We finally did it! We have had our first baby Boer goat born on our farm! So exciting!
Last Friday, I went out to do morning chores and found that Dazzle (momma) was acting a little strange. She was eating like she was starving and didn't mind having me pet her and feel for baby movement. She has gotten a lot more tame since being in the barn, but not this tame. Still, though, no signs of impending birth. In the afternoon I decided to take a look at her and sure enough there was mucous hanging out. It was so thick that I thought it was membrane.
Throughout the afternoon we kept close watch and there was more and more mucous. Not being sure how fast things would progress or if we would be waiting until the wee hours of the night- we had to leave to go get some new cows for my son to show at the county fair and left my mother and son in charge of keeping an eye on her. My hopes were that she would wait for me to get back. No luck there!
About an hour after I left I received a phone call that a hoof was hanging out. Twenty minutes later another call that it was the same. My son made a good decision knowing I wasn't there to see first hand and made a trip up to the neighbor to come take a look. After being there a few minutes he decided momma looked like she had had enough. He pulled the kid and we are lucky he did! I didn't want our first kid to be a dead kid. Out came one large kid for the size of the momma!
Our little girl, Mystery, named by my daughter for the question-mark shaped white marking on her head, is our most prized possession on the farm right now! Our first baby Boer and healthy as can be and it didn't take her long to start drinking. Momma takes great care of her and she is an energetic bouncing baby girl. She has brown knees/elbows, head and feet. She is truely the meaning of adorable!
We have another doe that will be kidding sometime soon that is all sorts of enormous looking and another that had looked pregnant and now she doesn't so I think she lost it. So much fun here on the farm with the babies and spring/summer weather.
More to come soon on momma cow and the AI process and garden planting!
As always, the day is as good as you make it so HAVE A GREAT ONE!
