Ordered straws for Select Sires today: 3 Tbone and 3 Phantom. Both are gender select and have udder emphasis. AI process is set to begin July 10 with seeder implant and shot. We'll remove the implant and give another shot 8am July 18th and then take her back to the vet 3:30p July 20th for the actual AI. If it takes, she'll be calving around April 20th.

Solarizing the fall garden, 60x40. Six weeks until it's done cooking.

Beautiful summer evening sky after rain.

Phoebe is reading upside down!

Might as well park yourself in front of the fan cause its summertime in Texas. Even the house a/c couldnt keep the house cooler than the low eighties yesterday. The only saving grace is that the nighttime temps are staying in the low seventies....wierd because I remember summers where it is still in the nineties at eleven at night.

Put out minerals for goats and steers. Heat Advisory today...high will be 101, no breeze. Hickory has a sunburned nose. Sammy the black cat seemed to really suffer with the heat yesterday.

Plowing up the fall garden which is 40x60.

Five truckloads of mulch from the tree crews delivered yesterday.

Received 2 orders of wheaten marans hatching eggs yesterday. Eggs on left are much darker. Egg order on right had one broken...I am debating whether to hatch them because of lightness.

Got the incubator all set to hatch eggs that I ordered from ebay. I got Black Copper and Wheaten Marans and large Blue Cochins. I found my old yellow folder in which I kept a daily log from the last time we hatched eggs...April 1999!

We lost Holly yesterday. After the second shot on Thursday she had shown some improvement, but it was short lived and the shot on Sunday didn't seem to have an affect at all. She would look for us when we came into the barn and appeared to like the head rubs. We fed her twice a day with the tube feeder which she didn't seem to mind, and frequently offered her water. We kept her in clean shavings, with two fans blowing on her, and sprayed to keep the flies off. She never seemed to be in pain or even uncomfortable. She peacefully died quietly in the late afternoon. We wrapped her in a crisp white sheet, and Paul buried her underneath some trees in the back pasture.

Unfortunately I now know that it was preventable had I been a little more experienced, and had a little more knowledge. I tried to treat the diarrhea myself for too long, and should have pressed the vet sooner for a different treatment. I now know to preventively use Corid from the start, even if they test negative for coccidiosis, and to get medical intervention and antibiotics much sooner. Separate quarters and quarantine will also be part of the new protocol.

Gosh, I hate learning the hard way. I have always said that I hate a "mystery", such as when our spotted black Nubian doe died for no apparent reason, or when the twin kids were born so sick - but now I find it equally sad and discouraging that Holly died because of my lack of experience.

No progress yesterday...maybe a little worse today with swelling.

Spunky weighs 115lb. Paul is giving her vitamins.

Speckles weighs 110lb

I didnt't leave much for baby Abby.

Speckles abscess is down by 70% and doesnt look red. Another shot on Monday.

Well miracles never cease. Holly had her 3rd shot this morning (vet recommended 2 before making a decision), and she looked unchanged. I came home this evening and checked her first thing.....and he abdominal swelling was down considerably if not gone altogether. Its amazing!

Holly is not showing great strides of improvement or a reduction in the swelling. She did want to stand though. As long as she seems comfortable I will give her another shor tomorrow and hope her recovery is just slow. Will put off makinh a decision until Monday unless there are changes.

Speckles's abcess rupturing. Vet said to leave it alone and give another shot on Monday regardless on whether it looked well or not.

Pushing the bucket down herself and is drinking quite a lot.

Heads up 7 Up!

Holly is more alert this morning. She is holding her head upright, but is grinding her teeth which I think indicates pain or discomfort. Spunky's naval appears bigger today. Vet thought it would abscess.

Maverick and Sammy...lords of the barn

Abby and Anabel chewing cud abd fighting off flies.

Poor Holly. We have her in posh digs with lots of clean shavings and a fan right on her to help keep the flies of. Maybe good nursing will up her odds.

Loosened halter on Suzette today. She was not fun to catch! Measured her with tape and she was 43.5 inches or 264 lbs. All she is getting is grass and a little dairy pellets.

Spunky tested positive for coccidosis (Holly did not).All 3 plus possibly the whole barnyard ruminant population may have to be treated with Corid. Note to future self: 3 oz of Corid to 1 quart of water added in 1 oz doses to calves milk twice a day. Vet said to use as preventative when bringing home new calves.

Speckles now has a naval infection May shrink with shot. Second one in one week. It could abscess and rupture. It may need surgery. It is not life threatening but could be chronic problem.

Took all 3 to vet. Holly has peritonitis and only 50/50 chance, may have to put down at week end. She started swelling in abdomen over weekend. She got a shot and will need another thurs if she shows improvement. She is also being treated with corid even tho her test was clear but becaus Spunky tested positive for coccidosis. Holly is also getting Lacto gel with Vitamins. She is to only get 1quart of straight milk twice a day.

With a red nose and drippy red beard it looks like Snowflake is our very first carniverous dairy goat, however the simplest explanation is that she really enjoyed the watermelon that I put out.

Well the names Hope and Hazel have not taken at all, they will forever by Speckles and Spunky. Speckles looks to be 3/4 Jersey and maybe a tad Holstein perhaps. Spunky was the smallest but has thrived and attacked the bottle the best. She is the shyiest excep when its time to eat.

Holly is not doing very well at all, she is very week. Paul took her stool sample to the vet on Thursday but no parasites. He did get her a vaccine with a cocktail of meds which I will detail later.

Hardness in back left quarter continuing to improve with no special treatment

Back left quarter improving...hard spot maybe small orange to lemon size instead of grapefruit

Hazel 2 bottles and 4 oz pepto: good but bad scours. Hope only 1 bottle no med: good, dunno bout scours. Holly poorly: tubed bottle with pepto and bottle with arrest, scouring.