Late January through early May is kidding season at Fraga Farm. This is a busy and fun time at the farm when any day one or more goats might go into labor and you’re sure to see a pile of kids snuggling up in the barn. After birth, mom and kid are placed together in a private pen to give them a chance to rest. We feed mom a special treat of warm water with a swig of molasses and apple cider vinegar. She loves it, and the concoction replenishes her electrolytes – giving birth is hard work! Mom cleans her kid by licking her until she becomes a little fuzzball. We help out on cold days to prevent the wet kid from becoming hypothermic.
After just an hour of being alive the kid begins to stand, walk, and hop. In their separate pen the new family bonds and the kid starts feeding. Our kids go on nursing for about two months, or whenever they reach about 30 pounds. After a few days the kids begin munching on hay, but it takes weeks for their guts to develop to the point where they can break down all the fiber in hay and extract the nutrients. We believe that goats produce milk first and foremost to nourish their kids. Fortunately for us they produce more milk than the kids need and we are able to use the excess to make cheese.