New Babies and new lessons

I noted that Mocha was bred on October 17 in my barn records so I started watching closely around March 12--checking daily, watching as the ligaments loosened on her pin bones, watching for her appetite to go, watching and waiting.  On March 14th,  I stepped it up and started checking her at night, every four hours.  But, there was no progress after the first little bloody show on the 14th.  No further signs that she intended to have what I assumed was a single large kid.  She was born in February last season and isn't a big goat and to add to my thinking she never really looked big or uncomfortable.  So, I assumed I missed the date she was really bred.  I even had a friend come over and look at her.  He said she looked like she had another week to go, at least.

On March 22nd--155 days, she stopped eating and drinking around midnight.  She got that tell-tale look in her eye (like she was listening to something only she could hear).  Her little udder bagged up and she started acting uncomfortable.  I checked her every four hours.  At around 8 am she started labor in earnest.  Visible contractions every five minutes or so, circling, laying down and getting up and grunting.  You can see contractions:  The tail goes up like she's about to go to the bathroom, nothing comes out and the tail curves over like a shepherds crook.  Contractions last about 30 seconds to a minute or so. 

My daughter got up to be there for the birth (Mocha is her goat).  Pretty soon we saw the fore waters, a sack of water that protruded.  I noticed that the water wasn't clear...it was more opaque than I had seen before.  We could see a nose and one hoof.  She pushed and pushed but the baby would peek out and go back in so I decided to grab the hoof the next time it appeared.  This broke the bag of water and the little nose and hoof stayed out.  I knew she had a leg back at this point...not a great position for a first freshener!  This was going to be hard on Mocha and the baby.  I've seen it before in a much older goat and the pressure of the birth injured the baby.  She recovered after a few days.

I helped as much as I could, pulling gently on the leg.  I was about to go in and look for the other foot when Mocha gave a mighty push and most of the little kid came out.  She stood up for the next contraction and out came a beautiful little doe (5.91 lbs).  She was very vigorous and was breathing right away and bleating her indignation.  My husband was watching Mocha, and said "there's another baby coming"!  I handed the little doe to him and turned back to Mocha.  My daughter was there to catch this one.  I thought it would go much easier but this one presented head first...no hooves, just one huge head!  Mocha was determined though...she pushed hard and the baby came right out. 

Quickly it became obvious that the kid couldn't breathe.  I read an article about swinging the kid from it's hind legs to pull the muck out of it's airways.  As I picked her up I could feel the rattle in her chest as she struggled to breath.  This is the most beautiful kid I've ever seen.  Milk chocolate brown with white spots.  I grab her and begin swinging.  Then we wipe her mouth and swing again.  Pretty soon she's coughing and clearing out and breathing! 

Mocha is producing lots of colostrum and the two kids are doing wonderfully!

Bucks, what's the difference?

I got asked today if a buck was suspicious as to breed because he was so much different from the does the owner had.  The short answer is "no".  Nubian bucks are so different from their female counterparts...larger, coarser, thicker, stinkier and hairier.  They are Nubian goats on steroids...literally. 

The little guy is a six month old and you can see as he stands next to a two year old doe, that he is much hairier...the second picture is Rocky and again even though the grass is still green, he's much hairier with almost a mane of hair towards his withers.