Record Time

Saturday, late afternoon, in a remote corner of the goat pasture, Monroe, a white color factor doe found an out-of-the-way spot to give birth. Hubby commented as she walked away from the group (as they often due just before giving birth) and not 10 minutes later we went out to check and there they were; two kids, rolling in dirt while mom watched over them. Why do they always pick the yuckiest spot to kid?

Although we try not to intervene at this stage, temperatures were dropping fast and we thought it prudent to get them into the barn where she could clean them up and all would be safe. Newborn kids have little tolerance for icy winds and temps in the 30s. Half an hour later, we checked the barn finding her diligently cleaning and softly muttering, encouraging them to nurse. One kid was sitting like a puppy, still pretty slimy and clearly chilled. We immediately saw that his back feet were a bit curled "backward" and decided to take him in and check him out. We cleaned off the sack remnants and blew him dry. He was quite vocal and very willing to seek out something, anything, to suck on. His little back feet were definitely pulled back and needed to be stretched out. So, I went to the barn to get some "groceries", hubby massaged the kid's feet while curled up in front of the heater and soon after the little guy got a Bo-Se shot. He gladly took the warm milk and within about 15 minutes of walking on an area rug had pulled one foot forward and the other was almost there. So, back to the barn, to mom and sister he went for his first night of life.

Now, the real surprise was that this doe gave birth to two white kids. Her sire is was a registered white buck and her dam a deep mahogany red from the red/black/brown gene pool. She should have thrown color based on our past experience. But, for the second time, bred to different bucks, she threw white. I suspect that she is homozygous white.

A quick check on everyone this morning revealed all to be content and well. Both kids have beautiful, solid blue eyes. We are hopeful they will hold. One more doe due this weekend and then a break until early April. This will give us some time to enjoy the new families and get the barn ready for the next wave. You know Spring has arrived when you look out your window to see kids of all colors bouncing around and vaulting off blocks and rocks placed for their entertainment (and ours!)