So here are some not-so-good pics of the kids. It was hard to take a picture because they don't sit still! Above is a girl and I think I am going to name her Aquila. What's unique about purebred goats is their names have to tie in with their mother's names. Well, Frankie's real name is Frankly a Star (off from her momma who was Moonlight Starrynite, I think--if I remember right.) So I decided I might go with Aquila because it is the name of a star constellation. I'm not 100% sure yet.
This one is a boy. He is so soft and beautiful. I am thinking of playing around with his name and calling him Burst of Fun, Mr. B for short. (So the way it would tie in with Frankie's name is: Frankly a Star Burst of Fun). If I don't name him that, I am thinking maybe Hercules because he is the biggest, strongest of the five and it's another star constellation.
This one's a girl. I have no idea what to name her yet.
This is my other boy. I am thinking Virgo, Leo, Lupus, Crater, or Bootes (Boo for short). Again, star constellations.
I think this is a picture of my last girl and the runt. Her name will probably be Gemma, maybe Gem for short.
Okay. So here's my story time. Frankie is not making enough milk to feed all five kids. I struggled with the idea, but I decided to bring in two girls to bottle feed--Aquila and Gemma. I am concerned about Gemma. She is the runt, who weighed in at 1lb. 15 oz. I brought her in because she cried and cried, which is a sign she was hungry. And when it would finally be her turn to eat (because she would have to wait til last when the other kids pushed her off the teat) Frankie would be outta milk and/or pushing her away cause she thought she was done feeding. All that combined forced me to bring her in. And no goat, under any circumstances, can be alone. So I brought in her sister, Aquila. She has no problem taking to the bottle! Gemma, I have to pry her mouth open and shove the nipple in. Even then, she doesn't eat much. She'll push away and I just keep re-feeding her. Consequently, she makes a mess! Thankfully, tho, she has gained a couple ounces since her weigh-in. That's promising. Since I am bottle feeding, I feed every three hours, round the clock. It's work. Especially when one doesn't wanna eat. But it's also rewarding.
Gemma has met her match with a kitten. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention: we are also in the process of weaning and litter training kittens!
After every feeding, they need play time. So I plop them in the living room and let them go at it! They jump, run, tumble, and paw at each other constantly. They are so much fun to watch. Today, I took them outside to play. Took them a few minutes to adjust, but they played hard out there. Everyday, I am going to take them outside because, after all, they are goats. When they start depending on me to feed them and the idea isn't foreign to them, AND they are gaining weight enough to impress me, then I will put them back in the barn. That could take awhile. I am not sure. Even then, I will have to go out there every few hours and still feed. It's a commitment!
I went out to the barn and cleaned it out--again (it's becoming the story of my life). When I did, I let Frankie's other three out of the stall and into the big world. They loved it! They were romping around everywhere! I forgot the camera, but when I go back out there later today, I will try to remember the camera and take pictures. I only let them out right now while I am there because Alice is still adjusting to the newest additions and has tried to head butt them a couple times. She did a lot better today and only did it once. But until she's totally compliant, they can only come out when I'm present.
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