Good Monday morning to all you critter and land loving folks. I have been trying to keep up a good attitude while running on a little less sleep than normal. Two words…night checking. I had mentioned our daughter was one lucky gal and won two heifers last year, well here we are waiting for her calves to come, exciting days! I have been checking in the middle of the night, mostly due to the colder temperatures, and alas I also was checking on goats that were due to kid in mid-January. Now, I was starting to question my management skills as mid-January turned to mid-February, and now early March, and still no baby goats. I was half awake Sunday AM while checking and I was sure my one goat was finally bagging up, but then I thought I was probably just seeing what I wanted to see in my sleep deprivation. Some of you are thinking my management skills are probably a little crazy anyways deciding to kid in the dead of winter, I will explain that too, but I am happy to say one finally had her babies while we were gone to church. All I had to do was stay away for several hours! The reason I shoot for kidding that early has to do with my lambing date, May 20th. My small scale madness allows me to kid, and then be hand milking the goats by the time I have bum lambs, thus not needing to buy milk replacer. This has been a pretty great thing for me the past three years, and now seeing those babies goats makes me ready to think about spring and lambing season. It does take time, and like I said, “Small scale madness” but I love it, and that is what makes it worthwhile for me. As for my sleep deprivation, once upon a time I was a barista for a decade, pretty sure that is making me a better rancher today.

Blessings and caffeine to you, yours, and your operation.