I had hoped to have a baby goat fashion show for you, featuring all those
little goat coats I've been knitting. As things would have it, it hasn't even gotten down to freezing since the kids were born. We're having beautifully mild weather. But
last time I mentioned more photos and potential names, so for all my goat lovers out there - here they are!
Jessie's twins were born February 10th.
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This is Jessie's Beau. For some reason that old oak stump in the
goat yard is one of the first things all the kids want to nibble on. |
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| The circles on the top of his head are from being disbudded. |
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| Beau's twin sister Ellie |
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| Ellie looks identical to their older sister April. |
Lini's triplets came two days later, on Feb 12th.
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| Conner is the firstborn, a buckling. |
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I tell him apart from his brother Jack by the light
spots he has on his jaw. Jack has waddles instead. |
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| Jack was second. |
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The boys coloring is nearly the same. Jack is growing in height
and length, while Conner's growth spurt has been in width. |
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| The last of the triplets is a little girl I'm calling Lady. |
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Lady is similar to her brothers except no white. She's
become hard to photograph because she's so friendly. |
Last but not least,
Violet's twin girls, now four-days old.
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| Sky was firstborn. |
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Sky has very long legs. Kinders are supposed to have short legs,
so we'll see how she turns out. Growing up changes things! :) |
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| Windy is the second twin. |
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She looks white in the photo, but she's really more cream-color.
There are tips of very light-brown color, so she likely darken. |
Yes, I admit it, I take too many pictures of baby goats. But this time of year is such a joy around the homestead, so how can I not? No matter how long my to-do list, I make sure I spend some time every day enjoying my baby goats.
I will enjoy them all but keep only a few; the rest will head to new homes around the middle of May.
Isn't it amazing how fast they grow? They always seem so little until the oldest little's are put up next to the youngest. Nice conformation and coloring. Ellie has great ear control ;-)
ReplyDeleteThose are the classic Kinder airplane ears! One of the things that made me fall in love with the breed (funny how goat ears, or lack of them, can do that to you :)
DeleteI'm really happy with this bunch. The first couple of years I sold all my goats that didn't fit the Kinder body type, under the advice to cull the "worst" 10% every year for herd improvement. No emotions allowed! Now I'm working on line evaluation, but that takes years to assess. I wish I had more acreage so I could keep more goats! LOL
Watch out what you wish for you just might get it. Lol
DeleteI would love for that wish to come true!!! But, it's highly improbable, so I just need to keep reminding myself to be thankful for what I've got and continue to work on cultivating contentment. :)
DeleteMaaawh..so cute!! I've got my hopes for lady staying, although only you know who can make the grade. I'm sure the rest will find lovely new homes and owners. :)
ReplyDeleteLady's coloring and marking are really sharp. I've had two other kids that looked like her and their new owners really loved their looks. I'm keeping some based on parentage and body conformation. I'm limited because I don't want to keep more than our land can support. It's always tough to make those choices.
DeleteOh Leigh, tough choices to make. I don't envy you. But if you had more land, would you be able to maintain it? That's always my quandary, lol. Maybe the goats could help you keep it in check. Are they helping to control the areas of growth, so YOU guys don't have to do so much. Or is mowing still on the regular chore list?
Deletea lovely collection of kids, and all very handsome looking forward to ours arriving next month.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great time of year. Looking forward to seeing your babies next month!
DeleteThank you for sharing the joy!! You can never have too many baby goat pics, they are beyond adorable.
ReplyDeleteIt's my favorite time of year. :) Do you still have goats, Jaime?
DeleteThe only thing better than looking at all your kid goat pictures would be to be able to be in the midst of them! Take the time to enjoy them, Leigh. It's one of the perks of homesteading and raising animals, isn't it? :o]
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the friendliest bunch I've had so far, even after disbudding! I'm glad for such mild weather right now, to be able to enjoy them. :)
DeleteKeep the baby goat pictures coming! They're only that cute for a few weeks, and I love seeing them. The "sproinging" phase is also way too short. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree! They grow up way too quickly. :)
Deleteis there a demand for goats then? What do people do with them?
ReplyDeleteI think the demand depends on where you live. People with a few acres get them mostly for milk, also meat and brush clearing. There is a demand for this breed, so I'm able to sell them too. It doesn't count as actual income or profit, hopefully at least enough to cover the upcoming year's feed bill.
DeleteOf course, you HAVE to spend time with babies... I think it's a biological imperative or something.
ReplyDeleteGoats are popular up here because the city (an hour away) has a large cultural population that eat goat; they will pay a higher price if you provide them a clean place to do the slaughter, I'm told.
Do your goats usually sell as breeders, milkers, or meat?
That cultural market is something I should consider cultivating (if I ever get to the point where I have too many to sell through other venues.) Most of the people buying mine specifically want Kinders, and they'll come great distances to get them, because the breed is still pretty rare. Some people want to become breeders, other just want the perfect homestead goat. :) A lot of people who research goats before buying their first ones settle on Kinders based on description and purpose. I know I did.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post. Yours are always good....but baby pictures are hard to beat😀👍🏻
ReplyDeleteIt's such a happy time of year, especially when we're tired of the weather. Always a bright spot to enjoy. :)
DeleteI don't think you take too many pictures! I love them. I think that if I had to choose, Ellie and Windy are the ones I want to kidnap from you lol...they are all beautiful. Do you think that Sky will grow into her legs?
ReplyDeleteGood contrast! I honestly can't predict know how any of them will grow. Some that look really "good" as kids (i.e. seem to conform to the breed standard) don't grow up that way at all. Others fill out really nicely and become good examples of the Kinder breed. Someone I know who's been breeding Kinders for much longer than I, agrees. You just have to wait and see.
DeleteThe one thing I ALWAYS take time for is watching baby goats and their mamas. Last year was the first year I didn't breed, and in some ways, it's like Spring never came at all.
ReplyDeleteENJOY!!!
Aw, no baby goats? Sometimes decisions like that just have to be made. I know what you mean that it's a spring thing.
DeleteEllie looks like one of mine, those ears 😃
ReplyDeleteThat's because Clark's the daddy!
DeleteLeigh,
ReplyDeleteThey all are adorable. I would spend time with them daily as well. What's they old saying....a smile a day keeps the doctor away....and that's what these picture do....they make you smile.
Are the little ones fitting into their names?
So far they do. :) Next month I need to get their registration papers applied for, so names are the first step. Then good photos, and then filling out all the paperwork!
DeleteMy favorite is Sky! Will you be keeping her? Nancy
ReplyDeleteCuteness galore!
ReplyDelete