The kids are here...19!

After months of anticipation, the first 8 does have kidded, producing 19 kids.

Sarah has asked us to take the lead on bottle feeding. At first, we were excited...how can you say no to bottle feeding newborn fluffy creatures?

After getting peed on twice in the past week--once from a 3-year old human kid mid-carry to the potty and once from a bottle feeding goat kid, mid-way through its bottle, I indeed feel like a new parent.

Let me further explain what bottle feeding 19 kids is like: 7 am is shrill little goat cries and a race out of the pen to the outdoor world, side tracked by exploration of the wheelbarrow, the car tires, or not making it out of the barn and daring the climb of the barn stairs, all ventures led by the Annes (the baby goats are not named individually but named by their mother. So, we have 3 Anne's for example, who are the ringleaders of the pack, second oldest to Nya's space cadet, slow, wandering kids). Herding is always followed by running back to pick up the crying Gwenyths' who haven't yet left the barn or figured out how to run and follow the others.

7am Herding

7am herding to the paddock is followed by voracious bottle feeding, knocking each other over with splayed legs and climbing the gate to try to be next, suckling my fingers with newly sharp teeth as I reach in while the other ones cry.

--2 hour break--

11 am is nap time and slow sleepy suckling. Instead of "king of the mountain" vying for next to be fed, 11 am feeding is climbing into the pen to cajole the pile of sleeping goats into suckling. I try to keep the kids focused on the milk instead of the plastic tarp on the ground or suckling my hair or falling asleep with mouth on nipple.

--3 hour break--

4 pm is play time--jumping off of benches and ramps and touch and go bottle feeding. I have to track down the jumping beans (or swat them off) and hoist them into suckling position.

And then feeding them one by one by coddling them in my arms became tedious after a few goats. This turned into two bottles in each hand...which turned into one bottle between the knees, and one in each hand...and then I discovered the boards of the pen could be bottle holders...of 3...4...5...6!

9 pm is huddling and a "do we have everyone" leap-waddle to the heat lamp pen in the barn, bottle feeding, and trying to prevent the mid-way through pee on the cheese store floor. At 11:30 pm, I am finishing washing the bottles and scrubbing off dry-erase marker. (We need to keep each doe's milk separate so that each kid gets its mom's milk).

11pm Sleeping Pile

Before

After