Better In Thyme Farm

Looks like I missed posting Jimmy's surprise birth on May 11th. She had 2 bucks and 2 does with 1 doe DOA. We originally thought Jimmy wasn't due until the end of May but the breeder was able to confirm that her breeding date was early than listed on the service memo. She was very open to updating the service memo for us, which we are thankful for! We are debating on which of these kids will be retained. But if you see one you like let us know!

Today Malaga Minis AW Lady Lilith kidded buck/doe twins. Bringing our total kid count to 14! With 5 does and NINE bucks.

Lily started pushing right as I got home for lunch today. She delivered the handsome dark buckskin buckling first, then pushed her lighter moonspotted doe out while standing. A++ to Lily for textbook delivery positions, wonderful timing, and patience with her human parents as we tried to figure out whether or not she had more babies in there. Just last night she looked like she was carrying a whole basketball team. We were very surprised that she only had twins!

This was a repeat breeding of Better in Thyme Onyx and Lily as we loved their kids last year. I am verrry happy with the outcome.

Rennala finally kidded after keeping us on our toes for 6 additional days. She heard that Bonnie had beat her in the labor race and surprised us with a single buckling during our hay delivery this afternoon. No screaming, no labor signs, just bam baby! It was crazy.

She also decided to play buck-buck-doe. We now have 6 boys to 3 girls... Thankfully everyone is healthy!

The current buck to doe tally is 5 boys to 3 girls.... while I love our little boys, I'd sure like to get a few more doelings this year 🤣 I feel like the mommas are out here playing a game of buck-buck-doe. 🤣

I also find it funny that each and every time the doeling has been born first. What is in the water over here?!

And then there were 8 babies on the farm! Rennala is officially 6 days over due, and Bonnie has beat her to the punch. Yellowhawk CJ Bonnie and Better in Thyme Onyx have welcomed buck doe twins into the world today! Bonnie decided she did not want to wait to be put in the kidding pen and would rather have her twins in the dusty pasture. 🙃🙄 We woke up to her laughing at us from the middle of the paddock with both twins cleaned off. What a Friday morning!

Coco's girl has allll the attitude.

Here are some fluffier photos of our second set of triplets. Photo progression shows the doeling first, then her two little brothers. Rocky had a bit of a rough start last night but seems to be taking well to them today. We are very thankful for healthy kids! Though we wouldn't complain if the doe fairy visited during the next kidding. Right now, we are sitting at 4 boys and 2 girls. Albeit very very nice girls 🤣

1 doeling and 2 bucklings for miss Coco! After 2 days of pre-labor and a few scares we have 3 healthy kids. Both boys came into the world bass ackwards. Poor Coco did not have an easy first kidding!

The little girl arrived first though, almost perfectly positioned. What a sweetheart 🤣 I'm going to sleep now.

Happiest of birthdays to this pretty little lady: Better in Thyme Lady Faye. She isn't bred to kid this year but will be for 2025 kids! Her dam Malaga Minis AW Lady Lilith was re-bred to Faye's sire for 2025 kids which should be arriving next month!

Well Coco had us going but appears to not be progressing into active labor. I think she was just practicing for the real show.

Coco is being mighty suspicious this morning. 🤔

First up in the kidding stalls is our first Better in Thyme doe to kid on the farm! Miss Better in Thyme Cocoa Bean is due on 4-11 and has made it to her safe date (5 days pre-due date). We are so excited to see what she produces kid and milk wise this year. We are milk testing for the first time this year and I think Coco will kill it!

We think she will have twins or triplets this year. What is your best guess?

Update: owners found and on the way.

Woke up to these two in our road this morning. Very friendly, but scared the crap out of our Aussies. If they are yours then they will be safe until you can come get them 👍 They came right to us and were happy to go in our front yard.

This weekend we had the dubious pleasure of trimming 2 FF udders. The girls were not impressed and filed a complaint with farm management.

As the management for the farm I unfortunately had to relay to them that the trims were for their benefit. Coco and Rocky disagree. Coco was not as successful of a trim as Rocky's but look at the cute little FF udders!

Better in Thyme Cocoa Bean is bred to The MNSF Waylon, due 04-11-24

LHBH Rocky Road is bred to Better in Thyme Baldur, due 04-15-24

Our new additions have jump started our Wheaten Marans into laying! So now we have pretty sky blue and lovely chocolate eggs starting to fill up our fridge. In a few weeks we will incubate from both groups!

Who needs dyed Easter eggs with these colors?

We had the pleasure of bringing home Gladdie Acres AR Jimmy Choo 2* this past Sunday. She comes from the same herd that our November additions came from. She's bred for a May 30th kidding date, and we are so excited to have her! Her dam has an impressive permanent LA score of VEEE 91. Her sire's last LA in 2019 had a score of VEE 90. And we cannot wait to see what she does for the herd.

We generally don't post a ton on what our chicken flocks are doing. But this past weekend may have seen some exciting animal additions come through. Which include the breeding Trio of BBS Ameraucanas below 😁❤️ additional information on the other acquisition to come!

The girls think that the straw was piled up for their amusment.

I spy baby bumps!

We have the best neighbors! We trade labor and they completely cleaned out our lean-to for us I'm exchange for house sitting. May I introduce you to Thorp Goat Mountain! Dubbed so by the tiny human helpers that assisted.

After the photos were taken we laid fresh straw down so that they stay warm tonight.

All of this old goat straw will be used in our garden beds and to amend soil. Its going to be great!

Calamity has thrown us off all season. We were convinced early on that she took.... but then she seemingly went back into heat. So what is your guess? Is she just winter wide or pregnant?

Our lovely neighbors helped up set up permanent stalls on one of our lean-to's this past weekend. Now to just get the walls up before kids start to arrive in 29 days! And to get both stalls mucked out before hand.... and to get everyone trimmed.... and CD&T administered... Well you get the point!

When given a choice between her human dad or mom, Aggy will always have a favorite.

Flashback to the one sunny day we've had so far in 2024. Mother/daughter pair strutting their stuff over to the other lean-to in search of the elusive goat grain (which was surely already devoured).

Yellowhawk CJ Bonnie Parker (dam, Bonnie), and Better in Thyme Blue Agate (Aggy) are inseparable.

All week, it's been rather dreary here, until today! The sun made Gracie practically glow.

Gracie (LBH Site of Grace) is a new addition to the farm. She was an anniversary gift to ourselves and came with 2 others. Stay tuned for updates on them!

ADGA has really impressed me this month. Not only did they process our 5 online registrations for Better In Thyme kids in mere days, with blue papers being received FIVE business days after submission. Now they have also completed all 3 paper forms I sent in for 2 new registration+transfers and 1 regular transfer in under 2 weeks!

That's an insane turn around period compared to this time last year. I'm super excited to see things improving on the back end of ADGA.

Pictured below are our 3 new additions: LHBH Rocky Road(front), LHBH Site of Grace(middle), and LHBH Rennala QueenoftheMoon(back). We are looking forward to having these 3 in our herd. They bring in some very impressive lines! Stay tuned for personalized welcome posts on our new does!

This handsome young man is a little too excited to start his fall job. Goat dad has been peed on more than once.

Annnnnd last but most assuredly not least is this flashy dude. A repeat breeding of Gavella Vanilla Bean to Broke N Wagon Little Guy produced 2 live kids this year. A doeling and this handsome as all get out buckling.

Dam: Gavella Vanilla Bean PD1939310
Sire: Broke N Wagon Little Guy PD2204364

He's flashy sure but the best part is he has the genes to back it up. A full brother to the keeper buck we had last year (Onyx) but with even more pizza. He has length. He has depth of body. He has well built udders behind him... honestly if we didn't have as many related does as we do... and the full sibling buck.... Well we'd probably keep him 😅

Alas we cannot keep them all. And our loss is your gain.

He's also polled if you're looking for more hornless variety in your goat life.

Affectionately called Jinx this little man would love to pull a fast one on your herd. He's loveable and personable too. The full package. Let us know if you'd like to offer him a new pasture!

Aha! A doeling! An illusive thing for us this year. This doeling is a commercial doe. Her dam is unregistered but her sire is registered. Her dam is Patsy, whom is one of only 2 unregistered girls in our herd. She has great capacity for milking, and a wonderful medial. Her teats are decent sized for a Nigerian Dwarf. Not being too tiny but not quite in the large category. She is one of our top producers.

This little girl is tentatively named Pistol Annie. And she comes by her name well enough. She has an attitude 10 times the size of her little body and can be found bounding across the pasture behind the rest of the kids.

She is a horned (to be disbudded), blue eyed beauty and would love to meet the rest of your herd. ❤️ Let us know if you're interested in meeting her acquaintance.