Excuses, excuses, excuses.

During one of Rhiannon's many "breaks" from her school day, she wanted to go outside for a bit to get a breath of fresh air.  This was after the break to change out of her jeans because the left leg was itching her, after the break to go to the bathroom, and after the break to check on the baby goats, but before the break she needed because her toenail was too long.

I've gotta put a stop to this.  It's amazing how many, and how varied the excuses are for her to get a break from whatever subject she isn't interested in at that moment.  Actually, she's just a fount of excuses, most of them downright pathetic.

One day she asked to have soup for lunch.  So even though soup was not on the lunch menu, I obliged and made her a bowl of soup.  When she lost interest it in mere seconds after spooning it into her mouth, she said she didn't want anymore.  Her reason?

Her soup was too wet.

I'm not sure where she gets it.

Well that was a bold faced lie.  I know exactly where she gets it from.

Because now I've been making excuses for my goats.  Pickles and Dilly, both of whom popped out kids with problems, most likely White Muscle Disease, were supposed to be headed for the sale barn.  Or the freezer.  I hadn't made up my mind yet.  Part of me has a problem with taking animals to the sale barn because really, I don't think they should be allowed to continue breeding and there's no way for the new owner (i.e. sucker) to know about their history.  And although I would probably get over shooting Pickles and putting her in the freezer (oh, the wonderful, peaceful silence!!), I don't think I could shoot Dilly because she turned out to be a nice goat and a great mother.

So now I'm thinking I may give them both another chance.  Because the White Muscle Disease is supposed to be from a lack of Selenium and / or Vitamin E, I'm going to give them both a shot of Bo-Se right before breeding and a few weeks before kidding.  If I can get them bred for a November or early December kidding, I'll keep them.  It will be interesting (but depressing if they pop out reject kids again) to see if the Bo-Se will prevent their kids from having these problems.

Then there's Lira, whom I also vowed to get rid of once she popped her kids out.  But darnit, her kids are just too stinking cute.  And now, even though I vowed to not keep another buck on the homestead, her buckling is something I think I may want to keep in the herd to pass on the black headed genes.  Then there's her teeny-tiny doeling, who is, well, just teeny-tiny.  And cute.  Unbelievably stinking cute.  So I think I may keep her and breed her, but wait until next year to do so if she can make weight, because again, I'd like to keep that black headed gene in our herd.

Moo-latte, doeling

Moe-lasses, buckling

Lira (the mother of the two black headed boers) is still probably on the way out though, regardless of her ability to pop out black headed Boers, which may have been a fluke anyhow.  She is just as loud and just as annoying as Pickles.  Not to mention the fact that she is beyond a wimp.  You can be low goat on the totem pole and survive, but not if you're low goat AND a total wimp.  She gets chased around and runs for the hills.....without concern for her kids.  Not a mothering skill I want around here.  So after she weans her kids, I'll put her on the local FB page and be honest about why I'm getting rid of her.  Total Wimp.  Which may be fine for another herd with less dominate, or smaller goats.

But there is NO way I'm keeping any of the dairy kids this year.  No matter how cute.

No excuses.