Kids Venture Outside

Logan and MollyToo play outside their stall.

After all the cold temperatures we have had, yesterday warmed up significantly. The ground turned sloppy with mud and I needed to find the muck boots that had been put away some months back. When I pulled back the outer door on the maternity stall, the few-inch opening for fresh air vanished and the kids saw the home pasture--and wanted to check it out. The little doelings were eager to get out to see their expanded world, but the build-up of straw and hay bedding in that stall made returning indoors a challenge.

At first I just wedged a piece of wood against the cattle panel barrier, propping it at the bottom with a loose rock, and hoped that the kids could use this ramp to easily get back into their stall. Of course, bouncing kids quickly rocked it out of place. Silly me; what had I been thinking?

My carpentry skills being all but nonexistent, I used my favorite farm remedy: baling twine. A notch at the head of the board, made with a pair of ever-present hoof nippers, helped to wedge the board into a set position. Little angle nicks on the side of the board provided just enough of a catch that the twine worked to hold the little goats' new ramp in place. A temporary fix, to be sure, but that was all that the situation required--so I was satisfied.

Logan plays on ramp while Cocoa and Lisa observe.

Logan, too, was satisfied. Right away she began testing out her new independence. With either Mama Jennifer or Auntie Cocoa standing in the doorway watching, Logan explored the ramp and the areas of the ground near the door, stopping to slip back into the stall now and again.

Lisa looked on, intrigued, but not ready to venture onto that strange structure--at least not while the woman with the camera was nearby. The littlest kid, Kendall, hung close to her mother--hoping, I am sure, for more chances to nurse.

Kendall is not thriving as well as the other kids. Being little, I imagine she gets shoved aside in the feeding frenzy--two teats, three kids: Kendall loses. As well, I see Jennifer shaking her off when she tries to feed, so I have taken to holding the momma still one or twice daily to ensure that Kendall gets a decent feeding.

Kendall perches nimbly on my shoulder.

Her coordination has kept apace with the bigger kids' development. This morning when the lot of them were clambering about, climbing upon the human squatting in the stall, Kendall climbed up onto my lap and--with a little help--climbed onto my right shoulder, where she stayed for several minutes while I moved about the stall.

I'm only a little worried about Kendall. She may not be growing as fast as the others, but she's certainly holding her own. With a little help at feeding time, she ought to catch up soon.