The new ladies of the pasture are Leah and Rachael. Yes, there is a story behind their names. You see, Rachael comes from a long line of champions in the show goat world. She is genetically superior, and both her price tag and her attitude reflect that lineage. However, her twin sister Leah - while having a gorgeous udder - has a horrendous overbite that makes her resemble a cross between a goat and a beaver. She is the ugliest goat Farmgirl has ever seen. But she was cheap (and a package deal with her sister). Their situation reminded Farmgirl of the story from the Old Testament where Jacob was tricked into marrying the less attractive sister in order to get the pretty one - beautiful Rachael and her ugly sister Leah. Farmgirl sincerely hopes that God will similarly bless Leah with "pretty" babies that don't carry on the genetics behind her unfortunate face.
Speaking of Jacob, Farmgirl has put a deposit on a yearling buck to "marry" two ladies here. As soon as his CAE test results come in proving that he's safe, he will be coming to live with Rachael and Leah. We will call him Jacob regardless of what his papers say, because this metaphor is just too perfect to let die.
The barn that Farmgirl has been dreaming of for so long was FINALLY constructed. Farmboy is building stalls, and as soon as he's done, he'll post a video tour. In the meantime, below is a different video for your viewing pleasure. Rachael and Leah have not been taught how get on the milk stand, and in Farmgirl's experience, even when goats do know how to deal with the stand, they still throw a fit about getting their feet trimmed. Farmgirl is DONE trying to hold them down and almost losing fingers when they kick mid-snip. She needed a better way! One day, while flipping through a hunting catalog, the better way came to her - a game wench! She found a truck mounted game wench, attached it to a calf-weighing sling from Jeffer's Livestock, and hoisted the girls up. It worked like a charm! However, Farmgirl is worried that it might be hard on their lungs and rumen to be up like that, so if you try this method, work fast. Also, wait for a good soaking rain to make their hooves soft. Otherwise, it's a lot like using a butter knife to cut steel, and there's nothing fast about it.
