We have been working hard this week, getting our girls ready for another show. June is always brutally busy for showing, and this year is no exception. We are headed out tonight to attend the Michiana Open Goat Show in Columbia City, Indiana. The two ring Junior/Senior Doe show starts tomorrow at 8am.  If you are in the area, stop by and see us!

Does Left to Right-
    Twin Willows AM Betina D'Gatto (Junior Kid winner)
    Fairland Farm Doe (Intermediate Kid winner)
    Fairland Farm Doe (Senior Kid winner)
    Twin Willows SB American Honey (Junior Yearling winner)
    Twin Willows TIO Ambrosia Ann (Senior Yearling winner)         GCH- Ambrosia Ann
    RGH- Fairland Farm second place Senior Yearling

What a weekend!  Twin Willows Farm attended the 1st Annual Cass County Open Dairy Goat Show today.  It was a really great experience, and there were some really great farms and great friends that attended!  Thank you to everyone who showed up to make this first show a success! 

Our girls did very well at the show.  Apple took fourth place, Annie took first place, Honey took first place, and Betina took first place in their classes. Annie ALSO won Grand Champion Junior Doe  A N D  Best Junior Doe of Show.  It was such a shocker, because judges hardly ever choose the Nigerian over the other dairy breeds.  We are so proud of all of our goats. We brought the ribbons home immediately to hang above their pens in the barn.

Also, I had the chance to enter two of my senior does into a one day milk test.  I have never milk tested before, and I wanted to get my feet wet.  I entered Gypsy Moon Kat von D and her sister Gypsy Moon SD Muse into the competition. The results of the testing will still be out for awhile, but after some calculations, I am pretty confident that Kat will easily star, and Muse will either make it or just miss it by a smidge.  This was the first time I have had Muse uddered up, and I'm adding pics to her pedigree page tonight. 

All in all it was a great experience!  I hope they have another show in Logansport next year.  It was great to be able to sleep at home at a show for a change!

We got an email last night from Teresa and Dan in Indianapolis.  They brought their new baby, Shelly, home last Tuesday and wanted to share some pictures of her new house and play yard!  SO CUTE!!  Thanks for the updates Teresa!  She looks like she is adjusting very well!

Twin Willows is proud to announce a new buck coming to our herd! Parrish Farms AA Dionysus (Helmstead Minis E Apprentice x Lost Valley CC Aphrodite Rose) will arrive mid-June after he is weaned. 

I have LOVED his dam, Aphrodite, since she beat my beloved Lady Tator Tot at one of our first open dairy goat shows. We are so proud and excited to add this little guy to our farm, a product of two amazing animals. Big thank you to Jennifer Parrish of Parrish Farms in Oquawka, IL for offering him to us!

FINALLY--after two years on the farm....we finally have a broody Buff Orpington hen!!  I thought she was a little snippy to me the other day when I came into the coop to collect eggs.  She was sitting on four eggs and they were all warm.  I left them. Yesterday, she had seven under her.  Today she won't let me get close so she's officially sitting!  Hopefully, we can finally get some chicks hatched on the farm!

Also, we are watching two guinea nests that have been building up for the past couple of weeks.  One is just about to capacity with well over thirty eggs.  The other has about twenty. The big one should get a sitter any day now.  Guineas are prolific breeders and we should have tons of  guinea keets near the end of June.  For those of you that don't know about guineas...I'll tell you a little story.

When we bought this farm two years ago it was OVERRUN with TICKS.  We bought guineas to control the tick population here on our six acres.  We saw two ticks last year, and have seen NONE so far this year.  Guineas can be loud and annoying sometimes, but they love to eat ticks.  Trust me, it's worth it!  We will be selling all guinea keets when they are born, as we have ten adults who live here and will be turning out babies regularly.

Speaking of babies, we have had TWELVE Nigerian Dwarf babies born to four does over the past three weeks. One little doeling went to her new home this morning. We have several unregistered bucks/wethers available, and one milking doe and her buck kid are also available. If you are interested, check the FOR SALE page for details, and send me an email at [email protected].

Finally, if you haven't visited our farm yet...YOU SHOULD!  We love visitors!  Send me an email to schedule an appointment for a visit!

Sorry this took so long to get posted.  We took a little vacation to Chicago right after these kids were born. We are back on track now. Twin Willows is proud to announce the following kids who were born May 9, 2013.  A set of beautiful QUINTS born to Gypsy Moon SD Muse and Jasper Pine TN Top It Off.  One doe, and four bucks.  The doe is retained to the herd.  These four bucklings will be available as Unregistered bucks ($175) or Registered wethers ($125)

Muse kidded last evening with QUINTS!  One doeling that is black and tan and white with frosted ears will be retained to the farm. Four bucklings will be available as unregistered bucks/wethers.  One buck looks just like the doeling, and the other three bucks are tan and white. I'll try to get pics today, and get names announced shortly!  Our spring kidding season has concluded.  Check the kidding schedule for upcoming kiddings.  I apologize to all who had doe reservations on Muse.  Sometimes, the odds just don't come out the way you plan.

I have added a fact sheet to the website that I developed last year for the 4H fair. The new page gives facts about Nigerian Dwarves, and will answer many questions that I most often receive about the breed.  Enjoy!

Muse's ligs are BARELY there, and her udder is filling.  Looks like it COULD be tonight.  No labor signs yet.  Hoping she waits to start until after my afternoon meeting today. Will