Sad news, cute kids

 We are deeply saddened to report the death of our sweet Juju on March 24th, after a traumatic delivery.

 Juju was born April 3rd, 2011.

She stopped half-way out of her mom, Lassi -- Barb had to pull her the rest of the way.

 Lassi took wonderful care of her from the start, and they were always very close.

Had it been up to Juju, she would never have been weaned. 

 As a baby she loved hanging out in her personal cave

chilling with Kona's boy

launching herself into space

 and hogging the hay feeder so that no one else could eat.

 Most of all, she loved cuddling with Barb. 

 Bold and friendly, she became the official greeter at the Farm

 always eager to welcome visitors. 

 With her mom, she was a star at the Carlton County Fair.

 As she grew older, she was always willing to help educate the youngsters -- as in the fine art of deforestation. 

 Juju was a terrific mother herself

 to Momo and Chou Chou, her babies from 2012.

 That first delivery went so smoothly we were hoping for a repeat this year.

 Tragically, though, both babies turned out to be very large and awkwardly positioned so that Juju could not deliver them herself.  A vet had to go in and it took a long, agonizing time to get them out. 

Miraculously, the first baby survived, but the second was stillborn.

   Juju herself died the next day. 

 We miss her terribly.  If there's a Goat Heaven, she's up there greeting visitors. 

 Despite the difficulties attending her birth, Viva was a trouper from the start

 up on her legs within minutes and looking for the attention her mother was unable give her.

Complicating life in the barn, Kona took good care of Cocoa and Old Yeller, her two boys,

 but she rejected her daughter Geisha.  When Geisha tried to nurse, Kona would kick her away or bite at her

 so the baby moved into the house, where she spent her first few days in a storage bin.

Barb is now blessed with two bottle babies who need to be fed four times each day.

 Fortunately, Geisha was an eager and accomplished eater from the start.

Now at the end of her first week, those droopy ears have perked up; she's strong, active and healthy.

 Viva was a slower learner; at first she couldn't quite grasp the concept of sucking milk through the nipple.  Barb's mentor Sarah (of Poplar Hill Dairy Goat Farm) suggested rubbing her butt when she got a bottle. 

 That did the trick.  She immediately started hoovering the milk 

and has been an enthusiastic slurper ever since.

 The girls soon outgrew the bathtub they were in and took over for a few days the basement exercise room

 where Geisha subdued an unruly roll of paper towels and prepared to swallow it in one gulp like an anaconda. 

 They were doing so well (and the nights were getting warm enough) that they moved to their pen in the goat barn

 where they climb and scamper madly about

 and then collapse together for a nap.

 Mostly they look forward to the next bottle. 

 Geisha has to settle for a finger until Viva is done 

 but then she gets her own fix.

 Cheeky finds the newcomers enormously entertaining; she loves to keep an eye on them across the barn.

 Meanwhile, Kona's boys are thriving.

 When they aren't jumping on mom or capering 

they're using each other as a pillow.

 Having learned from last year's unfortunate experiment of leaving weapons on the Butt Heads

 Barb fired up the disbudding iron.  The boys objected mightily during the procedure but recovered immediately and are doing splendidly. 

 

 They have a bat cave in a protected area of the barn

 where they can hang out together away from the adults.

 Kona takes advantage of their nap times to relax a bit herself.

Next up for the joys and trials of motherhood (in mid-April) are Cajeta

and Momo.

The Farmers wish to express their deepest gratitude to friend Leah who was so generous with her time and valuable assistance during Juju's ordeal.