Thought I would update everybody on the goats.
May did deliver her afterbirth later Sunday evening….and is apparently nursing the baby boy. Mom seems to be recovering very well, pretty amazing after delivering 4 babies.
At our house…..Billy and I have been taking turns getting up with the little one. She is precious.
When Billy comes in at the end of the day….he always wants to know if she is ready to eat. I think he really likes that time with her.
Seems they both enjoy taking a cat nap after a really long day…..
Here she is 2 days old….and still pretty weak.
It is amazing the difference in her and her brother. Here her brother is 3 days old.
You can see how much stronger he is. He even jumps around a good bit.
May is taking good care of him. When I pick him up…. he feels like a puppy with a fat belly. He is probably 4 pounds or so…..It is my guess that baby girl probably weighs 2 pounds at the most.
Monday when we started taking care of his baby sister she couldn’t stand. Her little legs were just floppy. Billy and I wandered if she would ever be able to walk. We were encouraged to see her continuing to at least try to stand….so we would help her just a little by balancing her. She is gradually standing more and more on her own.
We tell her what a good girl she is when we see her standing.
Yesterday morning….bright and early… Billy and I decided to take baby girl over to her mother and try to get some milk from her. We figure it has to be better for her than any formula. I laid the baby girl down and backed away. May, made her way over to sniff and lick her a bit. I was glad to see that she showed her some interest. Although she wouldn’t relax enough to nurse her. Baby girl still has to be warmed because she is so small so I couldn’t let her stay out in the wind for long. But Billy and I was able to hold May long enough for me to get about 1 ounce of milk from her. I had brought the bottle with me, so I instantly fed the baby while the milk was warm from the mother. She gobbled it up….when we returned home, she took 2 more ounces of formula.
It was cute to see her brother come over and sniff his sister. She in turn showed interest in him as well.
We haven’t named either one yet. Somehow that just hasn’t been top on the list this week. Although we have been running a few names by each other. I guess we will settle on one soon. Meanwhile they are just baby girl and baby boy.
It is our hope that we can get baby girl strong enough to go over and visit with Mom and brother each day….and eventually have her be able to stay. Of course the best scenario would be for her mother to start nursing her….but if she doesn’t…I suppose we can still let them stay together and feed her with a bottle at the farm.
This was last night….at dinner time. She was practicing her standing skills.
She is definitely stronger.
She doesn’t seem to mind the taste of the formula.
Just a day or so ago she was only taking an ounce at a time….but now she takes 2 to 3 ounces. So we are seeing progress.
Billy was funny last night when he said…..do you think she will sleep through the night. We aren’t to that point yet…but she has only been getting us up once during the night….so that isn’t too bad. Billy has actually gotten up with her the last 2 nights….although I hear her…and always ask if she ate good….I am able to go right back to sleep. It sure has been nice!
We are really glad she is getting better….but we have a long way to go.
Somehow….I do think she is alright with her care givers. She sure seems content.
I've Gone Country 
Posted by Debbie on February 8, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Wow! How precious. I want that picture of Billy & sweet pea sleeping to be your Christmas card next year. Love it. Glad you updated & glad these two are doing well. Is it unusual for a goat to have 4 babies at once? Seems like a lot.
Posted by Aunt Janet on February 8, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Today I was able to read your past blogs. I love these goat stories! How much fun it is for both of you. A lot of work, I;m sure but rewarding. Sweet.