2011 Kidding DONE!

Ah, is it ever good to say those words. Wow.

Last night, right before I was leaving to go to our churches Keepers At Home, at which I was teaching, my only engagement on my calendar that I couldn’t cancel, my truck was running, Jessie and Emma waiting…I ran, one last time, to check the goats and guess what? Chloe was just dropped #2. After a  moment of panic, I found the towels and dried off #2 and got him breathing well. Cut his umbilical cord free and gave him a good rub. Meanwhile, Paul heard my yelling and  came to take a crash course on goat midwifery.  “Cut the cord, dip the cord, get them on their feet and nursing.” I was late and had to go, it was SOoo hard to leave!

 

Two little doelings(7lb 11oz & 7lb 12oz)! Paul surprised me by getting everything done(he is not a goo guy) and the kids were beautiful with full little bellies when I got home.

I called home a couple times and Paul was concerned that when he bounced Chloe’s tummy(a way of feeling to see if they are empty), he felt more legs in there. What? Not Chloe. I left Keepers early and ran home. By the time I parked the truck, Daniel came up and said “Daddy needs you right now in the barn, Chloe is birthing another kid”

To make another long story short, I delivered my first stuck kid. The front legs were all that were coming out, no head. Its head was twisted back and down. I was coached(by my sweet goat guru friend Mindy, who rushed over to my aid;)  to push the legs back inside, finagled the kid’s twisted head and pull it out in a  normal birthing position. After what seemed like a long time, out came a beautiful little dead doeling. Absolutely beautiful, looked just like Chloe. I tried and tried to revive the little thing to no avail. We saved a hefty vet bill and I learned more than I EVER wanted to know about delivering stuck kids. Very sad.

 

So by 1am, I was happy with the way everyone looked so packed up I took a shower. Jackie was acting laborish<sigh>, so I set my alarm clock for 2:30am and the asked the girls to check her for me(they were excited to do so, I just wanted my bed) Sure enough, at 2:31 here comes a thump, thump, thump up the stairs. “Mamma?! Mamma!, Jackie dropped a kid!!” Up again and out to the barn to find a HUGE buckling. How our smallest doe EVER birthed that thing, I will never know. He’s 9lbs 3oz, which is the biggest kid we’ve had. He was/is nursing like an ox and Jackie is jumping around like her old obnoxious self. Truly amazing. I was hesitant to bounce her, lol, but soon found she was empty, that is all she gave us and she cooked him well!

  

He is mostly white, but has some neat markings on his back and head. LOVE the ears.

 

 

Sooooo glad the kidding is over. I hope to sleep tonight!! 6 kids born, lost 1, ended with 5, we are happy. A lot of experience and confidence gained!