Yesterday afternoon Tricia went out to the barn to find something new. Yep, it's kidding time. Mocha, our very spotted goat, had given birth to her first kid. The baby was very strong. Already up on all four feet walking around and nursing on Mocha. Tricia opened the barn door and Mocha was off. I guess she had been with her new baby all day and it was time for a break! She's turning out to be a good momma. It's funny how instinctual animals are. She's never been a mom and she knows exactly what to do - clean her off, care for her when she cries, nurse her...
We picked her up and looked at her equipment. Yep, she's a girl. I didn't even need to be a biologist to figure that out. We haven't named her yet. Despite a gazillion spots on her momma, this little doeling is jet black except for 3 white hairs on her forehead.
This morning we headed out to the barn for morning chores and to check on the new baby and ... Well, there was another new baby, crying and carrying on. This one is for Callie and it's her first, too. Her kid, in contrast to Mocha's, has a lot of spots going on.
I held her up and checked under the hood. Another girl! In checking her out, we found that her right front leg has a bend to it. Uh-oh. We went through this with another baby goat named cupcake. It is caused from a selenium deficiency. I went back to the house and came back with a syringe of BoSe and gave her a subcutaneous shot. We'll see if that helps things out.
I set the two cousins down together to let them play. It is so funny to watch baby goats playing. The hop and bounce around! After a little work, Tricia had this one nursing on Callie. Then, it was playtime!
Our pasture is filling up with goats. We will likely be selling some a little later this spring. Kidding time in the early spring. A fun time on the farm!
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