North Hollywood’s farm has gained new furry friends again! In April baby goats were born, four females and one male. 

In December 2022, Mr. Lepore bred five female goats, all first-time moms, with a black, blue-eyed goat named Johnny. They stay with the male goat for about a month and have a pregnancy of 150 days. Once the goats are born, people are free to hold them; others be careful with their umbilical cords. 

The baby’s umbilical cord dries up and falls on its own, but if someone were to cut it off themselves, it causes an infection that can harm the baby.

“It’s always important to make sure the students understand how to properly take care of the babies before having interactions with them-luckily this school year the babies are happy and healthy”, said Mr. Lepore, North Hollywood’s Agriculture teacher. 

Saturday, April 15th was the birth of our first goat but unfortunately, it passed away on the day it was born. When the baby came out, the legs were out while the head got stuck inside the mother for six hours.. The mother (Amber) was in shock. She could not walk and barely ate during recovery. Now Amber is gaining the strength to walk again a week after having that traumatic experience.

Briana Navjaro, a senior at North Hollywood said, “It broke my heart seeing her struggle to stand up-I had to put hay in front of her because she could only walk so much distance without falling back down,”.

Fortunately, on Wednesday, April 19 a baby goat was born after school with the help of Sabrina Medrano, FFA’s treasurer. Medrano was all alone when the goat was giving birth.

“I went down to the farm to check up on the pregnant goats since Mr. Lepore was at a golf game-then I saw the goat giving birth, ” said Sabrina Medrano, a sophomore at North Hollywood.

The baby did not struggle coming out of her mother (Rockie) then out came a healthy black blue-eyed female goat. Since Sabrina was the one who helped the mom when giving birth, she named the baby Hershey.

“I was so nervous because I never helped a goat give birth and I was all alone which was even scarier but I’m proud of myself-it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences people have so I’m happy I got to have that kind of moment.” continued Medrano. 

Two days later, Friday, April 21st, two baby goats were born again after school. Mr. Lepore and other students who were there witnessed the miracle of life. The mom (Brownie) of the goats gave birth to twins! An all-black male goat with a white spot on the top of his head named Espresso. Then a female goat with a mix of brown and black named Cappuccino. 

“When Cappuccino was born, she was so tiny and had unique patterns on her which caught my attention the minute I saw her-she even sleeps on you right when you carry her in your arms,” said Edward Mateo, FFA’s President. 

Lastly, on Saturday, April 22nd,  two all-gray female goats named Dumbo and Thumper were born. On the day of the petting zoo, the mother (Silver) was panting not only because it was hot but because she was past due. At around 4:30 pm, Silver was getting contractions until about 7:00 pm for her to give birth to two beautiful girls. 

Michael Arriaga, a senior who volunteered at the petting zoo, said, “We waited with her during all those hours because we didn’t want the same thing to happen again like with Amber,”.

Marc Bautista was a helper during the petting zoo and is also an FFA reporter. He was there to witness the birth of the two baby females, which was a shocking thing for him to see. 

“When one baby came out, we all became concerned because she didn’t immediately lick her baby-then another baby came out-everyone was shocked because she didn’t look like she was carrying two babies,” Marc Bautista said excitedly. 

The babies were born at the right for the petting zoo and became a huge hit. Guests were allowed to pet and carry them, which helped the babies become more comfortable with people. The babies will be kept with the moms in a separate stall because they are too small to be with the other goats; they still drink their mom’s milk. 

Gabriel Gutierrez, a senior at North Hollywood said, “I can’t wait for the babies to go with the other goats because they are all already so lively and active with one another so I can’t imagine how they will be with the others,”.

There is never a dull day on the farm, and that is the unique part of FFA. If you can, try to join and be a part of this beautiful community. Until then, anyone is welcome to visit the new baby goats if they ask Mr. Lepore first. If you miss your chance, then it’s okay, because new babies are being born each year on the farm!