Spice's Disaster kidding 2018

[Queen Mum]

Well, Monday, April 2nd, we had a disaster kidding. At three am, I heard the telltale screaming from the field. I went out and found my young first time freshening doe, Spice, in a panic, SCREAMING and running around the field with a kid hanging out of her bottom, tail first, front legs dangling.

I immediately put her in a jug and pulled the kid expecting a dead baby. NOPE, the kid took a breath and cried. I got Spice calmed down and she started talking to the baby and cleaning her up. The baby was trying hard to get up, but clearly could not. She was a stunning silver doeling.

Clearly, something was seriously wrong. Her head was bent at an odd angle and she was FLOPPY in a big way. I gave her BoSe, and vitamin E. She had several seizures and was obviously blind in one eye. Then she seemed to have a stroke. I milked Spice for a bottle of colostrum, bundled up the baby and prepared to take her in the house.

At that point Spice laid down and gave me a look like, "OK, take my baby in and fix her. I will lay here till you bring her back all better."

I took the kid in the house expecting her to die quickly. She wanted a bottle. She took three ounces and fell asleep. In the morning she woke up and wanted to stand to pee. She couldn't control her legs but I helped her stand and squat and she pee'd. I bottle fed her. Then she had several more seizures. Her legs got stronger, but clearly she had cerebral palsy. She couldn't control her body at all. Her neck was bent and she was a MESS of seizures. She was deaf also on the blind side.

I put her down.

When I went out, there was Spice waiting for her baby. She cried when I didn't bring out her baby all fixed. It was a sad day for my new mama. She lets me milk her just fine and has plenty of milk. But she keeps talking to me while I milk her and looks around for her baby.

Sigh!

 

[BoboFarm]

I'm so sorry for you and Spice

 

[Queen Mum]

Thanks. As you can see I've added pictures above of the kid. She was so pretty, but you can see that her neck is bent and she can't keep her head up. She tried so hard to keep going, but it would have taken a phenomenal amount of effort and care to manage her seizures and prevent a lot of long term pain so putting her down was for the best. She never would have been right and would have probably have suffered a lot of neck and back pain.

As it is, we decided to make rennet from her abomasum and a friend is tanning the hide.

 

[Hens and Roos]

so sorry

 

[horseymama2]

Aawww, I am so saddened to hear this. I am sorry for both you and Spice.

 

[promiseacres]

Sorry.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I’m SO sorry!!!

 

[Latestarter]

What a shame... sorry for you and Spice. Hope she has a better evolution next year.

 

[Queen Mum]

Thanks everyone. On to the next kidding adventure. See my journal for details.

 

[MiniSilkys]

I knew a family who had an old boss Manny goat that had a stroke and after that her neck was always bent at a 90 degree right angle. The other goat s were too rough with her so she was kept with the weanlings. She lived for a few years like that.