New Kids for the New Year?

Nubian does catch some late-day sunshine by a chewable tree stump.

At one time I was sure that our three dairy goats were bred to kid in late January, but then I saw the Nubian does being bred again weeks after I had thought they had conceived. Our plans switched from having a barn full of kids in January to only looking for kids from Marcie in January and then from the Nubians in March. However, plans are only made to be changed it seems.

Two days ago, Miss Pamela Chrysanthemum, our tri-colored Nubian doe, suddenly appeared with a filled udder and a low-hanging pregnant belly. I've been watching her closely, and today I was sure she was ready to kid. Okay, so I saw little of the restless pawing behavior some of the Nigerian Dwarf goats used to display shortly prior to kidding, but she did paw a bit. Plus, while she's normally skittish around me, she now seems more tolerant--a behavior I attribute to her being close to delivery.

After spending the afternoon around the barnyard, frequently checking on Miss Pamela, I decided to head indoors when the sun set. As the night got colder, I limited my checks to hourly; however, she now has me convinced that I'll have to wait until the New Year for a chance to serve as her midwife. C'est la vie.

The people and animals here at P&CW Organic Farm wish y'all a Happy New Year and good health throughout 2012.