Rough Kidding

{Graphic picture warning!!} 

 

 I still have 2 goats that were due to kid this week, they are both a couple days late, but I wasn't too worried.  Both are second time mama's.  I went into the goat barn to feed and noticed that Greta wasn't eating and was just standing around, so I knew that it was her day!

 

 Throughout the morning, I kept checking on her and around noon, she finally started laying down.  No babies were coming, and I started to worry.

After an hour, I noticed a protrusion, but not the snout and front feet I had been hoping for, I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, and it was NOT coming out.  By this time, Greta was screaming in pain and I could tell she was getting exhausted.  I ran inside for my goat birthing books, gloves, vaseline, towels, warm molasses water, and some disinfecting iodine.  I came back to find Greta lying down and grunting, so I got right to work.  I slipped my hand up inside around the baby, trying to distinguish body parts, but it was still confusing, bumps where there should not have been bumps.

I worked the baby slowly out, her head was bent under instead of pointing out and she was stillborn.   I cleaned up and showed her to Greta who gave her a couple licks and nudges.  I even tried giving her some chest compressions, but I knew she was too far gone.

 Just then another baby came sliding right out, followed by another one!  Triplets!!!  I knew she was pregnant with twins, but didn't know there would be a bonus kid!  Greta was too exhausted to move, so I opened up the sacs, wiped off their mouths so they could breathe and gave them to Greta, one buckling, one doeling.

 She couldn't even lift up her head to lick them, so I dried them both off and gave Greta the molasses water.  She started to perk up, so I kept the kids by her head and cleaned up the afterbirth.  The kids got up and started staggering around looking for food, so I got Greta up on her feet, gave her some grain and attached each kid to a teat.  They took to nursing right away and I knew that they would be ok after that.  I came inside and got the big girls so they could see the new babies.

It was an exciting, stressful, happy day!  Her granddaughter, Star, wants her up playing with her!

First 2012 kid!

 When I went out to the barn last night to close up, I encountered a nice surprise!  

Twinkletoes had her kid a week early!  

It's a girl, we named her "Star".

Almost kidding time!

 Only 7 days to go until the first due date for our kids!!

I have 2 does due on Sunday, the 25th and 2 does due on the 27th.  Nawww, I'm not going to be busy or loony from lack of sleep that week!!

The girls are waddling around, their udders are forming nicely and I'm getting very excited!

I have their coats and collars ready to go, the camera battery is charged and I've got some colostrum frozen 'just in case' and the nurse-cats are all ready!

Goat coats!

It's inevitable, whenever we have a birth on the farm, it's ALWAYS snowing and cold!  The does are due to kid starting March 24th, and since summer doesn't hit until after the 4th of July, I spent the day making kid coats.

 I just hope 1. that they fit, and 2. that I made enough!!

I found a coat at Wal-mart that I figured was about the right size and traced it.

Not the best sewing job I've ever done, but I don't think the kids will complain!!