Field Flowers and Baby Goats

baby boer

We’ve been working hard this weekend getting our new website up and running. 🙂 We still have a few more things to add, but we’re so happy to have this new space to share through and we hope you like it!

The rest of our time has been spent in the fields getting wire hauled for new fencing and taking the goats out for their daily feeds. It’s so exciting to see bits of Spring popping up in the dry, brown fields, especially such cheery ones like these.

 

wild daisies

We’ve been feasting on simple but rib-sticking foods like this delectable lemony white bean salad tossed with tuna and fresh Roma tomatoes. You can find the recipe here at Krista’s food and travel site:

http://www.ramblingtart.com/2013/08/30/italian-dreaming-and-a-lemony-white-bean-salad/

white bean salad

But mostly we’ve been keeping an eye on beauties like this little girl…

baby boer

and this one…

baby girl goat

and this one. 🙂

They are the sweetest things, tiny, cuddling, snoozy, and we love them. 🙂

sleepy baby goat

What’s keeping you busy this weekend?

Eggs, Foxes and Curious Little Goats

skirt full of eggs

It’s been gorgeous weather this Spring, and with the returned warmth and a new shady home for the birds, our chickens and ducks have been laying like mad!

Yesterday I went to let them out for a feed and returned with my skirt full of eggs. One dozen in one day!

Needless to say, I’m on the lookout for egg-centric recipes. 🙂 If you have any recommendations you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about them in the comments. 🙂

skirt full of eggs

Unfortunately the warm weather has also brought out other animals, like foxes. Our eyes goggled at the enormous fellow we saw scampering around the top goat paddock earlier this week.

We have a sneaking suspicion he’s the one who devoured our beautiful Muscovy drake. 🙁 We’re making doubly sure that everyone is locked up tight at night.

Thankfully our baby Kalahari goats are safe and sound. Their Maremma guard dogs – Freja, Apollo and Solar – warn us of any potential dangers and that is a great relief.

baby boer goat

I was out with them the other day and they were their adorably curious selves, trotting over to see what I was up to, clustering at my feet quite certain that something interesting was about to happen.

cluster of baby goats

They quickly tired of waiting for me to do anything entertaining and made a beeline for the fence of the Isolation pen, thrusting noses and hooves through the wire to say hello to the goats “doing time” there. 🙂

baby goats playing

Soon the babies will be large enough to join the rest of the herd grazing in outlying paddocks, so I’m enjoying their cute little selves trotting around the yard for as long as I can. 🙂

What is your favorite egg recipe?

How to Care for Baby Goats

baby Boer goat

Lots of excitement around Citadel Kalahari this month! 🙂

This week alone we’ve had Boer triplets AND Kalahari twins born – and they are so cute.

baby goats

Caring for baby goats is simple but important. Thankfully all our goats have had easy births, so we usually find the babies born healthy a short time after they’ve already been born. That’s when our part comes in.

Here are the steps we follow:

  1. Check the mama to make sure the afterbirth is out of her system. If it’s still attached, keep an eye on her as she may have another baby in there.
  2. Check each baby to make sure they’re in good condition and determine the sex.
  3. Spray the umbilical cord thoroughly with antiseptic spray to prevent infection.
  4. Ensure they have good shelter out of the wind. We like to pile clean straw on the floor of whichever shed we have them in to give them a warm place to burrow into.
  5. Make sure the mama has plenty of water and ample feed so she can adequately nurse her babies.
  6. Check the mama’s teats to see how many she has. Often she will only have two, even if she has triplets. If that’s the case, just keep an eye on things to make sure ALL the babies are getting a good feed.
  7. Cuddle and stroke the babies regularly so they are comfortable around humans rather than being skittish.
  8. When they get a bit bigger, make a “goat hill” for them to climb on. Fallen logs or old tires are perfect.
  9. Enjoy them and take lots of pictures. 🙂

 

baby Boer goat

What are your favorite baby animals?

Homemade Bread, a Woodpile and Sunshine

homemade bread

How I love these glorious Australian Autumn days!

Every day starts off crisp and cool, but soon the sun is out, drenching everything in a warm, golden glow.

We’ve been working hard here at Citadel Kalahari: stacking hay, readying gardens for winter, and hauling lots of fallen deadwood to cut up for winter bonfires.

Aussie wood pile

I’ve been making lots of different breads to go with the hearty soups and stews that are perfect for these chilly Autumn nights.

I’ve made garlicky Turkish flatbread, tall loaves of 3-seeded wholegrain, and a round rustic loaf of spiced raisin cottage cheese. Mmm, they’re so lovely fresh from the oven and slathered with creamy butter.

The raisin bread is especially good sandwiched with sharp cheddar cheese and grilled. Delicious. 🙂

homemade bread

Our three baby Boer goats are doing beautifully. They’re already running around with the herd, and nibbling happily on hay and pellets.

Boer goats

How are you filling your days?

Three Baby Goats for Mother’s Day

holding baby goats

We had a surprise this Mother’s Day in Australia. Three new baby goats born in the wee hours of the morning.

Three boys who are strapping and healthy and cute as can be. They are very sweet-natured, more than willing to be cuddled and stroked. I’m smitten. 🙂

baby boer goats

Our friends Neil, Ann (from thisANNthat), Jess and Alex were visiting for a day of medieval fun with our Black Wolf medieval group, so they got in on the fun of holding them, laughing at their wobbliness and spraying their boy bits with antibiotics.

treating baby goats

We had so much fun with them, marveling at their soft coats and cute little bleats.

girls holding baby goats

I just checked on them a bit ago and they’re curled up inside old tires, snoozing in the sunshine. 🙂

What did you do for Mother’s Day?