Kids!

"Jen!  It's GO TIME!"  Brian said, as he came running into the bedroom one morning.  I immediately knew exactly what he meant.  I felt a surge of adrenaline pulse through my body and hopped out of bed, stumbling to put my warmest clothes on as quickly as possible.

When we arrived downstairs to the kidding area, we were greeted by a wonderful sight.

Wilma had given birth to two healthy kids while we were sleeping!  During his daily morning maternity check, Brian caught a glimpse of the second kid slipping into the hay.  We were lucky that we found the kids so soon after birth.  It is essential to ensure they are warm, not wet and shivering, and even more importantly, that they nurse within the first hour of life.  The colostrum produced by their mama is essential to survival.  We set to the task of food and warmth immediately.

Not much intervention was required, both kids got to nursing with minor prodding from us.  They also seemed to enjoy wearing Arthur's coats!  Now that we knew the kids were warm and well fed, time for the next most important thing.  Gender check!  When trying to start a goat dairy, you can imagine we hope for girls that will provide us lots of milk and more future kids.  I held my breath as I looked under their wiggling tails.  First kid, a boy.  Second one, a girl!  Brian and I thought about it for a minute and then came up with their names.  Welcome Poppy and Napoleon to our animal family!

In the few weeks since their birth, Poppy (or Pop-Star, as I like to call her) and Napoleon (Napster, for short) have been thriving.  They are running, jumping and playing, just like baby goats are supposed to do!  Wilma is an excellent mother and has also become our number one milker.  She has a sweet temperament and produces lots and lots of milk each day, enough for us and her babies.

When everything goes according to plan, kidding season is the best time of year!