February 9, 2023

Saluda Discovers Sunshine

I've been looking through past goat kid posts and discovered that I don't always mention the kids' names. I think that's because I'm often slow to name them. The name has to suit them and this takes awhile to figure out. Then, as the years pass, it's hard to remember who's who, no matter how cute and  memorable they were. So, I'm making a point to post photos of kids with their names! Plus, it gives me a chance to show you more cute baby goat photos. :)

First, River's twins.

River's little buck is named Mosul

His twin sister is Saluda

Saluda with her mom, River.

And Sky's doeling.

Sky's little girl is named Willow.

They still wear their sweaters if it's very cold.

So, that explains who Saluda is. And the sunshine? I took the following photo when the twins were three days old.


Mosul was looking directly at the camera, so I cropped his photo and added it to my blog header. What was Saluda looking at? The patch of sunshine!


Did you notice that she quickly figured out what to do with it?



Here's one with Willow. She's one week old here, the twins are two weeks old.


Parting shot

Saluda basking in her discovery.

20 comments:

Michelle said...

'Yes" to seeing more kid photos and the revealing of names! I especially love 'Mosul.'

Leigh said...

Michelle, thanks! I tend to give goats registered names based on their parents names. It's another "trick" that helps me remember lineage. So Mosul's name has a bit of telling behind it. His sire is Jonah, who came from another breeder. She said his dam was 'big as a whale' so her kids called him Jonah. I kept the name and was looking for something to keep that theme. When I looked at maps of the Nineveh area, I discovered that Nineveh's modern day name is Mosul. I thought it was a great name, so it's nice you like it too!

Mama Pea said...

So much fun to see the kids playing! You have such a wonderful, well-taken care of area for them. Including the patches of sunshine! Curious to know if these new additions will be staying as part of your little herd or if they are already slated for new homes.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I miss that part of watching the kids after they were born. Love Saluda's colors. So cute!

Sandi said...

I love that you made them sweaters.

Boud said...

Interesting approach to naming. There was fierce fighting around Mosul in the Iraq war, if that's the same Mosul. Is it the goat breed origin that interests you in names from that region?

Ed said...

My favorite by far is the discovery of sunshine. That is a classic! Back in the day, we named our boars since we only had five at any given time but we didn't often same the sows or their offspring. Mostly it was just because there were to many as we had around 100 sows which led to 1500 piglets two to three times a year.

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, thank you! Our goat barn has been the product of many years of making-do, problem solving, and Dan's wonderful skill as a barn builder! At the moment, the only one I know I'll sell is Mosul because I don't need more bucks. I'm hoping someone will want him as a herd sire, because he shows promise in regards to the Kinder breed standard.

Kristina, if we were to get out of goats, I'd miss that part too. It's one of the joys of homesteading.

Sandi, they were fun to make and I feel better knowing they aren't shivering when it's frigidly cold!

Boud, good question. The Kinder breed originated in the Pacific Northwest, so the names don't have so much to do with a particular region as with helping me remember who their parents are. Plus, the name has to suit their personalities.

My first year of Kinder kids included quads that I named after the Toy Story cartoon characters: Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, Dancin' Cowboy, and Toy Story Jessie. Of those I kept Jessie (a doe) and tried to incorporate the "Jessie" with some of her kids' names: Jessie's Beau, Jessie James, Jessica Jane, and Jessie Quick. Jessie Quick's siblings were named Kid Flash and Iris (all characters from The Flash). Sky's dam was Prairie Violet. The "prairie" was to remind me that she came from Illinois (the prairie state). I named many of her kids along that line: Prairie Sky, Prairie Wind, Prairie Belle, and Prairie Cyclone (a little buck we called Cy. They all get nicknames, lol). Sky's girls so far have been Prairie Rain and now Prairie Willow. The Willow part is because her sire is Quercus Magnus, Latin for "Mighty Oak." There will be lots of inspiration there for tree names for years to come!

Leigh said...

Ed, I don't know how you managed all those pigs! Sounds like a huge job. Funny about the names. The only chickens we ever name are our roosters. All the hens are simply "Mrs. Chicken."

Flynn said...

hehe. I like "Mrs. Chicken", we do name our chickens, but all our ducks are either Momma Duck or Gentleman Duck. It takes a while for us to name our goats too. My husband wont let me name the goat babies (out loud anyway ;-) until they are at least a week old. By then he figures they over the toughest time and are more likely to make it.

Leigh said...

Flynn, ha! Our drakes are always "Big Duck" and the oldest hen duck is "Mom." With the goats, it usually takes me at least a week to figure out their names, sometimes longer. I haven't figured out if naming or not naming them makes a difference in how we end up feeling about them. That was the primary motive for not naming our chickens (to not get attached!) The baby goats though, some of them just speak to your heart from the git-go and become instant favorites, with or without names.

Quinn said...

Really nice clips, Leigh :) Watching kids play is just a pure delight - I do miss it, so thanks for sharing.

Leigh said...

I'm glad you enjoyed them Quinn. And I'm glad I now have a camera that can take video! Stills are nice, but for kids, the little videos are much more fun. :)

Nina said...

Willow and Saluda are so pretty. We used to name the outside babies we were keeping, but not the ones we were going to eat. Inside pets all have names. I've only named one chicken and it was because she was overly friendly and hung around whenever I was outside. I couldn't even drink tea without her poking her beak into it to see what was in it for her. The rest though are just the chooks.

Fundy Blue said...

What an adorable post, Leigh! It made my day! Wishing you happiness in return!

Annie in Ocala said...

They are beautiful! Reminds me of... What was it? Maybe Family Circus, the newspaper cartoon were the youngest could often be found napping or basking in the sunbeam. Not sure I got the right cartoon but I do miss them. I know some are still out there and sometimes I get lost in "catching up".
I don't generally name mine either and have a 4mo girl I'm keeping and realized this morning she doesn't have a name yet. The videos do Justice to their entertainment qualities...

Leigh said...

Nina, sounds like your chicken had quite the personality! Originally, we didn't name our chickens for the same reason. But I also found it difficult to come up with and remember names for a bunch of chickens that all look alike!

Fundy Blue, thank you!

Annie, don't you find that the name has to fit? Most of them eventually seem to name themselves. I get into a bit of a hurry with registered goats, though. I want to have all the paperwork back when they're ready to sell.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

I cannot get enough baby goat pictures and videos. The world is in great need of such cuteness.

Cederq said...

Leigh, those are some cuties! Makes me wanna go into debt and buy a couple of acres and have two or three does to kid... and watch them play

Leigh said...

TB, it so easy to get stuck focusing on all that's wrong in the world. Pessimism is a bad habit to get into and I think it takes work to stay positive, but it's definitely worth it.

Kevin, I know, they are so cute, it's tempting. Better than TV!