Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Circle of Life
Many of you know that my oldest goat Audrey has been going blind for the past
year. In the last 6 weeks her legs have about given out on her, however her
appetite has been normal. She has been very patient with her grandkids this year
as they climbed all over her (both are bucks).
She ate and drank normally Monday morning, but by evening she was dying. The sounds of goat death cries are unforgettable. It is not the shriek of agony that happens with bloat, more like a mournful cry.
I've wondered why she had been hanging on so long.
Now I know. She passed her spirit to Sunflower's little doe who was born about 4:00pm. Audrey had picked this little doe and was waiting for her to be born.
Audrey's spirit was already gone when I was with her last night, her body just had to quit. She passed later in the night.
This is the end of an era. She is the last of the goats that lived on my farm in Southeast Colorado (I've been gone from there 14 years). Audrey has left a strong lineage: Shannon, her daughter, has four daughters: Nellie, Belle, Montana and Carolina. Belle has a daughter Barbie (they both live at my friend Claire's house). Two of Audrey's other daughters (Lilac and Rose) died of bloat a couple years ago. However Lilac's daughter, Yentl, is now a mom. Also living at Claire's house are two other granddaughters: Lucy (Rose's daughter) and Carmen (with her two new kids). Carmen's mother, Chaco (Belle's sister), was killed by a bear a couple years ago.
The new little Audrey is actually part of the Oberhasli lineage, unrelated to the elder Audrey. Couldn't get a great photo of the little one yet, but here are a couple.
She ate and drank normally Monday morning, but by evening she was dying. The sounds of goat death cries are unforgettable. It is not the shriek of agony that happens with bloat, more like a mournful cry.
I've wondered why she had been hanging on so long.
Now I know. She passed her spirit to Sunflower's little doe who was born about 4:00pm. Audrey had picked this little doe and was waiting for her to be born.
Audrey's spirit was already gone when I was with her last night, her body just had to quit. She passed later in the night.
This is the end of an era. She is the last of the goats that lived on my farm in Southeast Colorado (I've been gone from there 14 years). Audrey has left a strong lineage: Shannon, her daughter, has four daughters: Nellie, Belle, Montana and Carolina. Belle has a daughter Barbie (they both live at my friend Claire's house). Two of Audrey's other daughters (Lilac and Rose) died of bloat a couple years ago. However Lilac's daughter, Yentl, is now a mom. Also living at Claire's house are two other granddaughters: Lucy (Rose's daughter) and Carmen (with her two new kids). Carmen's mother, Chaco (Belle's sister), was killed by a bear a couple years ago.
The new little Audrey is actually part of the Oberhasli lineage, unrelated to the elder Audrey. Couldn't get a great photo of the little one yet, but here are a couple.
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