Our kidding season was just THAT good that we needed an encore. Or something like that. This week, I cleaned out my kidding stall, put away my new-mama/baby supplies and started counting down the weeks until all the kids are weaned. Lucky Charm was for sale in milk, and my friend Terri came to pick her up on Friday. Before she left, we walked through the goat pens and chatted; as is my habit, I pointed out what I like about certain goats. One of my yearlings, Duchess walked by and I commented on her prominent teats with good placement. A voice in my head said her teats looked a little TOO good, so when she came close, I gave her a hug and bumped her belly. I was shocked to feel hard parts bounce back on my hands. I did it again – yup, still there. I told Terri, who wanted to feel because she had not “bumped” a doe before. She felt the same thing AND felt movement. That confirmed it. There’s babies in Duchess. Now, this was not completely unplanned – I had bred her Vulcan last December but her ultrasound 4 weeks later didn’t show anything. Vulcan went to his new home in February and I just decided to try to breed the yearlings later in the summer. Closer inspection revealed that Duchess has poof-y lady bits, a little udder and a round torso that I had chalked up to a fluffy coat. She is one of my furrier goats and it’s easy to miss the subtle changes. Duchess is due to kid May 14th-19th – just like her littermate Forte over at Opus 7! If this season is anything to go by, I predict more black bucklings, but maybe Duchess will surprise us. Again.