Devonviolet's - Kidding 2017

[Devonviolet]

FALINA KIDDED EARLY over night!

She was due on Thursday, but had her own schedule, it seems.

DH named him Wormwood. I am really into herbs, so we decided to name our goats after herbs. We needed a masculine name. Rosemary just didn't seem right for a buckling.

DH went out, to feed animals this morning. As soon as he got out there he called me and said I had better get dressed & get out there ASAP! He said that Falina had her kid, and he was born dead. I started just sobbing and ran to get dressed.

I ran outside to the hoop house & looked in. There I found a precious, light tan, kid, curled up against the hay tub, just as alive, as alive can be! OMG! HE'S ALIVE!!! WOOHOO! Praise God! A healthy, little LaMancha buckling!!!

It turns out, this is what DH saw, and he thought he was dead. He was just napping.

The right side, of Falina's udder was smaller, than the left, so I figured he had already nursed. Sure enough, when I put him up to her teat, he latched on right away.

Here is Wormwood, napping in Pawpaw's lap. Isn't it sweet?

We haven't finished the stanchion, on the milk stand, but I wanted to milk out some colostrum, to freeze. So, we put Falina on a bench. DH fed her handsful of grain, while I washed, rinsed & dried her udder. It milked out very easily.

I ended up with a pint of colostrum, which I immediately labeled & put in the freezer.

I didn't have the Betadine outside yet. So, I went in the house & Poured some in a medicine bottle, to dip his umbilical cord in.

When Wormwood finished nursing, I was standing there, taking photos. I realized Violet was on the other side, of the fence, watching intently, and I got this cool shot:

So, next I took Wormwood out to the gate, so the dogs could sniff him. They were very gentle, sniffing and Deo was doing a type of flutter lick, to get a teste. I was really happy with how they handled it.

Here is a tender moment showing Falina being a good mother.

And just a cute shot of Wormwood's sweet face. If you look closely, you can see a little drop of colostrum, on his lip.

 

[Devonviolet]

So, here's another nice, little surprise! Since we drove to Kansas, to pick up Falina and Ruby, Falina has been very skittish, not wanting me to touch her.

Occasionally, DH and I had to tag team her, so we could give her CDT, or worming med, check ligaments, or bounce her, to see if I could feel the kid move.

Immediately after she kidded, I can now touch and cuddle her all I want. She didn't have a bit of problem with me washing her udder, helping Wormwood latch on and milking her.

 

[NH homesteader]

Ahhhh! So happy for you!!! Congrats!

 

[Devonviolet]

Thanks @NH homesteader. I am over the moon, happy!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Congrats on your first birth!!

 

[Devonviolet]

Thanks, FEM!

 

[babsbag]

He's adorable and I am so happy that it all went well. The way the babies sleep (any goat for the matter) can scare you to death. I have tossed pebbles at my bucks just to make them twitch.

 

[Devonviolet]

 

[animalmom]

Well congrats on that handsome buckling from the "other" goat. He sure is a cutie, and big. Now, just wait and see what Miss Ruby has in store for you.

I'm so thrilled that the "other" goat delivered with no problems... other than not waiting for the palace to be finished. Such an impatient girl.

Yeah, and you are going to have lots of "dead goatie" moments in your future. I know they do it just to provoke a reaction. Even the rabbits do it, find that one pose that screams "I'm dead". I tell them keep it up and they just might be. Rotten animals! They plot ways to scare us.

 

[norseofcourse]

Congrats!!! However, I have to tell you, you did not follow the correct format of a kidding thread.

First, you post pictures of the expectant goat, along with statements from your vet/the seller/your local goat expert who all say she will be kidding 'in the next week or so'.

Then you post daily updates and pictures as your goat gets closer to kidding, describing all the signs that she's almost ready, and all the preparations you've been making.

At the three week mark, you start posting an increasing number of pictures of udder and vulva from every possible angle, and asking 'does she look like she's close?'

At the four week mark, you start cancelling work and giving up your entire social life, except for the posts here because we're the only ones who will listen to you talk about your pregnant goat anymore.

Along about page 36 of the thread, you start claiming that you are seriously seeing signs that she is Going To Start Kidding Any Minute Now and you're really sure this time! You re-read the Doe Code post for the 847th time, but you're so sleep deprived you nod off halfway through.

When you're finally too stressed out to think about anything besides kidding, your goat gives birth in the five minute break you take to refill the coffee that's the only thing keeping you going anymore. THEN you get to post about the birth!

Ruby's pregnant too, right? Maybe she'll give you a chance for a proper thread