She doesn’t show any signs of being pregnant. I had a goat earlier this year like that. Looked completely normal. Of course, completely normal means big as a tank anyway. Even with being a really big framed goat though she didn’t have the ‘watermellon’ look that you pretty much expect from a goat in the final months. She ended up giving me three kids–so she was definately pregnant wouldn’t you say?

Bowie (the current goat in question) is a large, meaty, big-framed girl too, so there’s plenty of room in there for a kid or two, or three to hide, but the not knowing is just driving me crazy. I wish my goats would cooperate a little and have the decency to LOOK pregnant when they are. Even my vetran doe Polly hid it pretty well this spring, but she always does, and she always only has one kid… One big kid, but just one.

Thankfully all the rest of my girls had the good graces too look like water tankers during the final weeks, so there was no question as to their pregnant status.

A little cooperation from Bowie right now would be really nice.

Sorry the second pic is blurry, I dind’t move and she didn’t move, I have no idea why it was like that except the light was getting dim in the barn. The first pic turned out better. She’s a 2-year-old fullblood Boer doe with a pretty cool pedigree as well. But best of all, I really like her in general, and I think — at least I hope–she’ll be happy here too.

This is the two of them with mom

This is Blanche

This is Bertha who decided she was just old enough to figure out ways to make a mess. Since the garbage cans themselves didn’t provide fun (yet), a lid was a perfect playtoy


I had a great shot of the two of the kids playing, but Alex decided I should take a picture of her instead… um, a bit too closely

Polly (in the stall) looking like she wanted to plead that she’d be good if I just let her out.

One final shot, of course they moved right when I snapped, it WAS a cute shot.

Bubba and Punch playing kind and queen of the old crap pile

Bubba and Punch playing tag with mom

Bubba Punch and Dolly (yes I know it’s a mess there, it’s the junkiest place in the yard and they LOVE IT)

Close up of Dolly

Punch making a flying leap to grab all the hay she can before mom gets there(even though she really doesn’t know what it’s for exactly yet, mom seems to love it, lol)

Thanks for indulging me. Springtime is just too much fun. I don’t know who enjoys playtime more, me or them.

Here’s some of the girls over in the big barn just clumping about and enjoying the beautiful day

Polly saw me holding the camera and came over trying to see if it was food

Then Specs decided to see if maybe my shirt was food

Oreo one of last year’s kids, and Specs a spring boer cross brought home last year

Red and Specs, sisters born last year

On the other side of the farm in a run in pen I caught Blondie and Cherry giving me a once over and trying to decide if I was up to anything interesting with that gadget in my hand

And Blondie just by herself

Then of course, no farm ‘tour’ would be complete without a stop by the buck pen to visit the master of the place, Mickey, our Boer buck

And finally, took a little journey out back to see two of the new moms and twin does (the other twins belonging to the second mom were still back at the barn snoozing in the sun.

Anyway, I kept up my checking every hour as the evening turned to night. Eleven oclock I went out, Alex is laying down, but on her chest, munching cud and looking for all the world like she was just as satisfied with herself as can be. No contractions, no goo, nothing to alert me to imminent birth…

Midnight I walked into the barn and…

BOTH DOES.

We are 8 for 9 this year with does, one lonely little buckling in the yard, haha.

Now what I want to know is where did the color go? I expected big color from this one, and I got danged near solid white. One doeling is pretty much completely white, with just a very very minimal shading of red on the head, but not hardly noticable. The other has ‘eyeshadow’ and a couple little color marks on the very top of her head:

I don’t know how such a colored doe threw such colorless kids, haha, but I know one thing, these two does are HUGE. I swear the one is bigger than my two week olds in the other barn, and the other is about the size of the two week olds out there.

I’m just happy there were no problems. Alex delivered those babies and fast, by herself, and is a GREAT mom. She had them clean although was still working on dry, and I dipped their cords and feet, and made sure they were nursing which Alex handled like a champ. She’s very protective, she’s cool with me, but won’t even let the cat in the stall with the babies, haha, poor kitty she likes greeting the new arrivals. Mom says no go though.

Now I am just so befuddled, I have already picked two keepers from previous two kiddings, and wasn’t going to keep either of these since they’re just 50%er’s, but dang, they are beautiful big bodied girls, and I think they’ll follow in momma’s ‘no problem having big babies’ shoes. So, I think I’m gonna keep one of these too… oh lordy, potatoe chips anyone? LOL

I swear there was a goat there a second ago. ARGH

I did manage to get a few shots though, here are some pics of the kids born 3/6/08

Dolly:

Judy:

And one of Bubba (born 2-29-08) FINALLY looking at me, although it had to be from a right over him position because if I moved away, he’d turn his head away, if I sat down, he’d jump on me, lol.

I love playing with the kids though. What fun!

My LaMancha doe had triplets on Wednesday. It was an easy delivery, she just plopped them out. All were doing great except for the third one born who was really really slow to be all the way up and active, but it was beginning to catch up. The doe however was being a horrible mom as far as letting them nurse. She would lick them, let them lay by her, but at first I had to tie her up and hold her against a wall to let them nurse for the first time, and after a couple of those, it got to where she would just stand for them if I put a collar on her and stood there holding her, but no gymnastics involved, so I thought she was getting a little better about it. I was going in every two hours day and night and holding her while they ate, and it got to where they’d see me coming and as soon as I got the collar on they dove in, lol.

All of them were doing fantastically, bouncing around like typical 2 day olds even at 4 am this morning. I let them eat, and trudged back into the house through the flurries, lol, and went back to bed, setting my alarm for 6 am. Went back out and they were ALL DEAD. They were in a 12×12 stall and it looked like a hurricane had whipped through there. The doe had to have snapped and just went bonkers on them. I was heartsick picking up those limp twisted little bodies.

This doe is going. She is a bossy, herd queen to begin with, but she’s been good in general with people, although she really took a dislike to my friend’s 10 year old daughter, but even that she just grunts and lip things like a buck in heat at her. I didn’t mind any of her antics because she had given her previous owner triplet does and she is built like a tanker, although she seems to have constant trouble with sinus —-, it doesn’t effect her, and just as I’d hoped she gave me triplet does, but what good is that if she kills them all? I should have seperated them, I see that now, but I am not doing dairy, I can’t physically milk (carpel tunnel and I can’t afford a good milk machine yet, someday, someday) and I’m happy doing the meat goat thing. A dam who not only won’t nurse her kids, but KILLS them is just not an option here.

They were such lovely little doelings too. Still makes me cry to think about it.

Rest In Peace Babies

Bubba at 1 wk (Now he’s super friendly, and was under my feet the whole time I was trying to take pictures just about, but if I moved away to get a shot, he’d turn his head as if to say if you won’t play with me, I won’t look at you, lol, stinker).

Man the chest on him is just like his dad, here’s a pic of Mickey his sire (registered fullblood)

And here is my show doeling for this year (plus one of the ones born yesterday I think if she looks as good as I think she will)
Her name is going to be Country Havens Lucky Punch

Here they are together, doeling on the left, buckling on the right (yep, still won’t look at me if I won’t play with him, lol, brat)

Thanks for looking, I’m just so happy with the way things have gone so far this year. The other two batches born yesterday and the day before are doing great. I hope to get out and get the LaBoer pics later on, have to wait for DS to get home though, because I have to drive him and am waiting for his call. The cell phone doesn’t work in the big barn.

Here are the kids in their still slightly damp, and wobbly selves.