Wwoofing It: Day 2

Today I had to wake up early, around 7am, after going to bed around 2am because of the baby goat problem late last night, to go haul straw from a farm across town. The farmer didn't want the straw anymore and we need it to use as bedding for the animals in the barn and in the trailers. So we had to be there early in the morning to load up straw on a flatbed trailer. It was really fun playing in the tall straw stacks but it really hurts when small pieces get stuck in your socks and pants. I learned that the hard way. I was so excited by the tall stacks that I was jumping through it and climbing on them, and I had to lift hay stacks onto the trailer, so hay got everywhere in my socks, in my pants, in my jacket pockets and even in my jacket hood. So we loaded up our flatbed and drove back across town to the ranch to unload the hay and start work for the day. First thing I had to do was let the dogs out of their kennels so they could exercise and run around. There are over 200 dogs on the ranch so that was really fun watching them play and run around and have so much fun. Its also extremely muddy right now, so all the dogs were covered in mud chest high. Then Marv gave me a detailed tour of the different pens and kennels and showed me what I am going to be doing when I am out there alone for my night kidding watch. We examined all the goats and some of their kids (babies) and checked out the expecting mothers to see if any of them started to labor yet, but none had. We picked out a few that are probably going to deliver tonight or tomorrow so we can keep an eye on them and separate them into their own pen so they can safely deliver their kids without other goats stepping on them. A separate pen for a goat who is starting to labor is called a jug. So we had to make a few more jugs because there are so many goats that are going to start delivering soon. Then Marv told me he was going to start teaching me how to vaccinate, tag and trim hooves of the goats today. So we started with the mothers who had just had kids recently so we can keep track of who gets vaccinated, as well as tag their kids while they are with their mother so we can match and record tag numbers. So Marv told me exactly what to do and watched me, and I gave my first injection to a mother goat. I had to give her a medication to help her after her labor and a medication to fight off any infection she may have gotten because she had a somewhat difficult labor. The medications were subcutaneous, so I had to use a needle and syringe. However, because livestock are so much bigger and their skin is thicker, the needle is a lot bigger than one used on humans. So I had to hold this huge goat in a corner and inject her with this huge needle, and it was really hard to get it through the skin. I was pushing really hard and it took a while to get the needle in her skin. They also jerk around a lot so I had to hold her down at the same time, so it was a really intense process for me. Marv has been doing it for 21 years so he can do it really easy, but I was really nervous and a little bit shaken up at first. It was the most exciting part of my experience so far, because I felt like this would be something a real veterinarian would do, and I was looking after and helping to heal a goat that needed help. It was very exciting, but a bit strange at the same time. I felt like I was really hurting her, and I hate doing that to animals, but then I just related it to people. It is the same feeling we get when we have to get a shot, it barely hurts and its over in a second, so its not as scary as it seems. The animals feel the same thing. So then I had to give her 2 more injections, as well as an oral medication that you have to inject down the back of their throat with a really really large syringe. Then I had to tag the kids, and that part was a little uneasy too. I had to pierce the kid's ear with a large gun and a plastic tag, and they squirm and yell really loud so it made me feel like I was really hurting them too. But it feels just the same as when we get our ears pierced, so I knew they would be just fine and I just had to get over the feeling and do it. It was really tough to tag them though because their ears are very thick and the gun has a large handle, so my hand had a hard time fitting around the gun. I had to try to do it really fast too so the kid wouldn't have time to move or really feel it. So I did that a few times and it got a little better, but I still need a lot more practice to feel comfortable doing that to an adorable little baby goat. I had to do this process to a few mothers and their kids, and then I had to clean out the barn floor again and spread new hay around for the mothers that are expecting their kids soon. Then I had to make sure each mother had its kids in the same pen, and make sure all the goats are where they need to be. Then I had to make sure each dog was in its correct kennel, and decide which kids we were going to bring back home for the night. Last night we had to bring home 6 kids because either their mother wouldn't feed them or didn't have enough milk for them. I bottle fed those kids last night and this morning and they seemed strong enough to go back to their mothers today. The 2 kids whose mother wouldn't accept them last night took them in today and started feeding them. so they got to stay with her. And 2 more got to stay with their mothers because they were strong enough to stay in the barn in the cold tonight. But 1 other kid still looks really weak and won't stand up at all so I brought him back home. There is also another kid who's mother has 2 already so she can't/won't feed him, and the other goat that we tried to get to accept him won't so I took him back home tonight too. He is really strong and spunky so I know he will be fine, but I don't feel comfortable leaving him with a mother who might trample him or kick him to death at night while we can't watch her. So now I have 2 kids in the living room who are waiting to go back to the barn tomorrow. That was all we could really do today because we were out of daylight and we were really spent from having to stay up so late last night and take care of the kids. But tomorrow I am going out to the ranch around 9am and staying there by myself for a couple hours because Mike has to work, Carrie has to pick him up and Marv has a doctor's appointment, so I am the only one who is available to do the chores that need to be done, as well as watch the mothers who are laboring. I am really excited about getting to do some more work with the animals and take care of them. I am also very happy that Marv trusts me so much already. I feel like I have paid attention really well and learned so much already, so I am excited to be able to put that knowledge to work and learn so much more. I will also be staying out there on night watch duty starting Friday night, so if any kids are born or anything happens, I will have to be able to take care of it. So I am very excited about the progress so far, and I am an incredible amount of information at a really fast pace. This trip has already taught me so much, and I am so excited to learn so much more. I am having a great time and can't wait for this weather to heat up! I am really looking forward to Kentucky in the spring too! I know its going to be beautiful to see. Love you all and miss you guys!

The white gate in front is fencing in the goats at night and it is called the round pen. The white building behind it is the barn where the kids and mothers sleep at night.