Goats 2.1

Well, Clover is a mom. I see her as sort of a teenage mom, at least she acts like it. Belle made her debut July the 16th at about 6:30 in the evening. She weighed in at 8 lbs 11 ounces. Em and I watched her come into the world. For days after, she commented, "Wow, that was really cool, Mom." I'm glad she got to see a live birth. I grew up watching calves and piglets born each spring on our farm in Nebraska and I've never tired of the miracle of new life.

Moma has done a pretty good job, as long as you don't consider the fact that food and friends rank above baby. Or that she seems a bit absent minded, to the point of three or four times a day forgetting she even has a baby. She left baby in the barn for a couple hours and frantically searched the garage for her the day after her arrival. I was a bit panicked as she is small enough for a hawk to carry off, but a quick search around the house and barn revealed her safe and sound snuggled up in the pen. Mom wanders off eating her way up the mountain and across the fence onto the neighbor's property. All the sudden, brain cells begin to fire and thought occurs to her that she has a baby...somewhere. Head jerks up and she begins to call and frantically turn in circles looking for baby. I told Steve, at this rate, Belle needs to be in the foster care system as a ward of the state. Moma did sit on her once, but was oblivious to the fact that the cries were coming from baby. She tries, she really does, but I don't think motherhood is instinctive to her. Maybe next time around.

I thought it was cool that after Belle was born, as mom was licking her off, she ate lots of strong scented plants and continued to lick baby till she smelled like wet grass. I guessed she was trying to disguise her from predators. Pretty cool. But then again, she could have just been hungry...baby can wait after all. All in all she is doing a pretty good job as a mom. Belle is old enough to follow Clover now, so getting left behind hasn't been an issue since the first couple of days.

Gretel weighs 47 lbs now. She is just 6 weeks old. I must say I have really enjoyed all the new life around here. I have two more hens that have gone broody. One set to hatch her clutch of 10 eggs next Sunday. The other has been hanging around Clover too much, playing mom when it is convenient and fun. But I think she has finally decided to set for good. She has just 5 eggs, they won't hatch for at least 2 weeks. Somehow I'm sure 5 chicks will be more than enough for her to handle. Funny, she didn't go broody till I reintroduced the first broody hen and her chicks back into the coop. Guess she thought it looked fun to sit uninterrupted for 21 days with little food or water. I shouldn't criticize, I apparently thought it looked fun to spend 9 months feeling sick, fat and ugly and at the end, as a reward, to pass something the size of a watermelon. 21 days, no labor...doesn't seem so bad after all.

Belle just 5 mintues old.