[LockerbiteReiver]

Hello Everyone

Some of you may have noticed my girlfriend "Ballingall" (Beth) who's been posting around here a fair bit recently.  She and her mother have kept livestock (specifically goats and poultry) for many years and are experienced and knowledgeable small-holders.  I am not.  I am a scruffy, disorganized and lazy amatuer racing driver with a fine manly beard.

I'm relativly new to the small-holding life, though in the year and a half I've been going out with Beth I've learned alot fairly quickly (or at least I think I have anyway).

One of the things I haven't learned however is how to kid goats.

This presents me with a problem, since Beth and her mother have had to, very sadly, go down to London for a funeral leaving me in charge of the livestock.  One of the livestock is an Anglo-Nubian so heavily pregnant that she looks like a beige barrage balloon with legs.  She is massive.  She's not due to kid until Saturday, but we're all not so sure she'll go full term.  The kids are doing the heebie-jeebies inside her and she's exhibiting many of the signs of kidding in the next few hours.

I'm frankly terrified they're going to put in an appearance before my experienced minders come back from London (which should be in the late evening tonight).

So, anyone got any advice that can calm me down and stop me dancing about like a nutcase?

[sandy]

Now I know why you need a big cork, maybe you should buy a big bottle of wine and relax, I know nothing about goats but nature should take it's course, if you watch any vet programmes you may have to check her out to see if they are being stangled byy the cord....I hope you get some advice but otherwise, get the local vet's number on standby and relax......Good luck, keep us posted....my sister in law in in Hospital 6 weeks early and due to give birth to twins so our plans are on hold as family will be visiting the new arrivals too....Hope your kids come out well so to speak...

[pegusus pig]

All i can say is nature has a way with these things, I'm not much help where it comes to kidding although have had a few, the nannies all brought them themself with very little help from me. I'm sure others on this site will have a lot more practicable advice than me.
So good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed that she keeps her legs crossed for you, until help returns!

[Rosemary]

If she's an experienced Mum she probably won't need any help from you. Others will have better advice than me but I'd just check her regularly, quietly and confidently (even if you don't feel it 0 take deep breaths and relax - if you're tense, she'll pick it up). If you're worried call the vet - better safe than sorry.

Alternatively, boil water, tear up rags, pace and drink whiskey - isn't that what fathers are supposed to do?

Keep us posted.

[LockerbiteReiver]

She's kidded once before, the kids were huuuge (sadly one was born with a badly underdeveloped face and so had to be euthenized immediately), and if anything I think she's bigger this time around.

As for developments, little seems to have occured, no sign of any discharge yet, however she's shifting round her pen (every time I've been in to check on her she's been in a different place) and nickering at her flanks, and the kids are visibly very active inside her.

If she can make it to around 7pm in a similar stat, I think I'll have made it .

[juliag]

Cork??? Brandy sounds good to me, Hopefully she will have it whilst your fast asleep and will give you a great suprise next morning!

[Crofter]

Hello LR

You said the kids were jumping about inside her?  If you place your hand on her right flank and can feel them kicking, she's unlikely to be about to drop.  A few hours before kidding the uterus contracts and effectively puts the kids in a straight jacket!  If you can feel them jumping you're fairly safe.

Good luck and keep us posted

Dave

[ballingall]

Evening all!

Lord he's overdramatic at times!!!

The said goat, Kream, still hasn't had babies yet, so fingers crossed she'll waith til the morning now (or better yet Friday)

Beth

[Crofter]

Good Luck Beth  (with both of them!)  Let us know how you get on..  Ours aren't due for months yet

Dave

[ballingall]

So Kream had her babies today. I wasn't there, I was hard at work (actually I'd gone to Morrison's in my lunch hour and was buying trees when she had her babies) but anyway it was about 12:30.

She had a little boy- mostly brown with some white patches, and then she stopped.

And my mother and Alex waited......



And they waited....



And nothing happened.


So as they knew she was way too big for one kid, my mum had to investigate. There were two more kids trying to come out at once- one breech and the other straight forwards. So she had to sort them out and haul them out. This two were two girls, one very pale (nearly white- Kream was that colour when she was born, hence her name, but she turned strawberry blonde over the years), and one more biege-y cream.

There was also a fourth kid, but this had been partially re-absorbed at some point during the pregnancy, and was obviously dead.

I have some pictures, however the other half has the pictures on his pc, and I don't have them yet!

The little girls have been separated from mum and are indoors, the wee boy is still out with mum- although he will have to be separated soon as it is important we know how much milk mum has. I want to milk record her this year, and I hope she can get a really good lactation figure. She produced 6 1/2 kilos (6 and 1/2 litres) of milk a day last year, and should produce even more this year.

Beth

[Hilarysmum]

Wonderful news  3 live births seems good going to me.  Do you make cheese with the milk?

[doganjo]

Can I come over and see them, Beth?

[pegusus pig]

Wow! well done!!   Sound like it was a good job she waited for you and your mother to return, time for that bottle of wine, then your OH can have the cork for next time!!

[doganjo]

I don't think Gary will let them do a 'next time'

[pegusus pig]

It did sound more like he was having kittens not kids!!