Southern by choice
Herd Master
Very sad day Friday.... 2nd kid (the real small one) died. I knew something was wrong after Heidi had her. Heidi did a good job cleaning her off but the little one just never had any strength. I brought her in and would try to feed her, even though she had good suck/swallow she would be exhausted afterwards. We would take her out with her mom and mom did accept her and let her nurse but then she started pushing her away and then it escalated to Heidi purposely trying to step on her. I pulled her out for good after that. She would stand and be okay but after just a few minutes she would be so weak she'd just lay back down, then she stopped eating. Fri morning her heart rate was very low and she died in my arms. So sad. I know kids die sometimes but this being my first kids I decided to have a necropsy done, I wanted to make sure it was not some kind of heredity disorder.
Fri eve we got the call back and the preliminary findings were that her kidneys were underdeveloped, they were very small and had stopped short just before the part in the kidneys that filtered the blood developed. That is why she was so small,and weak. Slides of the kidney tissue will be checked next week. The scale must not have been reset properly because she was not 3lbs 2 oz, she was about 2 lbs maybe 2 1/2 lbs max. On the up side, I'm glad I had the necropsy done because it is NOT a heredity/genetic issue. Just something that happens sometimes. Kid 1 is hopping all over the place and thriving! Sad she doesn't have a playmate though.
The girls were heading to Virginia to be a familys first goats, but now I only have the one so I might just keep her and the family will wait til the spring kids. Everyone says I should still sell kid 1 but I just don't know if I can. I just wish my goats could give me milk without the whole kidding thing. Life and death on a farm is just the way it is I know. The same day we had a death we also had discovered (in Callie's mouth btw) a brand new baby chick. So there was a new life! A little bittersweet.
Slaughtered a bunch of meat birds and turkeys Sat. Lot's of death this weekend. I just want to cuddle up with my couch guard dog and sleep!
Fri eve we got the call back and the preliminary findings were that her kidneys were underdeveloped, they were very small and had stopped short just before the part in the kidneys that filtered the blood developed. That is why she was so small,and weak. Slides of the kidney tissue will be checked next week. The scale must not have been reset properly because she was not 3lbs 2 oz, she was about 2 lbs maybe 2 1/2 lbs max. On the up side, I'm glad I had the necropsy done because it is NOT a heredity/genetic issue. Just something that happens sometimes. Kid 1 is hopping all over the place and thriving! Sad she doesn't have a playmate though.
The girls were heading to Virginia to be a familys first goats, but now I only have the one so I might just keep her and the family will wait til the spring kids. Everyone says I should still sell kid 1 but I just don't know if I can. I just wish my goats could give me milk without the whole kidding thing. Life and death on a farm is just the way it is I know. The same day we had a death we also had discovered (in Callie's mouth btw) a brand new baby chick. So there was a new life! A little bittersweet.
Slaughtered a bunch of meat birds and turkeys Sat. Lot's of death this weekend. I just want to cuddle up with my couch guard dog and sleep!