Welcome First Kids of 2018

We are delighted to report that our kidding season has started off with an easy kidding, an adoring mama, and healthy, beautiful triplets!

We knew Yara would be the first to kid, and we were nervous because she rejected her kids in 2017 as a first time mother. We made a point of keeping a support network nearby around kidding time that included her mother, Lexsie and her half sisters, Arya and Cersei, all of whom are excellent mothers and can be trusted with newborn kids.

Yara’s due date was March 10, but when a winter storm blew in on March 5 I knew we were doomed, because she kidded in an ice storm last year. Sure enough, her udder started filling up that night. I checked on her a few times overnight and she was progressing, but slowly. By the morning of the 6th she was uncomfortable and anti-social and was happy to go into a kidding stall by herself. I checked in periodically to provide head and belly rubs, and around 3:30 she lost her mucus plug, so I settled in to keep her company.

Pushing started around 5:15, and by 5:45 all three kids were on the ground. As soon as the first kid was born Yara was licking and cleaning her up, and continued to take care of her while the second kid was born. I got kid #2 out of his amniotic sac and put him within Yara’s reach so she could check on both of them while kid #3 made his way into the world. We got them all toweled off while the adoring mama licked and nuzzled them constantly. Yara was exhausted, so she got a bucket of warm molasses water to warm her up and give her some energy along with a bowl of grain. A check under tails showed 2 bucklings and a doeling. The bucklings have been named Dean and Sam Winchester, and will be wethered and kept here at Fort Kickass. The doeling is our little Princess Zelda, and will be a welcome addition to our dairy herd. 

They’re 3 weeks old today, growing fast, and eating hay and a little bit of grain along with nursing. In another 7-10 days they’ll start being separated from Yara during the day so that we can start milking her. Be sure to check out our Instagram for more pictures, and our YouTube channel for video of all the antics!