According to Hanna, she and her husband expected 7-year-old Bernadette — nicknamed Bernie — to give birth to four kids like she had in 2025. However, a fifth baby appeared.

Typically the breed of goat will give birth to between two or three babies. And if quintuplets do occur, they don’t all survive.

However, a week after Bernie gave birth to Pepper, Cocoa, Honey, Peanut and Sugar, all five babies are healthy and continuing to grow.

Hanna said she and her husband bought Bernie and another Nigerian Dwarf goat, Nala, in November 2024. Both had arrived already bred, and gave birth to babies.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Bernie, a 7-year-old Nigerian Dwarf goat, recently gave birth to a rare group of quintuplets at the Fye Funny Farm in Avis. She’s pictured with all five here.

“Bernie had four last year and we thought that was a lot,” she said, noting she’d had given birth to other groups.

According to Hanna, Bernie went into labor last Tuesday morning, with Cocoa, Honey and Sugar coming out one after the other. However, they had to call in help from their veterinarian, Amanda Paulhamus, when little Peanut was a bit more difficult.

“Peanut complicated things a bit,” she said.

However, once Paulhamus arrived, she was able to assist Bernie in giving birth to Peanut.

“Pepper pretty much just came right out after that,” Hanna said.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Pepper, one of five Nigerian Dwarf goats born last Tuesday to 7-year-old Bernie, is pictured.

Though she has quite the brood, Hanna said Bernie has been taking great care of the little ones.

“She’s an incredible mother. She’s had multiple batches of babies over the years,” Hanna said, explaining she got now 7-year-old Bernie from another goat breeder.

As she was interviewed, all five kids wandered about the fenced area, with Peanut and Cocoa getting a number of jumps in.

“They’re energetic with full bellies,” Hanna laughed.

According to Hanna, Bernie has been able to feed all five of her babies on her own. Meanwhile, she’s also been able to supply extra milk for Nala’s babies who were born just hours after her own.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Peanut, one of five Nigerian Dwarf goats born last Tuesday to 7-year-old Bernie, is pictured.

“My husband and I were sitting in Bernie’s pen after she gave birth and heard the very specific shout from Nala that told us she was starting too,” Hanna said.

Nala gave birth to only two babies this round, Buzz and Woody.

Hanna joked that, once they were big enough to wander the outside pen more, the two and Peanut are likely to be best friends.

Having a goat that gave birth to five babies in one go was a big surprise for Hanna, who said she’d found it was an extremely rare occurrence.

“I had asked the woman I got Bernie and Nala from if she’d had this happen. She’s bred goats for 30 years and said it hadn’t happened,” she said, noting the one instance she came close, not all the babies survived.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Pictured are four of the five Nigerian Dwarf kids who were born on March 5 at the Fye Funny Farm just outside of Jersey Shore. They are, from left, Peanut, Pepper, Sugar and Honey.

Buzz and Woody are a bit bigger than their neighbors, weighing about six pounds. Though this isn’t a surprise given the difference in the number of kids at birth.

Though Hanna has a deep love for all the little babies on the Fye Funny Farm, she said some of the goats will go to new homes after 6 to 12 weeks.

“I’ll be keeping Cocoa and Sugar but the others are sold to new homes,” she said.

Hanna noted she also ensures each goat is going with one or more of their siblings or penmates.

“I can’t stand the thought of one of them going somewhere on their own,” she said, gesturing to little Woody as he hopped around the ramp near his mother, who is a bit more recluse.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Sugar, one of five Nigerian Dwarf goats born last Tuesday to 7-year-old Bernie, is pictured.

Hanna said she also ensures each goat finds a home where they’re either used for breeding, as show goats or pets, never sent to a butcher.

“I have them sign a contract that says that if they ever can’t take care of them, they’ll bring them back to me and I’ll figure something out,” she said.

Hanna acknowledged that it’s a normal occurrence for homesteaders or other groups to butcher and eat goats, she just can’t imagine that happening to the babies she helps raise — and sometimes even bottle feed.

This year, she said some of the babies in Bernie and Nala’s groups will also be 4-H show goats.

Hanna herself uses her goats to create goat-milk based lotions.

This is a new venture for her, having only started making lotions for herself.

“I started making lotions for myself not really with the intention of selling it,” she said. “But I gave some as gifts for Christmas last year and everyone said I should do it.”

Hanna said she’s gone to a few craft shows with her lotions and it’s been a success.

“I think it’s because it can be so expensive and I don’t sell mine at a high price,” she said.

If anyone is interested in purchasing some of the Fye Funny Farm lotions, they can contact Hanna on the business’s Facebook page or keep an eye out for her at craft shows.

Lotions are the only product Hanna said she plans to make as of right now, but doesn’t rule out an expansion someday.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Cocoa, one of five Nigerian Dwarf goats born last Tuesday to 7-year-old Bernie, is pictured.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Honey, one of five Nigerian Dwarf goats born last Tuesday to 7-year-old Bernie, is pictured.