# WELL, THAT QUESTION IS ANSWERED!!



## cindyg (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi all, I've been reading all the birth watch posts feeling so envious, well, can you guess where this is going?  Bear with me as I tell my story, I have pics to post and I'm so excited I'm shaking, I've tried twice to write this and have managed to delete it before finishing.  So, in March I brought home a four year old Pygora doe who had kidded in December and was still in milk.  I also brought home a two week old ND doeling and the plan was for her to nurse from the Pygora.  That didn't work so well, the doe hated it, and I had a hard time holding her or milking her for a bottle, so I switched the baby to cows milk and the doe dried off.  A few weeks ago, I looked at her, then at some photos from when I brought her home and thought, whoa, I'm feeding you way too much, we gotta cut your rations some.  Duh!! is right, and then just last week, I noticed that she had a little bump in the middle of her big bump of a belly on one side, so I contacted where I got her and asked could she possibly be pregnant??  I sent pics of her and was told, well, she could have been with the buck but don't think so as she seems very "closed up" in her girl parts.  Well, what do I know, I've never had goats, have never had any animal that gave birth, and I've seen pics of goats with the big round sides that were not even girls, let alone pregnant girls.  So, anyway, today I was in the bathroom and as the window looks directly out to the goat shed and yard, I was looking at them, the door to the shed was open and Angela was standing in there (it's been raining like the flood is coming and I hadn't been out since early morning) and something white was beside her so I thought, oh, another chicken is in there (my senior Serama rooster recently decided he'd rather live in the goat shed) and then I took another look, and OMG, OMG it's a kid!!!  So, I'm struggling to get my zip done up and hands washed and grap some towels and find the camera and get my wet boots on and get out there, and yes, for sure it is a lovely little baby goat.  I was so scared to even pick her up, and I can't believe it even as I'm picking her up, and turning her over to see what she is.  So, I sit on the bucket I keep out there for my seat, and patting the ND doeling who has just been replaced as the center of attention, and she is trying to jump up on my back and I'm taking pics and Angela is sort of kneeling down at the end of the milking stand licking at something under it so I pulled it out and OMG, OMG there is another one!!!  This was like 10 minutes after I had got out there, and it never even occurred to me that she may have had two, even tho I've read so many times that they can.  Then the camera batteries died, so I ran across the flooded yard to my sisters and they had no batteries but I got there camera and ran back, and sat for a bit taking pics.  I don't have any of the supplies that I've read about, no iodine to dip their navels in, one of them is trailing a bit of umbilical cord, I'm hoping the mama will deal with that or should I snip it off?  I took out a pet carrier for them to cuddle up in and turned on the heat lamp but my daughter has gone off in the car with the new bale of straw in it, so could not spread any new down over the mess.  I did take the placentas away, even tho Angela was kinda chewing on one.  So, she must have caught almost right away after kidding last year, if it takes five months, that would have been Feb, or even January.  What am I going to do with these little girls?  My goat shed is only 8x8 and seems a bit small for four of them, altho it would be nice for my ND to have playmates.  I'm definitely moving to a farm property, but not till next year.  The babies have both nursed, and I think I will leave them on their mom for a while, and maybe supplement with a bottle now and then.  Oh, my, I am dizzy.  Any and all advice most welcome.  Oh lord, just thought about disbudding, may have to take them back to the original owner to do that for me, not sure I'm ready for this.  Now, I'm going to upload some pics.  I hope.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			














  The one of the doe grazing is from a week or so ago, does she look pregnant?


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## 20kidsonhill (Jun 15, 2011)

They look great. Congratulations!!!


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## wannacow (Jun 15, 2011)

Wow!!!!   Congratulations!!!


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## doxiemoxie (Jun 15, 2011)

Just adorable.  Now calm down and enjoy!  I am sure if you decide to find them new homes you'll have no problems.  

A couple immediate considerations:

Get a scale to weigh them so you can monitor their growth.

decide on vaccinations.

They'll be friendlier if you pull them and turn them into bottle babies but you'll need to do that pretty soon.

Don't worry about your shed being too small.

Take lots more pics for us.


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## cindyg (Jun 15, 2011)

Well, here I am back at the computer, just re read my post and wow, what a lot of typos, could you tell I was freakin out?  Have been in and out of the goat shed, they seem to be fine, have no interest in the animal carrier with the nice soft towels and under the heat lamp, they want to curl up under the milking stand so I have to practically stand on my head to see them.  They've nursed, pooped and peed, both, and the larger of the two has tried to jump, my gosh, they are only a few hours old.  Another question, could they have different fathers?  The person I got the doe from says the doe was in with both bucks, a ND and a Nubian.  The baby who has the straighter hair and faint greyish markings has longer ears, the other is quite wavy, seems totally white and has ears like her mother, smaller and more standing out straight from her head.  I think I will let them nurse for two weeks, giving them an occasional bottle of cows milk during that time, then I will keep them away from the mom during the nights and I will milk her in the am, and let them nurse all day.  I don't think I'm going to be able to keep them, just don't have the room for them, so will likely try to sell them as bottle babies.  I hate the thought already of letting them go.  Oh well, this is why I never let my cats have kittens, I knew I would end up keeping them all.  Any one near me want to speak for them?  Gosh, this is very tire-ing, think I better have a drink and maybe a nap.  I know I'll be back and forth all night checking on them.  No supplies, no baby monitor, no iodine, I expect it'll work out just fine.  Thanks.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jun 15, 2011)

I think you'll be fine with 8x8 for them.  And what a great surprise!  They are super cute


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## willowbreezefarm (Jun 15, 2011)

Congrats! There so cute!!


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## jodief100 (Jun 15, 2011)

First of all, Congratulations!

8x8 is plenty big enough for 4 goats, if they have some yard in addition to it.  I have a 5 x 8 in my buck pen and will have 1 buck and 4 females in there, all full size (boers and kikos) adult goats.  

Unless you want the milk for yourself, she should be producing plenty for her two babies.  I have never had to supplement twins even with my low milk producing boers.  

They do not have to be bottle fed to be friendly, just spend a lot of time with them and handle them a lot.  If you do want to bottle them, start now.  It is difficult to get a dam nursed kid to a switch to a bottle.  If it were me I would just let momma raise them.  

Since they were born without any trouble, you really do not need any of those supplies now.  Just make sure momma has plenty of browse or hay and some grain.  You will want to order now, before you need it some treatment for coccidia (I recommend Di-Methox).  

Worm momma now.  They tend to get a post kidding worm bloom.


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## Roll farms (Jun 15, 2011)

Yup, I think she's preggers 

Congrats!


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## julieq (Jun 15, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## Goatherd (Jun 15, 2011)

All the best to you.  They're very cute!


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## elevan (Jun 15, 2011)

Wow!  Congratulations!


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## DKRabbitry (Jun 16, 2011)

Lucky Duck!!! Got got 4 does that were "possibly" bred, and none were!  But is okay, they are my babies and they will just have to give me little babies next year


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## crazyland (Jun 16, 2011)

Congrats!
We had the same thing happen except the woman didn't own any bucks and neither do I. 
It is a sweet surprise.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jun 16, 2011)

DKRabbitry said:
			
		

> Lucky Duck!!! Got got 4 does that were "possibly" bred, and none were!  But is okay, they are my babies and they will just have to give me little babies next year


Don't you hate how easy some people make it appear.  We are having much better luck with our goats than with a couple rabbits. So far we have gotten one kit from several breeding attempts. Go figure.  Time for some rabbit soup and new rabbits.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jun 16, 2011)

crazyland said:
			
		

> Congrats!
> We had the same thing happen except the woman didn't own any bucks and neither do I.
> It is a sweet surprise.


How the heck is that possible?????


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## elevan (Jun 16, 2011)

Crazyland - Really??  HUH??  Did they (or you) have a neighbor with goats?  Maybe a breeding thru the fence type of thing.


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## terrilhb (Jun 16, 2011)

Congratulations. What an awesome surprise. They are adorable.


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## cindyg (Jun 16, 2011)

Thanks all for the congrats.  The girls are so sweet, and look nothing alike, is it possible that they have different fathers?  One is Nubian with the long ears that are just adorable.  The other has her mothers ears, but she has wattles and her mom does not, I'll have to ask if either of the buck contenders have them.  The nubian-ish one is a very soft gray with a white band around her middle, the other is all white and quite wavy hair.  The mom is out in the yard today, (finally a day without rain) the does went out but right back in and are napping under the milk stand.  My poor little ND doeling doesn't know what is going on, as soon as she makes a move in any direction, the mom lunges at her and she jumps back up on the milk stand.  Gotta go feed her by hand soon.  I'll be taking the new girls on a road trip in a week or so to be dis-budded.  Not looking forward to that, but it's gotta be done.  My ND doeling didn't seem to mind it at all, so hope these two will be the same.


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## rebelINny (Jun 16, 2011)

You said there were two placentas? All twins I have ever had birthed had only one placenta for both of the kids. Their dams were only with one buck. If there were two placentas she probably did get bred by two different bucks if they were breeding her one right after the other. That can happen.


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## countrykids (Jun 17, 2011)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> First of all, Congratulations!
> 
> 8x8 is plenty big enough for 4 goats, if they have some yard in addition to it.  I have a 5 x 8 in my buck pen and will have 1 buck and 4 females in there, all full size (boers and kikos) adult goats.
> 
> ...


Ditto on the above.  
We dam raise and our babies are annoyingly friendly.  With the small pen it will be even easier - just handle them daily.


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Jun 17, 2011)

Wow - That is great!!
And 2 girls to add to the surprise.


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## crazyland (Jun 17, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Crazyland - Really??  HUH??  Did they (or you) have a neighbor with goats?  Maybe a breeding thru the fence type of thing.


I don't have a neighbor with goats. She was bred before I got her.
The woman said that the first breeding, that resulted in shootingstar, was by a buck up the road that escaped. I imagine it happened again in the middle of the night and she didn't know about it or didn't think it possible so soon after delivery. Their fence wasn't exactly goat proof.

Cindy, You will have to post some updated photos. They grow so fast you know.


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