The Bibbed Wonder snuck a pic of me cuddling Tiny Tim. I love this little guy.
Kidding season continues here at the farm. Thank goodness the weather has been warm and comfortable. Warm temperatures make everything so much better for everyone. We have several first-time moms this year, and I am pleased to share that they are all doing great. First-time moms are always a gamble. One never knows if they will be good mothers, nervous Nellies, or drop-and-go moms. Thankfully, we don’t have any drop-and-go moms.
We call a drop-and-go mom a goat mom who delivers her baby anywhere, the barn, the field, a hut, wherever she happens to be, she delivers the baby and walks away. We have had several drop-and-go moms, and the babies always end up being bottle babies. I love a bottle baby, but if it can stay with its mom, that’s better for everyone involved. All our first-time moms have done very well. They are all attentive, gentle, and loving mothers.
We have one nervous Nellie this baby season. Oreo, our first-time mama, is what I call a fuss bucket. She is the goat version of a helicopter mom. She literally hovers over her baby girl at all times. Her baby girl is one of the few baby girls who have moon spots. Moon spots are big white spots on a dark background. Most of our boys have beautiful markings, but few of the girls have the desired pattern. This little girl has it all. She has a dark brown and black background and prominent white spots. Even her little face and ears are spotted. She is a beauty. I have named her Godiva. Oreo stands over her when she sleeps. She stands over her when she plays. She fusses if Godiva is on the haybales, in the barn, or too far into the field. Oreo also fusses when the herd goes out to the field without her. She’s a fussy goat.
Yesterday, our fancy little girl, Tulip, gave birth to two tiny but beautiful twins. Tulip took a bit to warm up to her babies, but she did great once she figured out her role. She is a shy mom who prefers to be left alone with her babies. If we enter her stall, she gets anxious and won’t permit the babies to feed. We keep our distance from shy moms. As long as we observe the little ones eating, we let them in peace to bond and do what comes naturally.
My darling Lily goat gave birth to twins on Monday. If you remember, Lily is our girl who suffered the dreaded meningeal worm, and we were concerned for her life. Lily continues to have weakened back legs but does very well and enjoys being the herd nanny. I was adamant that I did not want Lily to get pregnant this year. We observed Abu trying to do his billy goat thing without success, so we assumed Lily was taking a year off from pregnancy. Surprise! Lily had two large boys that looked just like her. The Bibbed Wonder believes little Oliver is the sire of these two babies. Lily is doing great. She is making a ton of milk, can walk up and down the milk stand, and is healthy. We could not ask for more.
Our fuzzy, woolly mammoth Boer goat, Socks, gave birth to triplets. Socks’ third baby to be born is a tiny little fellow I have called Tiny Tim. He is half the size of the other babies. Tiny Tim is fast becoming one of my favorites. Tiny Tim can fit inside my coat pocket! I can’t help but hold and snuggle him when I am at the barn. I tell The Bibbed Wonder I love little Timmy. Eric rolls his eyes and tells me I love everyone. He’s not wrong, but Tiny Tim is so little and adorable. I am beginning to plot my reasoning for keeping Tiny Tim and Lester.
Speaking of Little Lester, I am pleased to share that he is doing phenomenally. He is growing quickly and is very chubby. Lester has mastered the sneak attack on the mama goats. Last night when I went out to feed him his bedtime bottle, he had no interest in a bottle and was round and full. He has bonded with his siblings. The three of them lay in a white spotted heap, snuggling and sleeping. He is also best friends with our little Midge. Midgie is Red’s lone surviving girl. I adore Midge. Lester and Midge are often found playing together, bouncing around the field, and climbing on the ledge of the barn. When not snuggled up with his siblings, Lester is found cuddled up with Midge. I continue giving Midge a bottle when she feels like taking one. I know she doesn’t need a bottle, but I enjoy feeding her, which keeps her friendly.
Lastly, my dear girl Red is doing great. We continue to pamper her and give her special attention, but as each day passes, she grows stronger. I am still concerned about her back end. Her little tail is a bit crooked and wonky, and her hind legs are a bit weak. Little Mouse, our only girl with horns, hit Red and knocked her down. Little Mouse is a sweet goat, but she is at the bottom of the chain of the herd hierarchy. Red was the herd leader for quite some time, and I believe Little Mouse is trying to climb in the ranks. All I can say is Little Mouse needs to keep her ambition in check, or she will find a new herd. I won’t have her knocking about my dear Red girl. Red recovered and gave Little Mouse a head butt to remember. I haven’t seen Little Mouse hit Red since.
Herd dynamics fascinate me. The newest mom and the mom that gave birth last have a ritual. Once the new mom is released back to the herd, the new mom and the mom who gave birth before her rear up and knock heads for several minutes. It’s not an aggressive act; it’s almost like a “welcome to the mom club” thing. I have asked vets and tried to research this behavior but found nothing. It’s something that I observe year after year, and it continues to interest me.
We have a few more mama goats scheduled to deliver, but most of the girls have given birth, and finally, all is well. Fingers crossed and say a prayer it remains this way. I hope the weather continues to cooperate and stays warm. We will continue to flood social media with our baby pictures. The Bibbed Wonder continues to update the website pictures almost every other day. We have a lot to be thankful for. We made our first batch of fresh moisturizer yesterday. As the babies grow and the girls continue to produce more milk, we will slowly reintroduce new moisturizers. The next on the list to be made are Lilac Vanilla and Honeysuckle. The Lilac Vanilla and Honeysuckle will be available at our Springtime at the Farm event, which is only a month away.
On this rainy spring day, stay safe, be smart, and cuddle a baby goat if you get the chance; it really does improve one’s mood, and keep washing your hands.
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