I counted and recounted her dates and realized that apparently I can't count because I was two days off! Still, 155 days went by and still no baby! however, on day 155, during the evening chores I noticed her bag had tripled in size and she walking weird. I checked her three times that night and nothing.
The next day- Friday morning (day 156) when i went out to do chores and she wouldn't leave the goat house so I thought it was getting closer. I had an appointment 45 minutes away so I figured shed probably kid while I was away... But I came back and still no baby!
As the day wore on she wasn't eating or drinking and looked even more uncomfortable... By Friday night she looked miserable. Her bag was solid, red and hot. She wouldn't lay down and I was getting worried. I called my uncle who's been raising goats for 15 years and he came up to check her. He couldn't feel any babies in the birth canal but he said she was really close. At this point she hadn't laid down in over 12 hours. I was so worried about her.
At 5:30 am Saturday morning I went out and she had a long string of goop hanging out. I was so excited... I knew it would be soon. I was so glad to not be alone and have my husband with me as it was both our first times to watch a goat deliver! She started pushing at about 9:50 am.
When the bag came out and popped -almost immediately after a hoof shot out! I knew it wasn't presenting right so my husband went in and tried to find the other foot. It was bent under the baby's mouth. He couldn't get a hold of it so I went in and couldn't get it either...( man are those babies slippery) i started panicking so my husband tried again and finally got it... It was really stressful and scary but all went well!
What was weird was I watched dozens of YouTube videos of goats in labor and giving birth and May had all the signs for two weeks before she actually delivered! But... 24 hours before they all went away and she just stood in her house. She didn't paw, bite at her belly, didn't pant.. Didn't make a sound until we had to intervene and pull out a leg.
Im kind of glad in some ways that we had to assist because now we know we can do it. It definitely made us feel better about next season and having babies! So, on a beautiful spring day our first baby was born on the farm-
A 10 pound buck! Welcome to the farm Gandalf!
