Seriously, aren't they cute?

Unfortunately, the three bucklings have been acting increasingly buck-like lately. I'll spare you the graphic details, but suffice it to say they were doing horrendous things to Star, our little doeling who is still a year and a half from being ready for breeding.

The twins (center and right, above) are now old enough to be weaned from their momma, and Oreo (left) has long been big enough for weaning from his bottle, so it's off to the buck pen for the three of them.

You may recall that about 8 weeks ago we had to administer a wormer to our milkers that had mixed reviews for lactating animals. Though there's disagreement, some vets claim it makes the milk unsafe for human consumption for a period of time. We decided to play it safe and only used the milk to feed our bottle buckling during that recommended 8 week period.

But, as seen above, the wait is over! The buckling is now being weaned and no longer needs the milk, and we've made it past our 8-week waiting period. This jar is our first batch of pasteurized milk this season!

(More on the debate over raw vs. pasteurized milk in a later post. It's been a debate even here at our household.)