# Dita's and Delphine's waiting thread: April Fools kids



## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Wow, it seems like just yesterday I was posting on here about bringing home my kids and now they are all set to have babies themselves. Dita is due 3/26, bred to Redwood Hills Great Gatsby, and Delphine is Due 4/3, bred to Olentangy Soul Centurion.

At this time last year:

Dita









Delphine









And today, here's Dita with 3 weeks to go. I'm guessing single. This will be her(and my) first kidding.



















It's hard to see under the fuzz, but she has a nice little udder developing. It's about the size of a grapefruit.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Delphine with less than one month to go. She looks much larger than Dita. She was from a litter of quads, and I am guessing 2-3 from her, but who knows. She has just started to have a little udder swelling up.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Pretty girls! Good luck!


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Nice! Good luck with them both!


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## ProvidenceHill (Sep 9, 2013)

Hope all goes well! We may have April Fool kids too, one of our does is due April 1. I can't think of any good name to commemorate the date though....Jester maybe?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice goats.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Not the best pictures, but here are my almost yearling bucks. They were not very cooperative.

Redwood Hills Great Gatsby is bred to Dita










Olentangy Soul Centurion is bred to Delphine and one other doe due in May.
I'm really hoping he throws udders like his dam. Hers is amazing.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Nice looking goats;-) Good luck with the kiddings! It's exciting;-)


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Nice goaties  Can't wait to see the kids!


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## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Love 'em! My Alpine, Frosty, is due April 1st to! We can count down together!
I really like the coloring on the second doe!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Thanks! I am expecting to get some form of chamoise kids kids from Dita, possibly belted like their sire, but with Delphine who knows. Alpines can surprise you with their color genetics. 

We just got one of the kidding pens completed yesterday, and will finish the other one on the next clear day we have. It's rainy right now, so we can't kick them out of the barn to work on it. This morning I felt both girls' kids squirming away in there. It is the coolest feeling.

Thinking pink! (and one boy, preferably from Dita, to go to my BIL to be a pack goat)


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## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Yeah, that's an understatement! On of my former bucks (even though I still use him on a doe each year), *B Hull's Sierra's Jasper, is a chami-and threw several pied, black and white kids!! My doeling, Chant, is bred to him, and she's a dark chocolate, so I'm excited!

I, too, just got my kidding pens set up....finally! My family was all like, "why is she out there hauling plywood and rock?!" LOL.

I'll think pink, with one boy, for you!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I know what you mean, one minute you're bringing your new doelings home in your lap, and the next minute your all-grown-up does are having kids of their own....
Well, that's what happened with me anyways! Good luck with your pretty does


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Ugh. Just after morning feeding one of my dry does head-butted Dita twice, right into her right side. I was horrified.

I put Dita in a separate pen and she is happily munching away on her hay. Hoping for the best. She still has 15 days till she's due.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Seemed like it was stressing her out being separated from everyone, so I put Delphine in with her and gave them some aspen branches to munch on for distraction. I thought I had another week or so to not be this guy :hammer:, but I guess not.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hopefully the head butting didn't hurt anything.


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## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Hope all is well!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

I think its okay. I guess there's no way to know for sure until she kids, but I felt them moving in there. She and Delphine are not pleased to be in the stall when I'm not around to supervise, but Daria, the dry doe, is using the top goats being pregnant to as an opportunity to knock everyone around. She has always been the most aggressive fighter in the herd.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

I gave Dita a kidding clip today. It was the first time I have used the new Oster clippers and she was an angel, just stood patiently. It was her first time being clipped too. Here is a pic of her pre ff udder. It's hard to tell, but her area of attachment is very nice and wide.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

I shaved Delphine yesterday. It went over like a sinking stone; she kicked at me like no other. Hobbles have been ordered (grumble grumble). So apologies for the hack job, but this is Delphine's udder with 16 days to go.









Dita had a little mishap today. I have been keeping her stalled when I am not there to supervise and letting everyone out into the pasture a couple times a day for exercise. The past couple of days they have seemed to been going crazy responding to late pregnancy hormones and are all fighting incessantly amongst themselves. I've felt like a club bouncer trying to keep the peace. Dita somehow fell or got pushed down onto her her side this afternoon amongst the squabbles and couldn't get up by herself, especially while Daria kept pawing her while she was down. I got her up as soon as possible and back into her stall, but suffice to say she will not be going out into the pasture with others until after she delivers.

I did feel her kids moving after the fall and she seems fine. Her udder is slowly getting larger. This picture I took today shows her developing attachments much better than the last picture.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Okay, the waiting is officially driving me CRAZY and Dita is still 6 days from her due date. I don't know how those of you with no exact breeding date stand it. 

Dita's twin sister that the breeder retained kidded last week at 2 days past due (though the breeder seems to put the due date for does at day 152, so I guess 4 days over) with triplets, 2 bucks and a doe. I don't think Dita looks big enough for triplets, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to belly and litter size.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Day 149 and Dita looks a few days out still. She has lots of white mucus, her bag is getting fuller, but I think it has a ways to go still. She looks to have dropped and she is stretching and rubbing up on things trying to get them into position. Ligs are getting mushy, but still there.

Last night I could clearly feel a kid but it wasn't moving, which concerned me, but I gave it one more feel and it gave me a huge kick!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Day 152 and I think she's going to go today. Her bag is full and shiny and she keeps pawing around the stall, laying down and standing up etc. She is still eating though. Her sister apparently read the doe code and kidded out in the pasture during the half hour break the breeder took from watching her after acting normally all day. I'm camping out in the barn until she goes. 

As I was typing I think I saw a contraction. How can you tell?


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Here is her udder from this morning. I think it looks even bigger this afternoon and the teats look longer.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Mine stopped in their tracks, and some made a small grunting noise.... She looks really close to me...


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Thanks Janeen. What I am seeing is crouching as if she is going to pee, but not peeing. Poor thing, she seems pretty confused.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Wow. That udder is developed! What a difference. Hope it all goes quick and easy 

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

FarmerInaDress said:


> Thanks Janeen. What I am seeing is crouching as if she is going to pee, but not peeing. Poor thing, she seems pretty confused.


Yep, that's it... A few of mine did that too;-) Happy kidding...


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## Woody_Glen_Farm (Feb 23, 2014)

Following this thread! Exciting (I have just a few more days to go!)!


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Happy Kidding..


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

How is everything??


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Still waiting. Not many more contractions, but she is very restless and has stopped eating. Lots of pawing about and looking helplessly at me as if to ask "What the heck is going on?"


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Awe, Mitzi did that to me too... I felt bad for her, then out came the bucking...., and then she knew....


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## ArborGoats (Jan 24, 2013)

Good luck!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I walked Mitzi right before too, that might help some....


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

She had them! One 8 lb doe and then a 10 lb buck! They are both up and nursing. Will share pics in a birth announcement tomorrow. Dita is doing such a great job being a mom.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

How cool!! Congratulations!!!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

All right, Delphine is at day 150 today. She is huge and miserable, but doesn't look like she will go yet. Udder isn't engorged, still has ligaments, etc. She isn't having all the white goo Dita had for the week leading up to delivery. I am doing my best to get her out of the barn a few times a day to walk around, but she ain't happy about it. 

Please keep your fingers crossed for the doe fairy to pay us a visit and that her delivery is as straightforward as Dita's was. I already have a very excited buyer lined up for does from her and if she has boys I'll have to find wether homes for them.


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Looks like she's going to go today. Ligs are gone and udder is filling. Off to prepare the stall!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Wow. Delphine kidded early this morning with twin does, both 9 lbs. The first one presented correctly, but she needed a little help getting her out. The second tried to come out headfirst with both front legs back. I was able to go in and pull one leg forward, but the other was too far back to get at. Delphine did such an awesome job and I am so proud of her. That was a tough delivery and she rocked it. Both the kids have wattles too!


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Awesome! Congrats!! And now we need pictures...


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

Here they are today. I got some selenium in them and they are doing well. Thankfully I now get a break until mid-May.


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

Good gosh they're cute!!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Congrats!! Super cute kids!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Adorable!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

My friend who is thinking about buying the latest two does born (her first goats!) came by to see them and took some fun photos. All moms and babies are doing well, though we need to redo the disbudding we gave the first girl today. I was holding and my better half was burning and he had a hard time holding the iron down long enough. Tips appreciated.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Soooo, cute!!


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## FarmerInaDress (Mar 15, 2013)

We just let Dita's kids out with the herd for a bit. They are 11 days old and very fast and spunky. It went pretty well, no one tried to kill them at least. Poor Dita seemed pretty stressed out. There was a little head bossing, but I am very pleased at how the girls behaved and my bully-girl Daria was an angel with them. Yay!


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