Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[ragdollcatlady]

We have kids!

StinkerBelle had her kids tonight. As soon as I got home from work, I ran out to check and called in the human cavalry to help me out. She had kid type goop (the stuff normally stuck to kids after they are born) hanging, so we rounded her up to the pen and I went in to check. Kid #1 was presenting sideways, abdomen/chest trying to come first! Got him out and up fine. #2 was trying to do the same. Got him out fine too. Both boys are black with tiny bits of white and some frosting. Both have wattles and one has blue eyes.

I checked after the second kid too but wasn't positive what I was feeling. So we waited to see if she would have another kid or pass the placenta.... No luck. She tried pushing more, but with no progress, so I went in again. What I felt was large, felt like all abdomen/chest/elbows/knees. No heads or feet to help me sort things out. I think it was both kids facing each other, squished really tightly with heads and feet in the middle of a kid 'football'. I managed to get #3 turned around and out. A beautiful chocolate and red buckskin kid. He was DOA. He had no eyes in the sockets, otherwise looked perfect. #4 was DOA as well. A gorgeous half black, half white doe kid with blue eyes, perfectly formed. I am so sad about the 2 lost kids. I am grateful for the 2 live kids and mom (almost) waiting for us so we could assist. Otherwise we would have lost her too.

StinkerBelle was the first one of our 'born on the farm' kids to give birth here. She had triplets last year as a FF and quads this year. She is the easiest of my nigerians to milk with a really pretty udder. I hope she recovers OK. We offered molasses water, B complex injection and an antibiotic injection. She was up, fed her kids and passed the placenta already. Bright and alert but resting quietly with her boys after loving on them alot.

 

[Latestarter]

Congrats on the save of the first two! So sorry for the loss of the final two. Glad mom is doing well and loving her babies.

 

[babsbag]

Cute little bugs.


Glad you were there to help. You know I really love baby goats and I REALLY HATE the whole kidding process. Especially when it is up to me the get 'em out. Sorry about the two you lost.

No eyes in the sockets? That is just really weird and kinda creepy.

 

[norseofcourse]

Congrats on the two kids, sorry about the ones you lost but glad you were there or the outcome might have been worse...

 

[OneFineAcre]

Hope she is OK
Cute kids

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Thanks everyone.

I agree @babsbag , as much as I LOVE baby goats and the surprise of how many, what gender, what color.... I get very anxious about kidding season. I am absolutely committed to see my girls and kids through everything to the very end, regardless of the outcome, but not having the freedom to be here every moment I want to be, someone has to work to pay for goat food, and just plain making sure moms are OK, kids are OK, everyone is warm enough, cool enough, not getting hurt, eating and drinking, vitamins and minerals, parasites..... I could make myself crazy! Kids being on the ground, healthy and happy, makes things easier til the next one blows though!

Speaking of which.... I haven't gotten to bed before midnight the last several nights. Making sure Stinkers tiny kids are warm enough, checking on whether Spells kids have fallen out the back door yet as it is nearly open enough, and last night Rigs was moaning or groaning so she needed a bedtime checkup too. A couple days ago when I went out to check on the goats I heard a very distinctive "moo" instead of the usual "meh" ... I guess Rigatoni is feeling a bit like a cow!

I tried looking up possible reasons for the lack of eyes in the one kid but I haven't found much. So far StinkerBelle and Casanova have both given us 7 kids (only these 4 in common), with just the one defective. I do worry about the stupid spraying overhead of the orchards around us, maybe that could be a possible cause.

 

[babsbag]

Well if the spraying did that to a goat imagine (or let's not) what it is doing to humans, both born and unborn. I see that Monsanto is in the limelight for their "harmless" herbicide (not to mention any names), but why should that be a surprise? The whole beginning of GMO was to create a plant that could be sprayed with that harmless herbicide and not die and yet kill everything else in the field. Then we eat that plant and so do our animals. I don't worry about the GMO part, I worry about the chemicals being applied that we don't know about.

And don't let organic fool you either. The FDA allows organic crops to be sprayed with certain chemicals. For example, nectarines can be sprayed with Spinosad to control thrips. That is the same drug used in Trifexis to control fleas on dogs...and the dog eats it. Yes, I do use some oral flea treatments but I don't give them monthly, I take a few flea bites instead of poisoning my animal every month. Heartworm I do treat, but only April- Oct...they get the winter off.

OK. I'm off my soap box, and I didn't even mention the bees...

I need to see some more kid pictures; those little guys are so cute.

I had two more minis born yesterday to my Togg/Alpine doe. The doeling is chocolate brown with some white patches and the buckling is a Sundgau with blue eyes. Unfortunately he can't be registered with the MDGA as the mom is a mixed breed, but he sure is cute. I also have a doeling that I swear is a mini but the notes I took during breeding say otherwise. I may have to do a DNA test on her.

I have an Alpine doeling that is polled and probably the only standard Alpine I am keeping this year. I was talking to DH about who to breed her to next year as my Alpine buck is obviously her sire and I don't want to get another buck just for her. I will probably breed her back but I said I could always breed her to Flash and DH said "don't keep any minis"...little does he know that I am already keeping at least 3 does and at least one buck. Good thing he pretty much ignores my goats. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

GMOs should frighten the average human as well as the chemicals. The DNA in GMOs are unstable and unpredictable. Genetic Roulette is a good reference with easy to read info and studies in laymans terms. It has info broken down into detailed tidbits that are very interesting.

I need to see some more kid pictures

I tried to get more pics. I'll see if I can get some up tomorrow.

 

[Ferguson K]

I've been hoarding organic and traded seeds. No one out here uses harsh chemicals. They, at the worst, use permethrins.

I see where you're coming from.

I've seen.








But yes, I need to stop too. I'll go on a rant that doesn't make sense.

 

[babsbag]

I've been hoarding organic and traded seeds. No one out here uses harsh chemicals. They, at the worst, use permethrins.

Permethrins are extremely toxic to bees and not just during application but the day after also. So if it used in a garden no way to prevent bees from getting in it. I really wish the drug companies would put this information on the label.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propoxur/permethrin-ext.html