Six to Sixteen in Seven Days

We've had a very successful kidding season. Last Sunday we had six goats, this Sunday we have 16. What a week!

This morning our last nanny had twins. An 8lb solid black female, and a 7 1/4lb true brush goat colored female. She looks just like Jessica, kind of gray/white.

We have really enjoyed being present at so many of the births. We have also enjoyed watching some of the first goats born on our ranch back in 2009, now having kids of their own. We've come full circle. I am also so happy that all of these first time nannies are proving to be such attentive and nurturing mothers.

Kaden is already beginning to wrestle with the baby goats. His favorites are the brown ones and he says that brown is his favorite color. The kids born Monday are beginning to play and hop around and that just makes Kaden laugh and want to roll around with them. It is so cute to watch and hear him giggle.

Since all of the babies are doing so well we might start letting them out tomorrow, However, that will depend on the weather forecast and I've been so caught up in the maternity ward that I haven't seen the news all week.

We have ten cute new baby goats and they would love to see you. Come visit us anytime :)

As Suspected

I had a sneaking suspicion we weren't done for the day. Mimi had twin boys this evening. She started acting funny yesterday and today appeared to be in labor but didn't move into active labor (pushing) until about 5PM. She had them both within ten minutes or so. I thought she would only have one, she wasn't very big. Kolin bet on twins and Kaden took the long shot bet of triplets. Konrad woke up and made it to the barn for the birth. Both of the billies are solid black. One was 8 1/4lbs, the other 7 1/2lbs. I think that's all for today, but we do have the last nanny penned up in the barn, just in case...we wouldn't want her to be outside tonight, too cold. Plus Night Train, the billy, was acting a fool when Mimi was in hard labor. So he has lost his barn priviledges for tonight.

The Expanding Herd

This morning at 10:00AM Flower dropped a 10lb female kid into the barn. That's our largest kid yet, but I'm not even sure if that will be the last kid born today. Mimi is acting very suspicious...

Twins!

The fresh snow last night seems to have sent Hipster into labor. Hipster, the first goat born on our ranch back in January 2009, had her first kids this morning. She had a 9lb male first.

He is white with a black head. Then she had an 8lb red/brown male.

He has a white patch on his stomach, like the billy, Night Train. He also has one white foot. Both have nursed and appear strong and healthy. Hipster is doing good too. She has eaten, had fresh water and some Craisens.

Snow Much Fun

Here are a couple of pics from our first snow, but not our latest snow. We got a great snowfall (for us) of about 5" but I had left my camera at a friend's house so I didn't get any pictures of it :(

We went sledding at the church, Kaden is a wild man, fearless. He will follow his big brother anywhere and sometimes beyond.

AT LAST!

After MUCH waiting and GREAT anticipation we finally have some baby goats!



On Sunday Kay appeared to be very close to giving birth and on Monday Konrad said he thought she was in labor. Kay was in the barn and our billy goat, Night Train was standing guard at the goat door of the barn. Konrad went to check on her before leaving at 4PM and called me immediately and said "there are babies on the ground, I repeat, babies on the ground!"Kid #3


Our friend Amy Shimabukuro happened to be visiting that day from the big city of Boston and I'm sure she thought we were crazy as the boys and I threw on our coveralls and ran out the door. I had just finished telling her that I had a Call List of friends that wanted to be notified when the kids were being born. I think she thought I was joking, but I actually had one and grabbed it as I ran out the door.

Two kids had been born in the barn so Konrad moved them into the maternity ward which is a clean stall on the opposite side of the barn-out of the poop and visible but out of reach from the other goats. I think Konrad finished the maternity ward before Thanksgiving anticipating a birth any day.

Nanny Kay, brown 9-pounder, and black 5-pounder.


On the call list were three home school families and they all made it in time to see the 3rd kid be born. There were at least 10 kids there, not including mine, ranging in age from 2-18. They were amazingly quiet during the birth as we had asked them to be. It was a fun time and everyone got a good education that day.



Kay did a wonderful job and is proving to be an excellent mother. These are her first kids so I am very happy that she is doing so well.

2 Days Old

All three kids are females, the do not yet have names. We [I] still aren't 100% sure they will all live so we aren't in a rush to name them, though with each day I give them a higher percent chance of making it. The last one born is the biggest (9 lbs) which is odd, usually they have gotten smaller as birth order progressed. We aren't sure of the birth order of the first two but one is 8 lbs and then there is the little one that is only 5lbs. She is tiny compared to the other two, several inches shorter, but is nursing and seems to be doing okay. Kolin really likes her so I hope all goes well. Kolin and his favorite.


Kaden likes whichever one he can get his hands on. He tends to be a little rough and has lost his goat-holding privileges more than once. I encourage him to hold the biggest one, she's the strongest by far. Fun times!

We would love to see you and show off our new kids here at the Rocking K Ranch. Hope to see you soon!