There has been "great excitement" on a farm in Killeshandra, Co. Cavan this week, as the McGuigan family care for a quadruple surprise set of kid goats.
The family predominantly run a sheep and suckler farm, and ventured into dairy early this year, along with keeping two nanny goats now for several years, with the intention of fostering a lamb on to the them.
Farmer Kim McGuigan told Agriland that the family recently got a buck goat, and the healthy birth of three bucks and one female last week were the first set of kids ever born on the Cavan farm. The second nanny goat also recently had two kids.
McGuigan said that the family had "no idea" that the goat would have four kids, "never mind even three".
"It was a great surprise. Wwe were out of the house when we heard the news, and at first thought that the other goat owned two of them, but got there and no it was the one birth," McGuigan said.
"It was such a shock and the children couldn't wait to get home to see them. It's like a petting zoo here," McGuigan added.
Multiple births are not unusual in goats, with twins being the most common occurence. Triplets occur in about 15% of pregnancies, but quadruple births are much more rare, according to studies.
Fortunately, all the goats are fit and healthy, with the help of daily and regular bottle feeding from the whole family, keeping five-year-old James and three-year-old Ryan working hard.
While James and Ryan are busy helping out on the farm already, they also face the tough task of naming all four goats, and are open to any suggestions.