Anna's First Kidding

Well, it must be that time...Anna decided to kid last night.  This is her first freshening so we were a little more apprehensive about how she would do, but she did great!

A few weeks ago, when I was trimming everyone's hooves, I felt her for babies and thought I felt something.  But then she wasn't very big and didn't seem to be getting that baby belly.  We thought she might not have taken this time.  Then as the other girls started getting udders, Anna started to fill up too.  We thought she was so petite, maybe she was just getting a "sympathetic udder" - when there's so much estrogen in the air that all the girls get an udder regardless of breeding status.  But we were wrong.

Last night, in the pouring down rain on the Sunday night after J had two weeks off at home, Anna decided to deliver.  She had one baby and our dear friends called to tell us.  The boys jumped in the car and headed over to see.  While our friends were helping Anna over to the kidding side of the barn (we really weren't thinking she was ready to kid yet), she delivered her second.  Both babies are strong, healthy doelings - a white one and a strawberry one.  One baby weighed in at 8lbs 12oz and the other weighed in at 8lbs 8oz.  Those are some great weights for first time babies and she certainly hid them well in her frame!

Looks like both babies are from Fool's Gold, our Boer buck.  One of the babies seems to have a very flexible hind leg, but my guess is that she's just a rubber band baby and will solidify over the next few days.  I am thrilled to see Anna doing so well.  J said that she was letting the babies latch, albiet uncomfortably.  Her udder is beautiful, round and well-attached with two straight teats.  We'll see what she thinks of milking in a few weeks.

Another note - we gave Tumbleweed's doeling .2cc BoSe subQ last night.  Her front legs seem to be getting stronger.  I will be taking our boys over after school today to give the bucklings their shots - with these two being 4-H goats, the boys need to take care of all of their shots.  M isn't sure that he can do it - says he doesn't like crying babies - but I'm sure he can help.

Tumbleweed Has Triplets

We've been waiting to see when the does will start kidding this year.  I was a little off as I expected kidding to start almost a month ago.  From the look of things, we guessed there were triplets in store for Tumbleweed.  We were right.

Let me back up a little.  Our farm is disjointed again.  We had to find temporary housing for all of the goats and chickens while we search for a house to buy.  The rental that we are in only allows for the two dogs, and that was lucky.  So, thanks to our wonderful friends, the does are all at one house (a seasoned goat 4-H family) and the chickens and bucks are at another house.

We got the call last night that Tumbleweed had kidded while everyone was at Target.  I had warned them that she would wait until she was alone to kid.  But that's what you want when you look at a breeding doe - one that handles the whole kidding thing all by herself.  It's always a little disappointing to wait for the birth and then miss it, though.

We hurried over (just five minutes away) and were there to watch everyone get cleaned up and nursing.  There were two bucklings and a doeling - all different colors - kind of a surprise when you look at their mom and dad.  The first buckling, K's fair goat, weighed 7lbs 13oz and was brown and white spotted.

Kobi decided pretty quickly that this little boy would be named Sagebrush - an homage to his mother's high desert roots.

The second born was the doeling, Z's for now - although she may be a meat goat, She weighed 6lbs 10oz and was almost all brown with white socks, a white star on her forehead, a white spot on her belly, and a white tip on her tail.

Our friend suggested "Little Red" but we're not sure as we have a very strong chicken personality named Red.  We've learned today that this little girl is having a hard time with her front legs.  She was probably curled up pretty tight inside momma.  We are going to give her BoSe and work on some muscle stretches and massages.  If any of them have to be a bottle baby, she would be the one we'd choose - not only because of her legs, but also because we don't want the boys raising their market goats as bottle babies.  It would be pretty hard to give them up after raising them like that.

The last born was the biggest buckling, weighing a whopping 8lbs 13oz and completely different than his siblings in color.  He is mostly white with black/grey mottled ears and muzzle.  A very lanky young buckling, he looks like his legs outgrew his body.

Marli will be showing this beautiful boy at fair this year.  He doesn't have a name yet, but we'll find something that fits.

All in all, the babies look fabulous.  There were some folded ears that we cannot correct - they look like they've been folded for awhile in utero.  And we will need to watch baby B's front legs.  But everyone was up and nursing within the first 30 minutes which is fantastic!

I have never had a doe raise triplets on her own so we will also be closely monitoring the babies and their health.  I would love to Tumbles to raise all three, but I want to be ready if we need to supplement for these little ones.

Triplets A, B, and C in birth order from left to right.

My next doe to kid...I'm thinking Lilo with twins.