Panzy kidded today. I'll try for a pic tomorrow, as it was a rough one! I couldn't untangle stuck kids. Had one rear hoof, one front hoof. I took her to my dog/cat vet who did a stint on a diary farm and a pig farm, so experience sorting out this kind of thing. First kid was easy for her. Second was dead, both front feet coming, head WAY back over her back, and big. Vet couldn't bring her head around, and she was dead, so vet cut one leg off at the shoulder to make room. At that point she was able to pull it. THANK GOD! Brought Panzy and doeling (3.8 lbs) home in a blizzard, got stuck ON THE ROAD, nice plow guy came, plowed me out, took a good 45 mn. to drive 20 miles. I'm eating cardboard pizza at 10:00 PM, and last meal was muffins at 10:00 AM. Cardboard pizza never tasted so good! Praying Panzy makes it through this.
Frustrated, because I have fed what I considered a good diet to help not have huge kids. Same as last year. Grass hay, minerals, kelp until last week and a half. Then a little grain (about 1/2 c. at the end, and alfalfa. What gives?? Last year she had a single buckling around 4 lbs. really pretty easily. We didn't weigh the kid pieces, but it was a little bigger probably than the live doeling.
Hope this makes sense. TIRED and still have to wash towels to replenish my kidding basket.
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Rachel, I hope things go great for you. I bet they will! My Cupcake (though she didn't make it until she kidded this time) was always huge, and didn't have huge kids or many. Only a single doeling the first time, and twins the second. The twins were 2 and 3 lbs, if I remember correctly. Starlight, on the other hand, never looks like she's going to have more than one maybe, and has had three both times. It's deceptive though. If I look at her from her level and the side, you can see she's so deep and there's room for a lot of kids in there! Best wishes, and I can't wait to hear the good news! :)
:( so sorry to hear about your rough day!! I am worried about Ginger and large kids again... I didn't feed grains at all this time. She is HUGE, and she either has huge kids, or more of them. I'm hoping for more. I don't think I'll breed her again if she has two and they are huge like the last time.
Thanks you, Margaret and Marty :)
Glad Panzy made it through the day OK. You just never can tell with folks or goats how things are going to work out.
My good friend just had a baby, and after several normal deliveries, this one was forceps and specialists coming in at 3 am. She ways just over 5 lbs. Smallest one yet, but the umbilicle cord was tangled everywhere. The baby has be red marks on her neck from the tangled cord there.
If panzy is OK, it'll probobly be OK next time out.
She is so pretty!
Thank you all! :) Deborah, as always, your advice and expertise is so helpful. The vet (keep in mind she's a wonderful person and a gread DOG and CAT vet), thought maybe I shouldn't breed her again if she's going to be throwing big kids like that. I'm not sure that's true, though I'm now a bit nervous about it, but if it's the dead kid that caused all this then I'd try again, I think. This kid, when the water broke, had a ton of poop in it, and I suspected it was dead when I saw that.
Here's a pic of the morning after our blizzard and Panzy's doeling (blue eyes). :)
Patty, sorry to hear about your rough day. I remember having a few days like that....a real bummer but everything will work out alright for you!
I was nervous too about my FF after hearing about some of the difficulties that have been going around. Luckily Sugar Plum kidded on Friday without incident. She ended up having quads. Some are very small and had to bottle feed two of them. This morning most are nursing on their own except for one that I think wants to be a bottle baby!
Hope you have a relaxing day today Patty!
Patty, I am keeping you and yours in my thoughts and will light a candle in hopes that the run of not-so-good luck moves on. Hope Panzy and the little one do great.
Sorry you had such a rough day, and I hope Panzy does okay! Some years are definitely rougher than others. If Panzy had a 4-pound buckling last year without trouble then it was the dead kid this year that was causing all the problems, especially if you had a smaller kid. Dead kids have always caused problems in my experience. I truly think that live kids do a lot to get themselves born. If you notice, after they're born, they are trying to crawl into any little space, like between your legs, under your armpit, into the corner of the stall, etc. Dead kids just hang out and block the exits. The only really horrid presentation we ever had -- ribs first -- was a dead kid.
Here's hoping to better kidding in the future! {hugs}
Yes, it makes sense. I got a very good jest of what your day was like and I am so sorry. I am thrilled that you have a doeling doing so well and hate you lost the other, but hope Panzy will be ok. I know you must be totally wiped out!
I gotta be honest, all this stuff going on has me so nervous. I am really freaking about my 9 FFs.