# thegoatmama's 2016 waiting/kidding thread



## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

My girls are due at the end of the month, so I figured it was about time I make a waiting/kidding thread. Pardon the generic title of the thread. My farm doesn't have a name yet. :underchair:

P.S. this doubles as introducing you all to my tribe of goats!

I have 8 does due that were *planned* and 5 first timer does that fall under the 'oops' category (I'm not certain are pregnant thanks to EMLAB's wonky test results, but I'm treating them like they are). To prevent this post getting insanely long, I'm gonna start with the closest ones and then add on from there.

In trying to take pictures of everyone, its amazing how the photos make them look smaller than they are. :lol: Some are from two weeks ago and most recent ones are a couple days old.

To kick off this season, herd queen Menolly is due 2/28
Breed: ¾ Saanen, ¼ Nubian
Age: 4 ½ years old
Markings: white
Bred to Trowa.
This is her 3rd kidding. 1st :kidblue: :kidred: 2nd :kidred: :kidred:
She is one of my top 3 milkers.
She's not very wide, but mostly what I like to call a 'low rider'. 

Kaylee is due 2/29 (I really want Leap Day babies! My friend recommended the names Kanga and Roo :lol
Breed: 100% Toggenburg
Age: 3 years old
Markings: brown with tan accents
Bred to Trowa.
This is her 2nd kidding. 1st :kidred: :kidred:
She is also one of my top 3 milkers.
She was my first bottle baby doeling. As such, we've got a special bond and she's totally spoiled!
Tested pregnant day 62 with EMLAB's P-test.

Serena is due 3/1
Breed: ¾ Nubian ¼ Saanen
Age: 5 ½ years old
Markngs: black and with tan accents
Bred to Trowa.
This is her 3rd kidding. 1st :kidred: 2nd :kidblue: :kidblue::kidred:
She's not showing much yet, but her personality has changed somewhat. She's more talkative as opposed to being one of my quieter girls. Also, she's turned into the 'cuddle me, I'm pregnant' mode and on the 27th I felt baby movement for the first time. She has one kicky baby in there!

Josie is also due 3/1
Breed: 100% Nubian
Age: unknown (teeth estimate = 5 years old)
Markings: black with cream/tan moonspots
Bred to Bilko.
She is pretty big now and her udder was the first to start coming in. She is one of the three Nubians I adopted last year and not much information came with her. I think she's had kids before. This will be her first kidding with me.
I am very excited about her possibly passing on some of her moonspots. Last year Bilko's offspring had a lot of their mother's color, so I'm hoping for it again.
Tested pregnant day 53 with EMLAB's P-test.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

The Bucks
I bottle fed these two and they are best buds. They get over-excited during breeding season, but they have been known to still cuddle together at night. They turned three before Christmas.
Trowa has a more masculine appearance, but he has a near falsetto voice. :laugh: He looks a lot like he dad. He also has a bit of a parrot mouth.
Bilko has more feminine features, yet a deeper voice than his brother. His mouth has better conformation. He tends to have a crush on me come breeding season and he drives me crazy. :hair:
So far I've observed that Trowa passes on a throwback of incredible dark coloring (still trying to find those pictures ). I'm hoping to see those colors again this year. I haven't seen him pass on his parrot mouth, yet.
Bilko's kids have a lot of their mom's coloring. Bilko also has quick-growing rear hooves and I'm still gathering data on whether he frequently passes that on or not.

These two are brothers from triplets. They both have their pros and cons and this will be the second time a get a batch of kids from them, so I'm still sorting out their traits and characteristics. I'll know more when I have grandkids on the ground. :thumbup:
I'm hoping to get a new buck this year. I'd like a Nubian or a Toggenburg to mix things up. :greengrin:


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Good luck!
Were Kaylee and Menolly due a few days ago, or did you mean 2/29 and 2/28?


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

I just love all your goatys horns! Wish my bucky had horns, scurs are such a pain. Josie is sure looking close. I'll be waiting in anticipation


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

margaret said:


> Good luck!
> Were Kaylee and Menolly due a few days ago, or did you mean 2/29 and 2/28?


Whoops! :underchair: My first waiting thread and I botch the dates. Yeah...that's how I roll. 
:lol: Thank you margaret! I fixed their dates.



GodsGardenLamanchaGoats said:


> I just love all your goatys horns! Wish my bucky had horns, scurs are such a pain. Josie is sure looking close. I'll be waiting in anticipation :smile:


Thank you! Me too! :greengrin: It adds a lot to their personality, I think.
I agree. They are a pain! I have a eunuch that has scurs. One fell off a while back but it's started growing again.
I wish I got a picture of her this morning while I was repairing fence. She was waddling over and I couldn't help but tell her she was fat. :laugh: For how big she is, I think she'll have triplets!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice, good luck.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you both!

I meant to take out my camera last night (batteries all charged and everything) and after I had put the first couple girls through the stanchion I realized I forgot it. :doh:
And of course that meant a lot of photo-worthy stuff happened! :doh: :doh:

In other news...I felt baby movement with Kaylee and Serena. I don't know how Serena is so chill. Her baby is a Rockette!

Also, Shiro (Menolly's daughter from her first kidding) due 3/6...well her lady parts were all puffy and blown out of proportion. Very reminiscent of Kaylee's first time around. She was a 'maybe she's pregnant' because her udder hasn't really developed much and I haven't felt any baby movement, but after last night. Yeppers, she's knocked up. :lol: She'll give me my first grand-babies :woohoo:

I promise to take progress photos tonight! :camera:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

They all look really great! Your girls are so pretty and those horns on the boys are amazing!!

Josie is my favorite, she's soooooo beautiful!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you Dayna! :hug: I appreciate that a lot! It's really nice to get an unbiased opinion. I tend to fret over their condition and their prenatals. :lol:
I'm glad you like Josie! She is quite a looker. She's not very photogenic, oddly enough, but I was able to get a pretty cute one of her the other day.
DH calls the bucks' horns handlebars.  I think they're horns have finally slowed growing. I like them a lot!

I got a few progress pictures of the primary group. Not much has changed for the first three.
Menolly looks pretty much the same, no real udder development, yet, but I did feel baby movement! (that always makes my day!)
Kaylee's udder is starting to come in a little bit, but that's just by feel, it doesn't look any different.
Serena wont let me touch her udder (finicky little thing), but her baby(ies?) are so active. They seem to always be kicking. Serena doesn't seem to mind though. Go figure!
Josie on the other hand...I haven't felt baby movement with her, yet, but she's so big! As it seems to go, the photos don't really do her justice, but I tried. :greengrin: She wasn't really playing ball with me getting a good shot of her udder, but it's still getting bigger! Last night was she lying down and just moaning. I felt so bad for her. :sadhappy:

I also tried to get some lounging shots. I think it shows off their bellies better. First is Josie and then clockwise is her sister Melanie, due 3/6 and their mother Valerie, due 3/9.
Then Apricot, due 3/7. I finally caught her laying down! She smuggles her kids, I tell you. When she's standing up she looks normal, but when she lies down it gives her 'condition' away. That, and I felt baby movement. She's also my doe that two years in row calmly and quietly kidded without me. (but I have a plan - DH and I are able to tag team her this year and I hope she won't have a choice but to forgo the doe code and let me by on standby!)

I just had to add a couple of my 'oops' pregnant yearlings, even though they're not due until 3/10. Ariel is the one with her tail up, Persephone with her tail down. They are Kaylee's daughters. Last night they stuffed themselves so much. Tell me those aren't bowling balls they're hauling about. :lol:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

They are all beautiful! I really love your spotted Nubian, she is very pretty ♥


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Josie is the lovely spotted nubian right? Any chance you are selling her kids? lol She's got a pretty nice udder and is super cute. If she had a spotted doeling I'd be interested in a purchase or a trade.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

HoosierShadow said:


> They are all beautiful! I really love your spotted Nubian, she is very pretty ♥


Thank you!! :hug:



Dayna said:


> Josie is the lovely spotted nubian right? Any  chance you are selling her kids? lol She's got a pretty nice udder and is super cute. If she had a spotted doeling I'd be interested in a purchase or a trade.


Yes she is. :greengrin:
I think so! I've got way too many goats right now :lol: and as much as I would love to, I don't think I'll keep many of the babies this year.
I like her udder, too. I'm hoping she'll be easy to milk.
I've been wishing Josie and Melanie have spotted babies! I'd love to say 'yes' to a trade, but as previously mentioned...Too. Many. Goats. :slapfloor: I've been trying to put in more fencing so I can just add more and more......so you never know. :laugh:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

When she kids, if she has a spotted doeling keep me in mind. If you message me what your price range will be I will put some money aside from kid sales for just in case. I'd like to get a young, weaned kid with a decent udder possibility.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

TheGoatMama, we were reading your posts together and my youngest daughter said, "How do they keep goats in Hawaii? Isn't it all sand and coconuts?" Hehehee... We got a chuckle out of that and figured we'd pass it along. (Of course, now we are getting glares from her since she didn't think it was funny!):wink:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

LuvMyNigies said:


> TheGoatMama, we were reading your posts together and my youngest daughter said, "How do they keep goats in Hawaii? Isn't it all sand and coconuts?" Hehehee... We got a chuckle out of that and figured we'd pass it along. (Of course, now we are getting glares from her since she didn't think it was funny!):wink:


Its mostly lava rock and jungle!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> When she kids, if she has a spotted doeling keep me in mind. If you message me what your price range will be I will put some money aside from kid sales for just in case. I'd like to get a young, weaned kid with a decent udder possibility.


Will do! :thumbup: I've been so busy lately, I haven't had much chance to consider prices yet:underchair:, so I'll have to get back to you on that one. 
I wean my bottle babies by weight (around 2.5 times their birth weight)...usually about 2-3 months old.



LuvMyNigies said:


> TheGoatMama, we were reading your posts together and my youngest daughter said, "How do they keep goats in Hawaii? Isn't it all sand and coconuts?" Hehehee... We got a chuckle out of that and figured we'd pass it along. (Of course, now we are getting glares from her since she didn't think it was funny!):wink:


:lol: oh that is just precious. How old is your daughter?
Thank you for sharing!! (my mom collected a list of cute/funny/weird things my sisters and I said throughout our childhood. It's a lot of fun to look back on those!:-D)



Dayna said:


> Its mostly lava rock and jungle!


^^ What she said. :laugh:

Here are two pictures I took last evening.
The first one:
In a rare moment, Lessa is chilling _solo_ on Menolly's throne, Melanie and Valerie are cuddled up, Serena is off to the right, resting (she was favoring her right hoof the prior evening, but she was just fine the next morning. Phew!) ...and that leaves Josie...looking impossibly huge! I mean, holy goat, how many does she have in there?! Watch her have a single now. 

the second one shows off her belly even more. I didn't mean to cut off her rear in frame, though.  (Melanie is the one standing and Jack in the background. "Grain? Lady, do you have grain?")


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

She's eleven and horrified that we posted it!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

^^:lol:

Kaylee's udder is developing more! Looking good. I'm hoping she'll be easier to milk this time around.

Valerie too, so even though she's further down the line I want to share :greengrin:

Valerie is due on 3/9
Breed: 100% Nubian
Age: unknown (teeth estimate = 6+ years old)
Bred to Bilko.
This will be at least her 3rd kidding, first on the farm. As far as I know she's had (Josie), quads (two of which were :kidred:, one was Melanie) and her most recent kidding was :kidblue:...I think.
Her name used to be Kopiko, but it's a name of a street here that I used a lot for work in the past and it annoyed me. Plus, she didn't answer to it! So I changed it and she likes her new name. Her daughters had other names, that they, too, didn't answer to, so they all got an overhaul. :truck:
Tested pregnant day 53 with EMLAB's P-test.


I tried so hard to get a good picture of Josie's udder, but she loves to stand just so to make it difficult to get a proper shot and she's not having any of my trying to pose her legs. So here's Josie with an unflattering rear view of her udder. :laugh: I lucked out better with the next shot.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Whew, I feel for you. Those udder shots are the worst. And don't touch those legs! Erruption of crazy goat dance!

Lol, street name. I can see that. I like their names now thoug .


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you Karen! :hug:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm totally stalking Josie now. haha


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

GodsGardenLamanchaGoats said:


> Whew, I feel for you. Those udder shots are the worst. And don't touch those legs! Erruption of crazy goat dance!
> 
> Lol, street name. I can see that. I like their names now thoug . :smile:


crazy goat dance... :slapfloor: I swear Josie is tap dancing! And of course she posed perfectly last night and I didn't have my camera... 

Thank you! I don't remember why I came up with them, but naming them after the guitar-playing cats just fit. :-D


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> I'm totally stalking Josie now. haha


:ROFL:

Will this help? :lol:
...it's one of the better shots of her udder I've been able to get lately. 
She amazes me and she hasn't even bagged up yet! The last time I saw one of my doe's udder like that when she lied down, she was lactating and laid down just-so that she launched milk in a high arc and almost hit Menolly!
Josie is a funny girl. Her mom and sister are very chill and don't mind being handled, but Josie is very "GET OFF ME!!" It should be interesting to milk her...:laugh:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

oh my gosh she has such a face! My doe Nacho used to be very hands off as well. Then one day... she was just my easiest goat. And she continues to be that. It only took three years for her to decide she really liked me. haha


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

ohhh she's due in TWO WEEKS! (sorry I'm about as excited for her to kid as my own goats haha) I sent her photo to my daughter at college on Oahu and she said "OMG MOM!!! MOOOOOM! That's the cutest goat I've ever seen, we neeeeed one!". Good to know my kid has her priorities in life straight.  hahahaha


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> oh my gosh she has such a face! My doe Nacho used to be very hands off as well. Then one day... she was just my easiest goat. And she continues to be that. It only took three years for her to decide she really liked me. haha


That's funny!
Menolly was like that. When she was little she would like to stand behind me, but if I tried to pet her or look at her she'd go away. Then her first kidding she had a twins and the first was a boy with a huge head and she had trouble. I helped her out and she realized I was finally good for something! Now she loves me. :lol:



Dayna said:


> ohhh she's due in TWO WEEKS! (sorry I'm about as excited for her to kid as my own goats haha)


I know...:faint:I feel ready and excited, but now is about when I also start getting anxious! :underchair:
Don't be sorry! Thanks for sharing the excitement!! :hi5:



Dayna said:


> I sent her photo to my daughter at college on Oahu and she said "OMG MOM!!! MOOOOOM! That's the cutest goat I've ever seen, we neeeeed one!". Good to know my kid has her priorities in life straight. :smile: hahahaha


:ROFL: I could think of worse priorities!
We all want Josie to have a dappled doeling(s)! :-D And if the planets align, Valerie and Melanie too! :thumb:


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Well, we had a heavy rainstorm and that signaled to Josie to go into early labor. She had a very difficult delivery. All three were breech. The first was a white doeling DOA, not finished, the second a white doeling (doing great!) and the third was a white buckling that didn't make it through the first five minutes...he just never started breathing properly.
Josie is doing well. Still waiting for her to pass her afterbirth.
Will take pictures soon.

Sorry, Dayna. No dappled doeling, but maybe from Valerie or Melanie?

Not really the way I wanted to start my kidding season but there's my plans and then there's the goat's plans...


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Oh my gosh! How sad!

I'd still be interested in either a doeling from one of your other nubians or the one she had. Dappled is great but a good udder is more important to me. Glad Josie is doing okay!!!! That is really the most important thing here.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you! :hug: I'm glad Josie is doing so well, too! She passed her afterbirth shortly after I posted. A huge relief from the last kidding of last year.
Josie was super easy to milk, really comfortable teat to handle and a good orifice. She just stood there without needing any tying up while I got colostrum for baby. Impressive girl!
I really hope Melanie or Valerie can give you that dapple! :-D
This is my first premie baby, we'll see how she does. Right now she's inside the house in a gray tub full of straw, blankets and a hot water bottle. She appears to be regulating her temperature well, but not standing well just yet. Here's hoping. :thumb:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

thegoatmama said:


> Thank you! :hug: I'm glad Josie is doing so well, too! She passed her afterbirth shortly after I posted. A huge relief from the last kidding of last year.
> Josie was super easy to milk, really comfortable teat to handle and a good orifice. She just stood there without needing any tying up while I got colostrum for baby. Impressive girl!
> I really hope Melanie or Valerie can give you that dapple! :-D
> This is my first premie baby, we'll see how she does. Right now she's inside the house in a gray tub full of straw, blankets and a hot water bottle. She appears to be regulating her temperature well, but not standing well just yet. Here's hoping. :thumb:


Sounds like even though premie very strong!

Glad Josie is doing so well. She's precious and I hope she continues to do well!


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

How much does your new doeling weigh? Do you have any pictures of her? I'm so sorry for the ones you lost. We had our first preemie recently and it was a lot of touch-and-go in the beginning, but he is doing incredibly now. We hope yours pulls through for you. Seems like the preemies are extra sweet, maybe since they get so much extra attention!


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Oh, that is a shock! So sorry for your loss. Good to hear that Josie is ok. Hope the doeling gets strong and thrives.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh no!
Sorry you lost them:hug:
Glad one made it though.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Hows Josie doing?


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you all so much for your kind words! :hug: I feel a little calloused when I mention to people that babies didn't survive. My first kidding season was rough and went to pieces every time I lost a baby and I've had to learn hard farm lessons and grow tougher skin. It's unfortunate when babies don't survive but I have to tell myself it wasn't meant to be and treasure the ones that are still around. 



Dayna said:


> Sounds like even though premie very strong!
> Glad Josie is doing so well. She's precious and I hope she continues to do well!


You're right, baby girl is a fighter! :wahoo: She survived her first night and slept the whole night through and is up to drinking 1/2 c milk at a time. Today she stood on her own and is hobbling a bit. She still can't get up on her own but baby steps! :lol:



LuvMyNigies said:


> How much does your new doeling weigh? Do you have any pictures of her? I'm so sorry for the ones you lost. We had our first preemie recently and it was a lot of touch-and-go in the beginning, but he is doing incredibly now. We hope yours pulls through for you. Seems like the preemies are extra sweet, maybe since they get so much extra attention! :smile:


She's weighed 4.9lbs.
She's getting so much love! Gets carried around the house and even DH is sweet on her.



Dayna said:


> Hows Josie doing?


Josie is great! Milking like a champ! got almost 5 cups this morning already! I'm looking forward to when her lactation peaks! :greengrin:
Luckily she didn't bond much with baby, so she cried the first day, but went back to snuggling with her mom and sister and is ok with the state of things.

The last picture looks like she's crying, but I caught her mid-yawn before she passed out in my arms.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

OMG THAT FACE!!!!! She's adorable!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Too cute!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Awww she is precious! I am so sorry you lost the other two, that is very heartbreaking  I'm glad this little lady is hanging in there, and doing well, she is definitely a blessing ♥


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

Oh, My! I think I have major kid-love! She is ADORABLE! 
I'm so glad she is doing so well! Congratulations! I hope she continues to do so well!

Was she really almost 2 weeks premature? 

And what did her daddy look like?


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> OMG THAT FACE!!!!! She's adorable!


:laugh: Yeah I love her already! She likes to give kisses. 



HoosierShadow said:


> Awww she is precious! I am so sorry you lost the other two, that is very heartbreaking :sad: I'm glad this little lady is hanging in there, and doing well, she is definitely a blessing ♥


Thank you! :hug: I agree!



LuvMyNigies said:


> We had our first preemie recently and it was a lot of touch-and-go in the beginning, but he is doing incredibly now.


The touch-and-go ones are a roller coaster ride. They're rough, but it's so wonderful when they thrive. I'm so happy your boy is doing so well, too!



LuvMyNigies said:


> Oh, My! I think I have major kid-love! She is ADORABLE!
> I'm so glad she is doing so well! Congratulations! I hope she continues to do so well!


:lol: Thank you!!



LuvMyNigies said:


> Was she really almost 2 weeks premature?


Yep. She was born day 136 of expected 150 and has very little muscle.
Josie went into heat the first day I put the buck in with her.



LuvMyNigies said:


> And what did her daddy look like? :smile:


Her daddy is Bilko. First page, second post, second picture. :greengrin:

It's been so rainy (yay!) that I haven't been able to take progress pictures of anybody. My poor camera can't handle a drizzle let alone several inches! :doh:
I've been watching everyone else like a hawk. Checking ligs constantly and everyone is holding fast. Looks like Josie was an anomaly. I'm telling my girls to cross their legs and make their minimum date! :lol:
Last night during evening chores Menolly was sluggish eating her food and I had a mini-panic attack. Was it ketosis!? it was around time for that to be a possibility, but then she yawned like 4 times! Poor thing must have had a rough day with babies kicking, she was so tired! She was just fine this morning and scampered away from me checking her ligs. :laugh:

Fortunately the sun came out today so I hope to get updated photos of everyone later. :thumb:

In lieu of that, here's a bit about Josie's baby because I'm too lazy to do a birth announcement right now. 
We've taken to calling her Squeaker. (didn't mean to copy your cutie, HoosierShadow, but DH named her and since I love All Dogs Go To Heaven it has stuck right now :lol
She's 5.2lbs now and yesterday she was standing and hobbling her first steps. She's practicing getting up on her own, that's very terrain dependent at the moment, and this morning DH saw her hop!
I gotta take a nap now because I was up last night worrying about Menolly :doh:but I plan to upload some videos of Squeaker soon!
So without further adieu, here is Squeaker. She got to spend 20 minutes in the sun for the first time before the clouds rolled in ominously. I had to put down a beach mat because the ground was still soaking wet. At first she wouldn't get up, the warm sun was sending her back to sleep! :faint:
I like the second picture, "Look ma, I'm standing!" I'm so proud of this little girl.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

Ohhh, that's where she got her color from. I wondered! :razz:

She is amazing! I pray she continues to grow well for you! She looks so sweet in those pictures. I can't wait to see how she keeps doing! 

...So fuzzy and white! :lovey: Oh my gosh!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

She is super cute. A little Marilyn Monroe in the first photo! haha Sunning herself.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What a cutie!


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Awww, she's so cute!
Glad she's doing well!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> She is super cute. A little Marilyn Monroe in the first photo! haha Sunning herself.


:lol: Yeah, she's cute and she knows it!

We decided to call her Libby. <-- finally got around to doing that birth announcement. :-D

Now back to the pregnant ladies! T-minus 1 week for Menolly and then Kaylee and Serena!

Menolly and Serena's udders aren't doing much, but Kaylee's sure is! I was able to get a couple nice shots of the ladies lounging around. They are getting so worn out. Menolly and Kaylee yawn a lot in the evening and poor Valerie just moans when she lies down. I think she's got to have at least triplets in there! She's on the lower stanchion and Melanie is on the taller one. Valerie is always waddling around, trailing after the group, but it takes a special angle to see how much of a low-rider belly she has! The picture hardly does it justice, her belly is nearing the level of her knees! :shock:
(you can see Apricot's Mini Me daughter in the back right of the shelter. Her name is Ume and she wanted to spend the evening with the big girls :laugh


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## goatygirl (Feb 16, 2013)

following


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Those teats are lovely! I can't wait to see what you get!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

goatygirl said:


> following


:greengrin: thanks!



Dayna said:


> Those teats are lovely! I can't wait to see what you get!


Serena's teats are a bit weird to milk but Menolly's are very comfortable. Kaylee's were a little clumsy to handle her first lactation. I'm really hoping for a better fit this time around so she'll be less work. 

Me too! I'm so excited. It's getting closer and closer! :-D and of course the rain is here now...sheesh! :lol:


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Yesterday was fun!
Saw my first swarm of bees. DH says it was a mating swarm of honey bees. They settled in an ohia tree in the near ravine. DH's cousin came to visit the farm for the first time and Kaylee decided to show off her mad skills in the labor department. :leap:
She had twins! A huge, mellow :kidblue:, born first (8.33lbs! biggest baby we've ever had) and then one gorgeous, noisy :kidred: (6.31lbs). Both were in the diving position, and Kaylee went almost the entire labor without a sound, except for when she worked on a contraction around the buckling's hips there was a cry. I didn't have to do much, just catch the baby help dry off the face and set babies in front of mama to clean them off for me.

Both are doing wonderful! Plumbing works great, meconium from both (A LOT :laundry: <--:slapfloor: I wish, I do my laundry by hand...:laugh

Cousin took photos of the birth of the doeling. It was awesome! I'll try and get better pictures of the kids. I tried today but they just wouldn't sit still. 

Libby is very, very happy to have playmates! :woohoo:


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Congrats!
Nice pictures


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## goatygirl (Feb 16, 2013)

Aweeeee. Babiieeeesss.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

How totally awesome! Nice pictures and nicer babies


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

So cute.  Congrats.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

So cute!!!


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## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

great looking kids


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Lots of awesome babies! Congrats! (And I'd LOVE to see a swarm of honey bees!!!!!! )


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

margaret said:


> Congrats!
> Nice pictures


Thank you! :-D
I know, right? I so need a better camera. I wish I had someone around to photograph my goat's births all the time. :laugh: Is there a market for a reality show on a farm? :slapfloor:



goatygirl said:


> Aweeeee. Babiieeeesss.


:greengrin: I love this time of year!



GodsGardenLamanchaGoats said:


> How totally awesome! Nice pictures and nicer babies :smile:


Thank you! I fell in love with the girl as soon as I saw the markings on her face...which happened to be while she was still in the sack. "This one's beautiful!" DH was all "Eww...not yet...ick." :lol:



toth boer goats said:


> So cute. :smile: Congrats. :smile:





Goatzrule said:


> So cute!!!





dreamacresfarm2 said:


> great looking kids


Thank you all! :hug:



groovyoldlady said:


> Lots of awesome babies! Congrats! (And I'd LOVE to see a swarm of honey bees!!!!!! )


Thank you!
The bees were so cool! :leap: After I stopped worrying about them, of course.  I got stung pretty badly by hornets a couple years ago so when I heard the mass of them I was very wary, but as soon as DH said they were honey bees it turned into fun watching them settle in and listen to the changes in their tones as they went from searching for a home to finding a location to making the place their own.

No new babies yet. Menolly is super uppity, but her ligs are solid. Not sure what she's up to. :lol: It's hard to believe Serena is due in 4 days and i honestly don't know how Valerie is going to hold onto her babies for 2 more weeks! :shock:

It was sunny for the first time since Kaylee's kids were born and they had a good time wandering around wondering what this strange thing called outside was. :laugh: and of course as soon as I brought my camera out I realized I forgot to charge the batteries! :doh:To be continued.


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## goatygirl (Feb 16, 2013)

Does that one baby have blue eyes? In the picture it looked like they were blue.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

Oh! They're precious!! Congrats!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

goatygirl said:


> Does that one baby have blue eyes? In the picture it looked like they were blue.


I thought so, too, but they're turning amber. I wish I had blue eyes in my herd. 



LuvMyNigies said:


> Oh! They're precious!! Congrats! :grin:


Thank you! :greengrin:

Nothing happening today other than fence repairs turning morning chores into afternoon chores with a minute amount of rest until 2nd feeding before evening chores begin. :faint: one on those days... :lol:
Wild (and tame) pigs are driving me bonkers! I'm so happy my adult goats have the adventuring out of their system and the yearlings just go eat on the other leased property until the other goats rat them out. This time it was Trowa and Bilko screaming "MOM! They're down here! They're totally throwing off our bachelor vibe!" :laugh:

Oh and 3 of the yearlings and Jack just *had* to be in the middle of all the fence repair. Jack: What are you doing? Got a t-post pounder? That looks heavy and manly and I'm only one of those anymore...
Ume: T-post clips! My favorite! nomnomnom (not really! She just liked to gum them like an idiot )
Adrienne: Mom, your tag is sticking out, let me chew it off for you.
Cheryl: *shove* DON'T FIX THE HOLE! I WANT TO GO OUT! YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!

:ROFL: I love my farm.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

thegoatmama said:


> I thought so, too, but they're turning amber. I wish I had blue eyes in my herd.
> 
> Thank you! :greengrin:
> 
> ...


hahahahahaha sounds like my life!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Bittersweet day today.

Bitter:
I stayed up all night with Libby, fighting constipation, administering a series of enemas and several other troubles. Went round and round with my vet and we were treating the symptoms of what was concluded to be developmental issues from her premature state. The dear girl was having a hard time and was rapidly going downhill by the morning so she was put down to avoid unnecessary suffering.
I absolutely hate this part of having goats. She was so beautiful and precious. I wish I hadn't become so attached to a premie...
I'm sorry Dayna.

It's hard to have lost all three of Josie's babies, but I'm trying so  hard to look on the bright side: I now have an abundance of milk for everyone else's babies.

Sweet:
Menolly lost her plug during milking time and I managed to finish with both of the girls before Menolly started working on her first. Both are :kidred: stark white and were in the diving position. Menolly is currently making good progress on her afterbirth. They are healthy, noisy babies. One of them has the biggest ears. I'm a little disappointed in the lack of color because I have such a hard time telling them apart!

I'm exhausted, mentally and physically. I need to rest, then I hope to take pictures and have them up for you all in a day or two.



Dayna said:


> hahahahahaha sounds like my life!


another opportunity for me to think "I'm glad I'm not the only one!" :laugh:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So sorry you lost her. Congrats on the new kids.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Thank you :hug:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

sorry about your loss, pictures of the new kids?


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

I'm so sorry. :hug:

She was gorgeous. You are in my prayers.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

So sorry you lost her:hug:
It's so hard to lose goats


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

That is so hard, so sorry.

Congratulations on the new additions. It can be so weird to grieve and celebrate at the same time. Your laughing at the new babies but then you think about the lost and tear up so you smoother a baby goat in kisses and hugs. Seems to help. I hope they give you lots of joy.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> I'm so sorry for your loss.





Goatzrule said:


> sorry about your loss, pictures of the new kids?





LuvMyNigies said:


> I'm so sorry. :hug:
> She was gorgeous. You are in my prayers.





margaret said:


> So sorry you lost her:hug:
> It's so hard to lose goats:sad:


Thank you everyone. :grouphug: I appreciate it more than I can say. :thankU: Losing goats hits me hard every time. Its one thing when they die or are killed and its another to put them down. They are the worst thing about farming. :blue:



GodsGardenLamanchaGoats said:


> That is so hard, so sorry.
> 
> Congratulations on the new additions. It can be so weird to grieve and celebrate at the same time. Your laughing at the new babies but then you think about the lost and tear up so you smoother a baby goat in kisses and hugs. Seems to help. I hope they give you lots of joy.


You're so right. It's very weird. Especially when one of the new ones looks like the one I lost... but, yes, I cuddle them as much as my free time allows and they make me laugh. Iit's helping a lot. :-D

So...
Thankfully, things got a little crazy after my last post and it helped keep my mind off Libby... Not sure where to begin...:crazy:

So, I ended up not getting any rest that day. I don't remember why :laugh: but I fed the babies and then went out for evening chores and put the girls through the stanchions when I noticed Melanie was acting a little different. Nothing alarming, so I made a note to pay special attention to her during her turn. Turns out she lost her ligs and had bagged up! I took her and Valerie, her mother, (she has serious separation anxiety when her mama isn't around ) to the maternity pen.
Nothing, nothing, nothing...fed the babies their last feeding of the day at 10pm and went to check on Melanie and she had a contraction. Separated Valerie into a nearby pen because she was getting in the way. I sat with Melanie through very spaced out contractions for two hours. I have no idea whether or not she'd had babies before and given her slow progress I'm thinking not. She wasn't efficient in her contractions and seemed unsure about everything that was happening. So at quarter after midnight Melanie gives birth to a doeling, giving me a Leap Day baby! :woohoo: (I wanted one a lot :lol
A short while later she then passed a malformed fetus. It was seriously disgusting 
for those of you that want to know the extent of it, highlight between the asterisks
****It had color (brown), no bones to speak of, no eyes just sunken eyelids...I couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl****
Melanie was day 145 of her pregnancy. I'm not sure why one was severely not done while the other appears perfect. I'd never seen anything like it. I thought one like that would be a miscarriage and aborted not carried to term.
Good news is that Melanie passed her afterbirth and she and her doeling are doing great.
Baby has Nubian ears and is pretty tall. She's mostly white with a tan 'sunspot' on the top of her head and tail, with a black colored 'beauty mark' by her left ear. I wanted to think of a Leap Day themed name. My friend recommended Kanga or Roo, another suggested Quantum. For some reason her beauty mark made me think of a black hole and with her sunspot I considered something celestial, so we're calling her Stella for now.

As for Menolly's babies:
Firstborn (with the collar so I could initially tell them apart! :slapfloor is Elsa and secondborn is Anika. (DH doesn't like Ana :shades
Elsa is doing great and Anika is too, other than an eye condition. They both have 'airplane tip' ears. :laugh:

The rain stopped long enough for the sun to come out and I could get some pictures of the new babies.
Oh and we decided to call Kaylee's kids Inara and Jayne. Jayne is developing a tan tint all over. DH is calling him Cinnamon Jayne (like he's a wild west goat or something :lol Jayne is in the photo with Anika (after the one with Elsa and her collar). He is such a big cuddly boy! i love him to pieces


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

They are all so cute!

I would recommend in the future with any weird kids being born early or strangly to contact the state AG vet.

Kim Kozuma, DVM
Deputy State Veterinarian
Animal Disease Control Branch
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
75 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: 808.933.3307, VM: 808.974.6503
E-mail: [email protected]

She's awesome and is testing the fetuses of my friends goats, did blood draws of the goats and swabs, the whole works. Just make sure to put them in the fridge (not freezer) and give her a call in the future. So you can find out why and if its anything to worry about. This is a service of the state of hawaii and it doesn't cost anything.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Adorable!!
Such cuties, the look so sweet and smoochable


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

Dayna said:


> They are all so cute!
> 
> I would recommend in the future with any weird kids being born early or strangly to contact the state AG vet.
> 
> ...


Thank you Dayna!!
I met her at the HSGA workshop years ago when she was doing a talk about scrapie.
I wasn't aware she did that service. That is so cool and wonderful to know for the future. :thankU:



margaret said:


> Adorable!!
> Such cuties, the look so sweet and smoochable:grin: :grin:


Thanks!
yeah, they aren't lacking in the smooches department! :lol:

Serena lost her ligs last night and she went into a maternity pen. DH and I traded on and off checking on her every hour cause she's a silent birther and neglects her babies. So come this morning we have nothing to show for our efforts except bloodshot eyes and compounding exhaustion. 
I had to put DH down for a nap earlier so I could wake him up and tag him so I can sleep later. :lol:
She's getting closer. Tail all sunken, not eating much, digging the hole to China :laugh: Hopefully she kids soon.

P.S. apologizes to everyone else's kidding threads who I haven't been checking. I can barely find the time to keep my own updated... Life and my animals are keeping me insanely busy, but I will catch up with your darling babies soon!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

BABIES!

Serena had twin doelings soon after I posted about her. She almost did it without me! She knew I was trash talking her and had one out and properly cleaned by the time I got out there (which was a half an hour to eat lunch!). :lol: but she soon lost interest in the second so I'm really glad I was there! DH named them. the brown one is Choco-lita (Lita) and the tan one is Cafe-mina (Mina). :lol: Mama passed afterbirth in record time, like under two hours. I was impressed!

Yesterday Shiro had a doeling. She had no idea what was going on, poor FF. We're not sure what to call her baby because she's another white doe, so since 'Shiro' means white in Japanese, I'm currently calling her Blanca. It'll probably become Bianca at some point. :laugh:

Both moms are happy that I relieved them of their burdens and the threesome are like peas in a pod now. Very precious. 

Also, Valerie lost her ligs this morning and her udder is getting huge. Not quite bagged up entirely, though. Her due date is the 10th, but I'm not surprised she's going a bit on the early side. Poor thing has been having a hard time getting around.

Yesterday DH put together a playpen for the kids. I put in the slide  I was able to sneak in and catch them all napping. Blanca is with Lita and Mina and was totally zonked out laying with her head back. It was hilarious!


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Best wishes!!! And what super cuties! Barn jobs caught up with me too!!! You are a good "mama" taking care of them all!


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

my goodness look at all those white babies!!!


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

Oh my gosh! That first picture is hilarious!  Congratulations! They are all adorable and cute as can be! I want to snuggle with them!  

Out of curiosity, what breeds are they...and will you be keeping any? :kidred::kidred:


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

And those "ready for take-off" ears are so adorable!


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

goatblessings said:


> Best wishes!!! And what super cuties! Barn jobs caught up with me too!!! You are a good "mama" taking care of them all!


thank you! :hug:
I love taking care of them. they are so much fun. :-D



Goatzrule said:


> my goodness look at all those white babies!!!


They are so soft and snuggly...but getting hard to keep track of so they're all gonna get collars to help me out. :laugh:



LuvMyNigies said:


> Oh my gosh! That first picture is hilarious! :smile: Congratulations! They are all adorable and cute as can be! I want to snuggle with them! :grin:
> 
> Out of curiosity, what breeds are they...and will you be keeping any? :wink::kidred::kidred:


:lol: Thanks! I was pretty happy with that one. Mina was a very quiet baby until I brought her outside and then she just let loose wailing.
They all have Saanen and Nubian. Inara and Jayne are half Toggenburg.
Not sure entirely who we're all keeping. We need to sell some. For now we're keeping Jayne as a new breeding buck and Inara because she's a legacy in a milkline we've been building.
As for the others...not sure. I always want to keep them all, but by weaning time I'm sure I'll be happy to see some go. :laugh:



LuvMyNigies said:


> And those "ready for take-off" ears are so adorable! :smile:


:slapfloor: they are great! Little Blanca has tiny ones, whereas Elsa and Anika have the wingspan of a 747. :razz:

So here I am taking a half hour break from yet another crazy day. I'll elaborate later, but the short of it is:

Yesterday: Valerie had triplets! one teeny doeling and two big bucklings (will probably keep a buckling from this group, too). There was some drama attached to this, but all are doing well now. More on that later.
all are white. (sheesh, my pretty Nubians totally let me down in the color department :lol: but they do have floppy ears, so I'm happy!)

2 hours ago: Persephone had a single buckling, tan like Mina and 45 min later Ariel had a single doeling, Toggy colored.

Quick bit: Persephone and Ariel are sisters. So far they've done everything together. born together, get into trouble together, cuddle together, get knocked up at a young age together and apparently decided to have their babies together! It was so precious to see them today. I asked DH to get Ariel out of the maternity area when Persephone was in labor, but Ariel just laid down and planted herself "Over my dead body, mister." They were both more interested in their sister's baby than their own and are currently snuggled up together, yawning and working on their afterbirths.
After this short break before the rest of my crazy day, I'm taking all 5 newborns out to play and will take lots of photos! :greengrin:

Oh, and Lessa looks like she's getting close. She's due tomorrow and Apricot is due today, but doesn't seem like it, so we'll see. They are the last two to kid and then all this madness is over. (insert maniacal laugh...)

Well look at that, my break is over. :faint: Time to get back at it. Feed the older babies, exercise the newborns, milk the moms...etc, etc. :crazy:


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh wow, you're busy! We all know that feeling
Congrats on all the new kids!
And those last pictures you posted were adorable


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

So many white babies! My friend Bethany who adores white lambs and goats would be in baby heaven.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

margaret said:


> Oh wow, you're busy! We all know that feeling
> Congrats on all the new kids!
> And those last pictures you posted were adorable


Thank you. :hug:



Dayna said:


> So many white babies! My friend Bethany who adores white lambs and goats would be in baby heaven. :smile:


:shock: you mean there are people out there who prefer white ones? :lol:

All right. For starters, I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. Things in my life went very crazy, very fast. Most recently was a lost 15 month old. DH and I had to perform search and rescue on a rimrocked goat. She had gotten out of the paddock and ate along the ravine, fell through some brush and wound up on a square foot of rock 30 ft from the rushing stream and 15 ft from the top of the cliff. Following some insane ingenuity from my boy scout DH, he rigged an animal control snare with a forked guava pole and an extension cord with me as the anchor. Adrienne is just fine. She was shaken up and wanted lots of cuddles but is a-ok.
The other bit is, and the main reason I've put off posting is that this is my last kidding season. I must move away from my farm for health reasons. My animals are up for sale and its just been a whirlwind of everything.

To finish up this kidding thread, Apricot had twins. Her buckling was killed by a wild pig shortly after it was born. :blue: I managed to save the doeling and we got revenge on the pig. Lessa was the last to kid and she had twins, a buckling and doeling. The buckling sold, as did one of Menolly and Serena's doelings.
We're caring for 12 babies (8 girls, 4 boys) and they're a lot of fun and I'm trying to enjoy them while I can. I've bonded with Mina a lot. She's very precious and I will be sad to see her go. It has been raining practically non-stop and that's made taking pictures nearly impossible, but I managed to get a few the other day.

What's the saying? Going out with a whimper instead of a bang? :brickwall:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I pm'd you. Let me know if I can help in any way.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

OH NO!!! I hope this new chapter in your life brings you peace, joy and comfort! Goat world will miss you!:blue:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They are all adorable.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All so cute.


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## Goatzrule (Feb 7, 2013)

im so sorry  I wish I could help


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

goatblessings said:


> OH NO!!! I hope this new chapter in your life brings you peace, joy and comfort! Goat world will miss you!:blue:


:sadhappy: Thank you!! I will miss it too.



ksalvagno said:


> They are all adorable.





toth boer goats said:


> All so cute.


:smile: Thanks. Is there such a thing as an ugly baby goat? 



Goatzrule said:


> im so sorry :sad: I wish I could help


:hug: You just did.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh no!
I'm so sorry you have to sell out:hug: :hug: That must be so hard
Enjoy these babies while you have them. I hope you won't leave TGS, we would miss you
I've really enjoyed this kidding thread and seeing all of your babies.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

It is. :sad: Luckily, so far I've been able to find good homes for my girls (and a boy).
I am! Last night I spied on the kids without their knowledge and it was so hilarious. they were playing tag at near the speed of sound and performing acrobatics like olympic gymnasts. :lol: then Inara spotted me and their playing style changed to a much more subdued frolicking. 
That's very sweet of you to say. :hug: I won't quit TGS, but I might take a leave of absence. When I leave my farm I might need some time away from goats to adjust and not have the separation make me sad. Who knows though, maybe this place will help bridge the change. Goat lives go on. :greengrin:
Thank you! I enjoyed sharing it with you. I hoped this to be one of many...perhaps on another farm.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That is so hard to have to do.  :hug:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Josie is settling in so well! She is #2 in the herd. 5 minutes of loud talking and it was decided and like she lived here her whole life.


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## thegoatmama (Mar 19, 2015)

:lol: Oh Josie...

That's so wonderful Dayna! that makes my day. I knew she'd be happy with you! :hug:


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