A light brown adult goat with a collar lies down in an outdoor pen surrounded by three young goats (kids) with grayish-brown coats, set against a backdrop of fencing and patches of grass and hay under bright daylight. 3:26

Baby goats bounce all over their patient mama

On their first day out in the open fields, the baby goats at Sunflower Farm Creamery start with the nearest thing to climb. That would be their mother. more

The farm is in Cumberland, Maine, where Hope and Chris raise Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian goats. There are around 60 babies on the farm. At first, all that grass can wait. The kids won't leave their mother's side.

A small goat stands behind a wire fence, looking down at another animal nearby. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
On their first day out, the kids stay near the grown-ups.

Then the climbing starts. The kids hop up onto her back and off again, over and over. It looks a lot like a back massage she never booked.

She is not bothered one bit. She lies there in the bright daylight and watches the day go by while her babies treat her like playground equipment. Anyone who has had a toddler crawl over them on the couch knows this kind of patience.

A light brown adult goat with a collar lies down in an outdoor pen surrounded by three young goats (kids) with grayish-brown coats, set against a backdrop of fencing and patches of grass and hay under bright daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
On their first day out in the open fields, the baby goats at Sunflower Farm Creamery start with the nearest thing to climb.

Little by little, the kids get brave. Some wander the pasture beside their mother, and others go off to play on their own. A few practice on a balance beam. A wooden spool turns into a dance floor, and the kids on top look like they are tap-dancing.

There are quiet spells, too. A few goats rest by the fence, one of them lying down. Somewhere a mother calls and a baby answers, a back-and-forth that is oddly relaxing to hear.

Three goats rest near a fence. One lies down facing forward, and another stands behind, looking ahead. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Between games, a few goats take a rest near the fence.

Then it's time to go home. The whole crowd of kids takes off running for the barn and the wooden pen. The last face on the farm belongs to the barn cat.