The Second Singleton: Meet Daisy

Keeping Nigerian Dwarf Goats has been nothing if not adventurous. From their amazing milk to their general silliness, from their sweet dispositions to their feisty independence, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed keeping our small milking herd over the past decade.

Nigerian Dwarf Goats are known for their multiple births. We’ve had twins, triplets, and a single set of quads over the years, so last year we were surprised with our first singleton birth! Marilyn, who was as wide as a tractor, gave us a single doeling, an almost carbon copy of herself. We named her Boo.

This year, just last weekend, Emma, who was almost as wide as Marilyn last year, birthed a single doeling as well. The perfect mash up of her and the sire, Carlos. We have named her Daisy.

While there are no complaints about the single births, given their ease of less entanglements, and the fact that they’ve both been girls we can add to our milking line, I remain quite curious. Not quite a pattern yet, the single births leave me wondering about their cause?

Could it be the later breeding? We’ve been breeding for summer babies for a few years now to avoid freezing temperatures and the risks of heat lamps as well as to move away form the chaos of Spring in general.

Could it be climate change? The weather patterns are wild and unpredictable, the summer heat is crazy intense. Might they be sensing something about the sustainability of the future?

Could it be the mamas’ health? Both mamas are right within the perfect window of breeding ages. They also each come from separate genetic lines (moms and sires). They are fed and watered well and have access to an open field every day. Neither have any health issues we are aware of.

Could it be the sire? The common thread here is that Carlos is the sire of both babies. He is (obviously) doing his job and is a big healthy boy, but maybe the answer lies in him?

Truly, there are no answers here yet and maybe I’m reading too much into it all. Two healthy, bouncing baby girls made of perfection is nothing to sneeze at. And again, there’s not enough information to establish a pattern, just two anomalies.

I do wonder, though, if anyone else is seeing things like this in their own livestock?

Time will tell.

In the meantime, all the cuddles will be had 🙂

Onward,

Melissa