[jaykay]

She wouldn't want Poppy's, she only wants Old English. And not a black one either, she doesn't want Ellie's.

Well, I've decided I will just have to tell her she'll have to wait or she can't have one. I rear my goats family groups and they leave when they've weaned themselves not before.

Plus I need the kids to take the milk during the day as I only milk in mornings because of work.

[goosepimple]

Sorted 

[jaykay]

I think so 

The only slight doubt is that Rowan is still so skinny she could maybe only have done with rearing one. But I'd rather work at feeding Rowan up, delay starting milking her or if necessary passing one of Rowan's to Ellie, than have one kid being bottled somewhere on her own.

The kids sneak under the gate separating the two goat paddocks anyway, to all play together 

Seems silly, everyone working hard to have no pet/cade/molly/(insert local term) lambs and then deliberately making an orphan out of a goat kid who has a perfectly good mother and sister.

[countrywoman]

If Rowan needs a bit of help, why not get them used to mum and bottle feeds so that the new owner can bond that way when she visits?  My twin boys are getting used to a combination feeding regime because their mum gets restless before they've finished suckling so I'm giving them a quiet top-up with her milk a couple of times a day.  No hassle, only takes minutes and they are better fed and she is less irritable.

[jaykay]

She's got loads of milk and she likes feeding them.
She's just thin from before when she wouldn't eat. I need to find 'fattening' things for her to eat - she prefers hay!

[Roxy]

At the end of the day, they are your goats and its up to you, who has them, and at what age, so don't feel bad.

Personally, most of mine are removed from their mother after birth and I bottle feed them.  I then know, especially with multiple births, how much milk they are getting, and the smaller ones do benefit from bottle feeding, as sometimes they can get pushed to the back of the queue by siblings if left with mum!!

My exception to the rule is one of my smaller diary goats, Molly, who is an exceptional mum and always does her kids well, and adores feeding them.

[jaykay]

She came to see them today and I've said 3 months, so it's up to her now. She liked Calli, the little pale one.

Rowan is munching hay well and I keep cutting her branches from the hedge, so hopefully she'll fatten up. She's proving to be a very good mum and so is Ellie, so I like them to rear their kids and they like it too.

Today I need to divide the goat shelter so they can start going outside. It's so cold though I don't want to work outside and it's going to pour down tomorrow - so maybe the goats want to stay in too 

[Roxy]

If the woman wants the kid badly enough, she will wait three months

Its been a really cold, windy day here today, but at least dry, as its been heavy rain every day.  But tomorrow is cold and heavy rain.  We were hoping to erect another goat ark tomorrow, so looks like we may well be rained off.