Buddy & Blessing Arrive

There are 2 new 4-footed creatures afoot at Russell Homestead!  Buddy and Blessing burst into the world this week on April 18, 2018.  As I mentioned in my last post, we've been watching their mom, Lily, and waiting for her to kid.  We were fairly certain her due date was April 23, 2018.  So, we were observing her, but truly weren't expecting these cuties to arrive before the 23rd.

Our children AJ and CJ won't soon forget Buddy and Blessing's arrivals.  We had just finished supper.  My husband and I were sitting at the table chatting.  AJ and CJ decided to go outside to play.  After only a few minutes, they came running in shouting, "Lily had kids!  Lily had kids!  Lily had kids!"  They had been playing outside and heard a goat kid cry from the barn.  A flurry of activity followed as we ran to the barn with towels.  We found the kids safely delivered and out of the sack - obviously just born minutes before.  Lily was standing there looking at them in shock. 

We dried them off and got them nursing as quickly as possible.  Since we decided to bottle feed these babies, we milked Lily and gave her milk to them in a bottle.  Buddy, who was a bit  bigger and stronger, took to his bottle right away.  He could drain his bottle in seconds.  Blessing needed a bit more encouragement to finish her bottle, but by about 18 hours old, she was draining bottles as fast as her brother. ​

Blessing only about half an hour old

Buddy also only about half an hour old

MJ loves these babies! She's always ready to give them their bottles.

I think the goats think MJ is perhaps their mother

This is a bird's-eye-view of how I found Blessing and Buddy before bed last night - all curled up together!

And, in case you're curious, these babies already have a new home!  Thanks to the family with a deposit on these two.  They will be going home together after staying at Russell Homestead for a few days.  We will enjoy them while they are here.

​Thanks for stopping by!