To say that 2008 has been a memorable year for Cattail Meadows is an understatement. The fact is this past year has been monumental for me, and it started with the anticipation and great expectations of our first goat kiddings…
Mid-April arrived in the blink of an eye. There was still a frosty chill in the air, but for the most part the snow (2nd heaviest on record for our area!) had pretty much melted off with the warming days. My expectant Pygora goat moms were round and happy, and I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of our first goat kid…a Cattail Meadows kid, the first born on my farm! And I was ready! My husband Mike (AKA the Cattail Meadows’ “build-it” guy and “fix-it” man) kindly set up a “barn cam” for me so that I could comfortably watch the doe barn goings-on from the comfort of our home. I could keep an eye on the birthing stalls, without having to live in the barn 24 hours a day with my does. Great…especially since nights were still below freezing! My supply table was all set up in the barn, and everything was ready to go... Then, on April 12th at 4 AM I awoke to check the barn cam monitor. It was happening without me! Our Pygora doe, Lindsay was in active labor and I wasn’t down there to help her (you know…by pacing and worrying!). I put on my glasses, threw on some warm clothes and fumbled for my boots. By the time I got down there, her water had broken and the first kid was on the ground. As I was drying him off, along came a second…WOW! It was so dark and peaceful at that hour, and yet so exciting! Never before had I seen a 5-pound, newborn baby goat kid! He was the cutest thing I’d ever seen…and then there were 2 of them! Not bad for two first-time moms (okay, Lindsay did all the work, but I did all the worrying)! By the end of April, our five does blessed us with a total of 9 happy, healthy bouncing Pygora kids. It was a month I’ll never forget…and it was just the beginning of a memorable year to come!
Mid-April arrived in the blink of an eye. There was still a frosty chill in the air, but for the most part the snow (2nd heaviest on record for our area!) had pretty much melted off with the warming days. My expectant Pygora goat moms were round and happy, and I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of our first goat kid…a Cattail Meadows kid, the first born on my farm! And I was ready! My husband Mike (AKA the Cattail Meadows’ “build-it” guy and “fix-it” man) kindly set up a “barn cam” for me so that I could comfortably watch the doe barn goings-on from the comfort of our home. I could keep an eye on the birthing stalls, without having to live in the barn 24 hours a day with my does. Great…especially since nights were still below freezing! My supply table was all set up in the barn, and everything was ready to go... Then, on April 12th at 4 AM I awoke to check the barn cam monitor. It was happening without me! Our Pygora doe, Lindsay was in active labor and I wasn’t down there to help her (you know…by pacing and worrying!). I put on my glasses, threw on some warm clothes and fumbled for my boots. By the time I got down there, her water had broken and the first kid was on the ground. As I was drying him off, along came a second…WOW! It was so dark and peaceful at that hour, and yet so exciting! Never before had I seen a 5-pound, newborn baby goat kid! He was the cutest thing I’d ever seen…and then there were 2 of them! Not bad for two first-time moms (okay, Lindsay did all the work, but I did all the worrying)! By the end of April, our five does blessed us with a total of 9 happy, healthy bouncing Pygora kids. It was a month I’ll never forget…and it was just the beginning of a memorable year to come!
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