KIDDING LOG 2010

LUCY LEADS OFF

February 4

Kidding season FINALLY got underway as our soon to be 2 year old “clown” finally stopped fooling around and went into a nice hard labor. Unfortunately it was at 3:45 AM. The pushing woke us from a sound sleep and we jumped up from our warm bed and donned our insulated coveralls and headed to the barn. Lucy was trying to be sneaky quiet about it but we heard her anyway and arrived to find one foot out and 3 others and a head almost out...UH OH! This isn’t going to happen ...Off with the jacket on with the gloves, lots of Lube and the sorting began...Finally pushed one of the sets of feet back and pulled one baby over the feet of his brother. The second retrieval didn’t go as easily as that reluctant fellow insisted on keeping his head turned back. I tried working it around for 30 mins to no avail and finally pulled the second buckling with his head still back. Amazingly he slid out relatively easily probably because he was dead and thus compressed easily. Momma immediately drank down a gallon of warm “Blue Brew” (YMCP+ for Sheep and Goats) and then proceeded to hop up on the milk stand and stand like a veteran milker for her first milking.  The bucklings each weighed in at 8 pounds. Her boy was quickly off to be raised for meat with a bummer lamb.

MEI MAKES IT 3 FOR 3

February 4

After morning chores Mei showed all the signs of imminent kidding and when I checked I found a kid in perfect position so we hung out with her and encouraged her to get down to business. Mei is a reluctant pusher and seemed to want her baby to just fall out on its own.  Finally she gave enough of a push to deliver a nice puddle of goo and I helped her deliver a nice baby boy. The boy weighed in at 6.8 pounds and mom was treated to her bucket of Blue Brew and quickly downed a gallon. Mei joined the ranks of the milkers and her boy joined Lucy’s keeping a Bummer Lamb company.

CHINOOK CHANGES COURSE

February 17

Chinook finally decided it was time to download her kids. It is a good thing we have kidding records on her for the past 4, now 5 years because she was 4 days past her due date. A quick check of her kidding history showed that this was not an unusual occurrence with her and put our minds at ease. Chinook thoughtfully went into serious labor at 3:30 in the afternoon. Just a slight adjustment of a misaligned head produced a nice 6.9 pound buckling followed quickly by 3 perfectly aligned and easily delivered doelings.  We had no idea that Chinook had Quads as she just didn’t look that big but the girls weighed in at 7.1, 7.0 and 5.75 pounds of healthy and hungry kids. Mom quickly guzzled 3 gallons of warm Blue Brew and acted quite nonchalant about the whole process.

TAFFETA TAKES NOTE

March 10

This morning Taffeta came in for her grain and hopped up on her stand as usual with her udder firmly full of milk and no ligaments. She ate her grain as she normally does and then was whisked off to the kidding stall to await the arrival of her babies. Poor Taffy was a bit confused as to what in the world was going on but settled down and went into hard labor at 1:30 in the afternoon. She worked hard to deliver her twin doelings and did so very nicely with little help.

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SHARIK STEERS HER OWN WAY

March 11

Sharik was moved to the Kidding Stall after morning chores where she enjoyed the special attention all day. At 10:00 PM she was in early labor. I watched her on the video monitor as she progressed. At 1:30 AM she went into hard labor delivering a single buckling. This boy wanted to be born with his feet tucked under his chest and his head on his knees but Sharik and I said NO! Emphatically NO! I pushed the boy back a bit and hooked the knee from one front leg bringing the foot carefully into position. After the boy was in position mom pushed hard and finally delivered his fat head!  I carefully provided traction on the leg that was extended and the neck assisting her in getting the big fellow out. He weighed in at 8.5 pounds and momma and baby are doing great. Congratulations to Michael and Cindy Weston on their new Jr. Herd sire: Reuel Sharik’s JJ Shooter.

 KAI COMES THROUGH

March 16

Kai quietly went about her business preparing for delivery, eating properly and growing wider by the day. Kai has always delivered her kids on her 150^th day so we were pretty sure that this year would be no exception.  We were crazy busy all day on the 16^th and kept a close eye on her progress. Around 6PM she appeared to be lightly pushing but nothing special. After our 4-H meeting, Supper, and Bible Study we headed out to do chores and see how Kai was progressing. A check of Kai’s cervix disclosed that she was soft but the cervix wasn’t open nor was the kid in the correct position. I got a foot up in line and then proceeded to milk and feed while she worked on it. After chores we checked her again and this time manually dilated the cervix and discovered that the kid had both feet braced against the pelvis and was turned so her head was on her shoulder. A little realignment and persuasion and the first kid was convinced to enter the world with a little help from her friends.  The second kid was lined up nicely and quickly made her entrance into the world. Kai was quite pleased with her 7.8 and 8.0 pound little girls and we are as well. Kai’s difficult birth took some time and we finally headed for the house exhausted and ready for the shower at about 1:30 AM. Needless to say we were moving a bit slowly later that morning when it was time to do chores.

NISSA SNEAKS ONE IN!

March 21

Nissa wandered around this morning acting just as normally as any other pregnant doe in the pen....of course that isn’t saying much in terms of normal anyway. We monitored the doe pen and the kidding stalls all day waiting for new arrivals. Nothing but a lot of very pregnant does moaning their way through the day. We headed out to milk at the usual time and after getting kids milk ready, and setting up for milking, LeRoy headed into the doe pen with an arm load of hay while I milked the first 2 does in the milk room.... A few minutes into the task I heard a Whoop! From the doe pen and went out to find Nissa snuggled up to the wall and a baby lying in a puddle of goo with her back feet still inside mom. :-D Nissa is a known "SILENT KIDDER" so we weren’t surprised that she hadn’t made a sound delivering this kid, until we weighed her in and discovered she weighed 8.9 pounds! Nissa apparently had been working on this delivery for awhile as the baby looked like she had gone 10 rounds in a Championship fight! Her eyes were swollen as was her head from the eyes back to the neck... She apparently suffered no ill effects as she quickly downed 8 oz of colostrum and got to her feet. Momma is doing great and is none the worse for the wear.

PONI PUSHES THROUGH

March 23

Well, The kidding stall video and audio were quite active all night and 4:30 this morning there were some ominous sounds coming from the stall that isn't on camera..I dressed and headed out to check on Poni and see what was going on. It was cold this morning ..around 24.... what was going on? A whole lot of nothing, no discharge no signs of immediate kidding preparation so back to bed and try for a few hours of sleep. All remained relatively quiet and we headed out to milk and feed at our usual 8:30 AM. I checked on the does in the kidding pen right away and found copious puddles of birthing goo in Poni’s pen... Gloves and towels and baby pads gathered and lube applied, I checked and found 2 feet and a nose from a fairly good sized kid. A little encouragement and tugging the legs into full extension and a beautiful solid black doeling appeared.

She was very vigorous and strong a little bit of slime removal and she was tucked into a towel to stay warm while I checked for another kid and found the second deep in the uterine horn and not at all interested in joining his sister in the cold world... A lot of tugging later and we had feet in the birth canal but no head...The boy had twisted his head around to his left and refused to straighten it out. 45 minutes later still no head, no matter how I tugged, twisted and cajoled that head wasn't going to straighten out. The situation was getting critical as the doe’s birthing fluid was about all expelled and things were going to be drying out pretty fast. Both of us were getting tired and quite sore so I decided that I would have to be pull the kid head back or loose both of them.... Well, Poni is a good sized first freshener and she was completely dilated so with a lot of tugging and her good pushing, the little trouble maker arrived and was still alive. Mom and babies are doing very well. The girl weighed in at 7.3 pounds and the boy at 7.8 pounds. Mom contributed about a quart and a half of nice rich colostrum and it is greatly appreciated. My hand feels like it has been through a wringer but a few applications of ice packs and it should be as good as new. Hopefully we won't have any more of these nasty head back presentations. The boy will be off to be raised for meat as soon as he finishes up his allotted colostrum The girl will go up on our sale page.

Poni gratefully guzzled down half of a bucket of Blue Brew and cleaned quickly returning to the doe pen before noon.

Two views of Poni's twins

SAMIEL SHOWS HER STUFF!

 March 24 

We watched Sammie all day as she piddled around looking like she wanted to kid but not progressing. Went out at 4:00PM and checked her and found 2 heads and 3 feet:-/ worked for awhile but couldn't get the head that went with the feet to budge so I pushed the feet back in and fished out the other head and dragged it into the birth canal then went back and searched out the front leg only to find that it was fully extended flat along the side of his body...Trying his best imitation of a seal I guess....I finally worked down from the point of shoulder to the elbow and then worked the leg forward until I could get the foot up and out . Sammie pushed like a trooper and out slid a very nice 7.6 pound black buckling. She then walked over to the bucket of Blue Brew and proceeded to guzzle down 2 gallons without stopping. Further exploration and a slight correction in head position and out came another very nice big 9.1 pound buckling. The final boy was in one big hurry to be born and I barely got the slime cleared from his face when out he came in a riot of color. He is velvety black with a wide white band and red trim.... Quite the flashy fellow. :-D weighing in at 8.1 pounds. The first buckling is off to be raised for meat and the other two are being raised as herd sires. One is sold and the second is being held in reserve until we see if Rhesa has a buck to fill the order we have for him.

WYNNE WAITS FOR MORNING

March 25

We went out this morning at 8:30 watching Wynne laboring lightly. Got busy milking and feeding the bottle babies and Wynne got busy laboring more seriously. Finished up milking and feeding and clean up and found Wynne with her "OK, I'm Serious about this" goo. We decided not to sweep the milk room and I checked to find a nice size doe in perfect position... with a little encouragement and much vocalization Wynne pushed out an 8.2 pound black baby girl. The second check discovered a head only presentation and since her legs were flexed at the knee but right under her head they were an easy retrieval. Mom pushed hard and the little brown 7.7 pound doe arrived complaining all the way. Goodness she is a talker and was complaining about the whole process as soon as her nose was clear.

JAEL JAZZES THINGS UP

March 28

Jael caused several false alarms as we were observing her in the kidding stall while preparing dinner for guests. After a few dashes to the barn in the middle of preparations she settled down and we managed to have a nice dinner before it was really time to deliver. Just as we were starting out to the barn, more friends arrived with their 6 children so Jael amassed quite an audience for her big moment. When checked it seemed the kid was in good position with one foot up and head engaged but after several minutes of no progress and tugging on the foot made no difference, I decided to check a bit farther and see if I could find the other foot. Find it I did, flexed at the knee and up under the baby’s chest. Straightened it out and Jael pushed like a trooper delivering a nice  8 pound strapping buckling. Congratulations Molly, your baby boy is here! The boy was doing well and being nicely de slimed by all our helpers so I turned back to Jael to see if the next kid was in position just has she gave a mighty shove and delivered the head and torso of a nice very black doe. I could barely get her face cleared off when Jael had her evicted and turned to see what she had done. Off to the milk room with the twins both weighing in at 8 pounds each and the entourage of children and adults. Babies were quickly dried and fed and tucked into their house to rest and practice standing. Momma is doing great and contributed 6 pints of colostrum to our supplies.

  VIV REALLY DELIVERS!

   March 31

Well, It has been a hard two days for Viv as she struggled to breathe and waddle with her kids growing bigger by the hour. Poor girl looked like a Harlequin blimp as she waddled around the barn. We moved her to the kidding stall to give her some space and allow her to eat whenever she had enough room. Today she got down to business and began moving her kids into position. She worked on it pretty much all day quietly and effectively. At 4:00PM she began calling for us and as soon as we arrived in the barn she pushed out a huge lake of fluids and two brown and white feet. Back feet. Good girl! a perfect rear presentation. A mighty heave and out slipped a flashy boy and more goo. We rescued him from the lake and got his face clear as Viv delivered his brother also brown and white perfectly positioned with nose and toes first. Cleared his face and got a little of the slime off the two of them when nose and one foot appeared and a black and white doeling came, followed by her sister in the same position. All 4 kids were strong and active and weighed in at 6.5 pounds to 7.3 pounds. Momma was considerably thinner and the kidding stall considerably wetter... when all was done. Babies were dried and fed and tucked in to the tipi for a nap while we headed in for dinner.

　REBECCA REFUSES TO BE OUTDONE

March 31

Rebecca is a bit of a sneak when it comes to kidding. She is very very quiet about the whole process and tries to be un noticed but we caught her as she began to discharge the pre kidding telltale string. LeRoy pulled her out of the doe pen and put her into the hastily cleaned and re bedded kidding stall and we continued to get the evening chores finished up. A quick check revealed a tail and no feet blocking the exit. A quick retrieval of feet and a good push and we had a nice black and white doeling. Next doeling arrived with nose and toes presented just like in the text books. A nice black and white doeling for us, Immediately another set of feet and an nose appeared and nice black and white buckling slid into the world. Congratulations Becky your boy is here! Now these kids weren't all that big but then neither was Rebecca or so it seemed but I decided better safe than sorry and checked to be sure she was finished ... Well, she wasn't and a pretty little brown doe was waiting to make her appearance... Now I need to go out and feed all 8 of these new arrivals before trying to get a little sleep before the next batch appears :-)

RAMA RISES TO THE CHALLENGE

April 1

I checked the monitor at 4:00AM and watched Rama resting comfortably.

LeRoy checked again at 5:30 and saw what he thought were 2 babies with Rama. Jumped up and put on the same kidding clothes as yesterday and stumbled out to the barn to find not two but 3 active and wet kids awaiting the hair dryer and towels. Rama did a great job de sliming them for us. Good thing I got all those towels from yesterday washed and dried last night! Two boys and a light gold girl joined the ranks of the newborns. The little girl will stay with us and sports the name Reuel Rama’s EXP Fool’s Gold. Thanks for the suggestion Tracy! Mom gave a nice contribution of colostrum to the cause, cleaned before 10AM and returned to the doe pen somewhat befuddled but ready for a good nap. I wish all the births would go this nicely. :-) The boys are off to be raised for meat.

RHESA RESPONDS ROYALLY!

APRIL 1

Rhesa has been groaning her way through her nights for two weeks.

Actually she has been carrying her pregnancy very well considering how huge she was and how old she is. She has been eating well and generally in good form. Last night she went into the kidding pen as her ligaments were very faint. Today she was quite content to remain there and spent the best part of the day contemplating her belly and muttering quietly to herself. Around 2 she started showing a nice string of clear goo about the size of a pencil that slowly increased in size. We checked on her at 4:00PM and she immediately turned and put her head into the corner that we stand them in when we are checking kid positions or delivering kids. A quick check revealed a kid in pretty good position and a tug retrieved his doubled under foot and Rhesa pushed him out very nicely. The next doe was in great posterior position and came into the world very quickly, good thing I was there to catch her, next a nice big boy arrived followed by a rather reluctant doeling and Rhesa breathed a sigh of relief, guzzled down 2 gallons of Blue Brew and set to work cleaning while we lugged her quads into the milk room to be dried, given ID collars and fed. They ate pretty well and were tucked into the newborn tipi. Mom was milked and had very little but rich colostrum. During evening chores the kids ate very well and tested their ability to stand on the slippery milk room floor. Thankfully our meat raising friend appeared just as Rhesa’s last kid was fed and we bundled up 5 bucks and sent them off for her to raise. We also sent Rebecca’s tiny girl off to the home of a 4Her to become a member of her family and so she can get the extra TLC she needs to thrive. Rhesa gave a pint of colostrum at the evening milking. Rhesa’s was a fairly easy delivery and we are both very relieved. Congratulations to the Myers family on the arrival of their new buckling. He is a flashy little Dude!

BELLA CHIMES IN

April 2

At 1:30 this afternoon Belecia settled down to deliver her triplets. Bella isn't a very big almost 2 year old and we were very surprised at the size of her brood. LeRoy checked on her after we made a quick run to the grocery and feed stores in town and came in and told me that she would be kidding later this afternoon. I finished putting the groceries away just as she started in giving some serious pushing. We got to the barn and found her with a kid part way out. Well it was a head only presentation so I slid my hand in along the kid’s neck and retrieved a foot. Bella gave a mighty heave and out slid a nice girl. She was quickly followed by two boys one in a rear presentation and one the classic nose and toes. Bella quickly cleaned and returned to the doe pen while we finished getting her kids dry fed and tucked into the newborn tipi then proceeded to feed all the kids their lunch. That took some time since we have a lot of babies on the bottle! Got in and finally had a cup of coffee and relaxed for a few minutes. It was quickly apparent that the next doe in line wasn't planning on waiting very long before having her kids. Got dinner in the oven and hoped we would get to eat it hot. Bella’s babies are good eaters and are working on getting their long legs to follow orders. Mom and babies are doing fine! Congratulations to you Ruthie your boy is lookin good! He will be ready to go home in a couple of weeks. Her smaller boy is already gone to be raised for meat.

　RUTH RATES A "WELL DONE!"

April 2

Ruthie went into the kidding stall this morning and was quite happy there. After LeRoy swamped out the main kidding stall Ruth was moved there where we could watch her a bit more closely. She worked on her kids all afternoon and then waited patiently for us to appear for evening chores before heading into the "delivery" corner to await assistance. A quick check found a kid in good position but with her head tipped up and caught on the pelvic arch. A little repositioning and some tugging and a nice brown kid was quickly placed on the kidding pad, suctioned out and covered with a warm towel. The evening had turned quite cold and it was snowing! :-/ The next kid was not eager to vacate the hot tub and kept pulling his feet back in; a firm hold and a good push from mom and the little critter arrived in great shape. He was put on the pad and de slimed, covered and toted to the milk room with his sister. After their "welcome to the world" treatment and a meal they both joined the ranks in the newborn tipi that is now getting quite crowded! Ruth is 9 years old now and we were surprised that she had twins for us. She contributed a nice amount of colostrum to the cause and drank down a gallon or more of her Blue Brew. She gets a private room for the night so she can get a little rest and all she wants to eat. Her strapping big boy is off to be raised for meat!

RAYA RACKS UP ANOTHER!

April 5

Good grief! It is another set of large and vigorous quadruplets! Raya worked all day getting her kids in line for their birth and then quietly began the process at 3:30 this afternoon. A quick check found the first lined up and heading out to see the world. He quickly slipped into the chilly world and was de gooed and placed on the pad covered with a towel just in time to see the foot of his brother emerging. A quick catch and he emerged and was placed with his brother and de slimed while there was a slight pause in the excitement. Turning back to Raya there was another foot and a gentle tug produced a nice roan doeling to join the kid pile.

Deciding that must be all I checked to be sure and nope there was yet another ready to emerge. The third boy quickly joined the pile and 31 pounds of kids were lugged off to the milk room for their drying and first meal. Momma gratefully guzzled down 2 gallons of Blue Brew and worked on cleaning. Babies were dried tagged, weighed and fed and moved to the Newborn Tipi to rest and await their next feeding. As you can see it was quite a basket full if babies!

GINGHAM GETS IT DONE

 April 15

Gingham started muttering to her unborn babies at 3:30 this morning and seemed quite content and happy. At 6:00AM she started pushing in earnest and we jumped out of bed to go and assist as needed and retrieve the babies as they arrived. It was a very happy surprise to bolt from the house carrying a jacket and find that the temperature was in the mid to upper 40's. Didn't really need that jacket after all. Arrived just as nose and toes made their entrance into the world and scooped up a slimy little boy. He was very quickly followed by a nice big strong girl also nose and toes position. A little time to de slime and cover with a towel when feet emerged but they were back feet, Not a problem but I assisted on the delivery to prevent the nice big buckling’s inhaling birth fluids as the umbilical cord broke. A little fast face wiping and a suction and he was breathing just fine. Mom was very happy and wanted to mother the babies as we did some preliminary clean up and off they went to the milk room for the drying, tagging and feeding routine. All done before the first cup of coffee for the day. Thankfully LeRoy headed to the house and returned with fresh coffee and a bottle of frozen heat treated colostrum. This set of triplets weighed in at 6.0, 7.7 and 7.7 pounds. Quite a nice big set of kids for Gingham. Gingham spent the next 24 hours in the kidding stall working on getting the final few inches of afterbirth to loosen and fall free. She returned to the milking string and is doing great as are the babies. The 6 pound buckling is off to be raised for meat the doe is listed on our sale page and the big boy is heading to his new home as a Junior Herd sire in Jane Sosa’s herd. Jane named her boy Reuel Gingham’s MIC George. He and his siblings are all going on the lambar tonight.

ZADEE ZAPS US AGAIN!

 March 19

ZIP! ZONK! ZOWIE!, Batman!, What’s going on here! This afternoon at 2:00PM with the bright sun shining and the temperature around 73 degrees and a very light breeze, Zadee went into labor and was fully dilated but just didn’t seem to be progressing rapidly... I checked to find a nice sized kid in perfect position but being impeded by her slightly larger sister. I pushed the sister back just a little and gave a helping tug as Zadee delivered a beautiful palomino colored doeling! Yea, Zadee she is beautiful! Next in line was the over eager sister who is a deep, dark sable, with white ears nose and cap. Followed by a nice sable colored boy with the aforementioned markings and a somewhat smaller girl also sable with the same markings. A very nice basket full of kids, quickly deslimed, dried and fed all with the help of our trusty Daddy dog Trampus. Zadee is five years old and seems to be doing great as are her kids! Zadee drank down a gallon or so of her blue brew, licked both LeRoy and myself and turned her attention to her alfalfa. Congratulations to the Myers on the birth of their doeling.

KAELA KATCHES ON

May 3, 2010

Well, we marked down the first breeding that Kaela had but evidently she just stood still for a moment and Micah bred her at any rate she apparently settled a week later and today she delivered a beautiful set of light tan twins. The girl was first and weighed in at 7.1 pounds and the boy that followed tipped the scales at 8.1 pounds. Those are nice BIG kids especially considering that Kaela is only a little yearling. Mom and kids are doing fine and Kaela needed minimal help as she had her kids lined up and ready to go. I am sure she will be a bit sore for a few days as the buck has a beautiful wide head and muzzle. Kaela gave me a pint of nice rich colostrum and did pretty well for her first milking. The babies both ate well and were tucked into the newborn Tipi for their afternoon nap. Kaela was quite confused but fascinated by those wet and hairy little things and Trampus relished the opportunity to help get them cleaned up and dry. The buck insisted on arriving with one foot and his head and he was too big for me to retrieve the second foot so Kaela had a bit of a hard time on him. She’s a good girl and we appreciate her timing as it was 1:15PM the sun is shining and it is 55 degrees...never mind that the sustained winds are around 40+ MPH. It certainly beats 3:00AM deliveries!

KARIMIKU KEEPS IT GOING!

May 6, 2010

Karimiku spent the day in the kidding stall and was quite content to be there. We watched her all day and visited her on occasion as she tried to figure out what this kidding thing was all about. During our dinner we listened as she started talking to her unborn babies and took to lying down in the corner rather than moving around her stall. After a relaxed dinner I sipped coffee and waited for her to begin serious labor. We headed out to the barn to do evening chores just a few minutes early thinking she might just be waiting on our appearance. Well, as soon as we got in the barn she looked at us and started her early pushing. We fed the babies, and started milking. As I finished up the second group of four and we emptied the bucket to get the milk into the pasteurizer she delivered her first kid. As I finished the 3^rd group of milkers I checked on her just as she slid out the second. She wasn’t really sure of what these slimy, wet, wiggly things were but she was certainly going to keep an eye on them!

We finished up the milking and brought the kids into the milk room and we got Karimiku milked then fed the boys their first meal. Mom did well for her first milking and returned to the kidding stall for the night so she could clean. The boys weighed in at 6.5 and 6.6 pounds, very respectable weights for a little yearling first freshener. Sorry no pictures so you will have to trust me on this they were very cute!

RUSTI RUSHES ON!

May 11, 2010

Rusti spent all day in the kidding stall and was very happy to be there. She and Alveena were sharing the accommodations quite happily. At evening chores Rusti came in the milk room and hopped up on her stand for grain as usual. She had a slight discharge and her udder was growing slowly. She and Alveena were loose and open and without discernable ligaments and so were returned to the kidding stall for the night. At 11:30 I heard some pushing and watched them closely on the monitor but couldn't for the life of me figure out which one was actually pushing... Eventually Rusti stood up and made another nest in the straw and began to push in earnest. I woke up LeRoy and headed for the barn. Rusti was pushing nicely and with a minimal amount of fuss delivered a big boy swiftly followed by a petite doeling and proceeded to watch them closely as they began to struggle to their feet. She was fascinated by the little things and began to investigate more closely as we whisked them off to the milk room for drying and their first meal. Momma gave enough colostrum for her tykes and stood very well for her first milking. Babies were tucked safely into the Tipi and we gratefully slid into our warn bed in an attempt to get more sleep while listening to Alveena. It was a very short night but babies and mom are doing fine. The boy will go off to be raised for meat and the girl is sold. ( Congratulations, Kerri) All in all a very good job for another yearling first freshener.

ALVEENA ADDS HER 2 CENTS WORTH!

May 13, 2010

Alveena spent the night resting comfortably and quietly, quite content to have the kidding stall all to herself. She waddled in for her grain at chore time last night got on the stand and ate her grain nicely. At midnight she was quietly sleeping. At 4:30 she started calling quietly and was seriously interested in her tail... I watched her for awhile on the TV and finally woke LeRoy as I headed out to check on her. She wasn’t pushing but was talking a lot. I found her with a puddle of goo but no feet showing. A little exploration found feet but no head. :-/ Worked with her for awhile and determined that there was a third foot and a head all trying to emerge at the same time. I had to push the first feet back and finally managed to get the head and two feet over the top of the first legs and she managed to push out a pretty black doeling. The second kid was much more difficult as she had her head turned back and twisted down to the left... I finally managed to get the head up and in position and Alveena pushed like a real pro and the second doeling arrived quickly and little the worse for wear... I wish I could say the same about my hand.... Momma is busy working on cleaning, the babies were dried and fed a small meal and tucked in the Tipi to rest and we returned to the warm house for coffee and an early breakfast. It was about 32 degrees this morning at sunrise and a beautiful morning it is. Later maybe a nap would be nice!

KONA HAS THE KABOOSE!

May 18, 2010

Well Kona got down to business soon after she was put into the kidding stall after evening milking. She was very quiet and dug herself a little nest where she rested contentedly. She looked like she was going to hold out until morning so she could deliver on LeRoy’s birthday. At about 11:30 I got ready for bed and gave one last look at her on the monitor and all appeared well. I crawled into bed and settled into a most comfortable position when I heard pushing sounds.... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I really was going to get to bed early....a quiet pause and the pushing sounds came again. Trampus jumped up and headed up to the living room and back to get us... LeRoy was rudely awakened and I jumped into sweats and headed to the barn. Kona was very dramatic and waited until LeRoy appeared before she got down to work and delivered a nice set of twin girls at 12:01. The girls were treated to their coming out party, and tucked into the newborn Tipi for the night. Both of these does are going to be offered for sale.

SUMMARY

This year our kidding season went from February 4 (my birthday) through May 18 (LeRoy’s Birthday)

We had 63 kids born : 29 bucks and 34 does. We freshened 25 does and had 3 single births, 12 sets of twins, 4 sets of triplets and 6 sets of quadruplets! One set from Viv who is 3, two sets from 4 year olds (Raya and Rebecca), 2 sets from 5 year olds ( Chinook and Zadee) and one set from our 7 year old Rhesa! All the quads are thriving and were good sized with the smallest weighing in at 4.9 pounds and the largest tipping the scales at 8.3 pounds. All the moms are doing great. We lost only one kid this season. A buckling out of a first freshener. He inhaled too much fluid. In short it was a fantastic season and we are very blessed. A few tangles and a couple of difficult malpresentations but nothing that was really impossible. The girls are milking well and settling into their familiar routine. The last of the sold milkers went to their new home and we are down to milking 15. The first pen of kids will be weaned soon and quickly followed by 2 more pens the first week in June. We should be finished pasteurizing milk for babies by July 18 at the latest :-) We hope that you have enjoyed this kidding log and that you will stop by our breeding plan page and sale page for any additions as we go through the year.