# my first goat, Martha, day 145!



## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

This will be my very first kidding and I'm an anxious mommy. Martha seems to be progressing nicely though. If she took her first time she was bred she is due April 7th. She is getting pretty big and her ligaments are almost gone. I can almost put my fingers around her tail bone. She is getting puffy behind and her udder is filling nicely. I have about half of my "kit" ready but need to go to town for a few more things...like baby bottles and penicillin (just in case!).

Here is a picture from last week of her nice big belly!


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

She is a big girl ! Happy kidding!!!!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

Her ligs are already soft? Wow! My Mindy (a Nubian) was due last Tuesday. She's showing other signs of being ready to go, but her ligs are still moderately hard. I bet your girl will go fast when she goes!

Good Luck!


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## use2bwilson (Aug 4, 2011)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

Just a few days ago ... I was in your shoes as well as a first timer.

A couple things that I learned from my experience is ...
to double check your supplies. I realized that a couple items had been backordered on my original order and had not yet arrived. Luckily we were able to pick it up last minute.

I was also surprised how quickly my goat's labor took off once it really started. She lost her plug at about 10 am in the morning and shortly after that I saw a thick thread a couple of inches long (around noon) ... but things slowed down and she was quiet ... i checked her frequently have hour or so and was nearby otherwise. she seemed quiet and comfortable ... and then all of a sudden, I heard her "screaming" ... and things went quickly after that.

it was an amazing experience. I loved my goats before ... but wow, i'm crazy hooked now!! i had planned on selling the babies ... but wonder if that's possible.

Good luck with your kidding!


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## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

Thanks everybody! I'm so glad for input from others, especially those who have been through this recently! She seems to be doing more resting than she was a week ago but then, so is Isabella and she's not due until May! I just want this to go well...I even have another experienced "goat" person's phone number ready just in case...they said call any time! Three weeks and counting...


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

She looks like a beautiful girl! Can't wait to see what you get, I'd guess at least twins from that belly! Maybe trips!

Keep us posted


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## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

Okay, Martha has a week to go so I took some new pictures...

Martha is getting SOOO BIGGG!!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, due April 7th!*

Wow.... :shocked: looking big and coming along nicely.... :thumb:


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## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

Today is day 146 and Martha is acting completely normal, lol! She wolfed down her food this morning and is super happy for attention every time I go spend time with her. I don't think she'll give birth today.

A neighbor had a ND doe that lost her triplets at birth three days ago...he brought her over for me to milk (yikes, what tiny teats!) so that if Martha has triplets we can try to get the ND doe to take one. I've saved the colostrum from the last two days milking (couldn't save the first day...she had never been milked before and kept kicking it over and sticking her foot in it). I put it in the freezer so if I need it I'll have it. Martha has a huge udder though so I'm not worried about her having enough milk, even for trips or quads! 

I'm waiting, I'm waiting... :chin:


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## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

Day 147...make that 148 since it is after midnight. I think Martha is in labor. Since she is my first I don't really know what it will look like but I've done my research and it looks promising. No mucous plug yet but she is stretching and every 15 minutes or so she kind of arches her back and lifts up her tail. I think it is the first contractions. She spends most of the time staring off into space like she is contemplating something. If I talk to her she looks at me and "talks" to me so it just seems like she is concentrating. She is doing a little bit of pawing as well. I set the timer for 45 minutes and I'll go back out and check on her then...I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight. I told myself that if she looked normal at midnight I'd go to sleep but she just seems a little different tonight...so I waited an hour and a half and checked again...she is definitely acting different than usual. Still...that could mean she's 24 hours from giving birth at this point, right? It's going to be a very long night for me, lol. I'll post in the morning...with either news of getting some sleep or news of babies!


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Babies soon!!!!! Good luck! Can't wait to see what she has! :greengrin:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hug: :hi5:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

babies ?


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## MarthaBella (Mar 15, 2012)

*Re: my first goat, Martha, day 148...triplets!*

Triplets!!! Doe :kidred: buck :kidblue: buck :kidblue:

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, just snatches of sleep here and there. I checked her at 5 in the morning and brought her some fresh hay and she was happliy munching away when I came back up to the house. I woke up again at 7:00 AM and heard my other doe, Isabella, beating away loudly (she's a Nubian) and I knew that meant Martha had babies...it just HAD to mean that!

I ran down to the goat shelter and, sure enough, a brand new doeling! :leap: She had her head cleaned off and was sitting there with mommy diligently cleaning away! I checked her nose and mouth and started rubbing her down with a towel. About 40 minutes later her first brother arrived. He practically hit the ground running! :clap: About 40 minutes after him came the second buckling. He was slower to get up and around but not too much. He's the biggest and the owner of the daddy has already been here and claimed him as payment for breeding fees. 

I'm super tired and super happy! :coffee2:

I'll post pictures once the battery on my camera is charged...They are really flashy!


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