[plumseverywhere]

With Puffin being due in under 2 weeks  I've just got a couple of questions for you, my experience goat keeping friends!
If I have to call the vet out (and the last 3 kiddings I've heard of locally have needed the vet...) what would he expect me to have on hand? eg - lambing rope or anything like that?! I've got the kidding kit (iodine, gloves, lube, etc) but was wanting to make sure I've got everything that would be expected of me.
puffin doesn't look very big, my breeder friends' 2 labouring goats that I went over to see (so I'd know what to do/expect) were HUGE. one was twins (dead     ) the other a huge boy.   Puffin just looks a bit tubby but not pregnant.  But then she is a small goat 

Do you do night checks if all was ok at shutting up time and no signs of labour?

and finally...how can I persuade hubby that if its twin boys (or single boy..) we NEED to keep them LOL - only joking. I need to harden up     but fingers crossed for a girl... 

[little blue]

why not ask your vet in advance, and let them know when she is due.?
keep their number handy!

we do night checks... but the goats are only 20 yards away, can hear them from the door, and we are insommniacs!

hopfully then, Puffin will have a single, small girl kid for you
best of luck

and try not to worry!!

(she'll probably sneak it out quietly while you're on the school run!)

[plumseverywhere]

Thank you LB 

half of me wants her to sneak it out, other half wants to be here and see it all happen! Puffins shed is about 40yds from our bedroom window so I might hear it and be woken? that's good.  I will do night checks anyway - I'm awake at silly O clock most nights (as you probably know from my FB ramblings!)  Only thing is, I can't sneak around outside without NImble and Tallulah the sheep shouting at me! they are soooooooo loud and they don't miss a trick. must practise my ninja skills more.

will phone lovely vet tomorrow (and tell him he HAS to be on call!! haha)

[little blue]

lol @ Ninja skills!

Can you set up a camera, live feed to computer or something?
(keep saying we are going to , but haven't yet!)
 
Gera has always kidded in the day time anyway...

[plumseverywhere]

could use a baby monitor I guess. or the kids walkie talkies? Not sure I'll EVER be kidding/lambing again after this year    we'll see how it goes!

[little blue]

It'll be fine, have confidence.

Yes, if you have a moniter with sound... you'll definitely know when she starts!
The noise really upsets my o/h (he never watches "one born every minute!")

[plumseverywhere]

haha, mine won't watch OBEM either! I think seeing it 4 times with our brood was enough for Tony, the sensitive soul (!)   are they very vocal then as a rule? might have to warn the neighbours 

[little blue]

well, Geraldine is!!

but as I say to Jay, wouldn't you be?!

[ballingall]

The vet will bring everything with them to be honest. A bucket of warm soapy water for them to wash up in will be appreciated though.

We only do night checks if they look like kidding. You can always set up a baby monitor as well. One thing we do though is we do a last night (sometime after 11pm) and we remove the waterbucket then, just in case if she kids in the night and we miss it, at least she won't drop her kid into the waterbucket and let it drown!

Beth

[katie]

Faerie screamed the place down!

Don't forget a good torch battery, keep boiling the kettle and lots of newspaper. (Only kidding (!) for the last two, except you could use the boiling water to add to cold to make a warm drink with some molasses in - very gratefully received - by the goat, not the vet!)

[princesspiggy]

STOMACH TUBE!!!!

 

[Brucklay]

The only thing the vet has asked of me is water for washing him/herself up after or for the c-section lots of water during the procedure for cleaning. I'm sort of obsessed and check throughout the day then 6.00, 8.00, 10.00 and try and stay up for a 1.00am check if I think something may be going on but I get conned and have lots of late nights for nothing and then try to get up early just in case!! I'm doing want to miss anything and with Pygmy's they can be 'difficult' so I'd rather try to be there. I was going to try a baby monitor this year but I know what I'm like and would hear and noise and have to go and look and see anyway!! 3 due this coming week so started my last night checks on Friday night. I have the normal kit - lots of mediacal gloves, lube, iodine and I use puppy training pads for putting wet kids on while mum cleans them up and to wrap up waste, charged mobile is essential and pencil and paper in case I need to take notes for write down numbers from the vet out of hours and to take note as I know late at night I can forget things - did she start at 10.00 or 11.00??
Finally 'chill' and enjoy the whole experience - I'll keep my fingers crosses - even though it's so worrying it's just amazing too

[chickenfeed]

during kidding time my parents set up a cctv with sound in the goat shed so they can observe from a distant rater than disturb the goats. checked last night at 9.30 then again at 11.30 to find mum and 2 kids just born so a quick visit to the shed with a warm drink for mum and treat the kids navels its back into a warm bed so much easier than the old days when she would be up and down the yard every couple of hours.

btw the 2 kids born were both females so a very good start to the season.

[jinglejoys]

Think 1978 was the last time I needed a vet but I took the goat in.For a call out I'd have warm soapy water,a towel a cup of tea in a flask.....and a deep purse

[Brucklay]

Chickenfeed was their CCTV set up expensive? Would like that sort of set up but just not sure where to start - our goat shed is about 50m from the house - thanks