Busy With Babies and Bottles

Its been in the mid 70's for three days and the lawns and fields are greening up fast. The wild grandiflora roses are budding and the goats are snacking.  Onion grass is doing nothing for the goats' breath but they are loving it as it is growing fast.

I think if it doesn't snow or freeze soon, we will be mowing our lawn next week.

Zola and I have been butting heads - so to speak. 

She has not been willingly nursing both of her boys. At first we figured she was sore and tired from kidding twenty pounds of goat. Its been three days and my patience is wearing thin. The kids are running to me already as they know when I show up, somehow, they get fed.

This little guy will nurse on a syringe and a Pritchards teat, but hasn't figured out Mom yet. I have been milking Zola and now bottling it, but he is not getting enough. She is not what one would call cooperative. I have begun to add a little of the milk replacer that the orphans have been using.

Son Number Two has figured out the source of the milk, but it takes myself, or neighbor Allison, holding Zola's leg to prevent her kicking, for a successful feeding. Once on, he gets a good amount and he is thriving and bouncing around.

I am seriously thinking about seeing if there is someone out there who wants to bottle feed one of these boys if we don't get on the correct system very soon. I'm giving it another day or two though.

Kid Update

When the nannies have young kids, they each get their own cube in the maternity ward.  It helps make sure the kids stay fed and warm.

 Twee's trips are right next door.  They get to have the rest of the stall when I'm in mucking and the twins go outside.

 The twins have been going outside for a week now.

  The trips got to go outside for a short while yesterday afternoon.

 Its getting difficult to tell who is who.  Angus sticks out with his size and speckled ears. The rest??!!

And this is amazing.  All three triplets nursing at the same time. In the Boer goat world, people look for single teated does, but with triplets, that would be a significant disadvantage. Many of my does have two teats on each side.  Some more dominant than the other. Twee has three large teats and a smaller one, but they all have milk and they all get used.  Sometimes imperfection works!