We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby goats. We have been reading up on everything that can go wrong with momma and baby. A baby goat is 90% legs so there are lots of ways for it to get tangled up on its way out into the world. And if a doe is carrying two or even three babies, think of all those legs in there! We even have a small-handed friend “on-call” in case there is a situation that requires pelvic intervention. Fortunately the vast majority of births go smoothly. In fact, Kiko goats have a good reputation as easy birthers and natural moms. But a simple fact like that cannot stop a professional worrier like me from doing what I do best!
We have circled January 23rd on the calendar as the due date, having seen three of our five does in heat back in August. Anything from a week early to a week late is considered normal. On Wednesday last week when I checked on the goats in the afternoon, Apricot was acting strange. She was standing apart from the others and seemed uncomfortable. I went into the house and told Randy I thought she may be soon to pop. We joked about Braxton-Hicks contractions. It was still ten days to the due date.
When I went out to check again 45 minutes later Pratt the buck was harassing Apricot, pushing her around in circles and chortling at her. I saw two little hooves protruding out Apricots rear end, which is exactly what one wants to see as little goats and other long legged creatures swan dive out of the womb. I grabbed Pratt by the horns and wrested him out of the pen. Apricot popped that baby out in minutes while Pratt and I were dancing. As soon as baby hit the ground he was crying (good news) and Apricot turned around, kissed him on the nose, and got to vigorous and devoted licking.
I finally got Pratt stowed and ran to the house. Randy saw me coming across the yard with a big grin and immediately knew the news. We spent some time watching baby and mom and marveling at how precocious goat kids are. They are born with eyes open, heads up, and begin trying to figure out how those long legs work so they can stand and nurse within minutes of birth.
The goat fence was not hooked up to the electricity and it is a well known fact that baby goats are coyote bait so I packed out my sleeping bag and slept under the stars with the goats, lullabied by the sound of a nickering mom and the other goats chewing their cud. We have three more does that should be kidding any day now, we can only hope that events proceed with similar ease.
2015 CSA Registration Now Open
Registration for our 2015 CSA is now available. The registration form and add-on info sheet are available on our home page for viewing and downloading. There are a limited number of spots available for both our Saturday and Wednesday CSA. The Saturday CSA will continue to be available at the Cooper Young Community Farmers Market. The Wednesday CSA location has changed. Grow Memphis is moving to The Commons located at 258 N Merton and this will be our new Wednesday CSA location. There are limited openings for each pick up location and they will be filled on a first come first served basis. If you have any questions or comments email Randy or call us 901/359-4982
