My quad delivery

About a week ago, I was asking about a prolapse. Deborah told me to talk to my vet to be prepared ahead of time. I can only get a hold of my vet at 7 am, so I figured I would call in the morning. That evening, when I was putting her away for the night, I couldn't find her ligaments. I hoped she would hold off until morning, but I got everything prepared and set up my monitor. She was quiet until 2 am, when she gave a few yells. Not real loud ones. But my last goat lost all three of her babies, so I was slightly paranoid. I decided to get up and go out there and see what was going on. When I got out there, there was a baby in it's sack, by her rear. I rushed over there, broke the sack, but it was already dead. She pushed two more out, without making a sound. They kinda just slid right out. Then she started pushing and gave a few yells. I looked and saw the placenta. I thought she was going to have four, but only three had come out. Then I looked again. A baby was coming out with the placenta. Butt first. I was able to pull with her pushing and it came out with no problem. Three, healthy, alive babies. So happy about that, but still so bothered by the fact that I didn't get out there in time for the first one. I thought goats were supposed to naturally know what to do? She didn't do a thing until I put the babies by her face. Also, is it normal for them all to come out in an intact sack?

Anyway, after the fourth baby, the placenta was kinda just half in and half out and I could see a part of her uterus pushing out. So it's 3 am, I'm worried about what to do when her uterus just falls out.... she's not standing up to let the babies nurse, I'm afraid to make her stand up because I think that if she does her uterus will definitely fall out.... I'm usually not a worrier, but this year's kiddings have me going crazy! So after a while I decide to go make the kids a bottle of colostrum. And of course by the time I get back, Skittles is standing up. And all looked well in her back end. Phew! :-)

When Indiana kidded David said she didn't bother with the first two babies...I think she knew there was something wrong with them she only worried about the third one. It happens, and its sad, but don't feel guilty, there will be more babies and more experiences to learn by. Because of what happened with Madison, Indiana's second kid that died two weeks later, I have since learned how to tube feed, there is a slim chance that if I had known how to do this I might have saved both kids that died in Feb. and somehow I feel like when they kid in October I will be prepared for that and something new will happen. Have to do your best and let the rest roll off I guess. At least you're taking care of your animals and are as prepared as you could have been. I don't know what happened to the doe of that guy who called yesterday, and I probably don't want to know.

Replies

Anna Cummings April 20, 2011 at 8:41pm

Yes, she is a ff. And, yes, those sacs are thick!! Crazy! She new exactly what to do once I put them by here face, so that was good. Learning things the hard way sure has new meaning now.
Adrienne April 19, 2011 at 11:21pm

When Indiana kidded David said she didn't bother with the first two babies...I think she knew there was something wrong with them she only worried about the third one. It happens, and its sad, but don't feel guilty, there will be more babies and more experiences to learn by. Because of what happened with Madison, Indiana's second kid that died two weeks later, I have since learned how to tube feed, there is a slim chance that if I had known how to do this I might have saved both kids that died in Feb. and somehow I feel like when they kid in October I will be prepared for that and something new will happen. Have to do your best and let the rest roll off I guess. At least you're taking care of your animals and are as prepared as you could have been. I don't know what happened to the doe of that guy who called yesterday, and I probably don't want to know.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle April 19, 2011 at 10:32pm

So, it sounds like everything went okay, other than losing the first one? Is this a first freshener? Usually experienced moms know they need to lick off the kid. I'm thinking the majority of kids are born with the sac intact, which is kind of funny when you consider that the cord almost always breaks when the kid is being born. Those sacs are tough though. We lost one like that this year. It was a first freshener, and I was out in the barn doing chores at the time! I kept walking through the kidding barn looking at her, but somehow I missed the first one coming out, and she had no idea what to do with it. When she pushed out the second and third ones, I put them by her face, and she licked and licked and licked! Don't beat yourself up about missing the first one. Some of these goats are so stoic!

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