Hoppy had her kids around 11am on Friday. This was much earlier than expected. Jeff and I had just finished making the door to the kidding stall and were bringing it down to the barn, when we heard Hoppy make a noise we hadn't heard her make before. We looked over to her in the barnyard and saw a hoof hanging out of her backside. After Jeff and I finished freaking out, Jeff retrieved the kidding supplies from the house, and I stayed with Hoppy and saw the first kid be born. Both of her kids were born breach with one leg tucked underneath their butts. This could have been problematic, necessitating me to push them back in and find the other hind leg and pull it out, if they got stuck. Hoppy was a champ and pushed them on through. Thank goodness!! The kids are both boys, look just like their dad, and are doing well. Hoppy was in pain and fairly lethargic for about the first two days after birth. We were worried about her, acquiring a couple of shots from the vet to help her empty her uterus. We also gave her a number of things to help stimulate her appetite. Who knows what finally helped- perhaps, it was just the tincture of time, but as of this morning, her temperature was down and she was more energetic and eating and drinking better. Phew!! Anyway, prepare yourself for the extreme cuteness that is baby goats, 'cause here are the pics:
These pics were taken minutes after the second kid was born. Hoppy did a great job licking her kids clean after each one popped out.
With some help from Jeff and I, the babies finally found mama's teats and began nursing. It's very important that the babies get the colostrum from their mother's milk within the first hour of life.
Hoppy and the older kid, Chevy. What long, spindly legs he has!
I'm holding a sleepy Chevy, and Jeff is cleaning French Fry's poopy butt. Unfortunately, the kids' mom has not been taking good care of this task.
About the kids' names...well, they reflect a reality of raising goats. We don't have the money or space to keep more goats, and boys are difficult to sell, particularly if they are not purebreeds. So, the boys are destined for our dinner table someday. We decided (somewhat morbidly, I suppose) to go with the naming strategy of the former owner of the kids' dad, Tater Tot, and give them food names. Thus, they were named French Fry and Chevron (the word for goat meat - chevre is the french word for goat). We plan to give them a good, albeit somewhat short, life at Deerfield. In two weeks, they will start sharing Hoppy's milk with us, so we can make tasty cheeses and more.
-Annie
Hoppy and the older kid, Chevy. What long, spindly legs he has!
I'm holding a sleepy Chevy, and Jeff is cleaning French Fry's poopy butt. Unfortunately, the kids' mom has not been taking good care of this task.
About the kids' names...well, they reflect a reality of raising goats. We don't have the money or space to keep more goats, and boys are difficult to sell, particularly if they are not purebreeds. So, the boys are destined for our dinner table someday. We decided (somewhat morbidly, I suppose) to go with the naming strategy of the former owner of the kids' dad, Tater Tot, and give them food names. Thus, they were named French Fry and Chevron (the word for goat meat - chevre is the french word for goat). We plan to give them a good, albeit somewhat short, life at Deerfield. In two weeks, they will start sharing Hoppy's milk with us, so we can make tasty cheeses and more.
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