I was about to climb up the ladder to the hay mow when I looked down to see a young doe standing next to a perfectly clean and healthy baby. I remembered catching her a couple of weeks ago and putting her in the maternity pen, but she was slim enough to squeeze through the stanchions and escape. She did a great job all by herself. The baby was well taken care of and had been nursing. I could tell by the way one side of her udder was empty and the other full. Matt helped me nurse some more colostrum out and I fed it to him along with some Nutri-Drench. I got his cord dipped, much to mom's distress, and put them both in the pen next to where she gave birth. There was no holding her there, either, even with cracked corn, warm molasses water and fresh hay. She sailed over the top and stood a distance away while calling her baby to follow. That was not possible for him, so I lifted him over to be with her. I figured they were firmly mothered-up already. Now they are on their own and I am waiting for more goat kids to be born. It was too rainy for the Hamilton market today, but we motored over there anyway for a stop at Tractor Supply and Hamilton Whole Foods for a Mother's Day lunch. I had the most delicious goat cheese chutney wrap with cashews. I hope I can cook like this when I have my own goat cheese, which should not be too long away. I will hose out the milk room and set up the milking stand that is rusting away in the back of the barn. Will take a bit of work but it's the perfect place to milk Fancy, then Matilda, my beautiful Nubian girls. In the meantime I have visions of more luscious mohair from my angoras. Better go check the barn right now.
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