New Doe Kid

While I was giving the Boys their bottles I heard it. Convinced myself I was hearing things, then heard it again. Larry and Lester were sucking hard and I didn't want to interrupt their rhythm. There it was - the tiny little waaahhhh of a baby something. Holly ran down to the other end of the barn 'cause she heard it, too. I saw a black goat butt her away and knew she must be the mother. Sure enough, there was a tiny reddish doe kid, still wet, who had slipped through to the other side of the stanchion fence. I hopped over and found her. Mom had been staying close on the other side. I picked up the baby, she was light as a feather and very wet and cold, and gave her to mom. I ran into the apt. and found a fluffy angora sweater and put her in it. Amazing what happens when I put a sweater on a cold baby. She got very quiet and stood still, maybe thinking she was back inside mom instead of shivering in the freezing barn. I left them alone for a while so I could feed Matt, who just came home from work. I would need him to hold the mother while I trimmed her back end and nursed out colostrum for the tiny kid. After dinner we found a panel to shut them in together in their own pen, with feed, water and hay. Mom looked a bit surprised at the whole business, and wasn't sure about being penned in with her baby, but I told her she needed peace and quiet with her baby, not having to fight the other flock members for food. I went about taking care of everybody else and watched them with one eye. Goat babies are funny. They like to stand up until they fall down exhausted. I was glad I got her belly full of colostrum. It should be real cold again tonight, and I considered bringing the baby inside...but mom would freak out and the baby would scream all night. I think she'll be okay with the sweater on and hay to lie on. She needs to nurse from her mother tonight. Fingers crossed...