It turns out our little Butterfly is a real live wire! This gal won’t sit still for anything. She hopped over the lip of the shed this morning, which might be a new record for goats this young. Once out, she not only refused to go back in, but she refused to stay in when I put her back. Her mother was rather unhappy for most of the morning and early afternoon because Butterfly and George were separated. Butterfly flitted gleefully all over the pen while lonely little George cried for his sister. He couldn’t seem to figure out how to negotiate that ledge and he wasn’t motivated to try very hard. So George cried and Skeeter hollered while Butterfly gleefully explored her surroundings, completely oblivious to the hysteria around her.

I eventually liberated George from the shed so he and mom could calm down. It made Skeeter happy when both her kids followed her out of the pen so she could graze with her watchful eye on them. Unfortunately, this happy scene was short-lived. George quickly discovered Pluto’s doghouse and disappeared inside for a nap while Butterfly opted to continue exploring the yard and trying out her new legs.

Skeeter tried in vain to lead her wayward daughter back toward George. Instead, Skeeter had to abandon George so she could follow Butterfly all over the yard. Luckily George felt safe in the doghouse and was content to nap quietly while his sister explored.

This Butterfly is a brave one! She watched in fascination as Daisy scratched her ear. “What is this large, hairy beast?” 

She had to step in for a closer look…

“Ugh! The nasty thing kissed me!” Butterfly took one whiff of dog breath and raced back to mama. But it had been an exciting adventure!

After this I put Butterfly into the doghouse with George and by then she was tired enough to stay there so Skeeter could get a break. With both her babies napping in one spot and the dogs keeping watch, Skeeter finally settled down, stopped yelling, and went foraging with the herd for the rest of the afternoon. She’ll get the hang of these babies soon!

Skeeter was due Sunday, May 3rd and she did not disappoint! On Sunday morning her udder was much bigger than the day before and she was restless. Skeeter and Rita had Tigerlily, our somewhat aggressive herd queen, backed against a wall. Tigerlily was on the defence as Rita and Skeeter pounded some fear into her. “We’re going to be mamas now and you need to respect us!”

On Sunday afternoon I could see that Skeeter was separating herself from the herd and pawing nests into the dirt. Around 4:00 I went outside and Finn came up to the porch and baa-aa-ed at Phil and I with an intense look on his face. I decided I’d better go look for Skeeter. The entire herd was gathered on top of the hill behind our house, staring down into the scrub oak. It was like an amphitheater. All those goats needed was a bucket of popcorn!

Skeeter had picked a hidden spot under the oak brush and her caprine audience was transfixed. Sputnik, Skeeter’s older brother, had distanced himself from the other goats and was standing watch lower down where he was closer and could see her better. Phil went to check on Skeeter while I went to fetch the kidding box. When Phil came out of the scrub oak to inform me of Skeeter’s progress, TinCup followed Phil, baa-ing worriedly as if to say, “You can’t just leave her there! She’s about to have a baby!”

TinCup was right–we couldn’t leave Skeeter there. It was a terrible place to have kids! Not only could I not help her if she needed it, but I could just envision myself crawling out of there on hands and knees with a wet kid under each arm. That wasn’t going to work. Instead I crawled in there and hauled Skeeter out by the collar while she dragged and protested the entire way. She was actually starting to push a kid out when I fetched her! Labor stalled for a few minutes while Phil pulled and I pushed all the way across the driveway to the goat pen. We shut her in the pen, much to the frustration of Skeeter, who thought she had found the perfect place, and to the dogs, who had appointed themselves unwanted midwives. Just as I slipped in through the gate with the kidding box, the first little hooves made their appearance!

First out was a little black and white (cou clair) girl! A few minutes later she was joined by a black sundgau brother–two classic Alpine goat colors. The kids were 8.5 and 10 lbs. respectively and both were active and healthy from the get-go. Skeeter went straight into mama mode and cleaned them up expertly. She also did something I haven’t seen many does do. She reached back and suckled on herself to make sure her milk was flowing. Sometimes kids have trouble getting the first milk because of the plugs blocking the ends of the teats. Skeeter wasn’t going to let that happen to her kids!

I love how these kids blend right in against mama’s black and white coat. Doesn’t she look proud!

We’re thinking of naming the little doe “Butterfly” because of the marking on her face.

First drink. These kids were up and at it in no time! I’m so proud of this beautiful, capable new mama. She did everything by herself with no fuss or nonsense and she’s attentive without being overprotective. But she learned from the best. Petunia was an outstanding mama, and Skeeter reminds me so much of her. In fact, ever since Sunday I keep slipping up and calling her Petunia and Phil keeps correcting me. “Sorry, Skeeter. Just take it as a compliment!”

Emma takes riding lessons with me and I called her mom just as the kids were being born. I was hoping they could be there in time for the birth, but Skeeter was too quick for them. She was almost too quick for me! But Emma was able to help dry the kids off.

Skeeter did not seem to mind letting a stranger handle her babies. In fact, she seemed rather proud.

Another name idea for this little gal is “Firebird.” Her face marking is taking on more of a phoenix or firebird shape now that it’s dry. We’ll try some names out over the next few days and see what sticks.

I don’t know why but I almost immediately named this little guy “George.”

“Welcome to the family!”

Once Phil and I showed up, the rest of the goats quickly lost interest in the proceedings. They had more important things to do–like graze this glorious spring grass and bask in the sunshine. Skeeter picked the perfect day to bring her little family into the world. It could not have been more beautiful.

My faithful readers will recall how FAT Nubbin was in the photo taken a few days before her due date. The poor girl could hardly waddle about. You know how it looks when someone tries to push a wide, heavy table across a carpet by themselves, rocking it back and forth and lifting one leg at a time to sort of shuffle it along? That’s how Nubbin looked when she walked. Carole and I measured her that night and she was 64″ around!

Because she’d been induced, we expected labor to begin no later than Wednesday night. But Nubbin wasn’t going to be that easy. She spent a ridiculously long time in pre-labor and was unfortunately getting weaker and more exhausted by the hour. Carole and I spent the night in the barn with her. Sometime around 2:00 a.m. we were startled awake when Nubbin lumbered over and started pawing Carole’s legs. She was trying to make a nest in on Carole’s sleeping bag. I reached over to shoo Nubbin away so she shuffled off to an even better position–right on top of Carole’s head! Carole was trapped on the floor with Nubbin’s front feet tangled in her hair. I struggled out of my sleeping bag to rescue Carole before that enormous goat sat on her face!

The rest of the night passed fairly uneventfully. Nubbin got up, pawed, shuffled around, and laid back down quite a few times, and occasionally she gave a push, but it wasn’t until around 7:00 that she finally started labor. It wasn’t a very strong labor. Nubbin just didn’t have much “push” in her and I had to help deliver all of the kids.

The first little gal was a hard delivery. Nubbin pushed as hard as she was able while I pulled as hard as I dared. She wasn’t a big baby, but the lack of proper contractions meant Nubbin wasn’t as well dilated as she should have been so it was a tight fit. But we got her out and were delighted to see a pretty little chestnut!

Nubbin spent time cleaning the kid and took a 45-minute break before she was ready to deliver the second baby. This baby was upside-down at first and it scared me to death, but she was very much alive and kicking. Every time I grabbed her front legs, she pulled them right back out of my hand! She did that 3-4 times, but somewhere in all that tug-o-war she managed to flip herself over and come out the proper way. And then there were two baby girls: A pretty chestnut and a stunning bay!

The third baby made me nervous. When I reached in to get her she wasn’t moving and I told Carole I wasn’t sure if this one was still alive. But when I pulled her out she gave a couple of convulsive gasps and and showed us she’d made it. The third kid was black so now we had three different colors!

Kid number four was easy. I had to reach far down to retrieve her but she gave no trouble. She was also noticeably bigger than the other three and I was sure we had a buck. But no, it was another girl! Another beautiful bay like her mother and sister.

We took the four kidlets out into the sunshine while we heated up a bottle to feed them because Nubbin was too exhausted to stand up and nurse them. It was hot day so we laid them on the cool porch to nap.

And here they are in order. Kid #1: Doeling, 7.5#, chestnut with white markings. She might be the sweetest and friendliest.

Kid #2: Doeling, 7.25#, red bay with white markings and solid ears. She is the most vocal and is also adventuresome.

Kid #3: Doeling, 6.75#, black with white belt and one white leg. This little gal did not want to eat all day and we worried about her because she seemed weak compared to the others. Luckily she did perk up during the night and finally started eating. Phew!

Kid #4: Doeling, 8#, red bay with almost no white but with frosted ears. This is the liveliest of the bunch and the most assertive. She’s going to be bossy like her mama!

Kid #2 was my favorite. I love her deep reddish bay coat with the black accents. She’s going to be stunning when she grows up.

Poor Nubbin was so tired.

Carole was drinking a Guinness and I had her take some out to Nubbin who looked like she needed a beer more than anyone. She slurped it right down and wanted more. I told Carole that Nubbin could have as much as she wanted. She’d earned it!

We estimate that Nubbin was carrying a total of 30 lbs. of kids and at least that much in fluids for a total 60+ lbs. of extra weight. No wonder she could hardly walk! For the last month she could not lay down comfortably and I’m sure she wasn’t sleeping well.  She should feel much better now that she’s back down to a normal weight.

It’s too late to relay the saga tonight, but after Carole and I waited up with her through the night,  Nubbin finally delivered quadruplets this morning around 8:00! Four GIRLS!!! Carole is over the moon.

Please say a little prayer for Nubbin who is totally exhausted by the ordeal and currently wants nothing to do with her babies, and say another little prayer for the little black kidlet who is not thriving like the other three.

The first baby goats are due in less than a week and the girls are taking their rest time pretty seriously these days. We’ve had some very nice weather this week so the grass is coming in thick and green just in time to welcome the new arrivals.

Even with Petunia gone, her family still sticks together. These are Pet’s offspring from 2015 (Sputnik), 2018 (Skeeter), and 2019 (Cupcake). Their mother is gone but not forgotten!

Skeeter looks like she’ll probably kid first. She’s due May 3rd and I’m guessing twins. I’m guessing Cupcake will be an awesome little Auntie to those babies.

Rita is due the same day as Skeeter but doesn’t look quite as ready. I’m guessing only one kid, but hopefully she’ll surprise us.

Coral and Sadie are due three weeks later on May 24th. Coral looks like she’s carrying triplets while Sadie does not look pregnant at all. I know she is because of the changes to her udder, but her belly sure isn’t giving her away! I’m guessing  three for Coral and one little tiny kidlet for Sadie.

Last of all is Tigerlily. She’s due on May 25th and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for twins this year. She has a history of very large singles. I don’t like large singles. Tigerlily is bigger this year than she’s been in the past so maybe she’ll up her game this year and have two.

Snowball is such a little princess! It will be interesting to see what she thinks of having a younger sibling or two. I wonder how Tigerlily will take it. Some mothers suddenly reject their kids from the previous year for a time while others welcome them right in.

…She sits AROUND the house!!

I went out to visit Nubbin this afternoon. The poor girl has been huge for a month and can barely heave herself up, but she can’t get comfortable laying down either. She’s due this weekend but her owner induced this morning so she should have kids sometime tonight or tomorrow. With a belly this big I’m expecting quadruplets. Here’s hoping it all goes very smoothly!
Carole is Nubbin’s owner and loves her big, sweet girl!

We had to have our cistern dug up yesterday to replace the pump. No sooner did the contractor drive up than Finn claimed his trailer. Finn stayed in this spot for the entire morning even when the other goats left. I’m sure he was just waiting to see this backhoe in action. Sadly, we were all disappointed on that front. Our cistern isn’t buried real deep so the guys found the manhole cover with nothing more than couple of shovels.

A dead tree blew down in a remotish corner of our property over a year ago and I’d put off cutting it up and hauling it to the house because it was on a steep slope with a lot of rocks and trees that made it tricky to get a truck or tractor back there. I do drive the tractor back there, but lately we’ve either had too much snow to be safe on the hill or else too much mud to let me cross my pasture without tearing deep ruts. But darn it we were running out of firewood and I wanted that dead tree! So I had a brilliant idea–use the goats! Sputnik is always eager for a bit of work so I hitched him up and he hauled the chainsaws and gas can out to the dead tree. I tied him up nearby and got to work. Soon there was a respectable pile of firewood and log rounds lying where the tree had been.

I loaded the cart and Sputnik eagerly pulled it back to the house, almost dragging me along with it!

He’s not proud of himself at all! No, not one bit!

The second load was heavy! The logs I cut from the tree stump that was left standing after the rest blew down were still a bit green.
Sputnik was overeager at first and kind of dragged me out to the tree by his halter and then dragged me back home with the first load. He started out eager with the second load but settled down very quickly when he realized how hard it was! By the third load he was Mr. Steady Eddy and I didn’t even have to tie him when I loaded and unloaded the wagon. He stood very nicely, happy for a little break between loads. 

By the end of the fourth load Sputnik was getting tired. I had given him all the heavy logs, and the long trudge back home was mostly uphill and bumpy. Meanwhile I’d locked Finn up on the patio because he had been such a pest when Sputnik was hauling the first load. He dogged Sputnik the whole time, poking, prodding, and shoving him while Sputnik was trying to work. I shooed him away but he would run around the other side and start pestering again. Sputnik didn’t deserve that kind of treatment and I had no time for nonsense, so as soon as we got back to the house with our first load of wood, Finn went straight to jail. He watched in silent envy as Sputnik went away and came back with three more loads. By the time Sputnik needed a break, Finn was rarin’ to go. Normally Finn does not like pulling the wagon and if I’d started out with Finn he’d have been sullen and balky. As it was, watching Sputnik get all the attention and treats sparked Finn’s jealousy and by the time I hitched him to the wagon he was more than eager to work and he practically dragged me out to the tree as Sputnik had done at first.    

The entire herd was eager to help and followed back and forth on every trip–supervising no doubt! I felt like the head of a large parade. 

Finn ended up only having to haul 2 1/2 loads and they weren’t as heavy as Sputnik’s, but he still felt like a hero.

A nice drink of water for our hard worker.

Sadie did not help at all but she would like us to think she did something important by walking back and forth all those times. Oh wait–she cleaned up a lot of the wood chips from the wagon after I emptied it. See? She did do something important!

February was a month of snow and ice and unrelenting cold. The sky stayed overcast most of the time and for a while I despaired of ever seeing the sun again. Phil and I spent a lot of time huddled near the wood stove, particularly during the week we came down sick. We did our best to maintain our morning walks with Finn and Sputnik, but there were some days when it was just too icy. One day the ice rolled in just late enough for us to get our walk in first. By the time we got home the pine needles had gone from green to white and Sputnik’s beard was full of frost. (And for some reason I LOVE this photo of him!)

Finn’s eye whiskers also froze over.

The goats spent most of February destroying our stack of firewood. Every time we put it back up they tore it right down, the little monsters!

Hi Skeeter! She looks so much like her mom…

Phil’s birthday brought a rare ray of sunshine into this otherwise rather bleak and dreary month. He went outside and sat with the goats. Cupcake and Mocha immediately came to wish him a happy birthday. Then they wouldn’t leave him alone!

Goat attack!!!

Once they finished Phil off, the girls went to work on the woodpile!

Sadie just wants a piece of cake.

And TinCup is the wallflower.

The ice settled back in after Phil’s birthday and formed some amazing crystallizations on our porch!

I love how the icicles grew up through the cracks.

Our bannister grew some very impressive whiskers.

The tin goats got a little extra decoration for their horns.

The real goats got no such adornment. “When is this weather going to end? And where is our breakfast??”

A few days later a fine mist rolled down from the mountain and coated everything it touched in a layer of solid ice. It looked like someone had driven a zamboni around our yard! It was so slick I could not walk from the hay barn to the goat pen. After slipping a few times on level ground, I went right back inside and dug out my snowshoes with the metal claws on the bottom. The goats stayed in their sheds. They could barely walk on the frozen surface. The horses fared better. They were heavy enough for their hooves to punch down through the ice and give them some traction.

I heard a lot of stories afterward from friends and neighbors who had tried driving out in that weather and ended up in ditches. Our mail lady had to crack open our subdivision’s shared mailbox with a sledgehammer. Then she fell and slid underneath her car and couldn’t get out. Her husband tried to rescue her and ended up falling three times. She was eventually able to pull herself out by grabbing the running board and climbing up the side of the vehicle. Thankfully everyone was unscathed. I stayed home and only ventured outside to feed animals and bring in firewood.

Near the end of the second day, snow began to fall and by evening Phil and I were able to go sledding down the hill behind our house. The hill is long and it looks steep, but it’s not actually very good for sledding and we’ve rarely been able to get up much speed. This time was different! With the hill coated in solid ice with two inches of new snow on top we got some exhilarating rides! Next morning the temperature rose and the ice melted. No more good sledding, but it sure was fun for the one night it lasted!

February ended on a high note with a 1980’s theme party hosted by my veterinarian friend. It was only for the ladies so unfortunately Phil couldn’t attend, but I have to say I was mighty proud of my costume! I went as David Bowie’s Goblin King from the movie Labyrinth.  I think I’ll recycle this one for the State Fair in September and dress a baby goat in a red and white striped onesie.

The original:

January was a strange month without Queen Petunia to lead the herd. Even when she was sick, Pet’s presence seemed to go with them. The goats acted a bit lost for a while and spent a lot of time hanging around their pen when they would normally be out and about. Petunia always led the herd on their foraging forays, and even near the end when she quit going round with them, the herd seemed to go under her blessing and supervision. No one was sure who was in charge for a while, so the herd seemed a little confused and less orderly until Tigerlily finally stepped up to the plate in early February. Petunia was a gentle herd queen and a bold leader while Tigerlily is less kind but also less bold about striking out and leading the herd. The goats are bigger homebodies now than they used to be under Petunia’s rule. Hopefully Tigerlily will settle into her new role with time, and as the spring grass and oak buds emerge in the next few weeks I’m sure the goats will start being tempted away from the house.

In the meantime, they had a lot of fun stripping our Christmas tree! It took them about two hours to strip this poor thing to a bare skeleton. 

Except for Finn. Finn is so beautiful he prefers to pose for the camera rather than eat with the common riffraff. 

Tigerlily says, “I’m beautiful too! take pictures of me!” 

Cupcake (Petunia’s last kid) has had an interesting journey. She was a noisy baby and would cry loudly and often, especially after her brother, Buster Brown, left in October. But ever since Pet died she has hardly made a peep. I think she was distressed because she knew her mom was sick but there was nothing she could do for her. On Pet’s last night when I found her shivering in the shed despite the blanket and the warm evening, Cupcake was curled up as close to her mother as she could possibly get. All the other goats were eating supper, but Cupcake skipped the meal to give her mom companionship and warmth. It was incredibly sweet, so when I took Petunia into the house that night, I brought Cupcake in with her. We put Petunia down the next day but of course Cupcake didn’t see any of that. She kept trying to get into the house because that was the last place she’d seen her mama. On about the third day, Cupcake bolted past me when I opened the door and she ran around the basement calling. When she saw that her mom wasn’t there, she stopped looking and has not worried about her ever since.

I was afraid that Cupcake would get beat up once her mother died, but interestingly enough, Sputnik took her under his wing. I can’t say he actively protects her, but he lets her eat next to him and share his shed which means no one dares bother her. I have two big hay feeders and Finn and Sputnik generally share one while most of the girls share the other. Pet used to share with the boys because she was the queen. Tigerlily has recently started sharing with the boys now that Pet is gone, but as often as not she gets chased off. Cupcake, on the other hand, rarely eats with the girls. There she is, cute little fluff ball, happily chowing down between towering Finn and Sputnik while everyone else keeps a cautious distance. It’s adorable and I’m thrilled that our little orphan has a special place in the herd.