They Have Arrived!!!

Many of you know our Goat Bluebell is taking part in our "great goat experiment" on Sanctuary Farm, of blending my wonderful milkers Twinkie and Bluebell with our Pure Nigerian buck Major Coco.  To try to get a more economical goat that needs less grain and also we don't need quite so much milk now.  So a slightly smaller goat would be fine.  Twinkie had her kids from this first breeding several weeks ago and Bluebell was due the 10th of this month.

I knew Bluebell was due on the 10th, this up and coming Wednesday.  But I always keep a close check on my girls when they are getting close because sometimes the babies come early. (like Twinkies did this year, they came 11 days early on me!)   I always try to be there when babies are born in case mother or babies need any help. 

Two days ago I noticed that Bluebell was uddering up.  Also Goats have a ligament that feels like a bone over their tail area. 

About three days before they kid that ligament starts to soften.  On the day before they kid, it is about gone! 

I can actually grab (wrap my fingers all the way around her spine) my goats spine down there the day or so before they kid.  That ligament is attached to the cervix and it is now soft enough to pass the babies thru! 

Anyways, the above picture was taken of her grazing yesterday, see that udder! She was uddered up nicely and her ligament was gone when I checked her on Thursday night.  Friday morning she didn't eat all her breakfast grain and was a bit restless but still went out to graze for the day.  So I just checked on her a few times during the day.  At evening chore time she did not eat her evening grain at all and was starting to paw at the ground to make a place to lay down to have her babies.  The kids and I took turns checking on her all night and at 3:00a.m. this morning she pushed out her first baby!  A large healthy almost solid black buckling.  Carolyn and I removed it from the pen and set to cleaning it off.  (I remove all babies at birth as I usually don't keep babies.  I want them on a bottle so I can sell them quick and have all the milk for my family)(of course this year is the "great goat experiment" so I am keeping all the does Twinkie and Bluebell have from this breeding)

With in 10 minutes out came baby number 2.  A very nice and healthy doeling!  She is black with splashes of white all over her.  And just moments after her came out baby number 3 a very splashy little buckling.  Lots of white with black splashes.  All three have the lamancha ears. 

When I was sure that Bluebell didnt have any more babes in her I milked her out and bottle fed the colostrum to the babies.  The  youngest buck would not nurse enough so I tube fed him 4 ounces and got everyone settled and went to bed about 5:00a.m. 

I slept till 8:00 am and went back out and did my normal chores and Bluebell had passed her afterbirth.  I milked her out and fed her three babies again and this time they all nursed.  The splashy little buck just took about 2 ounces but that is good enough to not need tubing again.  I will feed them again at 12 noon and he should be nursing well by then. 

I am so pleased with these babies. Bluebell had a much better delivery than her sister did this year.  I didnt have to help her out one bit.  Bluebell didnt eat her grain still this morning so William and I cut her a large amount of privet to get her going again with her appitite.  She gobbled it down. 

Because Bluebell had triplets I will go easy on milking and be sure to not over milk her.  As it can throw a goat into Milk fever.  Not as common with single births or twins.  But any amount of kids over that always go into milking slowly especially if the mom misses a few meals. 

This little doeling will be added to the "great goat experiment"  I will name her eventually and raise her up with Twinkies two does we kept this year. (Amelia and Minibell)  I will sell the bucklings but probably keep one of them for a while to keep the new little doeling company till she is big enough to put in with Amelia and Minibell.

I give  praise to God for such a good delivery and such wonderful healthy babies.  I will disbud (dehorn) them in a few days.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful  always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

blessings, 

susan