Egg production increases dramatically as the short winter days begin to lengthen. Most of the kids arrive between the last week of January and the first week of March. Interestingly, just about the time the goat milk is in full production here, the bottle bulls arrive from the dairy. So, in all this, routine is important, vital to life on a homestead. I haven't had any extraordinary circumstances with baby goats in a few years, so this year has been interesting.
Several years ago, I had a Nigerian dwarf give birth to twins. One twin was quite an aggressive eater, and would always "get there first." By the time the smaller twin realized it was meal time, the first one would move to the untouched teat, and the new arrival would get what was left, which wasn't much. Those baby goats are really something. Kids can drain mama in about 1/4 of the time it takes me to milk, and I'm pretty efficient. Although the mother had not rejected the smaller one, the reality was, she could starve, so . . . I began supplementing her with a bottle, but keeping her with mama. The next lesson was, when I brought the little one in for her bottle, the bigger one had completely drained mama, so . . . I was then bringing in both babies, one to feed, and one to protect the milk supply! I'd orchestrate the return so the little one had top priority. That was a lot of work for 10 weeks!
The same situation occurred this year. Avalon is a great milker, and she's not a bad mama, but she's not great at it either. She's still young. The day she gave birth was so beautiful and warm, even with all the birthing sheds, she opted for outdoors . . . The old issue to which I referred became apparent very quickly. This time I was smarter, I thought! I let the bigger one nurse, then brought her in to take her nap, while the smaller one stayed alone with mama for a few hours. Repeated the same thing in the afternoon. Easy Peasy, no bottles, no muss, no fuss, until . . . the temperature dropped dramatically the other day, and I wasn't home. I only leave the place twice a month, and that was the day.
These babies had never gone inside. The weather had been so mild and the sun so warm the first two days of their life, that they just slept all day in the sun and mama snuggled them at night. Unfortunately as the cold settled in Tuesday, mama couldn't make them stay in their little shed.
Upon my arrival home I went to check on them. The stronger kid was in real distress from the cold. I scooped them both up and brought them in. I warmed some milk, force fed them and put them on the heating pad. It didn't take long till they were perked back up. Pneumonia is a big risk if young animals are exposed to dramatic temperature change and I wasn't about to take them back out in the cold dark night.
I milked their mama and realized this may turn into another long 10 weeks. With one more cold front expected, the only logical thing to do is keep them in the house until this next cold front passes. It is almost March! Only three days together and at least a week apart could cause mama to forget about them and not take them back when the weather warmed up. I had to come up with a plan to keep them healthy with mama and babies still bonded.
So until warmer weather they are right here in the dining room by my desk in their own little basket all curled up. There is a baby gate between the living room and kitchen so they can romp and play, and for the first time in the history of the Land of Goshen, mama comes into the kitchen three times a day to deliver milk.
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