[Roxy]

This afternoon, I thought Lily one of our smaller females (pygmy sized) looked rather tubby. There again, the pygmy goats always look fat ......and upon inspection she had no udder to speak of, but all the same I had this nagging suspicion she was in kid and not just fat.

Thinking back, she did wriggle under the fence, and get up the field and in with Elliot our pygmy male, but I believed I had caught her before any damage was done ......hmm.....had I???  Anyway, plenty of time to get ready, like I said, no udder, and Lily was out grazing this afternoon enjoying the sunshine with her mum, Molly, and Bramble and Alyce.

Went to put the goats in before dark, and realised that Lily definitely was in kid, and kidding was imminent.  Tried to removed Molly from the pen, but Lily got very upset, so had to leave them together.  Left her huffing and puffing while I fed the other animals, running back every few minutes to check her.  By 8.30pm still nothing happening, so sent hubby off to feed some of our ponies half an hour away, with instructions to come back for me. 

I have to admit I was worried because Lily is only 12 months old, and I would never breed from a female so young And pygmy goats are so small, getting your hand in there is not easy should something go wrong. plus  of course its not long since I lost Dolly during kidding.  And by now it was pitch dark and I just had my head torch!!

Molly, her mum stood by her head nuzzling her, and talking to her -  while Lily screamed the place down, causing the females further down the field to start yelling back.  When the head appeared I could see it was a very big kid.  Lily was exhausted, so it was down to me to pull it out.  I was not expecting it to be alive, but it was.

Lily was overwhelmed by the new arrival, but Molly stepped in and did a very good clean up job for her granddaughter   The kid is in a box by my feet in the caravan, having to be bottle fed, as mum has no milk as yet.

With it being so big I thought it was a male, but its a female, which is good news.   Will take a pic tomorrow.

Just weaned Fergus and Freya and back to bottle feeding again.

[salopman]

Lovely story!

[Penninehillbilly]

Well done
congrats on new, if unexpected, arrival.

[wytsend]

Great news !!!!!!

[jaykay]

Excellent - well done naughty Lily 

[countrywoman]

A great addition to the family by the sound of it! 

[Roxy]

Lily has developed an udder - obviously not diary goat sized ......a diddy pygmy one.  The teats are very diddy too, but this morning I managed to hold Lily in a corner, and with my thankfully diddy hands, managed to squirt some milk into the little ones mouth.  After a few attempts it cottoned on to the fact that this was indeed a milk bar.  I have left them together - Mum still looking in amazement at the new arrival, and granny Molly stood outside the pen door - no doubt ready to issue instructions to the novice mum on how things are done.

Will go down in a while and take a pic - rather a mix of colours now I see it in the daylight. Beige, white, black and brown, taking a little from both sides of the family.

[Polished Arrow]

Aaah :-) 
Welcome little one.  How about a name? 

[Mays]

eek what a surprise, pleased for all its a female, norty Lily though! 

[little blue]

welcome to the world, Surprise goat!

[NormandyMary]

This is such a beautiful story. I cant wait to see a piccie of the new arrival. Perhaps you should call her "Cilla" (Surprise Surprise!).

[Brucklay]

Happy and healthy - yippie 

[Hatty]

excellent!! glad all are ok, has she got a name yet?

[Lesley Silvester]

How lovely.  Hope Lily settles down to motherhood very quickly.

[Roxy]

Thank you NormandyMary for the name suggestion.

Say hello to Priscilla

She is no longer with her Mum, and is being bottle fed.  Such a shame she is on her own though.  Other two kids are a good few weeks older, and no more due for a while.  She could do with a little mate!!