Finally! Kids are here!

Wow! We finally had our first batch of kids last night. Pleasure kidded around 4:30 in the afternoon. She had 2 girls and a boy. They came out quick! I couldn't believe it. I was feeding the girls and I turned around and Jen already had one out. 

When they come out they are very messy and gooey. We let the moms lick them off a little then we wrap them in a towel and rub them pretty vigorously to get them warm and dry and to stimulate them as much as possible. You want to hear them cry. Then we let the momma lick them some more to help inoculate their immune systems and their rumen. We heat treat the colostrum (first milk from the mommas) and feed it to the babies in bottles. We do this to make absolutely sure the milk is safe for the babies. Also, some of the goats aren't the best mothers and wouldn't care to feed the babies. By hand feeding the babies they develop an attachment to us which will make it much easier to work with them throughout their lives. 

So the season has finally officially begun! We were up early this morning to milk and feed the babies. We're keeping an eye on Chips today. Next up is Mystic on Thursday and we have 5 scheduled to kid on Friday! So by next Saturday, this place will be mayhem! Stay tuned...