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.
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 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.
Buckling on left, doeling on rightBuckling #2Doeling #2
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.
Doeling one the left, buckling on the rightBucklingDoeling
After several nights of midnight barn checks, Glory finally delivered triplets on Sunday February 25th. Glory is an experienced mom and is doing a great job caring for the kids. These kids have Superior Genetics awards on both sides of their pedigree.
Moon spotted bucklingBlue eyed, light buckskin buckling – this boy is really wide and would make a promising herd sireDoelingGlory’s triplets
Mapleshade delivered buck/doe twins on Saturday morning, February 24th. The doeling was giving her first-time mom problems by trying to come into the world with her head tilted sideways. Poor Maple was doing her best but we finally had to push the girl back inside enough to re-position her head and then she came out okay with just a little traction. After that her smaller brother entered the world with much less drama. We are planning to retain a Xylo daugher this year, so we won’t be offering this girl for sale until all of the does bred to Xylo have kidded.
Amanda decided to deliver her kids ahead of schedule, and in the middle of the night. But I’ll forgive her the sleep deprivation she caused because she gave us two beautiful, blue eyed doelings. Unfortunately we lost a third kid when I thought she was done and ran in the house for more towels and she delivered one more but the sac didn’t break. A difficult reminder why it’s so important to be there when kids are born. Even 5 minutes can mean the difference between joy or heartbreak.
Thankfully the two doelings are doing well and Amanda is making plenty of extra milk so I’m excited to see what this lactation brings for her. We may be retaining one of these sassy girls as we would like to add another Casanova daughter to the herd.
Dolly delivered four fabulous kids for us on Sunday with two does and two bucklings. The birth went quickly and Dolly delivered all four with ease. The littlest boy, only 1 pound 14 ounces, needed to spend some time in the house getting warmed up then he was off to the races fighting for his share at the milk bar.
Bucklings on the left with a sister on the rightBuckling #1Clayton quickly dubbed the smallest boy “Nigel the Tiny Nigi”Nigel nursingDoeling #1Doeling #1 – the official straw inspectorDoeling #2
Penelope started off our kidding season on Wednesday about 6:00 p.m. with two boys and a girl. Kati midwifed solo and did a fabulous job getting the kids dried off and warmed up in the frigid 0 degree weather. Needless to say, the kids are spending a lot of time in their heat barrel.
Chamoise bucklingLight bucklingDoeling & Clayton getting to know each otherBuckling peeking out of the heat barrel
I’m thrilled to announce that three of our does have earned Superior Genetics designations this year: Windsong,Champagne and Stormstruck. I’m so proud of the both the “girls” and all the work our family has put in over the years to build our herd into the what it is today.
We seek to improve our herd with every new generation and Cabochon Farm now has five Superior Genetics designated does and two bucks out of Superior Genetics does in our breeding program. Thank you to all of our customers who have made our success possible with their support!
The Superior Genetics designation indicates that the animal is in the top 15% (85th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed. To learn more about the ADGA Superior Genetics program and how the scores are calculated, visit Superior Genetics FAQs.
