![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/IMG_0864.jpg\" "\\"Eve\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nAlthough we were disappointed that Vixen only gave birth to 1 kid, we were thrilled that she was a female.\u00a0 And that Vixen managed without any help.\u00a0 The Other Half went out to milk one morning and 4 kids bounced out of the kidding barn instead of the 3 who had been present the night before.\u00a0 I am actually very pleased that he was discriminating enough to notice the difference.\u00a0 Since one time he attempted to milk a goat who was not lactating but simply jumped onto the milk stand in the hope of extra grain.\u00a0 Those ladies will play with your head if you let them.<\/p>\n
Cocoa also kidded without any assistance.\u00a0 I did happen to arrive as soon as the little guy hit the ground and Vixen was aiding with the clean up.<\/p>\n
Too bad that when Cocoa went to hide the placenta, Vixen tried to shove the new buckling under her udder and claim him as her own.<\/p>\n I am writing it off as overactive hormones instead of an intentional attempted kidnapping.\u00a0 After all, Vixen’s kid was only 3 days old and she was still riding the postpartum wave.\u00a0 I have heard some breastfeeding women say the crying of any baby, including one that is not theirs, resulted in milk let down and the need to nurse.\u00a0 I believe them, but I just cannot imagine it.\u00a0 When I was breastfeeding, the crying of another woman’s baby just made me want to leave the restaurant since I was paying good money to have a babysitter for the night so that I didn’t have to listen to that.\u00a0 But that’s just me.<\/p>\n We were a bit disappointed that Cocoa only had 1 kid and that he was a, sigh, buckling.\u00a0 Just a plain brown buckling.\u00a0 Until the next morning when he was dry and fluffy and we saw that he had blue eyes and was the handsomest buckling we have ever seen.<\/p>\n We named him Max but we usually call him Hello-You-Gorgeous-Baby-So-Soft-And-Cuddly-And-Cute-As-A-Real-Live-Teddy-Bear-With-Sparkly-Blue-Eyes-Oh-We-Love-You!!!!!!\u00a0 I mean just look at those baby blues!<\/p>\n So with the spring kids on the ground, we can all relax a bit.\u00a0 There will be no more kids until May.\u00a0 And May kidding doesn’t require heat lamps or constant vigilance to keep babies from being born outside in the wet or cold.\u00a0 Or freezing nights in the kidding barn, waiting and wondering if a doe will finish laboring before you get frostbite on your fingers and toes.<\/p>\n But a successful kidding season isn’t the only good news around here.\u00a0 Blackbeard the Muscovy duck has started her first nest of the year.<\/p>\n She has 9 eggs in this nest and the presence of feather down is a sign that she will be broody soon.\u00a0 Blackbeard is a lot more reliable than a groundhog when it comes to the timing of spring.\u00a0 She always seems to know when the worst of winter weather has passed and a brood of ducklings stand a good chance of survival.\u00a0 Blackbeard has been known to raise up to 4 broods a year, regularly hatches every egg in her nest, has successfully fended off a raccoon attack, and recovered from being trapped under the fence with the dogs chewing off pieces of her breast meat from inside their yard.\u00a0 Hence the name, Blackbeard, the fiercest of, um, ducks.<\/p>\n With a 38 day incubation period, we should have ducklings by Easter.\u00a0 Which is sweeter than the treats in any Easter basket.\u00a0 Well, except for the Cadbury eggs.\u00a0 Or maybe the Peeps chocolate cake.\u00a0 Ah, the Peeps chocolate cake….<\/p>\n Speaking of eggs, I have discovered one of the chickens’ hiding spots in the pasture.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n