Domestic goats typically give birth in spring and have one or two kids at a time, but one goat on a hobby farm in Tartu County recently gave birth to a rare set of triplets.
At Vahtra Hobby Farm, Lucy the goat's three kids — two females and one male — are now just over a week old and settling in nicely. While the girls are calm and well-mannered, their brother is still learning to mind his manners.
"He's very curious, and he loves prancing around and butting everyone a little," said owner Maia Näkk. "We need to teach him to be calmer so he doesn't grow up to be such a little head-butter."
The young kid seems to have inherited the habit from his father, Uncle Julius, who still has to spend time apart from the other goats despite his age. He does occasionally get to come sniff his babies, but the three little newcomers have otherwise happily taken over nearly all the human owners' free time.
"When I'm not at school, I'm usually with the goats, helping them socialize and get used to people," said Heili Poom, noting how rewarding it is.
"It's so cool when they climb into your lap, and grow and thrive," she added.
Smooth solo delivery
The family spent weeks preparing for the birth, including more than one sleepless night, but Lucy proved so capable that she delivered all three kids without assistance.
"We came to the barn after work, around 5 or 6 p.m., and discovered she'd already given birth," Näkk recalled. "My heart nearly stopped because no one had been there and we didn't know if everything was OK."
The family was especially surprised by how well Lucy handled it given that it was her first time giving birth.
The triplet kids have a few more months to enjoy their mother's milk and the family's attention at Vahtra Hobby Farm before moving on to new homes.
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