I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

You might remember that we had a goat named May that was expecting.  I thought that she was going to have them a long time ago….but I didn’t know her official due date.  She just kept getting bigger…and bigger….and bigger.   Until she was big as a barrel.   Saturday….Billy and I said surely she can’t get any bigger, she has to be close.

She finally delivered in the early morning hours this Sunday.  She had four babies.  2 girls and 2 boys.  One of the girls was still born.  I hate to see that happen.

The other three seemed to be doing fine.

I couldn’t believe how cute they were.

Layla and Poo-pa checked in on them and gave them a little love.

They also decided to name the little girl goat that was still born Angelina.  They buried her while I checked on Mama goat…May.  The babies seemed in pretty good shape, but it didn’t seem like the mama was giving them much attention.  She was still trying to pass her afterbirth.  I think she was too preoccupied with that to care.  We watched them throughout the afternoon, but never saw them nurse.  Billy got a rope and as Layla said….Poop-pa Lassoed her.  He did a very good job at it too.  He’s looking more and more like a real cowboy these days.  May has always been very skittish.  We bought her back in May…hence her name.  And she never has let us touch her.  She is getting to where she will get closer to us….but just not too close.  Billy gently lassoed her and then petted her while I milked her.  The babies must have the colostrum from the mother within hours or they will die.  Not knowing if she had nursed earlier or not….we felt we had to try to help.

She produced about 3 1/2 ounces for me.  We gathered the babies up in a crate and took them to the house.  It was a cold day although it was warm if you were in the sun.  I felt like they needed a little warmth and some warm food in their bellies to give them a good chance at survival.

It took a while….but I was finally able to get them all fed.  We made the tough decision of returning them to their mother for the night.  They were much stronger now and would be able to climb toward their mother if she would lay near them.  She was laying down resting and eagerly greeted them when we brought them back to her.

Billy and I couldn’t help but worry about them…..

Yesterday morning bright and early….Billy checked on them.  Everyone was fine….whew…what a relief.

A little after nine, I checked on them….things weren’t fine.

The black and white goat who was the biggest of them all had died.  He was laying beside the runt of the litter, who is the other little girl.  The mother and the other baby boy were on one side of the hay bales and these two were on the other side.  The runt seemed alright so I placed her near her mother and brother and quickly grabbed the black one up and tried to revive him.  I cuddled him up in a soft towel and held him close to me inside my jacket and brought him to the house.  I warmed his body with the warm air from the blow dryer…all  while giving him breaths of air and massaging his little chest.  But it was just too late.

This is a picture we took on Sunday afternoon…he was a cute little thing.

After working with him I decided I had better go back and check on the baby girl (runt) that had been laying beside him.

(This is the baby girl…. runt…picture taken on Sunday)

By this time about 20 minutes had passed by.  She looked very weak.  Apparently Mama wasn’t letting them nurse.

The baby boy goat that had been laying next to her must have been the only one she was taking care of.  He was very strong and was wiggling his tail….which is a good sign.

(This is the boy…picture taken on Sunday)

I gathered the runt up and once again wrapped her up in a towel and put her inside my jacket.  I didn’t have time to try to get colostrum from the mother so I headed to the feed store with the baby.  I was able to buy some.  She was so weak she could barely hold her head up.  She wouldn’t even try to take the bottle.  I squirted a tiny bit in her mouth and hoped it would ease down her throat.  Little by little I was able to get some in her.  Back at home I arranged a bed for her complete with a heating pad under a pad of towels.  She laid so still it was pitiful.  Every once in a while she would cry out…..sounding like a little baby.

Through the afternoon I pampered her, loved her, held her and fed her.  She slowly started sitting up and seemed to be gaining strength.

Finally by suppertime….she started taking the bottle.

She ate real well.

Soooooo…..Last night I went to bed with a box on the floor beside me…complete with a baby goat.   I woke up sometime during the night and just had to laugh.  The next time I woke up it was to the cry of that baby wanting a 1:30 feeding.

I know……What do you do?  I couldn’t let her just die.  So even as I type this blog she has given the I’m hungry cry.

I just took this picture while holding her….she is much stronger today.

Thankfully, I was able to also buy some goat milk supplement .  She is supposed to graduate to drinking that today.

Meanwhile….we wait for the bottle to warm!