With another winter storm headed our way with two to four inches of snow expected, most Missourians are probably wondering if spring will ever come. At Goatsbeard Farm, we know spring is near because kidding season has begun. On Tuesday, February 26, one of our two-year-old goats, Ras el Hanout, opened the kidding season right on time with twins, one male and one female. By Thursday morning, we already had 10 kids!
We have 40 mature goats and 10 yearlings. On average, each goat will have two kids. That means we expect about 80 kids over the next two months, with 15 -20 more a little later in the season (the yearlings are bred later and kid later, to give them more time to grow up before they get to work).
Kidding season is both a lot of fun and a lot of work. Jenn or another ‘goathand’ check the goats several times a day and assist deliveries when necessary—which isn’t often. Each new kid is given a temporary collar with the name of the mom and the sex of the kid and these details are recorded for future reference. We use newspapers and towels to dry the kids off, and make sure they figure out their first drink. The moms naturally lick the kids to clean and dry them, but we like to help the process along, especially in the cold weather.