Still Celebrating the Holidays

Our goats celebrate Christmas in February.

We're still celebrating the Christmas holidays here on the farm. Yesterday I brought back a wreath for the goat girls to enjoy. It graced the front of our church in December and January, but I noticed it piled with other greenery outside the church the other day. On that occasion I brought home two of the branches someone had removed from the Christmas tree, just to see how the goats would react to this type of greenery. I cannot say that I was surprised to see that, yes, they like it!

When I drove up by the pasture gate today the goat girls raced down to see what I had in store for them. Before I could even fasten the wreath to the gate post, the herd had descended upon its branches. They were so cute gathered around the wreath, that I had to slip into the pasture with my camera.

On the left, the Nigerian Dwarf x Fainter cross Mitzi, appears close to kidding.

Before leaving the enclosure, I quickly surveyed the does from the rear, to check for udder development indicating a possible pregnancy. Lo and behold, I saw that Mitzi's bag is full; we expect that she may kid tonight or tomorrow. I considered putting her into the maternity stall overnight, but decided against it as she prefers being with the herd. Plus, she's a good mother and will likely kid indoors if the temperature drops tonight. We wonder who will prove to be the sire of her litter.