A native (deshi) goat in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram has given birth to five kids at once. It happened on the night of Monday 9 November at the home of farmer Tohidul Islam in East Phulmoti village, Naodanga union. As word spread, neighbours and people from nearby villages crowded into his yard to see the kids.
The family said labour began at about 8:30 pm and four healthy kids were born one after another within a short time. About an hour later, at around 9:30 pm, a fifth was born, but it died within 15 minutes. Tohidul said the remaining four are healthy and normal.
Tohidul said he has kept the goat for a long time. It had kidded three times before, with triplets each time, and he never imagined it would have five. He and his wife, Momina Begum, were preparing the evening meal when they heard the goat crying and found it in labour.
His elder brother, Shahidul Islam, said the family thought the birth was over after the fourth kid. The four survivors are now being fed cow's milk in addition to their mother's milk.
Phulbari upazila livestock officer Dr. Chandan Kumar Sarker said five kids at one birth is rarely seen in native goats but is neither abnormal nor miraculous in veterinary terms. He put the chance of a goat delivering five at once at about 2 to 3 percent.
He advised that kids from a multiple birth need special care to grow and survive, and that if the mother's milk runs short, each kid must be given balanced nutrition by other means.
Aminul Islam, a retired local schoolteacher, said native goats usually have two or three kids, four at most. He believes small farmers and smallholders could profit if such prolific goats were raised with proper planning.
Photo: A S M Jobaer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Ittefaq
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