Dolly delivered four fabulous kids for us on Sunday with two does and two bucklings. The birth went quickly and Dolly delivered all four with ease. The littlest boy, only 1 pound 14 ounces, needed to spend some time in the house getting warmed up then he was off to the races fighting for his share at the milk bar.
Penelope started off our kidding season on Wednesday about 6:00 p.m. with two boys and a girl. Kati midwifed solo and did a fabulous job getting the kids dried off and warmed up in the frigid 0 degree weather. Needless to say, the kids are spending a lot of time in their heat barrel.
I’m thrilled to announce that three of our does have earned Superior Genetics designations this year: Windsong, Champagne and Stormstruck. I’m so proud of the both the “girls” and all the work our family has put in over the years to build our herd into the what it is today.
We seek to improve our herd with every new generation and Cabochon Farm now has five Superior Genetics designated does and two bucks out of Superior Genetics does in our breeding program. Thank you to all of our customers who have made our success possible with their support!
The Superior Genetics designation indicates that the animal is in the top 15% (85th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed. To learn more about the ADGA Superior Genetics program and how the scores are calculated, visit Superior Genetics FAQs.
Clayton and I spent the Labor Day weekend showing some of the boys at the Boon Companions buck show in Sedalia Missouri. It was our first adventure with our newly acquired trailer – a 42′ toy hauler modified to be a “goat hauler”. The boys did well with Casanova placing first in his class under two judges and Phan Boy and Xylo both taking second in their classes. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of Xylo and of course since I was the one behind the camera, no photos of me either which is fine since Clayton is the more photogenic one. 🙂
Amelia delivered her girls on Saturday, March 25th. She had triplets, but unfortunately one passed away to an apparent birth defect. The other two girls are healthy and thriving and Amelia is a very patient mother to them.
Champagne delivered triplets on the afternoon of March 12th. Kati was the primary mid-wife and she did a fine job getting all the kids off to a good start. Champagne is proving to be a good mom – attentive but not overly obsessed.
We’re excited to see how she does on milk test and are planning to retain a doeling from this breeding, but have not yet finalized our decision. We are limiting the number of kids we keep this year so our final choices will need to wait until we get the rest of the kids on the ground.
Amanda delivered a pair of buck/doe twins on March 8th. The kids were so eager to get into this world that they were both trying to come out at the same time. A little internal intervention (much to Amanda’s displeasure) got things rearranged so the kids could come in an orderly fashion. Both kids were good sized with the buckling weighing in at 3.7 lbs and the doeling at 3.3 lbs.
Marceline made me late for work on Monday. Let me take a moment to express my gratitude for having a job that allows me to call in late due to “Early Morning Goat Birth”.
Marcy hadn’t shown signs of imminent labor so I was surprised to hear the tiny bleats of a new-born goat coming from her stall when I checked the barn before leaving for work. I looked over the door to see two recently delivered kids and a rather confused Marcy who didn’t know quite what to make of the newcomers. Once we got the family moved into private quarters, Marcy settled down and her mothering instincts kicked in just fine. She’s proving to be a very conscientious mother to her twin doelings.
Penelope broke the 2017 trend toward boys by giving us 3 beautiful Mini-Alpine doelings on Sunday, February 26th about 5:00 p.m. All three are healthy, bouncy kids.
These girls are are destined to be family milkers, bringing together the best from the Nigerian Dwarf and Alpine breeds.
As I was working in the barn on Saturday, I noticed Glory hanging out chewing her cud all alone. She seemed to be in the mood for conversation, so I told her how excited I was for her kids and, if she didn’t mind, I’d like two girls and a boy. That’s when she stood up, turned her back on me and went outside. I think that was her way of telling me she didn’t take orders. But I can’t complain because she delivered big, healthy twin bucklings on Sunday, February 26. They weighed in at 4.5 and 4.92 pounds–little monsters.
Both of these boys will be future herd sires and with a Superior Genetics mother, I’m expecting great things from them.
