Moses shortly after birth.

Today, March 22, 2011, Tulip gave birth to a single goat kid again, which is rather unusual because most goats have twins or tripets, sometimes more. She is a proud mama softly naaing, which is the way mama goats talk to their kids. If you listen closely you will hear the baby responding. She is still cleaning her baby even though no afterbirth remains and allowing the baby to nurse at will. Some goats don’t allow their kids to nurse which means either the goat has to be tied up and forced to let the baby nurse or you have to milk the goat, then feed the baby with a bottle.

We do not know at this point in time if the baby is a girl or boy, only that the baby is healthy and nursing. It has only been a few hours since the baby was born. The last time I attempted to find out what the baby was too soon, the baby fainted and mama almost choked to death. She was eating grain, so I figrued I would just pick up the baby. The mama did not like that. I had a serious situation on my hands and was alone. I chose to help the mama. Thankfully both were ok, but I certainly learned my lesson. Tomorrow we will try to sex the baby.

Moses with his mother Tulip. Tulip is a cashmere goat.

Tulip gave birth unassisted, once again. I have been very lucky in that respect. None of the mamas have had complications with their pregnancies or with giving birth. I honestly don’t know how I would deal with having to pull a kid. I guess I would just call the vet.

Tulip is now enjoying fresh water, fresh organic grain top dressed with organic kelp and a fresh flake of hay. I always treat the mother after they give birth. I figure they must feel similiar to the way a human does when they give birth. It has to be tiring and fresh food and water are always appreciated. I know this because of the way they look at me and because they wag their tails, similar to the way a dog wags their tail.

Stay tuned for further updates and be sure to tune into Exotic Gardening Farms & Wildlife Habitat Goat TV. You can access the live feed on the right side of the screen or you can view it at http://stickam.com/sheriannricherson

Update: We looked this morning, March 23, 2011 and found out Tulip had a baby boy. My agent Janet Rosen suggested we name him Moses, so we did!

Incidentally, vet tech schools offer all kinds of classes, just in case I’ll need it next time!

This is Tulip’s first baby, a cashgora, which is a cashmere/angora cross. He was born on July 11, 2009. Rembrandt still lives here at the farm with us.