This is how her udder looked when I went out to see her this morning. I barely touched her teat and it started spraying colostrum all over the ground. Since that stuff is liquid gold and very important to the immune system of the new kids, I quit doing that immediately.
I was expecting her to kid much earlier based on what I was seeing and how she was behaving. So I canceled all my afternoons activities and hung out in the goat house. She didn't want me to touch her, but whenever I left the pen she would call until I came back. As long as I sat with her she was calm. I really began to wonder if she was really in labor. After all, I had been expecting her to be in labor since Easter.
I finally just had to go get some things done! So I came in the house and did a little work. (If anyone wonders, I work for a great guy at www.musicforall.biz.) A little before 3:00 I went out to check on her and she was making a sound that let me know something was happening for sure. It was like her normal maaaaa, but much more intense that I had ever heard. When I walked in the stall it looked like she was just starting to push.
Talk about adrenaline. I was running back and forth making sure I had everything I could possibly need. Turns out all I really needed was the dental floss (for tying the cord), towels and iodine. It was a completely uncomplicated kidding. The first kid was born and before her back feet were even all the way out, the head of the next one was out.
Newborn kids are surprisingly slippery. I quickly dried this one off with a towel while Teresa started on the other. Once I got the one as dried off as I could, I gave it back to it's mother and took the other one.
My doe is a full Toggenburg. The buck that we bred her with is a full Nubian. So far the kids look mostly Nubian. Their ears are smaller and narrower, but so far they flop much like a Nubian kids ears do. I can't wait to see if they stand straight out to the sides as they grow. How cute will that be?
And speaking of cute, the one little doeling (they are both doelings) has white spots on both sides and the one on her right side looks like a heart! The flash made this picture kind of light, but you can sort of see it. She is darker than it looks in this picture.
So far mom and babies are doing great. Teresa is a seasoned doe and is great at taking care of her babies. The babies seem to be getting the hang of nursing, although I think shaving the long hair on Teresa's belly is on the agenda for tomorrow so they can find their way faster. Luckily Teresa nudges them into the right spot pretty quickly. It's amazing how quickly they catch on.
More pictures to come soon. I think I'm going to have a really hard time selling these little does.
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