Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

We really strawed out the pygmy goats today all ready for kidding to begin in the next week. We removed any old, soiled bedding and replaced it with a thick layer of miscanthus and a good bale and a half of straw. When goats (and also sheep) are about to give birth they 'nest', which means they scrape around in their bedding to make themselves as comfortable as possible, so a good thick layer of bedding material is essential.
We are noticing a lot more lying down and sitting down on haunches (back end) - the latter we believe is comfortable for the goats as it takes pressure off their bellies. This seems to be a pygmy goat behaviour rather than a dairy goat and is probably due to the size of their large bellies compared to the rest of their bodies!!!
The photos are of Garlic, aged just 4 months back in June 2013 and today, at almost two years and just days away from her first kidding. It is always exciting and nerve-wracking to have first time kidders as we have no idea what they will be like and how many kids they may have. We will be keeping a particularly close eye on both Garlic and Nutmeg!!
Lots of rain today which is a shame after all the dry and also a shame as everything was getting outside so much more. Needless to say, the return of the rain, has also meant a return to the mud!!!