This morning, I went outside to feed the livestock with my little buddy Bambam, just after 6 a.m.. He is getting older and those stairs are more of a challenge for him. But he needs to be wherever I am so, with some hesitation, down he goes. The hesitation today, may not have been age related so much as due caution however. The other day Mama decided he got too close, and in a pique of hormonal anger, she gave him a good head butt, so he is more wary around her now.
I know how he feels, I have a small bruise on my right rib cage where two hundred pounds of annoyance... AKA Galaxy... caught me good last evening. It is sobering to think how quickly an accident can occur on a farm, even a tiny one, such as ours. Also that animals react instantly to their environment, and often their first reaction is fear.
Last evening as dusk was approaching and we were doing yard work, I had let the livestock in the fenced side yard to exercise and graze. During a quick break in math studying, I had decided to tidy that area, while keeping a wary eye on Mama, whose due date is the 24th.
The back end of the dwarf bunny condo is reachable from this part of the yard, and in a fit of industry, I decided to tear down the plastic that had covered the rear of the condo all winter. The plastic had prevented drafts on the bunnies within, but was unnecessary now with Spring allegedly approaching.
Grabbing the tarp, in a heap in my arms, I began walking towards the back yard, and apparently I startled Galaxy with my crinkly, odd shaped, parcel. I had not even given him a thought, and ended up coming in between him and his Mother.
Now a wether in a herd is suppose to offer protection for the lady goats. Galaxy or Baby as we still call him, was Mama's first kid and she joined our family when he was only 3 weeks old. She was a new mom and adjusting to suddenly being herd queen of 2 instead of a willing lower goat in a much larger herd, at her home farm. She ended up being an over indulgent mom in her loneliness and inexperience.
By the time she had Capella, I think she regretted some of her parenting choices and became a more stricter but loving parent. Capella is independent and while they both remain affectionate towards one another, Capella is quite capable of handling her own issues and not needing Mama every second.
Baby on the other hand still sleeps with Mama and hovers around her all the time. He will try no new food unless Mama tastes it first. When startled he instantly leaps towards Mama...to cower behind her and force her to face the disturbance first! It is comical usually, but not last night.
Anyway, as I walked in between the two goats my thoughts were only for Mama and her ever expanding girth. Last time we were sure she would have twins, instead she gave birth to nearly nine and a half pound Capella, a good 3 pounds bigger than a typical kid. Meanwhile, I never realized I had even walked 'between' the goats since Baby was a number of yards away.
Just as I was passing near Mama, who looked with some concern at the plastic in my arms, but made no move to shy away: just at that exact moment WHAM, Galaxy head butted, from off to my right, the offending plastic, and therefore the person who was holding it, completely innocent and unsuspecting me!
He got me right in the breadbasket. As the air wooshed out of me he looked with some astonishment into my eyes, and then flew to hide behind Mama. I am not sure he realized it was me holding the plastic. I think he saw this scary thing getting between him and his mother and being the mama's boy that he is, he simply struck out at the object while heading to hide behind Mama's coattails.
This morning he was all cuddly and cozy, trying to help me do the morning chores, insisting on a good ear scratch! He is fascinated by the new dwarf goats and would love to get in their pen. But we are keeping the two groups separate until after Mama delivers, and little Ireland grow a bit more.
Tomorrow we will put live online the camera that faces the nursery. There will not be much to watch until Mama goes into labor. But I figured fans of the farm can practice accessing the camera and getting ready for the special delivery. Twins? A big singleton? Who knows. But the excitement is growing, new life for spring.
