Goat Kids First Day Out - Karen Goat Keeper

Pasture grass is green and lush and calling the goats to come out to graze on something tastier than hay. For new mother goats that means a goat kids first day out.

March kids have an advantage in the Ozarks. The grass may be growing, but it is still short. There is enough of it to keep their mothers from wandering very far. The does are impatient with staying in. They want that goat kids first day out.

Nubian kids on their first day out — Nubian doe Valerie is the nervous wreck. All day she calls and hunts to see if her kids are still near her. The kids think their first day out is time to race around and explore.

I choose this day carefully as young kids are not very good at following yet. They also get tired quickly, lie down and go to sleep. That means I get to go hunting up kids.

The perfect day is actually an afternoon. The herd has been out all morning and have settled down to serious grazing. The new mothers are anxious to join them.

Nubian buck kid playing — My Nubian goat kids play a lot on the gym and in the barn lot. But getting out, especially the first time out on the pastures is time to really cut loose. Besides the kids must keep up with the does.

The first step is to wake up all the kids and get them down to the gate with their mothers. This is usually not very hard to do.

Next I open the pasture gate so the does can go out. They mill around calling their kids. The kids ignore them. Augustus sneaks up hoping to slide out the gate.

Once the does are out the gate, the kids can be shoved out underneath. The barrier below the gate is gone now leaving a foot gap at one end.

Augustus looks on disappointed as I fasten the gate.

smallest goat kid checking out bridge — The old planks on the bridge have gaps between them. Down below the creek races along. This smallest of Nubian doe Valerie’s twin bucks is watching the water while deciding to cross the bridge to where the herd now is.

Now the does and kids need to join the herd. I go around and out another gate to call the does. Some of them manage to get their kids to follow them toward the bridge. There are a couple of hold outs.

Finally I have carried the hold outs to the bridge. All the kids and does are at the bridge, get across and follow me up the stream bank toward the herd.

goat kids checking the bridge out on their first day out — The herd went across. Their mothers are standing on the far bank calling. Still these Nubian buck kids are hesitating about crossing the bridge with the creek racing below them. In another day or two these same kids will race across the bridge.

Now comes fun time for the kids. This goat kids first day out is sunny and warm. Their mothers are right there.

The kids spend the afternoon racing around. They are still excited and busy playing a couple of hours later when the herd comes back across the bridge to go to the barn for the night ending this first day out for the kids.

The goats in Capri Capers lead men on a merry chase across the hills.