November Kids

I used to keep our buck separated from our does, so we could manage when they kidded.  But in the last couple of years I’ve just kept them together, leaving it up to nature to decide when the babies would come. And nature has preferred January and February, even though those are the harshest months for the health of mama goats and newborn kids.

So I was delighted when all our nannies became amorous this month. A goat’s gestation period is five months, and in November our weather is usually mild. If we’re going to be out in the barn in the middle of the night assisting with kidding, I’d much rather do that in November than in January.

Our new billy goat Abraham has big hooves to fill, but he seems to have stepped up to the challenge. Once he’d done his duty in the barn pasture I took him to the other pasture in the hopes that he could work his magic there too.

On his way to another assignment

Ready to get to work

The Daddy-to-be

But so far the girls in that pasture seem unimpressed.  I’m hoping they’ll grow very fond of Abraham soon. If not, we may have more January kids after all.