Sad but true

Today started out like every other day... and then it took an unexpected and irrevocable turn.  I sent Kyle down the mountain to rest, because he apparently was struck with a stomach flu.  So I was milking on my own while my small child slept. 

I had two goats on the milking machine while I hand milked Iris, and then Pleasant finished up and Edelweiss took her place.  But Weiss wasn't eating and she didn't really want to hold still either.  The does have been acting squirrelly off and on, since breeding season is upon us, and I didn't think too much about it.

But then she pooped on the milkstand, something that she never does.  Only Guava ever does that, and now that I think about it, she's dropped that trait in the last few months.  So I cleaned up the mess and went back to milking... and then she pooped again.

I finished milking her AFTER she laid down on the bench.  What?  Goats do not just lay down randomly.  I took her outside where she immediately laid down again, pooped, peed, cried out a few times and died.

Yes, you heard me right.  My lovely, young, sweet LaMancha doe passed away quickly this morning- leaving me at quite a loss.  My heart feels empty and sad.  Nonetheless, I had chores to do.  9 more does to milk and milk to pour and breakfast to make. 

In between moving does onto the milkstand, I butchered Edelweiss on a tarp... just downhill from the milkhouse.  She had the loveliest dark maroon liver, and plenty of internal fat- but not too much.  Nothing apparently wrong, though there was a considerable amount of clotted blood when I opened her up.  The liver was lacerated, and a lung was bruised.

Thinking back, I put her in to breed with Ivory Jack 5 days ago.  She's been quiet and even more docile than usual ever since- but I thought it was just hormones.  I was wrong.  He must have pushed her into a wall or something and injured her internally.

I packaged her meat to be ground, froze a bunch of bones for soup, set aside her belly fat for winter animal feed, and put her heart/kidneys/liver away for future dinners.  It's a pretty sad day to see your favorite doe reduced to meat in the freezer.  She was a good friend and protector for my daughter.  I'm going to miss her. 

Comments

[Aunt Krissy]

I'm sorry to hear that you had a goat die. I had to put one of my goats down last week. Yo can get rather fond of goats I found out.

[Jess]

this made me so sad for you, I haven't read your blog much lately been really busy but I am so sorry!