Weaning Plans

Weaning will not be an issue until well into August, but of course I am already researching and trying to figure out a game plan for when that time comes. Anxiety is what I am feeling, but I keep reminding myself that this is what needs to be done so I need to suck it up. While I am mentioning anxiety I should also add the great stress I am feeling about disbudding and castration, but that will all be performed by our vet so I am putting that worry off until the time is closer.

From what I can tell, weaning comes with great stress on the animals, the humans, and the neighbors. There is crying and calling and searching from both the does and the kids. Deep breath. The big goal will be to break the nursing habit, so there needs to be physical separation. Out of sight and out of ear shot would be ideal, but our infrastructure will not permit that so I have to come up with the best plan given the logistics. I think I have figured it out.

The north side of the barn would be mostly out of sight of the herd's permanent pen which is on the south side, so a temporary weaning area with t-posts and welded wire (maybe panels) there would be perfect. Well, the neighbors are also in that direction so they may feel less enthused about it but I am hoping a visit with a plate of cookies and an explanation the week before will help neighborhood relationships. Unfortunately the only door on that side of the barn is the man door, and at this stage of the breeding game I am not going to make a permanent and costly change in the barn structure, so the man door it is. I was considering a calf hutch for shelter, but I feel strongly about tucking all my goats safely in the barn every night, especially my wee kids!

Inside the man door I can rearrange one of the kidding pens to serve as an interior enclosure so that will be perfect, too. About kidding pens: After planning and drawing and planning and changing my mind and pricing and discussing it with Jim we have decided to invest in two dog kennels rather than piece together cattle panels and figure out gates and posts in the cement floor. These kennels can be easily stored away and then used again whenever and wherever - like a weaning pen - we need them. The costs are not that far off, either, from all the pieces and parts homemade pens would cost (especially the posts bolted into the cement floor). Add to all of that the fact that my husband is not exactly "handy", and although he is willing to help me he is not a happy carpenter.

Being a human parent includes making tough decisions and sometimes causing stress to your children because you know it will be good for them in the long run, and you keep your eye on the goal of raising your children to grow into healthy independent adults. You insist on them sleeping in their own beds, you resist the urge to deliver to school their forgotten gym clothes, you deny the requests to have their schedule changed because they don't "like" their teacher, you make them go to church and brush their teeth and eat their veggies ....... I suppose being a good goat mom involves some of the same kinds of decisions. Weaning/castration/disbudding won't feel good to the kids in the short run, but in the long run the kids will grow up to be healthy and independent adults who will be a pleasure to have as part of a herd.

Having a plan in place makes me feel more secure about it all. I can do this.

From Tractor Supply -- I may have to "wrap" smaller fencing material around the gate when the kids are teeny, depending on how large the gaps really are.