Last year around this time, I wanted to write a post about each of the goats. I talked about Mocha. Then things went haywire with Mazy. Then babies started to emerge. I was overtaken by the cuteness. As a result, it didn't get done. Let's try this again.
Who do we want to start with? Mazy! Let me introduce you to Proctor Hill Farm MazyWigfield. Mazy was named after my Friend's, Lori, grandmother. Mazy is affectionately called Widgy sometimes. Mazy is 3 & will be 4 on May 2nd. This will be her 3rd kidding. Last year she gave us beautiful triplet does. Unfortunately, Lilly, the last to be born didn't make it.
Mazy was 1 of the original goats that I got. I wasn't supposed to get her. The goat that was mine, died before I brought her home. Mazy was the replacement. Mazy has such a sweet soul. She loves to rub her head on people. That's her way of loving. She's more of a lover than a fighter. Her favorite foods include fruits, vegetables, weeds, bushes, trees, hay, grain, raisins & animal crackers.
I had a rough time shortly after I got her. The poor gal had issue after issue with her health. It had nothing to do with her previous owner. I just didn't have the right balance of minerals. I felt really horrible that my sweet Mazy was having all these troubles. Bloating, parasites, pneumonia, Ketoacidosis, feet problems & Mastitis. It took me almost a year of questioning & researching to find that goats with a dark coat, Mazy's is black, require a lot more copper. I started giving her a copper oxide wire bolus.(COWB) It's a pill with tiny copper wire particles that slowly dissolve in her rumen over a period of time & is absorbed into the bloodstream. After I learned this, Mazy's health improved dramatically.
I was disheartened when these calamities where happening. My heart ached for her. I hated giving her shots. I would cry. The only good things that came out of all that was Mazy survived, & I learned. I was on a fast-tracked education. Talk about hands-on learning! That was a steep learning curve. Literally life or death.
Mazy did suffer from ketoacidosis her last week of pregnancy due to her small body having 3 kids inside of her. The ketosis made her not have a lot of energy so she would lay down all the time. Her ginormous belly squashed her lungs making it difficult for her to take deep breaths. She got Pneumonia again. I let her keep her kids with her instead of bottle-feeding them. Mazy is one heck of a mother! She fed her babies despite how terrible she felt.
Mazy had a special bleat for her girls to come to her. They would run to their mama no matter how much fun they were having with their little goat friends. She would feed them, & they would stay with her until she told them they could go play again. Mazy & Lucy still sleep & eat together.
I bred Mazy to our Moses this time. She is due to have her kids March 16th. I'm not sure how many to expect this time. I only know that they will be adorable. If the are does, they should be little milk tankers like their mama. I may have to keep a buck out this breeding. Mazy would give me over a gallon of milk a day & have plenty of milk to feed her girls. She has super milking genetics.