Kids! (the goat kind)

Friday, Lili and Ripley decided they wanted to have their kids on the same day. Both girls were pawing the ground and visibly uncomfortable in the morning.

As 1pm neared, Lili laid down on the ground and next thing I know, she's giving birth to her first baby. This little boy didn't move much. He was very tiny and we didn't think he was going to make it. My husband went and got a heating lamp. After momma cleaned him up, baby #2 started coming. So, we took baby #1, dried him off as best we could and put him under the heating lamp just in time for Lili to start pushing on baby #2.

Shortly after Lili had baby #2, we milked her a little bit so we could get some food into baby #1's tummy with a small syringe we found. We knew we needed to keep the little guy warm and hydrated if he was going to survive.

We did not realize how little Lili's first baby was until baby #2 came out (or maybe it was the other way around!). Immediately after he was out, he was trying to stand and walk. This was a good indicator to us that baby #1 was definitely not doing very well. We were happy to see that baby #2 was another boy, active, and absolutely beautiful! This one will definitely be a wonderful addition to someone's Alpine breeding stock someday! His name is Eschelman and he is a cutie!

We were pleasantly surprised when Lili began pushing again (as we were expecting only 2). This next time, I realized that a baby was coming out but it was breach (legs first instead of head first). So, with a little bit of difficulty and some help from me, Lili birthed her 3rd baby. We were more than thrilled to see that it was a girl this time! She was also large and quick on her feet. She is definitely the most active and curious of all the babies so far and she's beautiful too! We're planning on keeping her for a future milking doe.

This is Lili's fourth freshening (pregnancy) and she has never dam raised before (nursed her kids herself). So, we weren't sure how she would do when her kids approached her to nurse. We were so happy to see her willingly stand for her babies as they fed from her! And the great news is that baby #1 is doing well! He is standing on his own and eating well from a bottle.

In the next blog, I will share Ripley's birth story, as they both had their babies on the same day, but both deliveries were very different. Lili was the text book delivery, which I was very thankful for since this was our first time ever seeing a kidding goat, and also since Ripley's was not so easy.

Preparing for Kids (baby goats)

We have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Lilli's kids (Ripley is not due until March 6). She is due today and hasn't shown any obvious signs of labor yet. I have been going out to the pasture more regularly the last few days to check on her to see how she is doing, hoping for labor signs.

One thing I have been told, is that as the does get closer to kidding (getting ready to have their babies) they get very affectionate. So, yesterday while I was in the pasture, I watched Lilli go up to Dalai (our llama) eat some of the hair on his neck, then they nuzzled each other for a while. It was super cute...and so awesome to see. Dalai is such a great guard animal, and it was so cool to see the open affection between the two animals. Yes, it was definitely one of those few moments when I did not have my camera...and when I wished I had!

This last weekend, while we were preparing for the coming births, I noticed Lumpy, one of our chickens, had something hanging from her bottom. Since I was working in the garden, I had gloves on, so I picked her up, took off the clump of (I'm pretty sure it was poop), and as I flipped her over, I noticed all these bugs crawling all over her. It was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. After putting her down, I ran inside and googled what on earth those could be. Come to find out, poultry lice was what I found.

So, after reading that it is not contagious to humans (praise the Lord!) and what we needed to get to treat the nasty poultry lice, off to home depot and the feed store we went. We got some diatomaceous earth and cleaned out that coop as best we could. We dusted each chicken, since poultry lice will spread from chicken to chicken (it was very helpful that they all start roosting fairly early in the evening since it's winter) and hoped it would work quickly.

The next morning, I watched Lumpy to see how she was doing. Unfortunately, she seemed worse as she was limping now. Thankfully none of the other chickens noticed yet. After giving her a once over, I noticed a large piece of wood stuck in her foot that had gotten infected. This confirmed my concerns for Lumpy. It was a tough decision, but for the health and well-being of the flock and also because of the concern for the up-coming kids being born, we decided Lumpy needed to go. By far, the hardest part about learning animal husbandry has been seeing Lumpy suffering and knowing that she could not be helped.

I'm hoping to post soon how things go with Lilli's birth! I'm looking forward to meeting her baby (s). We're pretty sure she is having two, but maybe she will surprise us with just one. As we learn how to milk her and make different cheeses and ice creams, soaps and gels with her milk, I'm looking forward to sharing recipes, experiences, and lessons we're learning!