Surprise!

Surprise indeed!  Are you surprised I’m updating my blog at last?  Yeah, well – me too.  But I have a bigger surprise – BABY GOATS!

Yes.  baby goats.  in November.  Gary came in from morning chores yesterday and solemnly announced that he “needed me to go out to the barn.”  It sounded ominous, but then he said “There are 3 baby goats out there.”

WAHT?  I mean WHAAATT? Gary thought maybe someone had dropped them off, the way people abandon kittens near farms.  But no.  The does were tending these little beauties and they are the spitting image of their mothers.  Two mothers.  Uhm  yeah.

So, here’s what I figure happened.  I raise angora goats, mostly, and I’m used to their breeding habits.  They mature more slowly than dairy goats and come into season in the Fall, about September.  Every August I separate the bucks and does before they have a chance to “merge”.  It works for me.  I can put the buck in with the does later in the Fall, and then count on having kids in late March/early April – instead of in Jan/Feb.

Well, I’m starting a herd of cashmere goats, and they are a little different – particularly these sweet little Australian cashmeres.  In late May of this year, just before the Memorial Day weekend, we combined the does and bucks, angora and cashmere, into one pasture paddock.  I didn’t think anything of it, and I didn’t see anything unusual going on, but it’s not like I’m watching them all day.  I’ve got stuff to do!

Apparently there was a lot going on out there…  I think – I’m not sure, but I think there are 3 more pregnant does.  All Australian or 1/2 Australian.  I have two white American cashmere does, and I don’t think they’re about to pop out any kids.  But Ebony and Ivory and Mona are developing full udders, and that only means ONE thing.  BABY GOATS!

I have to admit.  I kind of like it.  Baby goats are one of my favorite creatures.  And Fall can be kind of “eh” with the colder weather, and shorter days.  I’m talking about ME here.  Hopefully I can make it easy on these little cuties… and their cousins to come…  In the meantime – I bring them in at night – to tame them, and keep them warm.  Fun, fun, fun.

Oh! Two girls, one boy.  Named them Kaytee, Opal and Opie.  Lucy and Lisa are the moms.  Kaytee looks JUST like Lucy, and Opal and Opie are sooo much like Lisa.  It’s almost like these cashmeres were cloned.  More pictures on the FB page.  Enjoy!