We Made It

I am not a fan of this spring break.  If felt a lot more like winter break with the challenges of kidding.  On a couple of those cold days we had wind warnings as well.  It was sub-zero wind chills.  This was not kidding weather.

But we made it.

Penelope and doe in front. At one point I had 6 pens and 23 goats in the garage.

I really was starting to think I was wrong about Purl and Perdita and they were going to have April babies.  But, on Saturday, when I went out for one of my numerous checks in this cold weather, Purl had a little girl with her!  She was five days past her due date, but she finally arrived.

Do you see the baby? I had to move them to a warmer pen after she was born.

This one looks an awful lot like a grandpa Xerxes baby.

No name yet.

I still wasn’t sure what to do with Perdita because the garage was full. After Purl’s baby, I had 22 goats in the garage and I was still waiting on Cutie. That means I prepped the milk room for Perdita.  Because I still was leaning towards she had to have a baby now.  So I continued my every couple of hours checks around the clock.  And she did nothing overnight.

Perdita with Ostara, Heidi and Pretzel (It was easier to add them to this side than keep feeding them in the middle of the barn.)

I hate to tell these girls that I have to go back to work today.  I mean they should have all had them by then.  Cutie finally got with the program and went into labor Sunday morning.  Right at noon I went out and she was screaming.  I saw two huge feet and a nose.  I pulled the feet, and once the legs got straightened out, we had no problem getting this giant boy out.

Cutie and BJ

BJ. (Benji Jr.)

That just leaves Perdita.  But it’s warmer, and I’m getting more and more of the notion it will be an Easter baby, but I will still check her for a couple more days.  She’s not happy, but she’s penned in the Love Shack since we’ve warmed up some.

Perdita yelling because I have her penned alone.

I never want to do another spring break like this one again.  Now to get the goats out of the garage…

A Waiting Wednesday

After our cold start to Tuesday, the temperatures warmed up.

All that snow melted

By afternoon it was really windy and about sixty degrees.  And this was the only decent day over all of spring break to give birth.

I took the sweater off Melba.

And so I waited.

LilyAnn and Penelope (in the background)

And by the end of the day, zero goats had gone into labor.

Purl (and she is not stuck)

But I did manage to trim a couple of sets of hooves.

Perdita

Caroline got more probiotics.  She is not doing well at all.

Caroline

I did some housecleaning.

I picked up all the cardboard Salem has shredded.

I did some more knitting.  And of course, I wrote this blog post.

I didn’t have pink in the right weight, so the next one is camouflage.

And the sun set.

SOOC sunset

And I waited and hoped that someone would go into labor before the rain and cold came on Thursday.

The Final Countdown

This is it.  We are almost ready to start spring break kidding.

Purl is due on Monday

Perdita

Everyone has settled in to the new housing arrangement, and my mom is checking those first girls who are due.

Onyx (due first) with her mom, Victoria, in front

I even managed to take Antigone out of time out.

Moms to the left; the rest of the herd to the right.

The rest will get moved over this weekend if I can catch them.

Cutie shouldn’t be hard to catch and move.

Otherwise, I’ll just check them on that side and move them when I need to.

Aphrodite

Athena

Hilda (with Rosie behind her)

LilyAnn

I do wish we were going to have better weather, but we’ll get.  Let the kidding begin (after I get. home tomorrow)!