Triplets for Sweet Pea
It is with great excitement that we welcome three kids from Sweet Pea last week! After months of waiting and anticipation, these kids are everything we hoped for and we were lucky to have a relatively smooth delivery process.
On the morning of June 8 I woke extra early and went out to the barn to check up on Sweet Pea, even though her due date wasn't for a few more days. It was fortunate that I went out then, as she had just finished delivering the third of her triplets.
As Sweet Pea worked to clean up the first two kids, the third was struggling to breathe and unable to stand. I hurried in and worked to dry him off and get him nursing. It took some effort to help him stand and nurse, but finally he was cleaned off and breathing well.
We ended up with three beautiful kids from Sweet Pea, two boys and a girl. We named them with a theme of our farm's history and our plans for its future.
The first boy, Whitaker, looks similar to his mother but with less white than her. He is full of energy and always bouncing. His sister, Maude, looks exactly like her mama and while she's a little bit more subdued than her brother, she's still a bundle of joy.
Sambucus ("Sammy") took awhile to catch up. His first day of life he needed us to support him while he nursed, and once he had the hang of standing up he had messy diarrhea. With some electrolytes and patience he's come around, and while he's a little bit behind his brother and sister in terms of energy level, he's pulling through nicely. Black and white just like his dad, he has thoughtful eyes and absolutely loves snuggles.
Our first experience with newborn baby goats has been absolutely magical. Nothing compares to the joy of watching new kids bounce around the yard, already eager to explore at only one or two days old. Our experience with Sammy has been nerve wracking and trying, but it has only made us closer with him and admire his tiny strength.
We're looking forward to watching these kids grow up on the farm. Because we'd planned to only keep one wether, we may end up selling one of the boys to a good home, but at this point we're just reveling in how much joy and energy they've brought to the goat pen.
And now we wait for Tater! Our extra-wide mama to be is due in about three weeks.
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