A Farm Full of Baby Goats

twin kalahari goats

Our Kalahari Goat farm is overrun with cuteness this month as one mother after another delivers adorable baby goats.

We’ve had three sets of twins and one single birth, and each one is unique and precious.

twin baby kalahari goats

I love how the twins snuggle together, finding sunny spots to curl up against the winter chill. And it’s been chilly. Just 40 minutes south of us they had SNOW!! Amazing. We didn’t know how our Kalahari Red kids would do in the cold, but so far, they’re thriving.

baby kalahari goat

Their faces are so sweet and tiny, their coats amazingly soft in varying shades of rich reddish brown.

kalahari red kid

The older ones are already learning to climb and jump, looking hilariously awkward as they trot along with their mothers before randomly leaping in the air, limps flailing.

twin kalahari goats

My favorite thing is watching our Maremma, Apollo, undertake his baby-sitting duties. He’s such a good protector for the littles. He sits with them while they nap, licks them clean, and chases off any older ones who look like they might have bullying on the mind.

maremma guarding baby goat

It’s such a beautiful and happy time of year on the farm. These baby goats put smiles on our faces all day long.

What’s putting a smile on your face this week? xo

Field Flowers and Baby Goats

baby boer

We’ve been working hard this weekend getting our new website up and running. 🙂 We still have a few more things to add, but we’re so happy to have this new space to share through and we hope you like it!

The rest of our time has been spent in the fields getting wire hauled for new fencing and taking the goats out for their daily feeds. It’s so exciting to see bits of Spring popping up in the dry, brown fields, especially such cheery ones like these.

 

wild daisies

We’ve been feasting on simple but rib-sticking foods like this delectable lemony white bean salad tossed with tuna and fresh Roma tomatoes. You can find the recipe here at Krista’s food and travel site:

http://www.ramblingtart.com/2013/08/30/italian-dreaming-and-a-lemony-white-bean-salad/

white bean salad

But mostly we’ve been keeping an eye on beauties like this little girl…

baby boer

and this one…

baby girl goat

and this one. 🙂

They are the sweetest things, tiny, cuddling, snoozy, and we love them. 🙂

sleepy baby goat

What’s keeping you busy this weekend?

Baby Kalahari Kids

holding kalahari kid

There’s a lot of excitement on the farm with the birth of our first Kalahari kid this week. 🙂

She’s a preemie, so tiny it’s hard to know how she even made it, but she did!

baby kalahari goat
baby kalahari goat

And how we love her. 🙂

There was a whole lot of cuddling going on that winter morning as we helped keep her warm while the new mother got used to her and allowed her to nurse and snuggle.

holding kalahari kid

She’s a little luv – gentle and sweet. Falling asleep seconds after she snuggles in.

Each day she gets stronger. She’s not so wobbly now and she’s nursing like a trooper.

holding kalahari baby

The other mothers are due any day now and their bellies look fit to burst!

Each morning Bear rushes down to their pen to make sure everyone’s OK and to see if any babies were born in the night.

I think this might be one of the best times of the year. 🙂

mother Kalahari with baby

Thank you for your patience in waiting for new posts. I was very ill the past while but I’m doing better and better each day and hope to be posting regularly again. 🙂

I’d love to hear what your favorite part of this season is!

Eggs, Foxes and Curious Little Goats

skirt full of eggs

It’s been gorgeous weather this Spring, and with the returned warmth and a new shady home for the birds, our chickens and ducks have been laying like mad!

Yesterday I went to let them out for a feed and returned with my skirt full of eggs. One dozen in one day!

Needless to say, I’m on the lookout for egg-centric recipes. 🙂 If you have any recommendations you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about them in the comments. 🙂

skirt full of eggs

Unfortunately the warm weather has also brought out other animals, like foxes. Our eyes goggled at the enormous fellow we saw scampering around the top goat paddock earlier this week.

We have a sneaking suspicion he’s the one who devoured our beautiful Muscovy drake. 🙁 We’re making doubly sure that everyone is locked up tight at night.

Thankfully our baby Kalahari goats are safe and sound. Their Maremma guard dogs – Freja, Apollo and Solar – warn us of any potential dangers and that is a great relief.

baby boer goat

I was out with them the other day and they were their adorably curious selves, trotting over to see what I was up to, clustering at my feet quite certain that something interesting was about to happen.

cluster of baby goats

They quickly tired of waiting for me to do anything entertaining and made a beeline for the fence of the Isolation pen, thrusting noses and hooves through the wire to say hello to the goats “doing time” there. 🙂

baby goats playing

Soon the babies will be large enough to join the rest of the herd grazing in outlying paddocks, so I’m enjoying their cute little selves trotting around the yard for as long as I can. 🙂

What is your favorite egg recipe?

How to Care for Baby Goats

baby Boer goat

Lots of excitement around Citadel Kalahari this month! 🙂

This week alone we’ve had Boer triplets AND Kalahari twins born – and they are so cute.

baby goats

Caring for baby goats is simple but important. Thankfully all our goats have had easy births, so we usually find the babies born healthy a short time after they’ve already been born. That’s when our part comes in.

Here are the steps we follow:

  1. Check the mama to make sure the afterbirth is out of her system. If it’s still attached, keep an eye on her as she may have another baby in there.
  2. Check each baby to make sure they’re in good condition and determine the sex.
  3. Spray the umbilical cord thoroughly with antiseptic spray to prevent infection.
  4. Ensure they have good shelter out of the wind. We like to pile clean straw on the floor of whichever shed we have them in to give them a warm place to burrow into.
  5. Make sure the mama has plenty of water and ample feed so she can adequately nurse her babies.
  6. Check the mama’s teats to see how many she has. Often she will only have two, even if she has triplets. If that’s the case, just keep an eye on things to make sure ALL the babies are getting a good feed.
  7. Cuddle and stroke the babies regularly so they are comfortable around humans rather than being skittish.
  8. When they get a bit bigger, make a “goat hill” for them to climb on. Fallen logs or old tires are perfect.
  9. Enjoy them and take lots of pictures. 🙂

 

baby Boer goat

What are your favorite baby animals?