2013 Kid count (will update as more come :)

Baby goats! So sweet! There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING cuter than baby goats. And I used to think puppies were so adorable, but they ain't got nothin' up on baby goats!

I can't wait till we have a few running around. I'm super-excited but also nervous... if anything bad happens to Lilly or Nibbles I'll be devastated. Nibbles seems like the sort of goat who will be extremely efficient and no-nonsense about giving birth, just like she is about everything else. And like everything else, she probably won't want any help. I hope I turn out to be right about her! But I'm a little worried about Lilly because she was small when we bred her, and even though she'll soon be taller than Nibbles, she'll always be slender and petite and very "needy". I tend to think she's the sort of goat who will be convinced that she's dying and will probably try to give birth on my lap and is going to make it a nerve-wracking experience for everyone.

I'll also be pretty heartbroken if we lose any kids this year. I know it's inevitable to lose a few eventually, but I think please just not the first year! I saw my first live goat birth last week. It was all very exciting. It seemed a lot slower than when my horse gave birth. A lot more sitting around waiting for nothing to happen. But it's so exciting when they finally do come! I don't know how people pull the kids away from their mothers right after birth, though. I feel so bad for the poor mama goats, after all that work and pain not to be allowed to have their babies, which is the one thing that makes the whole ordeal worthwhile for them. I don't know if I could do it unless the mother was uninterested or hostile (or the kid was struggling to survive).

And the thing I'm looking forward to most about our kids? Those marvelous airplane ears! They'll look like giant parachutes for the first few months until they grow into them. And when they run they'll look like they're trying to fly! Wheeee! I can't wait!

Well, the madness continues 1 more Doe kidded today and she had... You guessed it, TRIPLETS! I took a video of it. First boy was breach and was trying to be born butt first with no legs. So again, Tracy had to go in, push the kid back in a bit, found his legs and got him out. The next two were head first and after all the Does pushing to get the first kid out, the next two came in quick easy order. The only thing we can figure with all the breach kids is, there is just not enough room in there to turn em in the right direction. All the usually suspects for difficult labors we have had covered for years. The only difference this year is all the triplets. But in any event, will get the videos loaded onto youtube and post links when done.

On a side note, spent the day hooking up the hot water heater, faucet and drains for one of the sinks in the barn. Man, its going to be soooo nice being able wash all our feeding / milking stuffs out there instead of back and forth from the house at least twice a day

EDIT: Forgot to mention, the 3 new bucklings are all light Ober colored... just like everything else hehe. But the Doe was nice enough to put a splash on one face and a white spot on the top of the head of another.

Well, the excitement over having just twins didnt last long as Gabriel decided to pick up the slack. At about 11pm she decided to bless us with quadruplets. 2 bucks and 2 does. And they are gorgeous. Decided to take a brake for some dinner after she was done. Came back out about an hour and a half later to find one of the boys nearly dead. He was so cold and barely breathing. Rush him inside and put him in a warm water bath. After 30 min or so of that went to wrap him up in some heated towels and notice he was bleeding from his cord. Turned out to be one of those rare times when they cord just doesnt have enough outer lining to stop the bleeding and he nearly bleed out. So tied the cord off, said in the ez chair with him on my chest with warm towels over and around him and prayed for the best. Woke up about 4 hours later and he was still alive and actually lifing his head up. An hour later tried to give him something to eat and he took right too it As of now, he is doing much better. He is still really pale on his gums but he is standing and talking but still very very weak.

Will post pics now.

We never know what to expect from Gabe. Last year she had a single 14.5 lbs buck that got removed from the pack program to become a breeder at a friends farm. So although she was big enough for 4, we figured 3 large kids. The surprise of the day was Clyde. Our biggest Doe. She looked like she could of had quads pretty easy. But turned out to be two huge dark Ober colored kids. A buck and a doe. Her Sister Saqqara, who had the terrible kidding last year (Legions mama), against all odds got preggers on the first try this fall and gave birth to two nice big does with no issues at all. Pretty good for a doe who was never suppose to kid again 1 more working on it today and am hoping that will be it for the day. Have lots of stuff to do today and would like the time to do it seeing how I was up till about 4am with the gray boy, I got a very late start today.

Speaking of the gray boy, he is doing great! Eating good, standing up on his own now, talking Figure it will take a few days for his body to replenish his blood supply. Still not to sure if there will be any lasting effects but so far, the only sign of anything is weakness. And thats to be expected. Ok, cant post pictures yet, have to go back out and get to work. Will aim for tonight