Free's kidding journal 2011: Plum's death wish p 42

[noobiechickenlady]

They are GORGEOUS!!

 

[freemotion]

I agree with all of you! I am appreciating keeping babies with the mother already, and they are not even a day old yet. Cleaning meconium off of 3 babies....all light colored....something I haven't had to do yet. I was very tempted to put Ginger back in with them this morning! At least I know they all have working parts!

Here's the story:

You know how Ginger tortured me. Well, when I started seeing little contractions yesterday, I brought all my supplies to the stall along with a big cup of tea and some reading I needed to get done. After about an hour, Ginger started licking me in earnest, and licked my books. I knew it was getting close.

It took her a long time this time....really, close to 3 hours from that first little contraction to the birth of the last baby. She never had goo and I never saw her "water break." She got up and lay down and pushed for an hour and I was getting worried for a bit, but she never pushed seriously during that time and never lost fluid of any type....so I just tried to breath. My mind was racing, though, and my heart was pounding!

Finally, she started pushing in earnest and I saw the bubble. I went over to see if I could see the right parts in it....two feet, offset, and a nose. Just as I determined that yes, it was correct, she gave a great push and delivered the shoulders, and after one or two breaths pushed the rest out. I quickly cleared the doeling's face and took the picture that I posted of Ginger licking her. I love the soft little noises the doe makes for her babies....so sweet.

It was another 45 minutes or so....more torture! before she got serious with the next one. I was so worried that it was not presented correctly, especially since I was alone here by then. Dad is sick and dh was at work by then. That was when I ran up to the house to find the betadine, missing from my kit, since I was making the decision to give her 15 minutes then I was going to go in. She had been doing some serious pushing and was producing nothing, not even a bubble.

Well, when I ran back to the stall, she was down and pushing and there was a bubble, and like before, a great effort produced the entire buckling in one big push....he was HUGE! No wonder it took her so long! She got right up to turn to see him and I cleared his face. The membrane was quite thick and for a moment I thought I'd need to grab my scissors! I had to really tear to get it off his face. I picked him up by the hind feet to drain his airway since he was in the sack for so long after being born. He coughed a bit. He was heavy and slippery! I called my mom to tell her the news while toweling him off. I was amazed to see Ginger already passing the placenta.

Then she made another huge push and out gushed the last big doeling....I quickly said to my mom, "There's another one! Gotta go!" and hung up on her...leaving her a bit confused. The membrane on the girl was very tough, too, but I was prepared for that and got it off with a very quick struggle and held her by the back feet, too, to drain.

I don't think Ginger would have been able to handle clearing both babies by herself and I am so glad I was there. She had a tough time keeping track of all three as it was and stood on the boy's hind leg at one point. He yelled, and I thought, "Well, he's got Nubian in him for sure, and a set of lungs!" before realizing that he was in pain. I quickly pushed her off, then spent the rest of the time guarding and watching closely.

My folks came over and mom held the tiny girl while my dad brought me some floss and scissors so I could snip the umbilicals of the last two. They were quite long and tough and I couldn't tear them. The buckling's was quite long and he was in danger of it getting stepped on, so we really had to be alert to this, especially when he started to get up....which was pretty quickly. It always amazes me.

I got all the umbilical cords dipped in iodine and milked Ginger right into a baby bottle and got everyone some milk from the bottle a few times. Everyone got a little coat and I put a board up to contain the heat from the heat lamp since it was windy and the heat was not staying right under the lamp as well as I'd hoped. They learned very quickly where the warm spot is.

I took Ginger out last night and milked her and got a whopping 1.5 ounces, which I put into a bottle and gave to the little one, who seemed very hungry. The other two were calm and had round, heavy tummies. I didn't return her to the stall and there was some soft, anxious crying. I had a glass of wine and wiped my tears. :/ Oh, Ginger was crying, too.

This morning she was really withholding the milk from me and gave me only 9 ounces! From a full and large udder. I gave each kid 2 ounces and had to walk to the store to get some whole milk....the neighbor with kids only had 2%. I mixed it with the reserved 3 oz of colostrum and gave them each another 6 oz, which only the boy finished. I suspect that the little one would not have done well with her bigger siblings. She is a very slow eater and could not compete, and Ginger was not patient with her, favoring the bigger kids. I do believe in interfering with nature at times. The peanut doeling can catch up and grow into a strong doe with a bit of help, which she is getting. I got her two siblings fed and then some before she was done.

By the way, I need an extra hand....how will I feed three kids with only two hands??? Once they know the bottle better, I will be holding one between my knees!

They all experimented with their hopping after their bottles. It was stinkin' cute! And I held each one and kissed their little faces and whispered sweet nothings into those looooooong donkey ears. Sigh.....

 

[savingdogs]

You mean you can't hold the third bottle in your teeth?

Great story, Free, thanks for sharing the tale of the birth....

 

[glenolam]

So...you're getting them on the bottle vs. dam raised so you can sell them quicker and get milk sooner?

Awesome job - lemme know when you need me to stop on by and love up on some new babies!

 

[glenolam]

How are the kids today? Still got them donkey ears or are they drooping a little?

 

[Henrietta23]

That would be Donki ears around here! LOL

 

[savingdogs]

What a cutie!

 

[glenolam]

aWWWWWWWW

 

[Henrietta23]

that's my goofy goatie girl! Wish she still had that energy

 

[FarmerDenise]

Oh my gosh, they are sooo cuuute. Those ears are amazing. SO thinks they are bunny ears!!
I have to wait til July for Blossom to give birth. Good thing I have grand baby to keep me occupied til then.