Spot is due the 11th, and just now when my son and I went out to check on her she was lying down, panting, with a definite bulge back there. I spread her vulva and saw what I certainly could have sworn was a little pink nose.
Of course all the humans flew into disarray. Spot is now bedded down in the garage on a thick layer of wood chips covered in hay....and now she's acting pretty normal, poking her nose here and there and eating hay, but with periodic bulging back there and widening of the vulva--but it closes back up between what I'm guessing are contractions.
BUT she has no milk in her udder, at least not where we're used to seeing it. My son just pointed out that she does have sort of an "upper udder" forming--but nothing down by her teat (only one is functional.)
I stupidly do not have milk or colostrum on hand, having trusted to Spot's many-times proven ability to provide bountiful milk. How could I have been so foolish? Is there anything I can do?
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Nope, that's wrong--the bigger girl was 10 inches, the buckling was 9.
Here are the stats on the kids:
The "little" doeling weighs in at 3 lbs, her sister at 3.8 lbs and the buckling at 4.2 lbs. (Ouch, poor Spot!) They measure 8, 9 and 10 inches at the shoulders, respectively.
Thanks Jackie--and everybody for your support! I would have gone nuts without the information and advice offered here. AND I realized what Spot was waiting for...yesterday was hubby's and my anniversary! So sweet of her to keep those babies in (and grow them to SUCH a size) just to give us a present! She IS a remarkably sweet girl.
Congratulations Katie! I've been checking every day to see if Spot kidded!
I think it was along the lines of four fingers. I had to push the one not only back but up and out of the way. Both of those two are really big kids. It's hard to believe they were born the same day as their tiny older sister who was born without my help (and a little comical to see them together.)
Good luck with your kidding, Deborah!
Congrats! So glad you were home to assist... I have 4 weeks until our very first babies on our farm will be born. I'm so excited, but nervous at the same time. I'm glad my husband's uncle only lives a block away to assist if I need help. He runs a cow and goat dairy at a local prison. So he knows what's going on :0)
Congratulations! Glad it all worked out! Now you can get some sleep!
Depending upon how far you had your had in her, she may or may not need antibiotics. If you seriously had your whole hand in there, then probably yes. If you just used a couple of fingers to hold one back while the other was being born, then probably not. The penicillin dosage should be on the bottle. It can vary depending upon which one you have.
My doe that is now at 150 days, which I was starting to think might be due next month (five months after a buck escape) -- she is now finally in labor!
TRIPLETS!!! Two Doelings and a Buckling, at about 10:30am. She popped the first one out when I went to take a shower, of course, but waited for the second two because she needed me--the buckling was breech and the doeling is HUGE and they both were trying to come out at once. I pushed Mr. Breech back in so Big Big Big Sister could be born, but then let him come breech because there was plenty of room.
I need to give Spot some penicillin because I had my hand in there, right? How much and when?
Yes, she had quads last year, triplets the two or three years before that. I was starting to doubt the due date too, and got in touch with the breeder to have her check the buck's paperwork...yup, she was due the 11th.
No ligaments of any kid were in evidence when I was out there a couple of hours ago. Going out to check again here shortly. I have oil radiators set up in the garage, so it's significantly warmer in there than outside. Sixty doesn't feel so warm to us y'know.
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