Jade, Lorene, Marsha, Charlotte, Kathy, Mary Lou and La La - ALL kidded in a 24 hour period! Thankfully this started after morning milking and was completely finished before the night milking! Thanks Becky, Kathy, Staci, Lexi and company for all of the help. Does, kids, goo, iodine and colostrum were everywhere! When it was all done, we had sixteen kids added to the midnight feeding. I am SO thankful that the new LDR was finished and equipped. It was quite an experience and all the does and kids are doing well.
Jade delivered triplets. First, a gray and black spotted 7 lb 4 oz buckling A9, followed by another 7 lb 4 oz buckling A10. Their sister followed weighing 6 lb 4 oz and her tattoo is A11. She is black with tan eyebrows. Her name is Kelsey.
Next I found Lorene and Marsha in the shelter after milking and there in the fresh straw were two babies still very wet. Marsha was delivering one when I found them. I thought Marsha was having triplets. Wrong! Lorene wasn't just helping, the first two were hers! Both little doelings a black one with black ears that we named Haley weighed 6 lb 12 oz, A12. Then there was a black and white flashy girl we named Gaye Lynn, A13. She weighed 6 lb 14 oz.
After Marsha delivered her first 7 lb 8 oz brown and white doeling A14, she delivered another one , A15, that was just smaller at 7 lb 3 oz. We named them Alisha and Shea.
Not long after my "team" finished the navels, weights, feedings, etc., Wendell introduced Charlotte into the 3-ring circus! She quickly produced A16, a 7 lb 13 oz doeling that looked just like Alisha! Pictures HAD to be taken right then! We named her Myrna. The only way to tell them apart is that Alisha has two spots where Myrna only has one. She was followed by a 7 lb brown buckling, A17. Whew! AND, there stood Mary (the one that had been in the kidding pen from the start), not doing anything productive. I gave her a quick check and then Wendell yells from the doe pen, "Kathy is having a baby!" We all run and escort Kathy, feet starting to present, to the kidding pen. Boom, boom ... gorgeous red and white paint A18, 5 lb 10 oz doeling we named Cidney. Her just as beautiful brother, A19, followed weighing 6 lbs 9 oz. Kathy is a very petite doe and so are her kids.
Back to Mary Lou. What is going on with this girl? She was pawing, getting up, lying down, getting up. So, I went in for a check. This time she was fully dilated and all I could feel was a tail. I manipulated the hind feet and with a push or two the first of triplet black and white triplet bucklings were born. A2o weighed 8 lbs 1 oz, A21 only weighed 5 lbs even and she barely noticed his birth. A22 weighed 8 lbs 12 oz. All were happy to be on the outside after waiting in line for some help!
Just when everyone thought the performances were over ... "Rhonda, La La is having a kid!" We caught her just in time to catch A23, a 5 lb 4 oz tan and cream doeling! We named her Emalee. Her brother was not far behind. A24 weighed much more than his sister at 8 lb 8 oz.
I am exhausted all over again just writing what happened down! All in all, it was a very successful day. All are doing great!
The cheese is spoken for before we can make it. I am sure glad that these girls will be producing soon because I have six that need to be dried this week. Wendell did a good job timing the breedings.
Well, gotta go milk!
.JPG)
