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12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
4 H FRETTER-ER
A BUCK GROWS UP
ADAPTING
AGAIN, THE SKY IS FALLING
ALL YOU NEED IS ... CARDBOARD
AMANNAMEDJED
AND THEN IT GOT COLD
AND THEN IT WARMED UP TO ZERO
ANGRY GOAT FARMER
ANTIQUE GOAT FARMING
ANYTHING BUT THAT
ARE BUCKS EVER BABIES
AROMA THERAPY
ARTFUL DODGERS
ARTIC FRONT
AUTUMN BOQUET
B U B - B U B - B U B
BABY BACK EXCUSE
BABY MONITORS
BACK TO NATURE
BAIT
BARKING AT GOATS
BARN SOUR TRUCK
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED
BE HAPPY
BEAUTY MISTAKES
BEHAVIORS
BEHIND THE GATE
BIG 10-4 GOAT FARMER
BIKINI WEDNESDAYS
BILLBOARD GOAT FARMING
BILLIES & STICKWEEDS
BLIZZARD OF 92
BLONDE GOAT FARMER
BLONDE HUMOR
BOTTLE BABIES
BOTTLE BABY TALK
BOTTLE BABY WITHDRAWAL
BOXING SUNBEAMS
BRONCHITIS.
BRUISE OR DIRT
BUCK LOVE
BUCKETHEAD
BUCKS IN STOCK
CALLING YOOOOU
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
CANE I DO IT?
CARPAL TUNNEL HAY
CATCHING PEARL
CHICK CHICK CHICORY
CHOCOLATE PLUM
CHRISTMAS KIDDING
CHUCK
COLD IS OUR FRIEND NOT
COUGH DROP WORMER
COUNTING
CRUMPLED
CUD CHEWING CONTENTMENT
DAYCATIONS
DEAR FAVORITE RELATIVE
DELOUSED
DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW ...
DOES ON KIDDING
DOWNSIZING
DRAMA QUEEN
DRENCHED!
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
DUCT TAPE.
DUMPSTER RAIDERS
EARPUGS
EGG SHELL MASSACRE
EMMITT
EMPTY NEST SYNDROME
EQUIPMENT OPERATORS - DANCERS
ESCAPE ARTIST
ESCORT SERVICE
FALLING SKY
FARM WALK
FARMER C S I
FEEL LIKE A NUT
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
FIRST YOU TAKE YOUR SOCK
FLOATING MUSHROOMS
FORKS IN THE ROAD
FULL OF BULL
G G
GATE ATTACK !!!!
GIRL WATCHER
GLIDING
GLOBAL SUPPORT CENTER
GNAWED AND BASICALLY CHEWED
GOAT ADDICTION
GOAT CELEBRATIONS
GOAT FARMER SONG
GOAT FARMER WEIGHT TRAINING
GOAT FARMER'S CREED
GOAT FARMING CAMP
GOAT HOLIDAY GIFTS
GOAT HUNTING
GOAT KLEENEX
GOAT LANGUAGE
GOAT OLYMPICS
GOAT PROFILER
GOAT SCIENTIST
GOAT WHEELS
GOAT WRITER
GOATS RULE
GOOD GRIEF
GOT RUNS?
GOTTA WORK KIDS
GRAND CANYON OF CHILDRESS
GREAT KIDDERS
HAULING GOATS
HAVE MILK WILL TRAVEL
HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE
HAY MONITOR
HE-BE-GEE-BE'S
HELP! HELP! HELP!
HELP! I'M IN THE BATHTUB
HELPING HOOVES
HERD OF TURTLES
HERE COMES KIDDING TIME - A CHRISTMAS TUNE
HOBBLE, HOBBLE
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS (A GROANER)
HOME DECORATOR
HORNLESS
HOT CHOCOLATE
HOW TO BUY GOATS
HOW YOU FEELING?
HUGS
HUNDERD YEARS
HUNTING LUMBERJACKS
I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE
I FEEL PRETTY
I PREFER LONG EYE LASHES
I REALLY DO HAVE A HOME
I'LL HOLD HIM BACK
I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT
I'M STILL HERE?
INDIAN SUMMER
INNOCENT 1ST TIME KIDDERS
INTERNET AUCTIONS
INVESTMENTS
IRON WILL
IT TOOK TWO
JINGLE BELL GOATS
JOKE - GET A JOB!
JOYFUL
JUMPY LITTLE SNOWBIRD
JUST 1 MORE GOAT
KEYSTONE KOPS
KID CATCHING
KID IN A BOX
KID SENSORY OVERLOAD
KIDMARES
KNUCKLE SANDWICHES
LADYLIKE BUCK SELLER
LAST BUCK STANDING
LEFT OVERS
LETTERS
LETTERS FROM THE FARM
M. D. GOAT
MAD AGGIE
MANIPULATE WHAT?
MASTER BLASTER
MAYBE THIS TIME
MEMBER ME
MIND CONTROL
MR. SNUFFY
MUSHROOM HUNTING
MUTTER MUTTER
NAMING GOATS
NANNY BERRIES ~ DEAR FAVORITE RELATIVE
NEW "KID" ... SHOWING
NEW HAY IN THE HOUSE
NEW KIDS.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
NORMAL
OCTOBER KIDDING
ODE TO ODOR
OH, MY
OUCH
PANIC ATTACK!
PAW PAWS
PHILOSOPHY OF HYPOCRISY
PHONE CALLS
PHONE CLASS
PICK POCKETS
PIRANHA PEN
PLAYING DEAD
PLEASED AS PUNCH
PLEASING GOAT CUSTOMERS
PLOP
POOF POOF
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
PRESENTS
PRISCILLA THE HUN
PRO WRESTLER OR PUPPY
PROFESSIONAL POO CHECKER
PSYCH ME OUT
PUTTING ON A SHOW
QUIPS & QUOTES
QUIPS-N-QUOTES II
REAP THE WILD WIND
RECORD KEEPING
REDNECK TANK TOP
REFEREE
REQUESTS
ROAD TRIP 2003
ROCK ON
ROLL'UM ROLL'UM
ROLLIN', ROLLIN', ROLLIN'
RUB DIRT ON IT
S-T-R-E-S-S
SANDWICHED
SAWDUST.
SCHEDULING
SCREAMING BANSHEES
SECRET AGENT
SHAGA GOOBLE SHAGA BLIP
SHANNIGANS & KID SLOBBERS
SHORT TIGHT STEPS & OTHER ODD EVENTS
SHOTS
SHOULD EVERYONE VOTE
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
SMART GOATS
SMUDGED
SNAP, CRACKLE, POP
SNATCHED BALD
SNEAKY
SONG OF THE FROG
SPIES, SECRET AGENTS, SPOOKS, AND OTHER GOATS
SSSNAKE
STAMPEDE!
STARGATE BOERS
STEAM-IRON SANDWICHES
STEP BY STEP
STICK IT WHERE
STOMPING ORANGE STRINGS
STUCK AGAIN
STUDENT ANALOGIES AND METAPHORS
STUPID IS...
SUNSHINE BOO BOO'S
SUPER HERO
SUPER SUCKERS
SUPPER AT SEVEN A.M.
SURVEY SAYS
SURVIVING KIDDING
SWASH - BUCKLING BUCKS
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
TALKING POCKETS
TATTOOING
THANK GOODNESS FOR MUD
THE $37.50 BUCK
THE 2003 DARWIN AWARDS
THE COWBOY WAY
THE DACHSHUND AND THE LEOPARD
THE DANGERS OF GUM BOOTS
THE FARM WOOKIE
THE FLYING GOATZANIES
THE FRAGRANCE OF HAY
THE GAME'S AFOOT
THE GOAT WHISPERER
THE MOB SQUAD
THE MORAL BUCK
THE PET CHICKEN
THE PIED PIPER
THE PLAN
THE SCARECROW GOAT SELLER
THE SMELL OF MONEY
THE TALKING GOAT
THE TARP ANNIHILATOR
THE THINKER
THE TICK
THE TRUTH ABOUT DOGS
THE V WORD
THE WINDY TAX
THE WORM HAS TURNED
THEN THE KNEE DOCTOR SAID
THIS END UP
THUMP, BANG, WHOOP, AND HOLLER
THURSDAY, THURSDAY
TIE THE ROPE TO THE HAMMER
TOO MUCH FENCE
TORNADO ALLEY
TORPEDOS AND TIDAL WAVES
TOSS THE BLOCK
TOY TRUCK
TRAINING HUMANS
TRUE LOVE
TWITCHY HANKEY
UGH DAYS
UNCLE ARTHUR
UNWITTINGLY
USING CAFFEINE WISELY
WALK LIKE A TURTLE
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
WALK THIS WAY
WANNA BUY A GOAT (WINK, WINK, WINK)
WARNING LABLES
WAS THAT 65 OR 66?
WAS THAT CHRISTMAS?
WAS THAT THE WIND
WATER BUCKET TOAD
WAY TO THE HEART
WEANING WEANERS
WEE GOAT FARMERS
WELFARE GOATS
WHAT A DAY
WHAT DAY IS IT
WHAT'D YOU SAY?
WHATSTH THISTH
WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU VEGETABLES.
WHERE'S THE BRAKES
WHOOWEE
WIDE LOADS
WILD GOAT MILKING
WINTER LIST
WOE, DISPAIR...
WRONG.TURN!
YOU CALL HIM WHAT?
YOU COME HERE, NO, YOU COME HERE, NO…
ZAPPED!

THOSE VALUABLE BOTTLE BABIES
by
Connie S. Reynolds
autumnfarmsboers.com
Lee & Connie Reynolds
Autumn Farm
Ravenswood, WV

I have been looking at my bottle babies with a great deal of affection lately. Even when they are weaned from the bottle, they all run up to say Hello no matter where I am at in the field or barn. Even when I worm or give them their shots, they all are easy to catch, quick to forgive, and think I am the most wonderful person in the world. I consider that a very valuable goat.

Maybe not valuable money wise, but valuable stress wise. This kidding season we had over 85 kids. I know that’s small potatoes to some of you breeders, but to us it’s very big potatoes. And, I ran into the problem of trying to tame all those kids down. Over the years I always tried to tame my kids down. I mean the ones who weren’t bottle babies. Bottle babies are just naturally tame. It’s simple to them, you have the bottle, you are the mommy. They love you.

I’d carry around my favorite sitting bucket and go into the kidding stalls and pet and hold the new kids and do this everyday until they are out of the kidding stalls. When they were out in the big world, you’d see me trooping around without my favorite sitting bucket visiting the kids and petting them. I learned early not to carry my favorite sitting bucket into the field with the older does. To them every bucket is a potential feed bucket and I only had to be trampled several times before I quickly learned not to carry any bucket out into the field with the older does. I always was a quick learner.

Now I’ve heard many people groan, "Oh, no. I’ve got a bottle baby." Mainly because of the time spent bottle feeding the kids. Also the money, which usually means at least one 50 lb. bag of milk replacer to get one kid through to weaning. And, milk replacer doesn’t come cheap. It can range for a fifty-pound bag from $40 - 75. Then you have some people who can’t stand a friendly kid. They want that goat to stay away from them and not to bug them. They don’t want it helping them with farm chores (stealing the hammer, bucket of nails, gloves and running off with them in fun) or going for walks around the place with them. They want that goat to stay back until they decide when it’s needed. Bottle babies are a nuisance to them.

I have found bottle babies to be extremely helpful. The other day I went to let the main group of does out into the fields to graze. We keep them up at night in woven wire pens with livestock guard dogs to protect them from the coyotes and the loose dogs running the country. I had recently sold several of the boss does of this herd leaving them basically without their leaders.

Evidently, during the night something must have spooked them. When I swung open the gate to let them out the only one who boldly ran through was the livestock guard dog. And he stopped and turned around in puzzlement as to why the girls weren’t coming to. Since they weren’t, he went back up to stay with them.

I’m use to having to hide behind the gate every morning when I open it for fear of being trampled by the girls wanting out, not this morning. They looked at me as if to so, "She’s trying to feed us to the lions and tigers and bears. Oh no!"

I looked around the field to make sure I wasn’t seeing something that they did, like a bear standing behind me. But, I didn’t see anything. They just didn’t have their bold boss does to say it was all right and to lead them out. But, in the back of the cowering herd, I heard a young kid holler to me. One of my bottle babies. I called her name and she fought her way to the front of the herd and saw me.

That’s all it took. She came running as hard as she could, hollering to me the whole time. The herd decided she must know what was going on and followed her. It was really funny to see this little kid leading this big herd of does and kids.

This year we got swamped with kids and I couldn’t tame down near as many as I wanted. When Lee and I went out to the barn, these human shy kids would disappear. You’d hear the thudding of little hooves and no kids. Or, a swish of moving air and no kids. It was creepy. I could have sworn I had at least 85 kids out here.

I stood there one time with air movement around me and said, "Whazat?"

"It’s your invisible kids," Lee answered, as we listened to little hooves disappearing over the hill. That would never have happened with bottle babies. You know exactly where they are. They are with you.

Bottle babies are wonderful in that you don’t have to have a game plan when it’s time to worm everyone. You just go out, they run up to you, you worm them, and they wait for their hugging afterwards. This is even when they are adults.

The ones I couldn’t tame down for lack of time need a game plan. Lee and I will pick up our wormer, huddle together to talk over how we will catch the wild ones, and it’s not uncommon to see us hunkered down, dodging between bushes, hay feeders, slinking along, to finally nab a kid by the hind leg. And, Lee has become very proficient with a shepherd’s crook for the adults. Why don’t we grab the hind leg of an adult goat like we do the kids to catch them? Have you ever tried to grab the hind leg of an adult goat? They just travel on, at speed, no matter what has got hold of their hind leg. We provide a great deal of entertainment to our neighbors who can see our fields. All of this can be very stressful. You just know there is going to be one goat that you just can’t catch and it worries you to death.

So, when people tell me about how worthless a bottle baby is, I quickly point out all their benefits. Let’s see, they love you, they can bring a herd to you, they are easy to catch to doctor and forgive you afterwards, you can always find them, they can trick the wild kids into running up to you with them before the wild kids come to their senses, you can always catch them, they love you, and did I say you can always catch them and they love you? What more could you ask for? Be thankful for those valuable bottle babies.

THE END


 

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