Kidding....and more kidding

The kidding season is in full swing.  We have 5 does bred.  All of them have kidded before, so my hope was that it would be an easy go.   Of course, if you follow this blog at all, you will know that things here are never easy.  Ever.  

Our old reliable doe Glow went first.  On Monday.  It was cold on Monday.  Very cold.  We thought they were at least another week out, and we had failed to prepare.  Luckily, Glow is an excellent doe. She not only kidded on her own with no need of help, but she also dried her kids and had them up and moving before we even did chores Monday morning.  Quincy got heat lights working and the twins are doing great.  

Monday afternoon, Buttee had a set of twins.  They were under lamps, up on their feet and mostly dry.  They seemed good.  One died.  The other one was great.  Until I did the noon check yesterday.  He somehow went down fast.  He was cold and crying.  I got him in the house and in front of the heater.  We made an emergency trip for nutri-drench.  The girls rubbed and stimulated.  They worked so hard.   Unfortunately he didn’t make it.  You can do all the right things, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out.   It is always hard to lose them.  It’s a hard lesson in life.  I wish I could have changed the outcome, but I was pretty proud of the kids.  They stayed with him, doing all of the things that we know to do.  Googling more things that we might try.  They even took a few minutes to pray.  

Today, Totes had a set of twins.  In true Totes fashion, she took one.  The other was left out to die.  Luckily, they were born right before Quincy got home off the bus.  She is so good at watching, knowing when to intervene.  This little girl’s life was saved because Quincy is good at this stuff.  So now we have a goat named Waffle in the house.  We had the supplies we needed in the house, and I am hoping and praying that the outcome is different this time around.