Wrong Again and a Smoky Sunset

Well, it looks like I was wrong again.  With goats, I’m used to it.

Trace and Zinnia (who is due June 18th)

See what I noticed on Trace!

That means she is not a freemartin, and she actually settled to have a baby!

She should be due either June 13th or July 5th (depending how many times I’ve been wrong with her).  And we had a gorgeous sunset Wednesday evening.

The herd (Chiffon and Wanda are in there)

Cupid by the fence

Rosie and Cy

There was sunshine and smoke, and that creates a beautiful sunset.

The Rest of the Kids

Easter Sunday started pretty quiet.  I knew Cupid was in early labor, but I didn’t figure there would be any fuss or drama with her, and I was right.

She had a girl and a boy!

Cupid with a tan girl and a boy that looks like her

My sister showed up to spend the night with me and help while I was doing my PD from home on Monday.  It was a nice visit as well as being grateful for the help.  Monday, during a bathroom break from my PD, I went out and pulled Tansy’s big boy.

Talk about good timing!

Finally, after watching the last three for what seemed like forever, right as I was getting ready to serve dinner to my family, I had to go out and help Joy.  I really wish she would have twins because twins are generally a bit smaller.  She had one big Benji doe.

Joy cleaning off her big girl

That just left Hera and Daisy.  My sister had to leave Tuesday morning, so my mom came out and checked girls.  Honestly, she stayed and watched Daisy all day.

Daisy

She even saw when Hera got tired of Daisy chasing her out of the Love Shack so she jumped the fence and joined the rest of the herd in pasture.

Hera–back in pasture

Finally, Tuesday evening just after dinner time, she got down to business and had two little Frodo girls.

Daisy with her two little girls.

Come on Hera!  I am ready to be done kidding.

She went into labor the next afternoon, and she gave me one big buck.

That is is for kidding until Zinnia has hers in June,

A 3-for-1 Plus 2

Well Friday was boring.  Absolutely nothing happened, so I figured Saturday would be a doozie.  It was late morning when I figured out who was likely to have kids.  Then I shut Rosie in the Love Shack.

Rosie in the Love Shack pen

I also put Ava, Antigone, and 2TC in the garage and buck paddock.

Then it was a race.  But Ava got cranky.  I had to put her in a pen in the buck room.

Ava in the buck room all to herself (before I used that panel to pen her in the back half)

And everyone was picking on everyone.  I finally kicked Chiffon and Venus outside.  I didn’t care if their babies were sleeping.

Chiffon guarding her boys from everyone else.

Then I shut Antigone in the buck room on the other half.

Antigone in front; Ava behind

By this time, I had seen 2TC’s outer water had broken.

2TC before I brought her into the garage.

I wasn’t about to keep running between buildings, so I brought Rosie into the garage too.  So I had the four girls in the garage, all in labor.

Rosie and 2TC

It was painful.  I still had to keep 2TC from picking on Rosie.  All the while checking on everyone. So I was mostly standing in the door between the garage and the buck room where I could see them all.  Eventually, Rosie decided behind the door (and me) was the safest place to stand.

Rosie peeking around the door to see if it’s safe. It wasn’t (2TC)

Then things kind of went a bit haywire.  Ava and Antigone were screaming.  I checked Ava and could only feel what felt like a joint, and no feet or face.  Antigone was kind of screaming and stressed, but not pushing.  I know she had a bag there.  2TC was open but not pushing.  And I finally called the vet.  I kept going from one to the other and washing hands in between. Eventually, 2TC had a bag coming, and I could see one foot.  I felt and found the second foot.  By the way, she kept smacking and biting at me while I was trying to help her.  Finally, she quit attacking me, and I managed to pull the kid.  By this time, I heard Ava and Antigone again, so I went to see what they were doing (strong contractions but not pushing (Antigone) or making progress (Ava).  By the time I came back out into the garage, the vet had arrived.  Somehow, Rosie had gotten moved into the pen with Antigone and was mostly blocking the door, but the vet and I squeezed through. Antigone was in the first pen, so we started with her.  I honestly had a hard time holding her because she doesn’t have horns (my trying to check her was like wrestling a steer and trying to check her at the same time).  The vet announced she wasn’t pushing because it was backwards.  He pulled it and then went in for the second baby–it was also backwards.

Antigone has a buck and a doe

Then we left her and went into the pen with Ava.  He quickly pull three kids–all of whom were backwards.

Ava has two bucks and a doe

We squeezed back past Rosie into the garage, and I mentioned that I hadn’t even had a chance to see if 2TC had another baby.  I had actually hoped that once I pulled the first one, she’d start pushing and have the second one on her own.  The vet asked if I wanted him to check while he was there, and since she was not being cooperative, I was more than happy to let him pull her second one.

2TC has two girls

I thanked him, made a joke about the visit being a three-for-one and told him I hoped that Rosie and I could handle things without him.  It wasn’t long until we got to test that out.  But I will say, Rosie had some of the most creative labor positions of any goat I’ve ever seen.

The baby was finally ready to make an appearance.  Those were big feet, and she wasn’t making progress.

I worked really hard, and she really was a good girl, and eventually, we got her big buck here.

After checking everyone again quickly, I noticed Flora was now in active labor.

Flora still outside in the small buck paddock

Luckily I had enough time to run into the house and get a bite to eat before going back out.  I saw her trying to push, but there was only one foot.  Flora quit pushing, so I caught her, tied her to a post, and pulled her kids.

She was more interested in the other fluids than her babies. This girl…

She has a girl and a boy

After I gave her some time to bond with the kids (while I rearranged the garage to prepare for the night), I had her follow me up to the garage with her babies.

Then she was more interested in hay.

Then I was done for the day.  I left Ava in the buck room, but made her pen a little smaller.  The other four new moms and Chiffon were in the garage.

Sidney, Venus and the three girls that hadn’t yet kidded had the outside and rest of the buck room.  So after the three-for-one with the vet we added two more girls on the day.  Only five more girls to go!