Since, it was miserable outside and I didn’t have anything else scheduled I decided to go along.  This was a first for me and it was a little uncomfortable.  I had never been to a livestock show as a spectator.  I have been to thousands of shows but it was as a showman, ag teacher, parent, judge.  I really didn’t know what to do or how to act.  Basically, I was pretty much bored.

    By Monday afternoon, I was beginning to feel real uncomfortable.  You know, that feeling when your body starts to ache, your skin doesn’t seem to fit right and your eyes start to feel like they are swelling up.  Yep, I was getting sick.  No gut problems, just that achy, chilling, don’t cough because your eyes will explode kind of sick.  Monday evening, I took some kind of alka seltzer flu meds.  So, for the next 12 hours, I rolled in and out of consciousness every 15 minutes or so.  Which was fine, except that every time I woke up during the BCS game, a different team had the lead.  

     I don’t get sick very often.  I attribute this to the Eskimo Joe’s glass of orange juice EVERY morning for the past several decades (except one Sunday morning in 2009 near Noble, OK because somebody didn’t have any at their house and the closest quick stop didn’t have any orange juice).  Another reason that I don’t get sick very often is that I drink gallons of tea–lots of anti-oxidant benefits.  Plus, there are natural probiotic benefits of an “occasional” frosty beverage.  I also have a very strict exercise program which consists of getting out of bed, or off the couch every morning.  

     I did stumble into work this morning, took care of paperwork and then after about 5 hours, my head started to explode and I headed back here to the couch.  

     Speaking of uncomfortable, Duke and I moved some does into the barn.  They are due this weekend.  Man alive, those chicks look and sound uncomfortable.

      One thing about cold weather, it makes me think.  This brutal wind with butt-ass cold temps keeps me inside and I can only stand to watch so much Law & Order.  Winter months means more hay & more feed expenses combined with the need for facilities to keep animals warm and dry.  Throw in a set of babies and hay, feed and facilities are amplified.

      No matter what business a person is in, you need to know the cost of production.  Everybody’s operation is different.  Cost of hay will be higher for others because of trucking.  Cost of feed will differ.  Cost of labor needs to be considered.  Realistically, one should figure cost of fencing, land, interest, etc, but I just use a lump figure for that and call it good.  

      Due to grazing,  I can run a doe from April to October and she will only cost me vaccinations and wormers.  Now, it changes dramatically during winter months and when they are nursing kids.  This year is going to cost me more in hay than normal.  I have 25 acres of a cocktail of wheat, triticale, turnips, Austrian winter peas and deep tillage radishes.  We had good soil moisture to germinate and sprout seed, but since then not a drop.  Throw in several really hard, dry freezes and the turnips and radishes are dead, the peas aren’t doing squat and the wheat & triticale are just sitting there, dormant, waiting on some moisture.  Therefore, every bite the does are getting comes from the round bales of hay that I put out a couple times a week.  Input costs are high.

     If you figure feed and alfalfa while nursing, oat hay during the rest of the winter, $s for vaccinations, wormers, a few meds and $20 per doe for fencing materials, it doesn’t take long to realize that it costs right around $500 per doe per year.  Now throw in another $75 per kid for vaccinations, wormers and feed.  It easily takes $600 per doe to raise one set of kids.  

     Now, you have advertsing and sales expenses.  Clipper blades, equipment, barns, fuel for heaters, syringes, needles, meds, trailers, etc, etc, etc.  Now, the big question–How do you put a dollar value on each kid that ties to the buck?  Obviously, the cost of the buck plays a factor, but sometimes a non-milking doe can devalue a kid.  At times, you don’t realize the value of a buck until you are dealing with his daughters.  Harley cost Fred and I $500 apiece.  We raised some nice kids out of him, but his daughters have been very profitable.  X Factor cost Fred and I $2,500 apiece in 2007.  His kids were very successful in his first kid crop, but we lost him to an early death.  I only have a couple of daughters from him, but they are productive.  Next Step, All Jacked Up, Freak On A Leash, Great Balls of Fire all cost money and made their mark but it is hard to put a value on their impact.  Joe Dirt and Rainman have proven to be excellent investments.  Rumour cost a pile but so far I can justify the expense.  This next year, he has been bred to a pile of does at Fargo and at Cleo Springs.  In late 2014, I will be able to tell you for sure if he has paid himself off.

       According to my pen, sticky notes and calculator, I figure that it takes $750 per doe just to break even in terms of operating costs.  Realistically, it should probably take another $150 per kid to apply towards the buck.  And, ideally an operator should probably figure another $100 towards capitol expenses (barns, trailers, clippers, tractors, blowers, heaters, ear tags, guard dog, heat lamps, etc.) per year.  That brings us to $1,000 per doe per year just to break even.  You better raise a pair of sellable twins per doe per year in order to make this deal profitable.  

    We didn’t talk about the purchase price of each doe.  Or if it was a home-raised doe, the cost of feeding her out or the money she was worth if you would have sold her instead of keeping her.  And what about if you are a member of a show like Champion’s Choice, or putting add-on money at premium sales or donating to shows, etc, etc, etc. 

      And we haven’t even discussed what labor is worth.  And what about AI, semen, flush costs?  The numbers start climbing rapidly.  Of course, your sales should increase if you are flushing and buying semen on quality bucks.

     Here are the numbers that I am playing with at Kelln Livestock.  Mind you, these are not exact numbers, but just the guideline numbers that I use to determine if this deal is worthwhile or not.  A doe needs to sell $1,500 per year to make her worth keeping another year.  My experience shows that most does will average $1750.  A few will average well over that and several will bring in $500 or less per year with 10-15% bringing in ZERO due to no breeds, death loss, no milking, an episode of sore mouth or some other calamity that seems to show up in the goat world.  

     These numbers do NOT apply to everybody.  I would guess that some numbers are similar or higher due to the fact that some spend a lot on feed and hay with little grazing available.   People like Milligan and myself, put more value in having what we feel is the “right” one and spend more than we should considering the size of our operations.  Some breeders’ cost per doe numbers may be lower due to the fact that they have more doe #s and can spread the cost of a buck out.  Just guessing, but I would say that Helms and Pfeiffer can raise a goat cheaper than me, but they sell a LOT of them.  Kind of like wal mart.  Now, Pat Lyons, Big I and Goodno probably raise a goat a lot cheaper than I can.  They are better at keeping initial costs lower than I am.  But, they dabble in good genetics and use those genetics to sell goats.  And it works.  Some breeders, like Tyke, are smarter than I am.  He isn’t afraid of the barter system to provide labor or hay.  Plus, he doesn’t waste time running around the world looking for more goats.  And time is money.  Plus, he is very coachable.  Which means he listens and I am the dumb ass running around spending time and money.  

    How do I decide when the genetic value of a given doe isn’t worth the effort?  In my world, when I’m done, I’m done.  That means she goes to the sale barn, no matter what.  For instance, I recently had a doe that was a genetic giant.  Her first year, she was bred to Freak On A Leash.  She had twin doe kids.  She did a piss poor job raising them, and although they were skinny, you could tell there was value to these kids.  I sold one doe kid to a fellow breeder, who had a hard-on for a Freak On A Leash doe kid, for $500.  I kept the other doe kid.  The next year, said doe was bred to Joe Dirt.  She had triplets.  Once again, she did a piss poor job as a mother.  I sold the 2 wethers for $1000 total.  The doe kid was unhealthy and went to the Perry sale barn.  Those two wethers went to good homes.  One was 2nd in class at Enid district.  The other was reserve grand at Woodward District and made the premium sale at OYE.  What did I do with the doe?  I hauled her ass to the Perry sale barn in 2012.  She was a horrible mother.  Individually, she cost me money.  And when people asked me what the mother of Dietz’s wether had in 2013, I told them that I had hauled her ass to the Perry sale barn.

      Now, here comes the hard part of putting a value on genetics.  The Freak On A Leash daughter that I kept, well, her first kids were sired by Joe Dirt.-a pair of doe kids.  One was 2nd in class at OYE this past spring.  I bought her back.  I kept the other kid.  In 2013, this doe had a single Rainman doe kid that won a class at Tulsa.  She is a very good mother that has raised high quality kids.  I haven’t made money on her (because she has raised keeper doe kids), but her kids have intrinsic value to me.  The first wether or buck kid will be valuable.  How much of the value is due to Freak?  How much is due to the genetics of the doe that has since gone to the sale barn?  I don’t know.  

      For those of you that are like me and like to buy show goats cheap, think about what it cost to raise that inexpensive goat. There is a lot of hours involved in raising goats.  Once you get past 20 does in a herd, it becomes a 2nd job.  150 head and it is probably a full time job.  500 head and you better have family help or labor from south of the border.  It is cheaper to raise commercial cattle than it is to raise show goats.  But it takes a lot more acres to run 50 cows than it does 50 does.  To answer the question “what does it take to raise good goats?”  it is simple–Hours and Dollars.  You better have both, plus fence, facilities, advice and patience.  

     Now, how does a breeder value after the sale help?  A breeder such as Mock sells lots of dollars worth of wethers, but he also provides service after-the-sale trying to get pictures with banners.  What is proven professional help worth?  

     This blog got longer than I was originally planning, but there are a lot of considerations when dealing with raising quality stock.  Looking back, it would be cheaper, easier and less stressful to buy $5,000 wethers for my kids than it would be to raise goats. Now, I have to do this for several years in order to justify facilities, fences, etc.  

      Have a good day.  Stay flexible but not limp.  Look for horseshoes and shamrocks.  I hope you all are as happy as Sasha the corgi is as she lies here at my feet, ears moving- independently of each other, acting asleep and afraid to move because she might get kicked outside.  

      Today, we had to take Kela to the airport so that she could head back to LA.  Part of me wishes she was homesick and had enough of that crap out there and was ready to move back.  The rest of me is proud that she is chasing a dream and working towards a goal.  Mom is already counting the days when she comes back again. Duke was glad to have big sister home.   

      I got some killer cool Christmas gifts this year.  Two bottles of Crown XR, a bottle of Crown tan sack, a bottle of Crown purple sack (Hhmm, I’m noticing a trend). Also, several deals of peach shine and a jar of apple pie shine that are wicked smooth.  Fortunately, the alcohol content isn’t very high or I would be in big trouble.  I even got a set of Granite freezer rocks.  Yep, round rocks that you keep in the freezer, then put them in your glass and pour some favorite beverage over it–as in “On the Rocks”.   Pretty cool.  I also got a swing.  When you all are here, ask to see it.  There is a butt load of metal in the frame of this thing.      

     New Year’s Eve just isn’t what it used to be.  It is hell getting old.  I got home Tuesday evening and my mind was mush from all of the #s rolling through my head on these year end equipment deals.  I walked into the house and there was some crazy people cooking in our kitchen.  Rusty & Marla had showed up ready for New Year’s.  They got a little wound up, as usual.  It was good to see them.  Fortunately, things shut down earlier than expected.  

     Rumour Has It enjoyed the first day of 2014.  There were two doe kids ready to see him when he got home from Cleo Springs.  He was more than happy to oblige them.

New Year’s Day evening was spent in the ’93 Chevy van.  Kela hadn’t experienced the “ride”, so the family loaded up and headed west.  She wanted to see the new Taylor encampment.  She got the tour of the new house from Brooke and the girls.  Then Kela and I enjoyed a chauffered Gator ride around the Rancho Not So Grande.  The tour guide might have been into some purple sack of his own.  

      For supper, both families loaded up into the ’93 Chevy Van and went through the drive through window of Pizza Hut to pick up a couple of pizzas and some wings.  Brooke even bought the pizzas for everybody.  That was a pretty kind gesture on Brooke’s part.  Christmas Vacation was playing on the VCR as we toured western Ellis county.   

     New Year’s Day reminded me that there is something in the goat industry that I despise worse than a doe goat.  “What?” you ask yourself, could this clown hate worse than a doe goat.  You can’t even argue with me on this topic.  SORE MOUTH.  I’ve been fortunate and not had many cases but I don’t like any cases.  There are numerous theories regarding how to handle soremouth.  One says vaccinate for it which automatically introduces it into your herd.  The other side says don’t vaccinate and just deal with each individual case.  Once they have it, one theory says use antibiotics and vetricin and it will take 2-3 weeks to clear up.  The other theory is let it run its course and it will clear up in 2-3 weeks on its own.  I’ve done both.  This time, I gave each kid a shot of Draxxin and used vetricin on the sores.  At least I feel like I’m doing something to help.  

      ou is getting the honor of playing Alabama tonight.  Friday is the Cotton Bowl and Okie State will get to tangle with the tigers from Mizzou.  The Dragon Lady and I talked about going, but our last couple of trips to the Cotton Bowl ended up in OSU losses, so we decided to sit this one out.  Plus, we’ve got plenty of crap on our calenders already for this new year.  

     I was late getting home from work. Year end in the equipment business is crazy.  Nonetheless, I got home did chores, checked stock and got things ready for tomorrow.  I skipped up the driveway and into the house, turned the tube on to see the football game.  I’m not a Texas Longhorns fan, (unless they are playing ou)  but I do respect the program and I think that Mack Brown is a class act.  The Alamo Bowl was close for awhile, but the ducks eventually took flight and left the longhorns behind.  I was hoping a helluva coach that brought class and honesty to an otherwise corrupt sport could go out with a win.  Not today.  

     You can’t argue with me about Mack Brown.  He was good.  I hope the Texas fans remember him well.  Their program was in the dumper when he showed up.  One national title (that game was fun to watch), one Heisman (should have been two), numerous bcs wins and losses and NO bad odors about the program while he was running it.  Good luck replacing him.  

      While watching the Alamo Bowl, I spent time surfing the web tonight.  It is scary how many breeders ( including myself) are bad at updating pics, etc.  Facebook is the place for immediate info.  I don’t like it, but I realize it.  Looks to me like a breeder needs to run a banner ad on oklahomashowgoats.com for any sales, etc.  But you better be on facebook or have an immediate info gathering/dispensing site like this one in order to draw traffic.  

      On the goat side of things;  I wish somebody could explain how a doe (3 year old) can fit through an 8″ gap to get into the creep/heater area.  She’s done it two days in  a row.  Impressive, but it “upsets” me.  

     Saturday was awesome in terms of weather.  I got quite a bit done around this little piece of paradise.  Several families brought goats.  I had to shut down early as the family was heading to Burlington to go eat at the Vintage House.  We met my hero–Jim Rhodes and his lovely wife and daughter, as well as the newly crowned DR. Mindi Clark and her husband Steve.  Steve has a pretty cool story of getting a hug from Shania Twain at a recent concert in Vegas.  

     Anyways, if you haven’t been to the Vintage House in Burlington, OK, then you ought to think about it.  I could easily argue that it is the best restaurant in OK.  I had a buffalo filet, Kela had grilled shrimp, Duke devoured a grilled lobster and Tammy had a Rio Grande lobster–lobster tail with cheese and jalapenos.  The potato soup is way good, the bread succulent, the meats are off the hook, salad stellar and I topped it off with a piece of Key lime pie.  Great food with better friends–truly, a Kelln kind of deal. 

     We did find a new way to travel.  The Dragon Lady drove her Acadia and put Duke and I in the backseat.  He put a DVD in–JOE DIRT.  Other than laughter, Kela and Tammy didn’t have to hear anything out of Duke and I until we got to Cherokee.  Then it was just a short jump to Burlington.  

     Here’s my advice to all of the guys out there.  I highly recommend taking your lady to a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert.  I also highly recommend taking her to the Vintage House.  I guess they also have a bed & breakfast, but I haven’t been there.  

     Now, we have another Winter cold front.  I hope that people are using layers of blankets to keep their wethers warm.  Boer goat hair does not have any redeeming insulating value, therefore, blankets should be used.  I also highly recommend using blankets on show does.   Just make sure that there isn’t a strap on the back end that will deflect piss on to their rear legs.  Likewise, make sure there isn’t a strap across the sheath of a wether.  If there is, piss will stain their belly and the front of their rear legs.   When you get a decent day out, take the blankets off and let the goats “air” out.  We try to exercise without blankets, but if it is butt-ass cold, leave the blankets on while they run.

     Sunday has been a cold, windy, biting kind of day.  But there was a couple of saving graces on the boob tube.  Law & Order was showing a marathon on TNT and Law & Order SVU had a marathon on USA.  I’ve seen most of the episodes of both series, primarily because they show the reruns at about 3 am.  Which has led to Mikey not getting his beauty sleep in numerous hotels on goat trips.  And Big Bill might have unplugged a tv or two, trying to keep me from turning the tube on when I woke up, which is normally earlier than most.  

      Law & Order is tied with Gunsmoke as the longest running TV show with LIVE characters.  Simpsons are the longest running.  SVU is tied with ER for 6th longest running show.  This says something for the writers, characters, actors, etc. to have 2 of the longest running tv series ever.  

Trivia–What does Law & Order SVU have in common with JOE DIRT?

Answer–Adam Beach–He played Kicking Wing in Joe Dirt and Detective Chester Lake in Law & Order SVU.  That, and several of the characters on Law & Order smell like Joe Dirt–the buck.  

      Although I have never been accused of having a “happy-go-lucky” kind of personality, I consider myself to be luckier than most.  Most of my hardships were self inflicted and in turn resulted into HUGE positives.  Things like DUI, early parenthood, one bad eye, etc. turned out to be just road bumps that resulted in a better job, a wife of 20+ years and glasses that have one lense thicker than the other.  Most of those stories won’t be told on here, but catch me in the right mood when I am sitting on an ice chest and…..

      How am I lucky?  I have a good family and Tammy has a good family.  We have problems, but they are our problems.  I was lucky to be around all of my grandparents.  My kids have had extensive involvement with all of their grandparents as well as several great-grandparents.  Tammy has a really good relationship with her brother and sister-in-law and a pair of cool nieces. I have a pair of brothers that have really good wives with some neat prospects on the ground (they are just now getting to be old enough to see if they are cool or not–the two girls, I’m pretty sure will be alright.  The boy–he has a lot of fun chopping wood.  He acts like his dad.  Scary.)

      I’m lucky because we have been able to raise our kids with a strong family group.  Then, throw in the extensive group of friends and I feel very lucky.  Most of our family has an agricultural background.  A large percentage of our friends have strong ties to agriculture.  Although, I enjoy winning a stock show, it is more important to raise kids in a highly competitive environment that truly teaches the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat and most importantly, traits like work ethic, friendship, common sense, how to help others, sportsmanship and how to have fun.  

     I am lucky because I got to spend 15 years in a career that was exactly the career path I chose.  I grew up wanting to be an ag teacher.  All 15 years were educational and I don’t wish to change any of it, including the exit.  How many people get to have a job doing exactly what they wanted to do?

     I’m lucky to have family, friends, co-workers, customers, rivals, etc. that remind me that it isn’t always about the $, having fun, winning, whatever.  I’ve got others that try to teach me to make $s anytime you get a chance.   And yet others that worry that I might have too much fun at times.  But all of them respect hard work, a job well done and the fact that it could be worse.  

      Feeling lucky has nothing to do with money.  Has nothing to do with winning stuff.  I feel lucky just knowing that if something happens to me, my kids, my wife, my family will be fine.  I hope everybody has that feeling.  Just knowing that it will be fine makes one feel lucky.

Play hard.

Work hard.

Pray harder.

Didn’t have to break ice.  The does and babies are cozy.  The wethers are blanketed and waiting for it to be 60 this afternoon.  And I’ve got nothing else on this fine morning.  Have a good day.

      That trip OKC last saturday was not fun at all.  From Oakwood to Watonga was severely slick and dangerous.  There were 6 semis in the ditch in that 15 mile stretch.  Kela’s plane was delayed but she made it in just fine.  The TSO concert was off-the-hook good.  Tammy and I have seen them several times and they always put on a whale of a show.  Even with the horrible road conditions, the Chesapeake center was full.  

      It has been pretty cold here for over a week.  But at least the wind hasn’t been bad.  I’ve had to factor in ice breaking time every morning.  Most of the stock has been grateful that the hay feeders stay full, the self feeder on the doe kids stays full and the dog feeders stay full.  However, there is a set of does that have been living inside since before the first ice storm back around the 1st of December.  They haven’t seen any ice, snow, freezing rain, wind or cold.  They have full feeders and alfalfa hay and a heater when needed.  But they are so grateful that they routinely crap in their water and waste hay.  But their babies are doing well.

      I know that several have tried to call me lately and haven’t had any luck getting me to answer.  I apologize, but between work, our own personal stuff going on and a STRONG desire to NOT have to talk goats, I’ve just needed a recharge week or two not answering questions.  

     I hope everybody had a good Christmas or Hannukah.  If you don’t celebrate one of those two holiday’s, well, I feel for you.  I did recently listen to a new Christmas poem.  It was very interesting.  Who knew that Big I was a poet.