The bond between mother and daughter

[GoatGirl123]

For those of you who don't know, Bella was born to Annabeth on April 1 2014. We originally planned to sell her, because out of our 3 bucks, Arthur is her father and Toby is her half brother. Therefore, she could only be bred to Colonel. However, it didn't quite work out that way. After we sold Munchkin, her brother, Bella kept nursing. We never separated her, because we didn't plan to milk Annabeth so Bella might as well keep getting milk. Now she is more than 1 year old . . . and Annabeth still lets her nurse. I know for a fact that Bella has nursed within the past week. It's a little absurd that Bella is still nursing, but it's not a problem. Just this morning, when I was letting the goats out of their sleeping pens, all the goats were standing up except Annabeth and Bella. They were lying down curled up together. It was so sweet! They still eat next to each other, do everything together. If one is separated from the other, Bella usually starts bleating for Annabeth, and Annabeth comes. I know they will probably grow further apart once Bella stops nursing and Annabeth is bred again, but for now, they have such a strong, wonderful bond. I didn't know it was possible for goats to love like this. It's amazing to see. Now I'm glad we kept Bella in our herd. She is a great little goat and Annabeth loves her.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Sometimes it lasts. Mother on left (Princess) and daughter on right (Snowbelle)

[MOgal]

I have a mother-daughter pair where I raised the kid on a bottle. She never nursed but they are side by side constantly even though the kid is a long yearling. It's especially cute because the kid is nearly identical to her mother. The mother is Wild Child, the daughter is Repeat. Very special bond. Some human mothers could take a lesson.

I've had others nearly as devoted, including twins who seek out the sibling's company. What really blew me away was the cold night when I went out to check on the goats and realized their organization. Sleeping in the middle was the oldest doe with her daughters lying in contact with her. The next ring were the granddaughters lying next to their own mothers and the youngest goats on the outside or tucked between their mother and an aunt. Hard not to miss the depth of their familial commitment.