Clover gave birth to two little boys this morning. The births were unassisted. One of the little fellows is a floppy little thing. We hope he will make it. He has no control over his legs. Otherwise he seems to be healthy. Can nurse if Maggie holds him up to his mama. His brother is already bouncy. A stroll through google land led me to a website that recommended a dose of baking soda and water for floppy leg syndrome.
Interestingly enough, moments later, good friend Donna Janezcko, goat farmer extraordinaire returned my call for advice. Her first recommendation was a dose of baking soda mixed with water. She gave some other words of wisdom, things to try if that didn't help. We may need to give BOSE, an injection of selenium, in case of white muscle disease. Of course we like to try the least invasive treatments first and give nature a chance to work. I will keep you posted.
Clover picked a perfect day to have babies! She is a week or so early, but the weather is so warm. Maybe a couple of other goats will want to join the maternity ward party. Better sunny and warm than wet, windy and cold.
BTW, Philip picked up our 2 little pigs from Mr. Huffman. He will be fixing their fence out in the garden area. I think they will enjoy their new job, tilling compost and weeds in a section of the garden.
After a nice Botetourt Family Farm meeting last night and a viewing of the dvd THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN we are getting fired up for the season. This afternoon we are moving aged manure out to the garden. (After I finish my cup of coffee.) Tomorrow we hope to till. Last year we experimented with the almost no-till garden. This year we are going to try the plow and till method. I hope to let you know which way works better. Either way, I am hoping to find a huge stash of old hay to use as deep mulch.
Alright, coffee break over. Back to the barnyard!
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2 comments:
I've used baking soda for so many things, but never would have imagined that it could cure something like this! I do hope it helps the little guy. We're starting to plan our vegetable garden, too. We're thinking about buying a tiller this year.
I hope your floppy fellow has perked up. My husband was enthused by the Farmers Meeting, too.
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