February 23, 2023

Our Newest Baby Goats

Born yesterday evening! I didn't think Ursa was due until next week, so I really hadn't been keeping a close eye on her. But when the others presented themselves for their evening feed and she didn't, I suspected something was up. She was lying behind the hay feeder, looking very much like a doe does when she's coming up on delivery. Dan helped me set up the kidding stall and we moved her in. She wasn't interested in her feed or hay, but since nothing looked imminent, we went in after chores to eat our own supper. 

After we ate, I went out to check on Ursa's progress. When I have a doe due soon, I always listen as soon as I get out the door. They often call or sometimes I hear the new babies first, which always gets me running! I heard nothing until I opened the barn door. Then Ursa cried out and I could see something was going on. Actually, two somethings, and she must have just pushed the second one out. I quickly cleared the babies' air passages and stuck them under her nose. She got to licking immediately and had them cleaned up in no time. 

Here they are this morning, about 13 hours old. 

Two stout boys!

These are Ursa's first, and it's always a relief when they take instantly to mothering. Some does are less sure with their first kids, puzzled by where these little creatures came from and upset that they want to get to their teats. But I've only had one kid rejected by a doe, I think because she had quads and knew she couldn't feed them all. He was the runt, and she tended to him like she did the others, but she refused to let him nurse. He became my bottle baby. 

Ursa couldn't have picked better weather, because while other parts of the country are experiencing a winter storm, we're having lovely mild days. No worries about the babies getting chilled.

So, only Caroline is left to kid. My anticipated due date for her is March 5th.

Our Newest Baby Goats © February 2023

24 comments:

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Ah, more cuteness! I truly cannot get enough of these pictures, especially in today's world.

Ed said...

Pigs are very similar too. I don't think I ever had a pig completely reject a litter, but we had first time mothers who weren't too sure about all those squealing creatures looking for her teats. Even past the birthing process, the good mothers would grunt and very slowly lay down to allow the piglets to nurse while the bad ones would just flop over and inevitably squash one or two of her offspring. We would try to keep notes and cull her if possible before the next go around.

Boud said...

I'm always surprised to see how active and mature newborn goats are. They're up to something ss soon as they put their feet down.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Those little guys are so stinking cute!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Oh my goodness! Adorable. Do you keep any or sell them. We always kept it at one buck and two does due to space here. I am betting your milking season is a busy one there.

Leigh said...

TB, we all need joyful things, I think, else the negative would weight us down too much.

Ed, I always worried about squished piglets when we had pigs. Fortunately, we never had any, but I can see how mothering traits are things to look for in keeping or culling stock.

Boud, amazing, isn't it? Yet for the first couple of days they tend to be very still and sleep a lot. Then they start bouncing around and there's no stopping them. :)

Sue, I agree! Too bad they're both boys!

Leigh said...

Kristina, I'll definitely try to sell the bucks, as we don't need any! the little girls will be on wait and see. I can only keep so many, and have to make a tough decision each year as to who that will be.

Henny Penny said...

Oh, I've never seen anything so cute. So glad Ursa didn't have any problems and both babies are healthy. They are so adorable. You take such good care of your animals. Your greenhouse is looking great!

Cederq said...

A handsome lot you have! They look so chunky and healthy. I bet will be a handful for you, they both have the look of scamps!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely spot on Leigh. They’re little entertainment units.

I do miss mocha and latte for their goofiness but they were getting so big that they would kind of forget but they could hurt you or one of them does just by running around and being stupid. Not mean just being boys and we all know how boys are L O L

Looking forward to figuring out if Miss trouble is expecting in June and would be looking forward to it. Enjoy your kiddos the four-legged ones and enjoy your weather cause it’s freezing at my house 🥶 Goatldi

Leigh said...

Henny, thank you! Yes, always thankful for no problems.

Kevin, they do look good, and this seems a good pairing. I don't have their sire anymore so this was a one time good deal. I wish one of them had been a doe so I could keep her!

Goatldi, tomorrow they should start in with their jumping bean legs. :) And yes, boys will be boys!

I'm sorry to hear you've got cold weather. We're enjoying a lovely mild spell, but who knows how long it will last!

Simply Handmade Farmhouse said...

Hello Leigh, Just wanted to come by and see how you are doing! Take care sweet friend. Teresa

PioneerPreppy said...

Just stop or you are gonna influence me into allowing one of these females around the place to breed and it ain't happening. Of course all the males of whatever species in gone now but me but I will blame you for it if one of these old girls gets preggo damnit.

tpals said...

Adorable kids, but what a lovely momma!

Leigh said...

Teresa! So good to hear from you! I'm doing well but not very diligent with blog visits and comments. :)

PP, LOL, goat kids are irresistibly cute, aren't they? Males, on the other hand, are a handful! We keep goats as part of our home food production, so the cuteness is a by-product. :) And putting up with bucks is part of it. One of the reasons I love the Kinder goat breed is their personalities. They get 50% of their genetics from Pygmy goats, and Pygmys have pet-quality personalities that Kinders have inherited. That being said, we don't keep individuals who bully others, or who tend to be too aggressive or too noisy. That goes for all species, both sexes!

Tpals, thank you! I'm really happy with Ursa. Her mother was a favorite, but had teats that were too short for hand milking. Ursa is very much like her and I'm hoping she'll be easier to milk!

daisy g said...

Well, wasn't that sweet of them to pick the perfect weather in which to come into the world?

Leigh said...

Daisy, that's why I generally prefer later breedings! Hopefully, our nice weather will hold out for Caroline too.

Annie in Ocala said...

They are beautiful! And I hope mom has longer handles. One of my 2 females born in Nov '21 I bred to kid last nov '22, had 1 kid and she is a dream to milk! Lovely udder and teats, stands rock solid! Eats any and everything! She is a bit noisy this first go round, a throwback to the Nubian but I love her! The other female was just to small. Ill start trying to breed about may 20. These two represent a few years of mixing up lines/breeds and culling for what I want. So far, so good!

Cecilia McGregor said...

Baby Goats!

Nancy In Boise said...

Congrats! Very handsome boys!!!

Leigh said...

Annie, that's what I do too, work toward conformation goals. It's not always predictable, but it works! And it's fun. I hope you continue to do well!

Cecilia! So good to hear from you! Are you still blogging?

Leigh said...

Nancy, thanks!

Quinn said...

Whew! :)

Leigh said...

Quinn, that's the first thing out of my mouth when it all goes well!