# Say a little prayer



## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

A doe we had sold bred (waiting on pickup for very beginning of August)....kidded today. EARLY. I was too late for the first doeling, she was already gone, I found the buckling crying, semi dried off, sack eaten, found mom *first freshener* had passed afterbirth, wanted nothing to do with her babies, and NO milk. Her udder was about half bagged, I couldnt express ANY colostrum.
Needless to say, brought the LITTLE buckling home with me. Nutri drench and has good suck reflex, able to somewhat get up on his own. Got probably about 3/4 of an ounce of milk replacer in him. He MIGHT be a pound soaking wet.

So what went wrong, she was early according to our dates (pen bred...) we werent expecting kids for another few weeks....the babies were both very very small, but seemed totally formed.... :scratch: 

Also- what do I tell, do, reimburse the lady who has already purchased this doe (deposit down on her).....especially if this little boy doesnt make it?

I will get a pic on here in a few.... have to go take care of my OWN baby! Hubby went on a fishing trip tonight, he NEVER goes anymore, figures this would happen tonight! :hair:


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Here is the little tyke- next to a stick of deodorant for size reference, oh and the dog, is our 10 lb chiuahua cross....(  he was even letting the little guy try to nurse off him, in exchange for cleaning up the milk replacer all over his little face!)










Another shot


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

oh my, he is so small.  I hope he does okay.


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## QotL (May 27, 2008)

He is absolutely adorable, but I agree.. he's gotta be the littlest goat I've ever seen.  

My thoughts are with you. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him.

Keep us updated, ok? 


Meghan


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I will be ray: for him. 

If you don't have any real goats milk I can give you some for him. He would prob do best on it. I have sooo much goats milk right now I don't know what to do with it all.

Is it possible mom was head butted? That could have caused her to go into early labor. Her milk may need some time to drop or it may not drop at all, but I think it will. I know when my doe aborted she didn't drop her milk. But she was really really early.

Also My little Tiny Tim is only a bit bigger than him. He weighed just a pound at birth and so far he is doing good. I am sure you can pull him through this. :hug:


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

We have a lot of does in milk here, so will milk one tomorrow for him. I was running like mad tonight trying to get all the horses/goats fed and keep my 5 month old occupied in the stroller doing so! The ONE night hubby went away- ack! I did get him to nurse a bit off one doe there to hold him over until I got him home. Thank you for offering Ashley! :hug: 
She could have gotten head butted, she is low in pecking order, but doesnt he look totally formed, just small...er VERY small?? :?


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Ok, but if you need anything let me know. 

He is small, but if he is getting around and suckling then thats good. Just keep an eye on him and keep him warm. Shouldn't be a problem with how hot it's been around here lately. 

Do you have any other does soon to kid? You may be able to put him on one of them if mom wont have anything to do with him. Saves you the work of a bottle baby.

As to the person that bought the doe, i'm not sure what the deal was/is. Was she supposed to bring the doe home after she kidded or before? Was she getting the kids? Not sure what I would do there.


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Thank you :hug: 

He is getting around, he just got up and moved to the other side of his cardboard box. Hes in our kitchen, windows open but no AC on. He seems to be a good temp, and hes got a polar fleece blanket in his box for now. He has a very strong suck reflex and went to town on the bottle right away- didnt drink a whole lot, but his stomach is probably the size of a pea, he was full and has been taking a good snooze since, so he must feel good now. I really cant say how long he was there before I found him. I was talking to my boarder for a good while and when she left I walked by the pen and heard the peep of a baby baby goat. :GAAH: 

She had bought the doe bred- the babies were going to be hers (to sell - keep, I dont know)
I suspected the doe to be due around the end of August! :shocked: so imagine my surprise today. She was showing no signs and bag was super tiny its maybe 1/4 full nowhere near a 1/2 full actually... Our next doe to kid is due around the same time, she was a bottle baby herself and a first freshener (like this doe) so I am worried how she will accept her kids too.

She paid more for the doe since she was bred, maybe I should sell that doe at regular price and give her 1/2 off another doe???


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

He might be little but dont discount him! Kitten was the same size and she is now bigger then her sister who was left on her mom! Kitten was a premie to boot. 

I say that is kid is fullyformed and not early more then a couple days if at all. If she was butted and kidded this early, for a late august date, the kid would be hairless and of course dead.

As to what to do with the buyer. I would contact her via phone (email is so hard to guage peoples responses) and tell her what happened just as you know it. Then offer her the buckling with the doe at the same price as agreed (she is still getting what she paid for just a bit early  ) it isnt your fault the doeling died and there is never any garentees on gender and number in litter. If she doesnt want the buckling then I would sell her the doe as an open doe and reduce the price to what you would charge for her as such no less. If she needs another doe to keep her company that is for her to find and not your responsibilty to "give" her one via a discount unless that is the norm around your farm (I sometimes will give discounts on multipule purchases). If she wanted a bred doe then of course you need to discuss with her the options if you do have anymore pregnant does for sale. 

That is what I would do.

It might seem like a sticky situation but just remember you didnt cause the doe to "kid early" and loose the doeling.


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Well the little tyke made it through the night. He is eating about 1 ounce every 3/4 hours. For his size, I think thats pretty good. He sleeps until I wake him up to feed him, then he realizes he is hungry and cries while I fix the bottle. His belly feels pretty full after that one ounce and he usually goes right back to sleep. Today he is doing a little bit of exploring, wobbly, but up and curious.

Fingers crossed, I am feeling a bit better about him.

Here he is today









and again with our 10lb chiuahua :shocked:


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Oh wow, he's a cutie though. Did he get any colostrum? I'd worry about that if he didn't. If I were buying a goat under these circumstances, I would expect that the doe and baby boy were mine and too bad about the doeling. She did purchase a ff, and sometimes "stuff" happens. If I were going to "offer" her anything, it would probably be a reduced fee on a rebreed. That would be nice of you, and not cost you much. But, half off another doe, no one would "expect" that kind of discount. IMO


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

I am really doubting she is going to want to take on a bottle baby though. I offered her the doe at "open" cost, or she can certainly have the doe and the buckling, or I offered her a slight discount on another adult doe. ( I also added a 1/2 price rebreed for future use)


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Glad to hear he is doing ok. He is sooo cute. I love the floppy ears. Tiny tim had those for the first few days.


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh wow what a CUTIE!!!!! I am glad that he is doing well. He is such a teeny thing!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

My goodness is he tiny!! Thankfully you found him when you did! If the "buyer" wanted a bred doe then offer the breed back on the dam of this little one....BTW When was she to pick up the doe? Was it after she kidded or before? This little one is at most a few days early, not a whole month, like Stacey said if he was that early he would be hairless ....he looks perfect to me!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

dont offer her to much. She purchased a bred doe and if you keep the price as such then she can have a breeding back at either half or for free. I wouldnt be adding in another doe unless you really need that doe sold. it isnt your fault she kidded "early" like I said before. You at NOT obligated to give her things for not knowing that she got herself bred earlier then first thought.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I agree with Stacey. If she was to have taken her a day before she would of had a doe with a baby and she would have to take care of a bottle baby. That is just nature. 
I agree, I do not think he is early really either. Another way to tell is does he have teeth? If he has no upper teeth then he might be a little early but not more then a few days.

I tell you I am glad you are not near me. I do believe I would come steel that little angel in the middle of the night. He is just the most precious thing I have ever seen in my life.

Congratulations on finding him. :stars:

I had a lady that bought one of my does and she was pregnant. The deal was if she has a buck I would just let her have him but if it was a doe I get her. Well she had one of each. BUT at about two weeks old the boy jumped on the water tank and slid in. It was the worst thing I have seen, a drown baby goat. Well I had to call her and tell her. Now she was planning on have another goat, but when I called her and I was balling on the phone, she was like "Hey, it was not your fault and he must of just been to beautiful and precious to stay here on earth". So she bought three more goats.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Lori those are the people you want to do business with! :hug: 

I think you ment to say bottom teeth though, right? From my experience goats dont have top teeth :wink: well top molars but not in the front


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

:ROFL: .....see we do have goats on the mind....especially when we "forget" the obvious :slapfloor:


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

We lost him this morning. He was doing GREAT at 9 pm last night, sucked down his bottle like a little champ and was wondering arond the room. Put him to bed, got up a little later to feed him and he wouldnt eat, I tried and tried, nothing. This morning, he was unresponsive despite all of our best efforts. Poor little guy had all the odds against him and tried his hardest to pull through.


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## QotL (May 27, 2008)

:tears: I am very sorry for your loss. I was really hoping the little guy would make it.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Sorry he didn't make it. :hug: :tears:


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

So Sorry :hug:


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I am so sorry that you lost that little guy. You did everything you could. 

Stacey, OOPS. Yep you are right. :hammer:


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Awwwww darn, I was hoping he'd be fine. Sorry for your loss.  :hug:


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## Kittikity (Jun 12, 2008)

Sorry you lost him.. Maybe there was something internal wrong with him since he was born early.. I'd say offer to rebreed the doe for her.. She'll still get a bred doe, just a different due date..


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

So sorry to hear that. It just wasn't meant to be. I would just offer her a breed back for the same $$$ she was before she kidded. Things like this happen, anyone who has goats would understand, so I don't think she should get to big of a discount, if at all. Just my opinion. So sorry for your loss :hug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

:grouphug: So sorry you lost him :grouphug:


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

She is buying the doe at "open" price and she will be bringing the doe back to breed in December for 1/2 price breeding fee.
( I urged her not to breed her this time of year, December in New York, which is where she is headed is NOT a great time for kidding IMO)
I may be a softy, and giving too much of a break, but its what I thought was fair. So.... :shrug: 

We have three more does to kid this year, one is a FF actually the twin to this doe that just kidded....and the other two have had many babies. So cross your fingers for succesful kiddings! And lots more :girl: :girl: :thumbup:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

oh wow I am so sorry!

Seems like you and her have worked out a deal that works for both of you. And that is what counts.


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