Going out of town without the goats Need Advice!

[Adrienne]

 I am visiting my Dad for Christmas and my mom and neighbor across the road are going to be looking after things here. But the situation is complicated... My mom will be here in the morning.  And neighbor in the evening. But with only 2 visits how do  I accomplish all this?

 

Typhoon Buckling: probably fertile by then...  Grain and 2 20 oz bottles a day which have to be made every day 1/2 cows milk 1/2 goat milk replacer ( because the freezer went out and I didn't have any goat milk to feed him when he came home).

Brandi Doe and probably 3 new babies: Milking, grain and a possible bottle if a baby doesn't take to mom

Indiana Doe pregnant 1.5 months to due date by then no grain

Isabel Doe pregnant 3 months to due date by then no grain

Diego: Wether and pen jumper no grain

Catcher: Buck no grain

 

I can have as many as 4 pens. Diego can jump all pens. What I do now is Ty gets his bottles on each end of the day and his grain at lunch.  I could leave the babies on Brandi to avoid having to teach my mom and neighbor to milk, and separate babies at night. Potentially I could put Brandi and her babies in their own pen for the week so feeding them grain won't be too much of a challenge, Ty so far has been really full after his bottles, so should I attach another pen to the buck pen for Ty to eat his grain free choice and risk Diego eating it and getting urinary stones, or let everyone have grain for the week risking urinary stones for the big boys and large babies for the 2 pregnant goats OR not give Ty grain for a week. Is there an option I am not thinking of here? Maybe I should just stay home....

[Adrienne]

Thanks Deborah!  I have been giving Ty his grain before his bottle and he typically has started taking a break in the middle of the bottle to eat some grain and then eating some after his bottle is empty. He has gotten a bit more careful about eating it. the first few days he would choke and foam. It freaked me out when it happened because I thought he was starting to bloat...having never seen actual bloat and only heard symptoms.  Thankfully that was not the case.

Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

Try giving Ty his grain before the bottle. And this is at Christmas, right? He'll be a lot bigger by then.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Try giving Ty his grain before the bottle. And this is at Christmas, right? He'll be a lot bigger by then.

[Adrienne]

Hopefully his appetite grows by then. At the moment he is too full from his bottles morning and evening to eat grain, and he is only eating a few bites at noon. But while I am gone, no one will be here at noon to give it to him.   Of course he is eating hay and browse too.

 

Jan, it wouldn't be so bad if Ty were a bit older or if my does had gotten pregnant closer together the whole year has been a challenge.  And the way Catcher flirted with Isabel when he got out this morning makes me question if she is pregnant... she hasn't acted in heat since a few days after her applesauce poop episode.

[Jan]

Wow...I couldn't keep goats if keeping them were that complicated.

[Jordana Heath]

I agree with Deborah.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I'd tell them to take Ty out and give him his grain, and leave Brandi's kids on her, and put them in a separate pen, so she can get her grain.