A Little Peace

Thank you for the nice emails and comments that you left after my post on Thursday.

I am feeling better, for several reasons. Time does have a way of unclouding the confusion that emotion brings on.

Of course, I have also been reading everything I can find on this, and after reading and re-examining the babies, it is pretty clear that they were premature. Their teeth had not yet erupted, and they are quite small. They may have been viable upon their birth, but B pointed out that even if we could take "heroic" measures and keep them alive, what is the cost, and what are the long-term effects? Will they always be sickly? Will the medicine/treatments cost more than the goats would ever be worth?

I don't want to sound callous-- these issues are very difficult for me personally, and that is part of coming to terms with the way farming is done. While you have to love your animals and love what you do, and love ON your animals if you want them to produce (and also love them and get to know them so you can tell when they are "not themselves" and sick), but you have to be callous enough to pay attention to the bottom line. There is no sense in having an animal that will not produce for you, if it is costing you. That is bad business and will put you OUT of business. So I continue to struggle with that.

But I feel a little better about the babies.

I now struggle with an other doe that is sick (not pregnant, though), and I am treating her. I also worry about the third doe yet to kid, and if there is some sort of infection going around in the barn. It is warming up-- which I had begged for-- but now with the warmer temperatures, the viruses/bacteria are back.

I am also getting ready to go out of town for a meeting. I leave Wed and come back Saturday night late. Cross your fingers for my wonderful husband. He is a brave man. : ) (then again, you knew that already-- he's been married to me for a few years!)