2/28/2021 0 Comments Shimmer DeliversWe waited and waited and waited....then 4 days after her due date, at 2:30 in the morning of February 28th, Shimmer, "Ruthie", delivered a beautiful doeling and handsome big ol' buckling! It was about 8 degrees but sunny on their first day in the world so we put some little fleece coats on them until they were nursing well and keeping their little bodies warm. They have been gaining weight well and are very well put together goatlings. The doeling is "Phoebe" and the buckling is "Hugo". Phoebe will be going to her new home with Ivy's doeling, June, and the buckling is available for sale. Their dam is an excellent milker and the dam and Jeroboam, their sire, pass on their fantastic personalities to their offspring. These are their 4th and 5th kids. They have joined Ivy's doeling, June" and are running around the snowbanks and bouncing off the sheep in between milk snacks and naps, .
It's a good life!
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2/28/2021 0 Comments Cuppie's lambsAt my 5:30am barn check Saturday morning, she just looked at me. She was waiting for me to leave. Buttercup, whom I affectionately call Cuppie, is a pro and didn't want my help. When we went down to the barn for chore time at 7:30am, she had 2 sweet lambs all cleaned up and with full bellies! One ram lamb: And one ewe lamb: Buttercup, loving the nursery pen with all she can eat hay, a bit of treat grain and the whole pen to lay down anywhere she pleases. After a day, she wanted her sister and daughter in the pen too. They were happy to oblige and eat hay....it's a good life.
2/13/2021 0 Comments Rosegold has a DoelingWell, we were really looking for twins this year, but Rosegold, Ivy, kept with her theme of a single doeling for the 3rd year in a row! And what a nice little doeling she is! I went down to the barn Wednesday morning at 6am while my tea was steeping, to find everyone laying down except Ivy and Ruth. They were both in the corner and Ivy was talking up a storm at me, at her belly and snorting warning snorts at Shep our LGD. I checked her ligaments and couldn't feel them, her udder was full but not tight so I knew it wouldn't be for a few hours at least.
Not long after the kids went to the barn for chore time, one of them came running back up to the house to say Ivy was starting to labor. Perfect, it's about 4 degrees now, but with a high of 20 and sunny, so that should be okay! Ivy pre-labored laying down, getting up and talking for about 30 minutes. Then the pushing started. 30 minutes later she pushed out a golden beauty! 2/1/2021 0 Comments BeltiesIn addition to our goats preparing to kid, three of our Belted Galloways are in their final month before calving. Gabi, Gold, and Fawn. Oreo cookie calves coming soon!
1/18/2021 0 Comments 4 weeks to go!The anticipation of baby goats and lambs arriving always makes winter feel like it's moving along a touch quicker. Our first 2 does are due to kid in about four weeks, "Ivy", Treasured Sunrise Rosegold, in particular, looks quite ready. Last year she kidded a single doeling and the year before that she kidded a single doeling....I have been giving her the pep talk, "This is your year Ivy-bivy, twins for the win, pretty girl. You gotta pull your weight around here, can't just be a pretty face!" I think she understands and will pull through with twins. "Ruthie", Treasured Sunrise Shimmer, kidded the sweetest twins last year and we would obviously love twins again out of this stellar doe, but she's looking smaller than last year so there may just be a single. I tell her, "Poofy, single or twins are fine, just be healthy and strong in your delivery and be the stellar milker that you are!" Ruthie has been a fantastic milker with a single or with twins. She has a will to milk and took a lot longer to dry up for her winter rest than my other does. Both of these does are bred to our registered herd sire, Stumphollo Jeroboam. His offspring have fantastic personalities, and tend to be longer haired. His sons grow well and have matured for breeding in their first fall. I am eager to see his daughters as milkers this year! Kids from these matches will be British Guernsey.
6/2/2020 0 Comments New HomesThe 2020 crop of Guernsey goat kids have begun to leave for their new homes. Olive's sweet Nutmeg, now called Manuka,was first to leave as a bottle baby. Next followed Glen and Sami as bottle wethers. Then Dale left to his new home as a future herd sire. We were then left with 5 goat kids to play with until the end of May. Ginger Snap and Mr Tumnus went west together as a breeding pair, and joined a few other does. Jorli traveled north to be a herd sire for the coming breeding season. The last 2 to leave were Shimmy and Candy. They went west together and joined a herd of 4 other Guernsey doelings. And that's a wrap to the 2020 kidding season!
Get in touch with us this November if you want to add Guernseys to your herd! 4/22/2020 0 Comments American Buckling, DaleUPDATE: Dale has been SOLD!
American Guernsey Buckling, Dale is ready for his own herd! He is two months old and will be ready for breeding season this fall. Horned, correct and wide, Dale has a fantastic temperment and will bring great Guernsey character to your herd. His dam has a well attached udder and is a great producer on minimal grain and keeps condition well on forage. His sire's dam produces over a gallon a day and thrives on a forage based system. Whether you are looking for a Registered Guernsey Buckling for your Guernsey herd or looking to add the easy going, hardy, mid-sized traits of the Guernsey to your mixed herd, Dale is right for you. See our previous posts for more information and photos. He is available for $400 as a buckling. 3/29/2020 0 Comments Buckling Round-Up!We have 4 fantastic bucklings available. Here's a round up of them all. We'd love to see them have their own herds to bring some great Guernsey character to mixed herds or to get someone started on a Guernsey breed up program! First up are Glen and Dale, GGA Ardelia Delta's bucklings, born February 23, 2020. They will absolutely be ready for breeding season this fall. Glen is the larger of the two with great growth, a light coat and dark socks. He enjoys naps on your lap, and being in charge. He is an aggressive eater and forager, as evidenced by his great growth. His brother, Dale, has a very different personality. He is gentle, and endearing. He plays with the other kids and lambs but does not seek to dominate. He will make a fantastic herd sire. His personality would also lend himself well to being a pack-goat or an animal education-type center. He will stand by children patiently and allow them to pet and scratch him and he enjoys it greatly, to the point of falling asleep in their arms. Our next pair of brothers are Jorli and Sami, out of Stumphollo Debutante, born March 16, 2020. Deb's kids always start out slender and then develop into nice, full, young goats. Jorli, the oldest, has the makings of a fantastic herd sire. He has an alert, gentle personality, and is put together very well. Deb is our top producer at over a gallon a day and her pedigree is heavy with Golden Guernseys. His brother, Sami has a different look to his face and a real spunky, curious personality. Here's Sami on the left and Jorli on the right: Sami is more slender than our other bucklings, though he is gaining well, he is not thickening as we like to see in our breeding bucks, and would probably best be suited as a companion animal. He is buddies with everyone, animals and people! Contact us to learn more about our bucklings and how they can fit into your herd goals!
3/28/2020 0 Comments A Doeling for RosegoldRosegold "Ivy" kidded yesterday with a lovely 7.5lb doeling in a textbook kidding. Ivy decided she couldn't leave her pen during morning chores so we fed her, gave her a small pile of hay, warm water and let her rest; she was clearly moving into early labor. After breakfast I went to check on her, saw she was pushing, called the kids down with the news and by 9:15am we had a delightful doeling. Despite being a bottle-baby herself, Ivy has excellent maternal instincts. She loves all the kids and lambs and is very tolerant of them; but with hers she is dutiful, even to the point of snorting and stomping to warn our LGD pup, Shep, not to come too close. Shep took her advice and simply laid down with his head averted and only stole a glance occasionally. Treasured Rosegold, whom we call "Ivy", is a registered British Guernsey doe and considered an American Purebred Guernsey. She was bred to Joe Cotton so this little doeling will also be registered British Guernsey and American Purebred Guernsey. It's a toss up now as we have 3 mamas left, 2 ewes and 1 doe, as to who goes next. Either way, next weekend is bound to be exciting around here!
3/18/2020 0 Comments Jorli and SamiStumphollo Debutante kidded twin bucklings on 3/16/20 at 5:20pm in a textbook delivery. And I got some great pictures of it....except I forgot to put the memory card into the camera! But here are a few pictures from that evening. Deb produces a lot of milk for a Guernsey. I was really hoping she'd give a doeling to continue her line and so she could have a buddy in the herd, but it was not to be this year. In order to keep her udder even and comfortable, I milk out between 2-4 quarts each morning, but these bucklings are doing a great job of keeping her milk supply from getting out of hand! And this shows in how alert they are and how fast they are thickening up already! But it's tiring work, this is how I found Deb and her boys the next morning: Pretty sure I see a smile there. Here are a few pictures of the bucklings up and bouncing around. They are both available, and can be registered as HB2 bucks with the British Goat Society. Debutante's pedigree is heavy with Golden Guernseys, both their sire and dam have heavy milk lines, and their sire is from show lines. If you would like them disbudded, please let us know promptly so we can schedule it by an experienced goatherd.
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We are the Lowers....a homesteading, homeschooling, family of seven living in central Maine. We aim to be purposeful in what we do each day as we strive to be good stewards of God's gifts. Archives
February 2021
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