Robin kidded on the eighteenth. One day early. I had been sitting with her since the sixteenth though.
Robin had started the normal nesting habits on the fifteenth and I was watching her pretty closely then on the sixteenth I say her pushing. I moved her into the milking parlor and started to wait. The moment she entered the parlor it was like an entirely different goat. She had to smell everything even though she had been in there an hour earlier for grain. She tasted everything and started to play with the doors of the cupboards. I was not surprised, goats will be goats after all. But she kept this up for another hour. When she finally laid down and I was sure she was going to get serious, she promptly fell asleep. When she woke I fed her some cookies and she laid there chewing her cud contently. Every time I wanted to kick her out of the parlor so I could go and do something productive, she started having contractions or gooing. I'd sit again and stare at her for another hour. I figured that the moment I left her she would get serious and I would come back to a bunch of babies, so I stayed put. It was one of the most frustrating and boring days of my life. Never the less, I was positive that she was going to kid. Eventually a friend of ours, Jill Iverson and her son came and sat with me. We all watched Robin together. Robin continued to not kid.
I spent the night in the parlor with her. Not much sleeping though. More staring at her and mentally willing her to go into labor. She had dropped by the next morning and I took the day off of school. Once again I was positive that she would kid. No such luck. I built a chicken pen, topped off the animal's waters, played with the chicks we have and spent the rest of the day sitting with Robin. I brought out my lap top and Robin and I watched the music videos I had on it together.
On the eighteenth I again skipped out on school and figured that I would get much of the same. Half way though the day, however, Robin started to slime seriously. I was exited and when nothing more happened I was sorely disappointed. Night came and my parents came home and my boyfriend came to visit. Robin was back to chewing her cud and we figured it was safe to leave her. When I went out about ten minutes later, Robin's water had broken and she was happily eating all of the goo. I radioed my mom and we watched Robin. She showed no signs of pushing. I did the two finger check and there was nothing in the birth canal.
Eventually Mom and I fell asleep. We woke to Robin pushing two hours later. I was feeling paniky and felt that I should have gone into her sooner to see if something was keeping her from going into labor. I went in past my elbow and found nothing in the birth canal. However, in the uterus I found a large, soft mass. I had no idea what part of the kid it was supposed to be. I had a horrible feeling the kid was dead. We called Kathryn at Black Mesa but, it wasn't much help because the phone kept disconnecting. I pushed the mass back and to my surprise it moved. At least it was alive. Finally, I figured out the kid was trying to be born sideways and was block the birth canal. I pushed it back and found a hock. After pulling it forward, the kid righted itself and I found the other leg. A black buckling came out, ripping Robin pretty badly. I passed the kid to Mom and almost immediately, Robin started pushing again. Again I went in and found a head in the birth canal but no legs. I pushed it back and located a front leg. Pulling that forward and helping Robin, a huge brown bucking was born.
When I went in again, I found a butt. A breached kid. I tried to push it in but the kid was moving and seemed to be fighting me. I found one leg. It was in the canal when I found the other and the umbilical had broken. I pulled and Robin pushed. Another black buckling but he wasn't breathing. Because his umbilical had broken too early, his first breaths had been of birthing fluid. Mom and I clean him and Mom swung him in an effort to get the fluid out of his lungs. He coughed and sputtered and finally seemed okay.
Robin seemed delighted and helped us dry the kids off. All three boys are healthy and Robin is doing great. It is a little sad that they are all boys but, they are adorable and have Robin's sweet personality.
Pictures below - Taken 4/7/14 - 3 week old kids!
Robin had started the normal nesting habits on the fifteenth and I was watching her pretty closely then on the sixteenth I say her pushing. I moved her into the milking parlor and started to wait. The moment she entered the parlor it was like an entirely different goat. She had to smell everything even though she had been in there an hour earlier for grain. She tasted everything and started to play with the doors of the cupboards. I was not surprised, goats will be goats after all. But she kept this up for another hour. When she finally laid down and I was sure she was going to get serious, she promptly fell asleep. When she woke I fed her some cookies and she laid there chewing her cud contently. Every time I wanted to kick her out of the parlor so I could go and do something productive, she started having contractions or gooing. I'd sit again and stare at her for another hour. I figured that the moment I left her she would get serious and I would come back to a bunch of babies, so I stayed put. It was one of the most frustrating and boring days of my life. Never the less, I was positive that she was going to kid. Eventually a friend of ours, Jill Iverson and her son came and sat with me. We all watched Robin together. Robin continued to not kid.
I spent the night in the parlor with her. Not much sleeping though. More staring at her and mentally willing her to go into labor. She had dropped by the next morning and I took the day off of school. Once again I was positive that she would kid. No such luck. I built a chicken pen, topped off the animal's waters, played with the chicks we have and spent the rest of the day sitting with Robin. I brought out my lap top and Robin and I watched the music videos I had on it together.
On the eighteenth I again skipped out on school and figured that I would get much of the same. Half way though the day, however, Robin started to slime seriously. I was exited and when nothing more happened I was sorely disappointed. Night came and my parents came home and my boyfriend came to visit. Robin was back to chewing her cud and we figured it was safe to leave her. When I went out about ten minutes later, Robin's water had broken and she was happily eating all of the goo. I radioed my mom and we watched Robin. She showed no signs of pushing. I did the two finger check and there was nothing in the birth canal.
Eventually Mom and I fell asleep. We woke to Robin pushing two hours later. I was feeling paniky and felt that I should have gone into her sooner to see if something was keeping her from going into labor. I went in past my elbow and found nothing in the birth canal. However, in the uterus I found a large, soft mass. I had no idea what part of the kid it was supposed to be. I had a horrible feeling the kid was dead. We called Kathryn at Black Mesa but, it wasn't much help because the phone kept disconnecting. I pushed the mass back and to my surprise it moved. At least it was alive. Finally, I figured out the kid was trying to be born sideways and was block the birth canal. I pushed it back and found a hock. After pulling it forward, the kid righted itself and I found the other leg. A black buckling came out, ripping Robin pretty badly. I passed the kid to Mom and almost immediately, Robin started pushing again. Again I went in and found a head in the birth canal but no legs. I pushed it back and located a front leg. Pulling that forward and helping Robin, a huge brown bucking was born.
When I went in again, I found a butt. A breached kid. I tried to push it in but the kid was moving and seemed to be fighting me. I found one leg. It was in the canal when I found the other and the umbilical had broken. I pulled and Robin pushed. Another black buckling but he wasn't breathing. Because his umbilical had broken too early, his first breaths had been of birthing fluid. Mom and I clean him and Mom swung him in an effort to get the fluid out of his lungs. He coughed and sputtered and finally seemed okay.
Robin seemed delighted and helped us dry the kids off. All three boys are healthy and Robin is doing great. It is a little sad that they are all boys but, they are adorable and have Robin's sweet personality.
Pictures below - Taken 4/7/14 - 3 week old kids!