Thursday 21 April 2016

Huh....?

The last ewe still hasn't lambed, but one of the goats stepped up to fill the birthing gap -


The above photo is seconds after I discovered them inside the goat house, so you're seeing exactly what I saw (minus my jaw hanging open, obviously). I had zero idea that she was pregnant. We don't keep any bucks, nor do our nearest neighbours. There was a ram in with her but shoats (sheep/goat hybrids) are too rare to be a possibility. If I do the maths, she was covered in late November last year, just before I took her son away. The kids, both does, have Boer goat markings like him.



So far the kids seem healthy, despite having a brother for a father. I think the saying goes "If it works, it's line breeding and if it doesn't, it's inbreeding". Then you eat your mistakes and try again.

5 comments:

Virginia said...

Mom Goat clearly regrets nothing.

Paula said...

Well that was a pretty awesome surprise! Congratulations, especially in view of them both being does!

Hazel said...

There's a town near us with a reputation for family trees like that...

Well done Mum (which one's that?) for just getting on with it :)

Janice Bendixen said...

Oedipus rocks!

Anonymous said...

I love how you get to eat your mistakes!
Delish.
barb