07/26/2024
Our daughter’s cool little “tie dye” paint wether this year has a great story I want to tell. He had a rough start and an amazing finish. It’s a little long, but stick with me here.
Jeff had to go in to work early the Saturday morning before he was off for kidding week. So he went out to feed earlier than he typically would have on a Saturday and found the wether laying in the middle of the pen at 4am. Believing him dead, Jeff went to scoop him up to remove. He let out a little squeak. As if to say, “Don’t give up on me!!!”.
His body was about 5 degrees below normal, so Jeff spent an hour heating him with a blow dryer in a garbage bag (with his head out of course) and I took over for another hour so he could go to work. Had Jeff not been asked to work Saturday, he would have went out a couple hours later than he did and the wether probably would have been dead when he was found.
After getting him up to temp and putting him in his heating barrel, I went to let the girls know I was in the barn. My youngest daughter came with me and helped get the mom’s milk started and put him on her. (Who was a first time mom and must have had a hard go - she was laying elsewhere worn out when Jeff came out.)
My oldest daughter fell in love at first sight when she came out. He reminded her of her grand champion born & raised from the year prior year.
The wether couldn’t walk for days upon days. His legs were so stiff. We had to get him up and put him on mom around the clock. But over time, he started walking and he looked really nice.
But then shortly before weaning, he started not thriving again. If you are around Butler County, you know how hard it is to find a goat vet. But thank goodness for finding Dr. Brissey! We took him to her and found he had almost white famacha (color in inner eye lid), indicating a pretty heavy level of worms and very low iron. Which was a learning lesson for us - they don’t get immunity from mom.
He finished up his meds and iron supplements, but it took a while to start looking promising again. But he finally started coming on, and our daughter started working him. Bracing him, washing him, running with him (when it wasn’t raining), putting him on a stand. Hours spent most every day all summer, on top of her figure skating lessons and competitions, as well as summer class work for the 4 upcoming high school honors classes.
He became naturally showy. We clipped him out and he got that tie dye look. He learned to lock in that brace. He learned to prance. She would walk him around with his head high and with prancing feet that sounded like a horse. He knew he was pretty. He’s a head turner.
And he went out in that ring and did everything they practiced. He brought her home some great wins. At the Midwest Goat Series show at Butler County, she was 4th place Intermediate Showman and 3rd place Heavyweight Division winner. At our county fair, he brought her home with 2 Grand Champion banners, a 3rd overall banner, and a 4th place Overall goat showman of showman banner (and age class showmanship win). The last judge called him “picturesque”.
But now the fun ends. Tomorrow the difficult day comes to tell him goodbye. She will leave with an empty halter and heavy heart as she leaves her little friend behind.
And now you all know why she will be crying so hard at that trailer. And me too.
Thanks to all our friends and family for their support and helping us out this year. And thanks to James Maynard for celebrating our wins with our little guy, sired by his Chatter buck.
Over 80% of our does blood tested positive as bred for kids for next fair, so I guess we will have a few months break before we get kids on the ground for next year in November!!!
