This past Wednesday I was sure we were failing completely as goat parents.
From the moment that our new Boer babies arrived, it has been a challenge. They are cute, fluffy, friendly and troublesome!
Princess Belle started her life with us at the vet with an injured leg. We have no idea how it happened, but probably was just goats being goats. We have struggled around making suitable small quarters where she would be able to heal safely, get outside, see and interact with the rest of the herd (so she didn’t cry loudly from loneliness), eat well, and be as happy as possible. This is how she has come to be known as Princess Belle instead of just Belle. She gets LOTS of love and attention – she kind of demands it!
Justice, our very first buck, is a tiny guy for a Boer buck. He is friendly and bouncy and all around cute. Other than getting his head stuck in a hay feeder – he has largely been no trouble – until last week.
So our vet is very patient, kind, and friendly. If he rolls his eyes when I call – again – I can never tell it in his voice or tone. He is just great! He has seen alot of us over the last month or so.
So Justice started limping last week. I can’t tell you how profoundly two limping goats will make one question their skills as a farmer – I’m not sure there is a set of words that adequately describe the self-doubt. But I can tell you, last weekend I was feeling pretty low. Justice was limping and Belle was still limping. Ugh! When we got Justice to the vet we learned a little bit about “foot rot”. I hesitate to even share this, because it makes me feel terrible! Wet conditions, rather common this spring, seem to increase the likelihood. So we took our parent guilt in a healthy direction and set off to treating his foot like the nurses we are.
Great, have a direction – working toward the healing. – Except Belle, she was looking so bad that I seriously thought I would lose our little girl one afternoon. She started limping on alternating feet, and quickly just didn’t want to get up at all. She knelt and “crawled” in her little stall. I started praying. Seriously praying for this goat, for wisdom to care for these goats, for some sign that we were or were not doing the right thing.
So, I called but was unable to reach our favorite patient, kind, vet. But her condition was not going to wait. So my husband headed for the antibiotic shot and we decided to assume that on top of her injured leg, she also had contracted “foot rot”. 
So for this entire week, twice per day, we have soaked three goat feet on two different goats in a warm water, epsom salt, beta-dine solution for 10 minutes each. Hey, by the way, goats do NOT LIKE WATER! I have taken about 10 baths in orange, staining, warm epsom salt soak in the last week! But, we got it down to a system.
Yesterday, before church, I had church – with my husband, in our little barn as Princess Belle ran and jumped and flipped and flopped – and for the first time since she has belonged to us – didn’t limp one bit! Both of the babies so far have stopped limping. God is good. I’m sure there are much more pressing matters for God to attend to than a couple of new farmers and a couple of baby goats. But, I’m more than happy to give Him the glory for a couple of normal playing, running and not limping, goats!
If you look carefully in the top photo, you will see a goat in the middle, tail stuck up in the air with all four feet off the ground. That is our Princess Belle, enjoying her morning, out of her stall, running around like a crazy – normal goat! Great reason for having church!
brandnewfarmers 