Baby goat season leaves no time for kidding around on P.E.I. farm

It’s springtime on Prince Edward Island and that means one thing for farmers: baby season.

Island Hill Farm in Hampshire, P.E.I., is no exception, some of the kids (goats not people) are just weeks old.

“To make our famous goat milk soap we must have baby goats, to get the milk,” said Flory Sanderson, owner of Island Hill Farm. “So right now -- lots of baby goats on the farm.”

Goats give birth after about five months. Things on the farm change quickly when kidding season kicks off.

“We go from absolutely nothing going on to moms start dropping babies,” said Joe Doucette, farmhand and baker. “The most common birth is twins. We’ll have singles, triplets, and this year we had two sets of quads.”

Sanderson said there are about 35 kids on the farm right now. The youngest drink from a bottle-feeding rig, but they’re all started by hand.

“The first few weeks, every one is held, just like your newborn baby at home,” said Doucette. “Each feeding can add an hour to your day, but it’s one of my favourite parts.”

The farm is a working dairy but it’s also open to the public for agricultural tourism, giving the goats plenty of visitors.

“It was a great year. My goats were extremely healthy,” said Sanderson. “My goats [gave] great babies.”

Most of the animals have already given birth but some are still expecting. They think about nine more are on the way.

 

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