Six years ago, when we moved to Storybook Farm I accomplished a life long dream of having goats. I found some Nigerian Dwarfs in Weiser, Idaho and we went to visit them when they were very tiny to pick them out. I picked out two females and a male wether who had beautiful markings. Then, when they were old enough, we went and picked them up. For years, I hoped to breed them, but was not able to find a buck.
Then, last spring my neighbor’s Brad and Jan got a little tiny black Pygmy Cashmere cross. I went to see him and they told me they were not going to neuter him. “Are you sure?” I said, explaining how stinky they can get as unneutered males. So, in the fall, when he started to get stinky and they changed their minds about neutering him, I asked them if I could bring one of female goats down before the vet came. They said yes. I walked Frida down to their house on a leash, where I left her for 30 days or for a full Nigerian Dwarf Goat cycle. Then, I brought her home.
I read everything I could about how to tell if it had worked and most people said I wouldn’t be able to tell. Several years ago, my friend Katie had rented goats and the first one they brought to her ended up having babies in the middle of the night. They brought her a second rental goat and the same thing happened.
But, in February it became very obvious to me that it had worked. She was huge and her udder was full. The Friday before Easter, during spring break, all the goats were in the barn, which is unusual and Frida was laying down and when she tried to get up she just laid right back down. I knew it was time.
We brought towels out to the barn and got ready. At about 8:00 p.m., after taking a break from looking and looking in there all day, Luis and I went out and it was happening. Frida was panting, some thing was coming out. We took a closer look and realized it was a tiny goat head. I panicked and called a friend who is a vet basically saying “It is happening!” Then, before we knew what to do, it was out. We dried it off very carefully with a towel. It was covered with a black gel that was very warm and slippery. My friend Hester told us the mother goat would eat the umbilical cord and clean them off, but she was busy getting ready to have another, so we kept cleaning it and making sure it was breathing. It was and when we got it all uncovered we realized it looked just like its dad Boo. I couldn’t believe it. I grabbed my phone to let Brad and Jan know the Boo Junior had been born and to hurry down to see the next one.
Luis looked at me and said “This is amazing.” What had looked like a black blob was now trying to stand up and starting to look like a goat. My neighbors came over, the vet and we were all there to watch the second one to be born. This one was brown and looked a lot like its mom. This one had a thick umbilical cord, so the vet tied two little ropes on it and then cut it in the middle. I was so glad he was their. The mom cleaned off this baby, ate stuff and seemed like she could rest more. None of us thought that there were any more, but I had heard that their could be three. A friend said she went to bed after 2 had been born and in the morning there were 3.
In the morning, there actually was a third one, but it didn’t make it. It was very sad. Brad, Luis and I buried it. Luis named him Martin, after Martin Luther King.
The baby goats are way too much fun. It has been goats this and goats that for the past week. Are they getting enough milk, are they ok, are they stuck behind anything, do they have a safe place to go outside, are they too hot, are they too cold. Frida, their mom, has been a very good mom and they seem to be eating just fine and doing well. I know this because yesterday they really started doing baby goat things. Jumping, playing, racing around, chewing on things. They are so cute. I am not getting anything done because I just want to sit and stare at them all day. They have been held a lot and had lots of visitors, so they are very friendly too.
They did get disbudded at age 7 days, which is supposed to be the best time when their little buds or horns first come out. It was hard to watch, but the woman who did it had been doing it for a very long time and she told us all kinds of stories of goats who had their horns left on. She also gave them a shot and they have to have another in 30 days. Then, the little boy will get banded (neutered at 12 weeks). She was very good. I highly recommend her. Ashley Ward 208-724-8398. She lives in Eagle, and raises, shows and sells, Pygmy goats. When she was six years old, her grandparents gave her 3 goats and she did 4-H with them and showed them and now she is till doing it, but I bet she has 25-30 goats and a huge beautiful pasture and barn for them.
You can see the mom Frida on the stump and the dad Boo following her around in the middle photo. The last photo shows Boo with his horns and how they have to cover them with bike handlebar covers.
Story Book Farm 