# Finally!!!! We have Merry's little buckling!



## JerTheVintner (Feb 8, 2016)

Hi, I am new to BYH and have 3 little ND does that are probably all pregnant because they have been running with my little buck Pippin since August and he just loves them all the time.  Pippin just had a little visit from the emasculatome which resulted in him walking on tiptoe for a few days and he has definitely calmed down and stopped peeing on his head since then, so I am hoping he doesn't need to go visit the vet for a little surgical solution to the problem.

The ladies are Merry, Sam, and Frodo (yes my boys were big Lord of the Rings fans and they got to name the goats).  Frodo is definitely pregnant as I can feel the little buggers squirming around inside her. I have been able to feel what could have been gas or a kick inside Merry.  Sam has the digestion of a cement mixer and I couldn't tell if she were pregnant unless she delivers some kids.  My guess is they are probably due sometime in late February or early March depending on their cycles.  Pippin and Merry are from different lines and breeders, while Sam and Frodo are sisters.  Merry and Pippin are very friendly and love to be with me.  Frodo and Sam were never handled as kids and they are quite skittish until I catch them and get them on my lap.  Then they settle down and enjoy being held.  Both Sam and Frodo had very long coarse coats, but now both of them are extremely soft.  I don't know if that is a winter coat or a maternal thing. 

We are in Northern Cal and the weather is mild here.  They share a barn with 9 hens and a rooster.  They have an outdoor shelter that has a goat feeder built in and a shelf with fresh hay.  In the little barn they have a shelf to sleep on but usually sleep underneath it or under the hens' roosting boxes.

The plan, providing all goes well is to keep Pippin as a wether and keep any news doelings and one buckling, and find new homes for Frodo and Sam once they have weened their kids.  We have two enclosed areas for the goats, one for the bucks and one for the does, but all have been living together up until now.  All the goats are allowed to free range for an hour or two each morning in the vineyards.  I feed them an 80/20 alfalfa/pasture grass mix with around a half of a cup of grain each twice a day.  I have been giving them Molly's Immunity Tincture this winter and it has helped with Sam's cough (I think Sam was a heavy smoker at one time).

I will let everyone know how the pregnancies progress.  I am of a mind to let nature do its thing as much as possible and only get involved if any of the does lives are endangered.  I will try to take some goat booty pics as we get closer kidding. Here are pictures from a month ago of Merry (brown) and Pippin, and another of Frodo by herself.


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## Goatgirl47 (Feb 8, 2016)

Welcome to BackYardHerds!  I'm glad you joined us!

I love your goat's names! And they are all so pretty.  

Are Frodo, Merry, or Sam developing an udder yet? That would be a sure sign of pregnancy. How old are they, do you know? And pictures of their behinds would help too.


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## Latestarter (Feb 8, 2016)

Greetings @JerTheVintner from the front range in Colorado  Welcome to BYH! Your goats are very pretty (especially like Frodo), thanks for sharing the pics with us  Absolutely love the Lord of the Rings names! Awesome! Sounds like you're having a great time with them and have a plan in mind  Hope your kidding goes great and hope you'll share more pics when the time comes. There are quite a few active goaties on here, I'm sure more will be along shortly to greet you, and we all love to ooohhhh and ahhhh over pics, so feel free to post all that you'd like  Lots of great info over on the goat threads also. Anyway, Glad to have you with us! Welcome again!


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## samssimonsays (Feb 8, 2016)

Welcome from Northern MN! Fingers crossed for you and I can't wait to see what they produce


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 8, 2016)

Welcome , glad you joined us!


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 8, 2016)

Goatgirl47 said:


> Welcome to BackYardHerds!  I'm glad you joined us!
> 
> I love your goat's names! And they are all so pretty.
> 
> Are Frodo, Merry, or Sam developing an udder yet? That would be a sure sign of pregnancy. How old are they, do you know? And pictures of their behinds would help too.



They are all around a year old.  Frodo and Merry are getting a little bit of an udder, Sam not so much.  Sam is an odd ball. She is Frodo's little sister and Frodo is quite a bit bigger and more of the herd queen, although Merry is sure she is actually the herd queen because I got her first and I totally favor her because she is so sweet and adorable and loves to be held.  Sam has always had a minor cough but has never run a temp and has been treated for every kind of parasite and had a course of antibiotics when I got her.  I think she does it just to get her cud up.  She is extremely shy with everyone except Pippin, who she pretends to be annoyed by, but lets him have his way with her pretty much whenever he wanted (prior to the day of the emsculatome).  If Sam is not pregnant, then she must be sterile because the evidence of Pippin's affections was clearly visible multiple times a day for months.


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## norseofcourse (Feb 8, 2016)

Welcome from Ohio!  I hope all goes well with the kiddings.  Are you going to milk any of your goats?


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 10, 2016)

I am checking back ends and ligs daily, but I am not getting sucked in by the Doe code, yeah right! I have a question. Pippin, my little buck had the emasculatome treatment a couple weeks ago but is still exhibiting some bucky tendencies like mounting everyone, but has not really had any completions, he always tosses his head back when he does that.  Should I be scheduling a vet appointment to get him surgically wethered?  It is beginning to look like he is having some shrinkage in the beans department, but I can't be certain.  Also Merry has been exhibiting bucky behavior too, she mounted Pippin, LOL!  Is that just the hormones?  I have a separate fenced area for Pippin if needed, but I hate to separate him from his girls if I don't have to.  He is such a loving little fellow and hates to be alone for any time at all.

Also I have a couple of different spots setup for kidding, but should I have totally separate areas where the other goats and chickens can't get to for the kidding?  We have a very peaceful setup with very little jockeying for position. I would be shocked if any of my animals ever hurt any of the others (except for the puppies who would eat anything they can get their mouths on, so they are excluded from the goat/chicken areas).

Feeling the babies inside of Frodo is fun, but they seem so little, I am thinking that we have weeks if not months.  Im just getting very faint movement inside Merry.  Sam just has loud rumen noises and stinky belches.  I still have no idea if she has anything in the oven, except for exploding biscuits!


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## animalmom (Feb 11, 2016)

It seems to me it might take a while for all of Pippin's manliness to work itself out of his wee body, and since the girls either are or aren't expecting I don't think it matters one way or the other if he's in with the ladies.  If putting your young man in his own pen would mean that he is by himself, then I wouldn't do it.  He would be most unhappy.

Merry's unladylike behavior is probably hormonal and she'll get over it.  My girls will lavish affection on other does in heat and right now Merry apparently thinks Pippin is a doe in heat.  Who knows what foolishness goes on in a goatie head.

My kidding pens are set up so the girls can see and touch noses with the other girls, should they desire, but there is a fence between them and at night the mom and her kids get locked up in a stall.  I keep mine separated from the herd, seeable and nose-able but not touchable, for as long as I can -- but this is really more for me so that I can play with the babies.  Not much sweeter in the world than a bouncing baby sashaying itself over for hugs and lap time.  I have my extra roosters in the goat pens so the goaties are used to the roosters but I don't allow the roosters into the birthing pen.  I think the moms have enough on their minds with birthing and babies that they don't need some pesky rooster telling her everything she's doing is not the way he was raised.  Roosters are so opinionated, and tactless.

Good luck with your expanding goat world, and please keep us posted with your informative and humorous updates!


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 11, 2016)

In order to ignore the Doe Code, I decided that Frodo is probably not due until the end of February or the beginning of March.  Merry and Sam are not due until mid March at the earliest.  This is totally based on my gut and nothing more. Frodo has about a small handful of udder and Sam and Merry are showing almost no signs of udder at all.  I will continue to check backs, bags, and ligs daily, but I am now assuming I have nothing to worry about for at least 2-4 weeks.  Yeah right!  

I will setup a couple of kidding pens in the barn that are adjacent to each other but would be inaccessible to the hens and the rooster and the other goats. Right now, the goat shelves are a little over 1 foot off the ground and have solid plywood floors. I am going to switch them out with heavy 1/2" wire mesh floors so pellets and pee can drop through. In addition I will put up 2' plywood walls around the kidding stalls  It will make it much easier to keep clean too.  It will require setting up a new roosting area for the chickens, but in the long run I think it will be worth it.  I will try to post some before and after pictures if anyone is interested.  

Pippin is looking more and more like a wether every day.  He is looking thinner and acting less like a buck.  His beans are shrinking and he is no longer peeing on himself, so I will hold off on making him an appointment with the vet. He has so many personality traits that I adore that losing him as a buck is going to be very difficult. Hopefully we get a buck or two from the ladies to pass on his wonderful personality.

Today I decided to redo the wiring on the trailer and the back of the truck where the puppies had chewed them up.  Pippin, during the daily goat free range hours, when the little goaties have free run of the entire vineyard, decided that I needed his help.  Ignoring the acres of weeds and shrubs, he decided he would help me by closely examining my work. He walked up to where I was lying on my back and put his nose right into where I was cutting and splicing wires.  Then he decided he needed a better look so he climbed under the truck so he could get right up in my face. He had to kind of angle his body and twist his head, but he was able to get right under the truck and into where I was working.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to splice wires with a little goat nose 1" from your face.  I finally lost it and just started laughing.  He is the cutest, yet least helpful helper I have ever had, but he is certainly the most entertaining.  I got the trailer and truck both rewired despite all Pippin's help and coated both with hot pepper oil, and hopefully that will prevent all the potential future puppy damage.

I have noticed that Frodo's coat which has always been kind of thick and coarse, if now soft and fine like a baby chick's down.  Is this normal for a pregnant goat?  She also is very fond of having her neck and head rubbed and scratched.  She closes her eyes and seems so content.  This is a huge change from how she acted before getting pregnant, when she would always act like she was about to be gutted and eaten. I really hope her personality stays how it is now and doesn't go back to how she was before after she kids.


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## Latestarter (Feb 13, 2016)

Pictures are always appreciated! Before and after shots are always good. Aren't little helpful goats just the best?


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 15, 2016)

I tore apart the chickens' roost structure and started building the kidding stalls.  I am doing 3 of them 3'x3' with 1' high raised floors with 1/2" wire mesh so the litter and urine can drop through to removable bins and 2 foot walls with separate doors for each.  It will mean fresh hay bedding that stays cleaner longer.  The barn is not drafty so it should be plenty warm (we are in California so its never really cold).

The chickens will get new roosting bars in front of their nesting boxes on 2 levels so they can still maintain their pecking order.

I am getting very excited for the baby goats, but I am thinking there will be no serious activity until March.  Pippin is still mounting the ladies, but his testes are shrinking so I am thinking the emasculatome worked.  He has been in my face every step of the way in building the kidding stalls and the new roosting bars.  I know he is just trying to help, but what a pain in the butt.  I can't get mad though because he is so cute.


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## animalmom (Feb 17, 2016)

@JerTheVintner, Pippin will probably still mount the girls especially whenever the mood strikes him.  Being a wether doesn't mean he won't mount, it only means he sterile and not quite so "energetic" if you get my drift.  Don't get excited and dash the young man off to the vet if you see him doing this behavior; he's not potent, but he is still a boy... just not as manly.

Say, how about some pictures of your group and how you are rearranging the barn?  Can't just tease us with what is going on, we gotta see it too!  Please and thank you.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 17, 2016)

Here are few pictures.  There is Frodo and Sam in the outdoor feeding station.  And the nesting boxes and roosting bars. And there are the kidding stalls that are still in progress. I made the floors of the kidding stalls out of 1/2" wire mesh with big plastic tubs underneath to make cleaning easier.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 17, 2016)

Here are the pictures


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## animalmom (Feb 19, 2016)

Nice pictures, thanks!

I do hope you let us know how the wire mesh floors in the kidding stalls work out for you.  I was wondering how you would support the goat weight cause even the little goats weigh something, and one of your pictures shows you have it well cross braced, so the goaties should be comfy.  Looking to see how you think it works for keeping the area clean.


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 19, 2016)

I hope you don't mind a little critique of your kidding stalls.
Here is a picture of my kidding stalls.





You see my wife standing in the one.  It is 8ft deep and about 6ft wide, and it is on the ground not raised like yours.  I'm not saying that yours need to be as big as mine, but you notice how we used the fencing?  That's so the goats in the stall can see the rest of the goats.  They do not like to be alone.

Another thing I'm concerned about is what if you have to assist with a kidding?  Any time we are there when a doe goes into labor, we are usually in the stall with them in case they need assistance, and to help clean the baby when it is born, get the mucus off of the face and out of the nose as quickly as possible.
You are not going to have a lot of room to get in there with yours. This doe didn't need much help but you can see what I mean.















And of course you may need some help. 





Now my wife, daughter and myself were all in the stall because I was taking the pictures.

This was a routine birth.  We had a doe kid last year and one of her kids was a rump first, legs tucked up under him breach.  I had to hold the doe by the head while my wife tried to reach into her and get the legs out from under him.


Plus baby goats within 24-36 hours are pretty mobile and able to run around pretty good.  Not going to be much room in yours for a mom and a couple of babies.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 19, 2016)

In the pictures, Merry is lying in one of the bins that are under the wire floors of the stalls.  The wire mesh has 2x2's in a 1' grid underneath so I can actually sit on them and not worry about going through or sagging.  The wire mesh floor are working really well.  I sweep up the berries and chicken poop and put them in the bins beneath the floors and I empty the plastic bins once a week.  I dump them in the vineyard and the grapes love it.  I had put front walls with little doors on the stalls, but that made the goats suspicious and less willing to go in, so I unscrewed them and put them in the other side of the barn until it is time.

I am really pleased with the results so far.  I even stapled some strips of the left over mesh to the tops of the stall walls to keep the chickens from roosting on them.

Merry and Frodo are getting bigger by the day and their little udders are starting to pooch up a little more each day, now a small handful.  Their ligs are still there but have softened up.  Sam is showing no signs of pregnancy, but she is an odd goat.  She constantly has a smile on her little face like she has secrets she is keeping from me.  Pippin did everything he could everyday (before the emasculatome) to make sure she was pregnant and he was obviously not shooting blanks, so Sam is either pregnant or sterile. I guess I will know for sure in a few weeks. She is being a little more approachable. Both Sam and Frodo were not socialized to people before I got them and I usually have to grab them when they are in the feeder or the barn.  Today, Sam let me walk up slowly and put her lead on her for their goat free range time.  I have to attach a lead to both her and Frodo if I ever want to get them back in the goat enclosure when free range hours are up.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 19, 2016)

I really do appreciate the critique. I considered making the stalls bigger, but it is a small barn and they are small goats, little NDs.  If it looks like we need more room when the first one goes, I can take down a stall wall in under a minute doubling the size, it is only 6 screws and I have a cordless drill with a screwdriver bit handy at all times in the barn.  I just spent some time sitting on the edge of each stall with each doe lying on my lap.  I think we will make it work just fine.

As far as getting help from anyone, it is just me.  My wife wouldn't help if one of the goats was on fire, she is not an animal person and really hasn't gotten to like the goats at all.  I am hoping some adorable baby goats, fresh goat milk, cheese, and yogurt will cure her of that, but I am not counting on it.


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## Latestarter (Feb 19, 2016)

That's a shame that your SO isn't "with you" in enjoying your animal activities... At least she isn't prohibiting you from your pleasure and enjoyment of them.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 19, 2016)

OneFineAcre said:


> I hope you don't mind a little critique of your kidding stalls.
> Here is a picture of my kidding stalls.
> 
> View attachment 14663
> ...


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 19, 2016)

I have Nigerians too.
Good that you can remove the wall and expand.
Maybe they won't kid all at once.
You can also move them out with the other goats in about a week, so you will not have to leave them in there too long.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 21, 2016)

I think Merry might be getting closer. Everything is kind of hollowed out around the top of her back end. Things have definitely loosened up and she is dripping clear goop. Here are some pics. I would rather not miss it, but I refuse to be suckered in by the doe code.


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## Latestarter (Feb 21, 2016)

Un huh!  "but I refuse to be suckered in by the doe code."  Yeah... sure thing...  That you made the comment at all, says it all! You've already been had!


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## sadieml (Feb 21, 2016)

Poor you, Jer! My DH loves our Pygmy boys (1 buckling, 1 wether), even though he did not want me to get them.  He thought they would just be a financial drain, and we have no $$ to spare EVER.  Bless his heart, though, he pets them and gives them treats (like Pez candy) and talks to them and walks them every day.  He does not think he is going to like goat milk, so he doesn't care if we ever get does and start breeding and milking, etc., but he does love these little guys. Hopefully, milk and cheese will change your wife's opinion of your little herd.  Goaties are magical, and just being exposed to them regularly might help her.


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## JerTheVintner (Feb 21, 2016)

Of course I've been had, but I still have to pretend like I haven't. I'm sure that makes sense.


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 2, 2016)

I will be tempting fate the next 2 days.  I am headed out of town until Friday night and my wife is traveling for work this week.  I have a helper coming to feed everyone while I am gone, but she will only be here for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.  Merry and Frodo still have their ligs, but the ligs on both have settled and softened a little over the past couple of weeks.  Merry had a little white discharge this morning but that has happened a few times over the past weeks and I think it is still just her plug.  I really have no idea when their due dates are, but when Pippin was getting down to business with everyone, I remember thinking March 15th or St. Patrick's Day would be about 150 days.  Of course he was running with them since I got all of them, so who knows. I could feel babies kicking inside both this morning, so I think I am safe for at least a day.

I am betting that according to the doe code, going out of town is the surest way to get everything moving!  I really hope everything will be fine when I get back, but only time will tell.


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 2, 2016)

And one more thing, both of their little udders are still just a handful size wise and squishy. So I got time...yeah right!


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## Latestarter (Mar 2, 2016)

LMAO! Seems you have a total and full understanding now of how these things work!  Hope all goes exceptionally well for the goats (& you and your SO)... whether you are there or not, and that the kidding, when it happens, goes without a hitch!  Looking forward to the pics of little goats when the eventual time arrives, as I'm sure are many others


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## sadieml (Mar 4, 2016)

Awaiting your return later today, and hoping for the best possible news upon your return.


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 5, 2016)

Well I made it back and still......nothing!  I decided what they need is due dates.  I have no idea when they conceived so I will just pick some dates, with the doe code I am sure they will work as well as anything.  So Frodo's due date is now March 15th (the Ides of March so I better not name any of the kids Caesar) and Merry's due date will be March 17th, St. Patrick's day, so we can come up with some nice Irish sounding names for the kids.  I am going to say Sam's due date is April 18th, Tax day, because she is so taxing.  Actually the only reason I think Sam might even be pregnant is because she and Pippin did it everyday for 2 months, before he got wethered.  Now she is showing no signs of pregnancy, except she hasn't had any signs of heat either, but of course she never did.

Merry and Frodo have very soft and sunken ligaments now, but the udders are still small and they kids are still kicking up a storm.  We finally got a little rain so everyone is hanging out in the barn anyway.  The new stalls are working out wonderfully and are so much easier to keep clean and fresh smelling.  Now all we need are some kids.  Come on ladies get it going!


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## sadieml (Mar 9, 2016)

I figure you're probably right about the due dates.  Your blind picks are as good as any other dates.  Looking forward to kiddings SOON.


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 14, 2016)

I took everyone to the vet today for CAE testing.  Pippin also got snipped, poor guy.  The emasculatome didn't work even after two attempts.  I also had an ultrasound done on Sam and she is not pregnant, no surprise there.  Merry lost her plug today but still hasn't filled her bag. All the girls were great for the vet and there were a bunch of trainees there helping out and everyone loves my miniature herd of NDs.  As soon as I got home, I gave the barn a thorough cleaning and everyone got fresh bedding and we are now ready for the babies.  The vet should be calling soon for me to pick up poor little Pippin, who will probably hate me forever, but at least the girls will be happy.

Now it looks like maybe Merry is going to go first, but Frodo might try to beat her to the punch.  I bet whoever delivers first will probably wind up as the herd queen.  The vet warned me that because they are both so young and first timers, I should definitely be there at kidding to help in case of issues.

I just hope we have kids by the time my boys are back home for Spring break.


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## goats&moregoats (Mar 14, 2016)

Hoping all goes well. The not knowing due dates is like forever crazy! Yup I have one that is in this same boat.

Love the kidding pens. Keep sharing pics and I will be watching for babies.


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## sadieml (Mar 14, 2016)

???  ???


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 18, 2016)

I am going all out to defeat the "DOE CODE". I started out by having a very serious talk with Merry and Frodo this morning.  I told them both that my boys are coming home this weekend for Spring Break.  I pointed out that their little babies will be so cute that if they have them while the boys are home, then the boys will steal them and take them back to school with them and move them into their fraternity houses.  I think both does now know how important it is to keep their babies safe inside them until after the boys go back to school after Spring Break is over.  Frodo and Merry both agreed and have decided they are not going to have any babies and just keep getting fatter and fatter to try to set the world's record for fattest nigerian dwarf goats.

I know both goaties are very "comfortable" carrying all that extra baggage.  Frodo's side looks like the "Everlasting GobStopper" machine from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a thin cloth bag with all kinds of things poking out and moving around constantly.  It feels like a bag of hammers in motion. Merry seems to have fewer elbows and hooves at odd angles in her tummy and more fluid, but her little ones like to kick really hard and suddenly. So I am going to go get them a fresh bale of 50/50 Alfalfa/Orchard Grass so they can really pack on the weight.  I also pointed out that if they could just bag up really full they could complete the fashionable mama-goat look and be both hugely fat and bowl-legged with a watermelon between their back knees.

My kidding box is now complete.  I got B-vitamin complex and molasses, in case things go really long. I also have dental floss, scissors, and iodine for little cords. I got lots of towels and a suction bulb for clearing little noses. I have instant colostrum and a bottle with nipple just in case nursing is a problem. I have a box of rubber gloves, OB lube and Purell in case I need to help straighten out some unusual presentations.  

So today I will be digging up the 2" vineyard irrigation line that broke so I have a project that will be difficult for me to pay any attention to my little ladies.  I am doing everything I can to defeat the DOE CODE, and am supremely confident that they will still drive me completely crazy anyway!  They are both devious little girls and I know they will do everything in their powers to get me to completely lose my mind!

Still waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting..........


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 24, 2016)

UUUUUUGH! Merry started acting weird yesterday.  She normally sleeps in one of the stalls and sleeps like a baby.  Last night I went in and she had some clear goo, soft ligs, and was on the floor wide awake and uncomfortable at 10pm.  I put her in her stall, but when I went and checked on her at 11:30 she was back on the floor.  She was picking at the the straw with her mouth but not eating it, I thought maybe this was how she was going to nest.  I told my wife that it could be the night.  I setup the baby monitor and went and checked her at 2:30am, sound asleep.  This morning, her ligs are back no goo, hungry and not looking like any babies are coming soon at all.  I felt her right side and there was a very large head or hoof tenting her side. I pushed it and it squirmed and wiggled.

Frodo is showing no signs either.  She has had no goo at all and has sunken ligs but they are still there.  My wife said to treat it all like boiling a pot of water and ignore it until it boils over on the stove.  I know that is the right thing to do otherwise they will drive me nuts, but they are my little girls and I would just be crushed if something happened to them.

*&%#$>@#% DOE CODE!!!!!!


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## Ferguson K (Mar 25, 2016)

I'm right there with you.-


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 25, 2016)

I am not checking them again, other than feeding time, until I hear serious bleating or see a head or hoof hanging out of someone's back end. It's pruning and thinning time in the vineyard so I have no more time for their silly Doe Code.

Yeah and how long do you think this will last? Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.


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## Ferguson K (Mar 25, 2016)

The other day I heard some serious screams coming from the doe pens. I took off from where I was working and ran out there.

Lilly had her head stuck.

I told her she wasnt allowed to scream like that until she was in labor. She said "naa."


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## sadieml (Mar 25, 2016)

Oh, yeah.  Sounds like fun. NOT!  So sorry for you Jer.  They will, no doubt, have you on your toes with unnecessary bleats that sound like life or death calls, but you have to do what you have to do.  Trim and prune and try not to get too upset by their annoying antics.  You know the word "diva" is Latin for "doe".


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 26, 2016)

3:30 am commotion, not from the goats, but from my son who is home for Spring Break, hit a deer and messed up his brother's car.  While I was up, I checked the goaties and Frodo's ligs are gone.  I sat with her for a bit to see if she was having contractions yet. She is normally the quiet one who never makes a sound, but every time I would get up to leave she who make a little whimpering noise. Finally after a bit, I left and could hear her continue to make the most pathetic tiny whimpering noises.  I will come back in an hour and see what's what.  I hope this isn't just more of the Doe Code manipulation. When I left, there was no goo and she just wanted to lie on the floor


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 26, 2016)

Frodo might be having contractions. There is a little goo and every 10 minutes or so she seems to get all tense and the tail goes straight up and her entire backside goes rigid and she bleats in her quiet mewing little voice.

She then walks over to the hay feeder and pretends to eat but really just noses around in the hay on the ground. It could get exciting soon.  I am pretty sure she is having at least 2 maybe more based on all the activity inside her right side the past few weeks. I really hope this goes smoothly!


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## Goatgirl47 (Mar 26, 2016)




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## JerTheVintner (Mar 26, 2016)

11:20 am a perfect little doeling.  Everything went well. Mom and baby are bonding now waiting for placenta to pass. She delivered lying down on her side.  Frodo seems to be a little sensitive in the udder area and nursing seems uncomfortable but baby got a good latch on both sides and is up and walking and doing great. I did a bounce and didn't feel anything more so I think we are done. At least until Merry is ready, but her ligs are still there.

This is a pretty happy herd and I am wondering if I need to separate them from the rest. Bad phone pictures to follow once I have everything cleaned up and have a moment.


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## Goatgirl47 (Mar 26, 2016)

Awwww, congratulations! I'm so glad all went well! When my goat kidded I kept her and her kids separated from the rest of the herd for about a week, so they could bond, and so the kids would be safe from the other goats.


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## Latestarter (Mar 26, 2016)

Congrats! That's awesome that all went well for your first go-round. So I'll just  waiting on pics and the next delivery!


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 26, 2016)

congrats! Glad to hear it went well


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 26, 2016)

Here is a picture.  I will take a ton more when I get a chance.  We are still debating names, but she is definitely a keeper!


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## Goatgirl47 (Mar 26, 2016)

How cute! Love her coloring...


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## Ferguson K (Mar 26, 2016)

She's a cutie


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## Latestarter (Mar 26, 2016)

WOW! She's beautiful! That coloring is eye candy for sure!  I'd say she's definitely a keeper for sure! 

OK folks, move along... No goat hoarder in the making here...  No sirree!


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## JerTheVintner (Mar 26, 2016)

Mama and baby are doing great. They were doing the stealth feeding thing, waiting until I was out of sight, just to try and get a little more worry out of me. Dang Doe Code seems to persist even after they give birth.


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## sadieml (Mar 26, 2016)

WOW!  @JerTheVintner - Frodo did a great job!  That little girl is gorgeous!  One of the does Jaeger is gonna breed is a tri-color and I'm hoping we'll get lots of color like that in a doeling.  Getting really excited about the breeding plan.  (Also, looking for a Nubian doe and a LaMancha doe-guess I have to remember that I'll have to wait for rut to breed non-Nigie/non-Pygmy does.  Rut is such a new concept for me...and such a long time from now! )


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## norseofcourse (Mar 27, 2016)

Congratulations!  Glad everything went well


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## Latestarter (Apr 11, 2016)

Ummm wasn't there another little doe (or possibly 2) in this mix that was/were supposed to have kids?  What happened with Merry and Sam?


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## JerTheVintner (Apr 11, 2016)

Sam didn't settle, but that was okay seeing how she is very very small even for a Nigerian Dwarf.  Merry is playing by the Doe Code and is holding the kids hostage until I give her unlimited access to the garbage can where the grain is kept. I keep telling her that she is only going to be hurting herself as Nigerian Dwarf goats aren't supposed to give birth to kids half their own size.  Her udder is full but not tight, her ligs are sunken and the consistency of mush and she has played every trick in the book to make me lose sleep, like pawing the ground, and stretching, and pushing head head into the wall, and getting up and down, and staring off into space, and dropping goop, and talking to her side....but always nothing happens and the next day she is back out there scarfing her hay and fighting for her share of the grain.  She looks like she swallowed a small volkswagon.  This has been going on for a month beyond when I thought she might have been due (but who knows)  The kid(s) are still moving, but it is so cramped inside her that there is hardly any room to move around.  Spring is here and the vineyard is taking all my time with the thinning, pruning, training, grafting, and spraying.  I can hear any loud noises from the barn most of the time.  I got a baby monitor, but that means I have to sleep in the spare bedroom because all the mystery noises from the barn keep my wife up if I try to keep it in the master bedroom.

Bunny, our bouncing doeling that was born Easter weekend is growing like a weed and she is just crazy playful all the time.  She is a true delight and I love holding her when she finally stops wiggling.  She must be eating all the milk her mom can produce because her mom, Frodo, is thinner than before she got pregnant and that is with double rations of grain and treats every day (she loves dried cherries).  I am holding off on starting to milk her until Merry is also ready to be milked too, but of course that may never happen.

I will just keep on banging my head against the wall until Merry gets bored or explodes.  I am guessing that if this continues much longer, her kid will be full grown before it is even born .


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## JerTheVintner (Apr 12, 2016)

Finally, Merry had her buckling.  He is absolutely enormous! He has to almost kneel down to nurse.  He is almost as big as Bunny who was born 2 weeks ago!  Needless to say, for a first freshener it was a tough delivery.  After 20 minutes with a hoof hanging out and no progress, I called the vet and she had me go in.  I straightened everything out and had to pull him out.  I think Merry is going to be a little sore (understatement of the year!)  I will get some pictures up after everything is cleaned up.  He is the same chocolate brown with Merry's white spot on his forehead and a white face like his daddy, Pippin.  We are trying to come up with a name, but my kids usually take charge of that even with them away at college.


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## Hens and Roos (Apr 12, 2016)

Congrats!  Glad to hear it went well.


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 12, 2016)

congratulations on your kids! Beautiful doeling! Glad all went well.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 12, 2016)

Aww! Congrats on both your doeling and your buckling!


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## JerTheVintner (Apr 12, 2016)




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## JerTheVintner (Apr 12, 2016)

Its still early and he might lighten up a bit, but I am thinking he might be more of a dark chocolate color compared to Merry's milk chocolate coloring


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## Latestarter (Apr 12, 2016)

Wow, he's HUGE and handsome too! So, since Pippin got the crush/cut/snip, what will you do with this young lad?


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## norseofcourse (Apr 12, 2016)

Congrats!  Glad you were there and were able to assist!


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## JerTheVintner (Apr 12, 2016)

With those longs legs and his mom's good looks, our new Buckling, Bochy, will be the future sire of the herd for at least a generation or two.  I think he will throw some beautiful kids.


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## Goatgirl47 (Apr 13, 2016)

Congratulations! He's a handsome guy for sure.


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## sadieml (Apr 14, 2016)

Congratulations!  She certainly took her "merry" time.  (sorry for the terrible pun)  He is a beauty, though.  I'm sure he'll supply some beautiful babies down the road.  Don't forget, Nigies can be fertile as early as 6 weeks, so keep an eye on him!  He's already half the size of his mom!  I know you're happy you don't need that baby monitor anymore.


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## JerTheVintner (Apr 15, 2016)

Thanks for all the support from everyone.  I made it through the first kidding season for me and my little does.  Everybody came out healthy and now we have a larger but very happy herd.  Merry and Frodo have had it out now after many small battles and the herd queen is..... I have no idea.  Pippin would not take sides during the battles but he would just leisurely walk in between the two ladies making them stop for a bit.  Sam stayed out of it and would play with the kids, she is a terrific Auntie.

Pippin and Bochey will be taking over the new fenced yard adjacent to the old one once Bochey is 8 weeks old. Bunny and Sam are already best pals and climbing partners.  Kidding season is stressful and I really feel for those that were challenged with difficult births, tragedies, and losing babies, and in the case of those who lost does, good friends. I learned a tremendous amount, but most of all I learned that I love having my little goaties.  My wife really had hopes that this would be a passing phase, but I am hoping that once we start having fresh milk, cheese and yogurt, she will come around.  She was opposed to the chickens at first, but now she would never think of buying eggs ever again.  Tomorrow, I will integrate the two new chicks along with two turkey chicks to the herd.  They are now big enough where they can't squeeze through the 2x4 no climb fencing, so I think it is time they join the family.


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## Latestarter (May 19, 2016)

Greetings and salutations Jer. Haven't seen you or heard anything in a while... Hope all is well with your little herd.


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