Mid Winter Update - Ice Storm

Sunday evening, we arrived home from an outing, only to find our propane tank was empty.  That meant no propane heat and no cooking on the stove.  Al put in a call Monday morning and pending weather, we would have it within a few days.

Meanwhile, I used the roaster oven and instant cooker for most cooking.  I also have prepared a few things on the wood stove.  

Lo and behold, the ice storm blew in just as Al arrived home from work on Monday...and shortly after that, Juniper delivered twin doelings.  Within an hour after that, Jersey delivered triplet bucklings.  

 We woke to a pretty good layer of ice pellets, but it wasn't slippery.  I was very happy to see all five babies survived the night despite the bitter cold.  Come afternoon, I realized one of Jersey's little boys was hypothermic.  I brought him in, warmed him up, and fed him some of momma's colostrum.  I took him back out before we went to bed, but was apprehensive.  

Early morning, I was convinced I would go out and find several dead babies, but I only found one...or so I thought he was dead.  I gently dropped him to the ground on the other side of the fence, only to find him alive, but barely so.  That is when I took him and put him in front of the propane heater in the milk room, until I finished the chores.  While I was attempting to warm him up in the house, he passed.  His little body sat in a box in the dining room until later in the afternoon when both Abby and Caleb took him to the back of the property and put him under some branches. (The circle of life.)

This morning, the ground was still covered with ice, but the kids have been enjoying it tremendously.  They find it more fun than snow as they trek to the top of the driveway and sled down 100 to 200 feet, narrowly escaping any crashing.  Though, I did nearly have a heart attack this morning when Caleb whipped down the driveway and turn directly into some pipes that were off to the side.  He stopped one foot before the 2 inch PVC hit him directly in the face.  {{sigh}}

It was this morning, I realized that Mocha's ligaments were "gone" (relaxed), meaning she was in early labor.  Had it not been that I check each goat every morning and afternoon, she would have hidden it quite well from me.  

It was good that I was monitoring her, because I later found she was in need of assistance.  I had been watching her for a bit before I started wondering if she had a rear presenting kid.  Caleb, Abby, and Hannah were also watching, so it was quite crowded in the dome where Mocha was laboring.  I left them to watch her while I went to the house to take the bread from the roasting oven, and go to the milk room to get some latex gloves. 

Upon returning, I watched her a few minutes and knew something wasn't right.  I had to check her.  Sure enough, there were no legs presenting back in the birth canal.  I was almost sure I was feeling the goat kid's rear end.  I pushed the kid back in and looked for a leg.  Then pushed back to get the other.  Once I had two legs I pulled out some.  Then I panicked because it looked like they were front legs.  That!  That was a no go!  I put my hand back in and said to myself, "Rachel, think. Think.  What do you feel?"  I ran my hand around what I assumed was the rear, felt to see if a neck and head were folded back.  When I felt nothing, I knew it was indeed the rear.  I straightened the baby's legs. That was when I allowed her to push while I pulled on the legs. Out came a beautiful little doe. Then she had a buckling, followed by a doeling.  

The babies had their umbilicals clipped and dipped, they drank colostrum, and I was sure they would be fine.  Mocha slurped down her molasses water for minerals and an energy boost, then thanked me as she licked her lips.

We are planning to keep girls from every dam (mom) in order to increase our dairy productivity.  All boys will be either sold or raised for meat.  There are a few people who are interested in starting their own herds.  But for now, we just want to grow these babies, as well as those who have yet to be born.  We still have three more does to kid: Wendy, Ivy, and Amber.

Meanwhile, enjoy the names:

Juniper's girls:

1. Jujubee

2. Snickers

Jersey's boys:

1. Rolo

2. Milkyway

Mocha's kids:

1. Tootsie Pop

2. Mr. Goodbar

3. Kit Kat

Oh, and we still do not have propane.  With the ice on the roads, there is really nothing at all being delivered whether it be mail, UPS, or FedEx, and certainly no gas truck should be on the road, either!  So I continue cooking on the wood stove, and in the roasting oven.