I saw Tyke’s twin kids this evening.  They are cute,  but I’m not much on babies until they are of age to corrupt.  If they can walk, feed themselves and keep from crapping themselves, then that is the age that I start getting interested in being around kids.  Tammy, on the hand, loves babies.  It makes me nervous.  

      I changed my feeding program this past year on the doe herd.  One, they had plenty of grazing on the triticale/Austrian winter peas/tunrip mix.  Two, they had access to hay all winter.  Mostly oat hay.  I keep free choice salt as well as wind/rain mineral with CTC in it for all does, year round.  Once they kidded, the does have been getting at least 6 pounds per day of an alfalfa/wheat mid/corn pellet.  They also have free choice alfalfa.  The kids are creep fed on Special K.  The first time does are on a feeder with Special K and all the hay that they want.  

     As a whole, I din’t have to pull very many kids.  I did have at least one train wreck. But I think it was the does fault.  I have had a high rate of triplets and a litter of five.  We’ve had very few singles.  This tells me that the bucks were depositing good loads and the does were healthy to have that many eggs and to deliver a high rate of triplets.  I’ve also noticed that the kids didn’t go to feed until they were about 4-5 weeks of age.  Once, they started eating, consumption has been high.  The does have milked well.  Yes, there has been a lot of selection for does that milk heavy.

      I normally like a doe to just raise twins.  They do a better job of raising twins.  But, when they will do a good job with triplets, it sure works good.  Hhmm?  Maybe, Tyke and Mandy needed triplets.  Even quads.  Then they could have added a little Bill and a little Kelln to their little twin bundles of joy.