HANA | Salem, VA Portrait Photography

Farm mornings | New River Valley Farm Photography

Baby goats | New River Valley Pet Photography

A few nights ago my friends and I pulled into the farm around midnight and went for a walk. As we were walking back to the house we heard tiny baby goat noises coming from near the barn. Just as I was about to investigate, the owners of the farm returned from playing pool. Excellent timing, because I would have had no idea how to handle this situation.

We discovered the dog had just separated Mama and her babies, thinking she was protecting them. But this meant that now we had to encourage Mama to go back to her babies to feed them before they died. Right after they're born, if the bond between them is broken, the goat may not remember that the babies are hers. It was stressful and cold, but finally we left them alone in the barn, hoping Mama would continue to nurture them through the night. These pictures are from just a couple days later.