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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

New Arrivals & Unique New Bonds

I had originally intended to start off 2013 with an update of our move and all that hoop la, but baby goats arrived so they of course take priority :)

Miss Star was due to kid on the 21st. The weather forecast called for "gusty thunderstorms" for the 21st... Since goats NEVER like to be convenient, I was certain she'd wait until her due date and go at 2am, in the nastiest weather possible.

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Color me shocked when I went out on the 18th and she was having contractions…… Late morning, after all chores were finished and in BEAUTIFUL weather... I didn't even have any lost sleep on the typical late night barn checks! This is proof positive that Star must not really be a goat… After all, goats simply can't make things easy and convenient!

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Anywho, 1st lil one had his front legs out, head back over the shoulder….... Took a lil maneuvering, but I got his head turned straight and out he came. This lil one was so vigorous he was sucking my finger while I was trying to get his head turned around properly....

Look at him! Is he not beyond precious?!
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And sadly, yes, you read that right.. it's a he.

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Right on his heels was baby #2. Saw this lil white zig-zag on the cutest, tiny nose.... Prayed as I pulled that it was a doeling...

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Of course, this one was also packing a pair of testicles! I checked three times, and no matter how I prayed, crossed fingers and checked repeatedly, he stayed a he.

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So very bummed I didn't get my much wanted Tonka daughter, but I'm thankful for the safe kidding and vibrant, healthy babies.

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Now, I pull all kids at birth here and bottle raise them. They are raised on heat treated colostrum and pasteurized milk as part of a CAE prevention program. I literally catch the lil ones before they hit the ground and whisk them away before momma can see or hear them.

As a result, momma licks and cleans me, bonds to me and never has to go through the stress of being separated from kids she has bonded to and raised for 6 months or so at weaning time.

This all usually goes off without a hitch. Momma adopts me, loves me, baby talks to me, and tries to lick every inch of skin off my body. This time, we had a lil bump in the road.

That bump just so happens to look like this:
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This is Houdini, the NOSIEST cat ever. She insist on being the in middle of EVERYTHING.

Usually it's cute, endearing even…. But when you're forearm deep in the back of a doe, you really don't need a nosey kitty in the way. Despite tossing her aside and shooing her away several times, she was persistent in being right in the middle of the mix.

Well, curiosity killed the cat! Ok, not literally, but she's not happy…… As I was easing boy #2 out, a HUGE gush of birth fluids gushed out, right on Houdini... She was instantly soaked to the skin! The look on her face was beyond hysterical, but I didn’t have time to help her, I had new babies & a new momma to care for….

On my trip back out to the barn to tend to Star, I find her frantically cleaning Houdini. Houdini would try to escape, Star would start talking and tote her right back into the barn again.

Houdini would yowl, and try to sneak away…..Star would ignore her protest. She’d talk to her, lick her, cover her in a bit of hay and was just over the moon happy with her new baby!

Houdini was absolutely disgusted by the thick covering of goat slobber that was now her new permanent accessory… The smell of cud still lingers on her fur…

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I drug a reluctant Star away from “her baby”, got her cleaned up, milked and gave her a nice bucket of hot molasses water.

At this point, I still smelled like “baby”, so I got my fair share of the typical licking and fussing too...
After getting the immediate needs of everyone taken care of, I headed inside, got a much needed shower, then went out again to see if Star wanted to eat...

She sniffed me and took in my new, non-baby, soapy smell…….. She looked at me in confusion, snorted, then ran from me, straight to her feline child….. Star gently snatched her up and away she went to the barn for a baby bonding/cleaning session...

Houdini manages to escape, Star wails for her to return... The moment one of us walk out to the barn, Houdini's nosey nature once again gets the best of her, and she runs out to see what we are doing... Only to promptly be caught again by Star.

Poor thing never learns!

Happy kidding everyone! We have girls due next week, all the way through mid March, so I’ll be back with new baby pictures soon…