There was no such thing as “Just Kidding” at Grace Harbor Farms. Kidding was a serious time. It happened in the Spring when the dairy goats would give birth to their kids.
2004 was an extra-special kidding season
Erin Parkinson painted this picture of Tim with some of our goats in 2006. It was a thank-you gift for a baby goat Erin had gotten from Grace Harbor Farms.
Let me tell you the story.
In the early years of Grace Harbor Farms, we were building our herd of Saanen goats. Goats usually have two or three kids every year. We wanted to make sure that we knew the history and the health of our animals, so we were not buying more goats; we raised our own. We sold, or gave away the bucklings, but we saved all the doelings as future milk producers.
During that time a woman and her daughter, Erin, starting coming to the farm often to play with the baby goats. Erin wanted a Saanen female. She and her mom urged us to sell one to them. We did not want to do that. I sent them to other people that I knew were raising Saanens, but they kept coming back to us.
One day Erin was there playing with the kids while her mom, Nancy, visited with me in our office. Again she asked me to sell them a baby Saanen. As I started to explain to her that we needed all the female baby goats for future milk production, I felt the Lord tap me on the shoulder and say, “Grace, let them have a baby goat.”
I stopped mid-sentence and told Nancy, “I believe the Lord just told me to let you have a female kid.”
Immediately excited, Nancy said, “Well we would want a new born so that she would bond with Erin.”
“All right, “I said. “We have several goats close to their kidding dates. I can let you know as soon as one shows signs she is ready. Let’s go take a look at them.”
As we walked across to the goat pen, Nancy asked me, “How do you know when they are ready to kid?”
“There are several signs,” I said. “First, the doe will look for a private place.” As we approached the barn, I said, “After she finds her spot, she usually starts pawing the ground as if she is building a nest, like that!” I said, pointing to the back of the barn.
Nancy and I went into the barn to check. Sure enough, this doe was ready to give birth. I led the doe to the kidding stall and told Nancy to go find Erin.
Erin and Nancy joined me in the kidding stall. Within a couple of minutes the doe gave birth to a beautiful doeling, just one. That is unusual. As soon as the baby was born, I wrapped her in a towel and handed her to Erin.
“I think this is yours,” I said, handing the kid out to her.
With incredible joy, Erin took the kid in her arms, then started digging in her back pocket. “I brought some money,” she said. “I brought you some money in case I could buy a kid!”
I started to tell her that I did not want payment for the goat. She was a gift. But, again, I felt the nudge from the Lord, and heard him say, “Grace, let her pay for the goat.”
I said to Erin, “Thank you. I am so happy we could sell one to you.”
Erin named her doeling, “Grace”.
She used her in 4-H and even had a her pulling a goat cart!
Grace, the goat, was the mother and grandmother of lots of other goats.
She lived a long and productive life.
Probably the most lasting thing she did was to inspire Erin to become a veterinarian that specialized in goats. She graduated from Washington State University in 2019.
Nancy and Erin
Now Erin lives in Loveland, Colorado with her husband. They have a five-month old son, and Erin is a part-time dairy vet!
Faith Walking 