Chloe delivered buck/doe twins on Sunday, May 3rd. They were big kids for such a little doe, but Chloe did just fine delivering them. The doeling is spoken for but the buckling is available.
Chloe’s Twins
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Sierra’s Triplets
Sierra delivered triplets on April 18th. She kept me on alert all day long as she took her time in early labor but once she finally got serious, she delivered all three kids quickly and easily. Sierra is a great mother and the kids are growing well and enjoying being outside in the warm weather.
Champagne’s Triplets
Champagne delivered three little white “Mini Mes” on Sunday, April 8. (Okay, one boy is actually gold, but it’s such a light gold that he looks white. ) The first buckling is for sale as a herd sire. Both his dam and sire’s dam have “Superior Genetics” designations and Champagne already has two legs toward her permanent championship. There is a lot of potential in these kids!
Buttercup’s Twin Doelings
Buttercup delivered twin Mini Alpine doelings on Friday, April 6. In classic goat fashion, Buttercup waited to get serious about delivering her kids until Kati was packing up to leave for her livestock quiz-bowl team practice. Fortunately, we have technology and an understanding quiz-bowl coach so Kati was able to join the practice via Skype while sitting in the kidding stall with Buttercup during her final labor. (My apologies to the quiz-bowl team for not being on mute during that one particularly loud “first time mom” goat scream! 🙂 )
Buttercup is proving to be a very attentive mom and is milking well. These colorful girls will be registered with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA). They will be wonderful home milkers and can be shown in the MDGA live and virtual shows.
Novel’s Twin Doelings
Novel delivered an adorable pair of twin Mini Alpine doelings on Monday, April 2nd with an quick, easy afternoon delivery -the very best kind!
These girls have bright futures as family milkers. Mini Alpines average about 3/4 gallon of sweet, rich milk per day while eating only about a third of what a full size Alpine eats. They truly combine the best of the Alpine and Nigerian Dwarf breeds by giving the rich milk of a Nigerian with the greater volume of an Alpine.
Amelia’s Triplets
Amelia delivered right on her due date, March 23rd, with healthy, bouncy triplets. She had a quick birth with all three delivered in about 20 minutes. Amelia is being a great mom and all the babies are growing well.
Josephine’s Twins
Josephine really took her time getting ready to kid and kept us all waiting for six days past her due date. She finally released her hostages on Tuesday, March 20th. I think she tried to make it up to us by kidding at 3:30 in the afternoon instead of in the wee hours of the morning.
Josephine loves her little girl, but she is not fond of her sweet little boy and is giving him the cold shoulder so we are supplementing him with a bottle. He will be available as a bottle baby to a carefully selected home.
Marcy’s Boy
Marceline kidded right on her due date – Monday, March 19th. Gotta love it when the girls read the calendar! Kati attended the birth and provided just a bit of traction to help Marcy get this big single boy out into the world. He’s a cutie with long, long legs and a pretty reddish color to his coat. And of course Marcy is being a great mom to her boy.
Taffy’s Quadruplets
Taffy delivered another set of quadruplets, two does, two bucks, on Saturday, March 10th. That was also milk test day so I’m super grateful that she decided to deliver in the middle of the afternoon instead of in the middle of milk test! Especially since both boys needed intervention. When you check the rear end of a doe in labor and see a leg sticking out and nothing else, it’s time to wash up and get the lube!
The first boy decided to test the waters with his foot before committing to the whole birth experience. So we had to go in and find his head and convince him that life would be better if all of him came out to see the world. He was followed by his two rule-following sisters who came into the world on their own like all good goat babies should. But the boys had obviously been plotting together during last five months because the second boy also presented with just one leg. So I had to push him all the way back in, swirl around poor Taffy’s uterus until I found his head and gently but firmly insist that he stop fooling around and get out into the world because by that point his poor mother really had had enough.
It’s always a blessing to have quads, but it does increase that chances that you’re going to have to help because there is less room for everyone to get positioned where they need to be. Thankfully Taffy and kids are all doing well and the kids are enjoying exploring their new world.
Stormstruck’s Quadruplets
A 2:30 a.m. barn check on Wednesday found Stormstruck already in labor with a mal-positioned kid who needed to be removed manually. Unfortunately, that first kid didn’t make it and I never made it back to bed that morning. I had to re-position a couple more kids, including one who was breech – presenting rump only. In a rump only presentation, you have to work inside the doe to carefully find and extend the back legs so the kid can be delivered.
Anyone who is raising and kidding goats, should be prepared to identify birthing problems (dystocia) and assist a birth or call a vet to help. One really good reference is What to Do in a Kidding Emergency from the Dairy Goat Journal. I recommend printing it out and keeping in it your birthing supply box, just in case you need it. Nigerians are known for having multiple kids and that increases the chance that the kids could be positioned wrong or “tangled up” inside and need help.
In the end, Stormstruck delivered four more beautiful kids, 2 does and 2 bucks, who are doing well and Stormstruck has recovered from her rough delivery. Now I just need catch up on my sleep because Taffy is due in a few days and she looks like should could have several kids packed in there as well.
