Sisters Kid Together

I had to pen breed this year due to hernia surgery and recovery. That is where you put a certain group of does in with the buck and let nature take it's course. You can never be certain about breeding dates unless you see it happen. Makes things interesting. Anyway, I put the sisters, Linda and Brenda, in with Robin. To my real surprise, they both showed signs of labor this morning and I put them in the kidding pen. I watched them most of the afternoon and they were stagnant. Nothing happening. Our niece, Becky, came by around milking time to keep an eye on the sisters. I told her that unless she had trouble, to just hang out and make sure any kids that were delivered were breathing. Well, after milking about half of the does, Becky yells, "Aunt Rhonda! Come here!" I yelled for Wendell and he went to help while I was trying to get to a spot in the milking where I could go out there. He comes back in and takes the machines and tells me that they need my small hand. I switched to clean gloves on the way out and when I saw Linda it was apperent by the head sticking out that I would need them :-/ I carefully reached a couple of fingers under the neck and reached a shoulder. I followed that down to the knee and pulled up the leg into the birth canal. Out came the stuck brown and white 7 lb 4 oz buckling, A25. Followed by another similar -but bigger - 8 lb 8 oz buckling, A26. We were so excited to see a doeling follow these boys, she was a gray and white, 6 lb 8 oz doeling, A27. We named her Laura. Wendell nicknamed her Champagne because of her markings.

Within 30 Brenda began pushing. She, too, had triplets. A brown and white, 6 lb 7 oz doeling A28, Bethany, followed by a striking red and white spotted 8 lb 7 oz buckling, A29. Then by a brown, 6 lb 8 oz doeling with self-colored ears, A30 which we named Tara.

So, both sisters had triplets within 30 minutes of each other. These girls are kidding at will :-)

Everyone is doing great and the sisters are AMAZING milkers. I wish I had 30 of these sister pairs!

Seven Does, Sixteen Kids, One Day!

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!

Sandy Has Quads

Well, finally Sandy showed the true signs of labor. Two others had sneaked in front of my prediction of the first to go. She was just too big to go any longer. I put her into the kidding pen and kept an eye on her. My friend, Kathy, came by and we sat in a couple of chairs and watched for progress. She then started to push! With a bit of assistance, a brown buckling A5, 6 lb 4 oz, was born, followed by another buckling A6, 6 lb 11 oz. Then a brown doeling with a white splash on her left side, A7 (Candice), 5 lb 8 oz, and a spotted brown doeling with a white mark on her right side, A8 (Amy) 5 lb 9 oz! I was so glad to have Kathy help with the navels, drying and feeding. I knew this doe was bigger than the others :-) Mom and kids are doing well!

Age's Cleaned Up and Standing

I never saw this one coming! I went out after milking and Adriana (Age) had a beautiful buckling standing beside her. He was still wet. Some of the older does were helping to clean him. He weighed in at 7 lbs and 12 oz and is A4 is doing great. I just love this little guy's coloring. He is going to be a pet at Staci and Jeff's house - our neighbors - so it will be fun to watch him grow.

Martha Likes to be First!

Erik and Wendell were feeding and I went out to check Sandy to see if her ligaments were any looser. It was dark (about 7:00) I grabbed the flashlight and headed to the feeders since they were all chomping, snorting and shoving at the freshly stocked buffet. I could see Sandy from a distance at the feeder. I flashed the light inside their shelter just to make sure everyone was up and eating. There was Martha. I thought she was close, but not that close. I began to think she might be sick. As I got closer to her I slipped in a puddle of goo. Amniotic fluid is very slippery and I was just glad I didn't fall! I yelled for Wendell and Erik. They came and walked her to the kidding pen while I grabbed the towels, feed bags (to deliver the babies on) and kidding kit. I knew that she was in trouble when I found her because she wasn't pushing and the water had already broken. With Wendell and Erik helping, I put on my gloves and examined her. Sure enough, there was a tail and front legs presenting. Two were coming at once. I carefully pushed the little bottom back in a bit and found the back feet that belonged to it. With very little effort a black and white buckling was born. His numer is A1 and he weighed 5 lb 8 oz. Martha then started pushing with no result. I checked her and now there were 4 feet coming! Two back feet and two front. I found the ones that belonged to the head and tugged a bit. Out came a brown and white doeling (Alina) that looks just like mom. A2 weighed in at 6 lb 10 oz. Then another backward buckling that looked just like his brother. In fact they both look like their sire, PePe. A3 weighed 6 lb 4 oz. All are healthy and took their fill of colostrum from the bottle. They were walking around within minutes! Wendell headed in to set up the barn for milking and Erik weighed the kids while I fed them. Erik also cleaned up and got Martha some molasses water and grain for a job well done. Whew, here we go! Midnight feedings are just an hour away. So, Black Mesa Mace's Martha kicked off our kidding season with triplets! Two bucks with a doe in between. I suppose that she didn't get the memo that Sandy was supposed to be first :-)