We did have some joy yesterday mixed with the sadness. 25 and 11 both delivered healthy baby bucks yesterday, named Cilantro and Tarragon respectively.
Cilantro
Tarragon
Both are good-sized kids and both are eating from their mamas which is good because 11 butted and bit me repeatedly when I was trying to help her baby latch on. Both 25 and 11 are proving themselves to be good mothers, very attentive and gentle.
I got a little worried about 25 because a couple of hours after she kidded she still seemed to be laboring. She was panting, getting up and laying down as if she couldn't get comfortable, and making a lot of noise. Now, I am not one who is quick to call the vet. I have learned that, nine times our ten, most problems will resolve themselves 15 minutes before the vet arrives and farm calls are mad expensive. BUT we had just lost Parsley. AND I have been reading the James Herriott books (All Things Bright and Beautiful currently) in which all kinds of horrible things go wrong during lambing. So I was all but positive that there was a second kid stuck inside 25 and that I needed the vet to come get it out.
Luckily, we have a great vet who trained in the UK, where farm animals are a big part of a vet's education. Dr. Dave Tuminaro is a great sport about responding to emergencies. He was on his way up-Island when I called, but rescheduled his day to come check out the situation with 25. He didn't find another kid inside, but he wasn't crazy about the way 25 was acting either, so he gave her something to help her expel the afterbirth. Within a couple of hours she was fine and I was grateful for the peace of mind.
I spent a lot of time in the kidding barn yesterday, afraid to leave because of what happened to Parsley, and I was dreading what I'd find this morning when I went in to check on them. What I found was two just-born twin girls!
Meet Sassafras and Saffron.
They are on the small side but full of energy and raring to go. We considered taking one of them away and giving her to 7, but their mama (9) wasn't having it. And 7 seemed to be more her old self today. She's stopped looking for her baby and her appetite was great. If we end up with a rejected baby we will consider giving it to 7 but, for now, everyone is content.
9 is taking great care of both babies, which is such a relief. It's pretty common for a mom to only take to one twin but 9 is showing no favoritism so far. We are going back to check on them one more time tonight so that I won't stay up worrying all night. As you can see, we jacketed them to make sure they stay warm. While we were at it we put jackets on Cilantro and Tarragon too.
Eight nannies down, two to go.
10 comments:
I'm so glad Nanny's doing better. Thanks for keeping us posted on everything, good, bad, and in between.
Awww! They can't replace poor, lost Parsley, but FOUR new lives certainly do help restore some balance. And those twin girls are adorable!
I was wondering how Parsley's mom was doing, and am glad to hear that she's doing okay. It's not like you can explain to her what happened, and I was worried about her.
You sound like you're doing better today, too--good!
What great news to come home to! Thank you for the update and the pictures. All these babies do restore a sense of balance.
I'm glad to hear that Nanny is doing better as well.
And Susan, I highly doubt you will ever become immune to the ups or the downs. And that's a good thing.
The picture of the new girls being held makes me wonder just how big/small a normal mohair kid is. If one person can hold them both up to camera, they must be very tiny. Seeing them without a person in the shot for reference tends to hide their true size. How much does a day old kid usually weigh? Is there any reference site online that would give the insanely curious amongst us more detail?
[so as to not tax you any more than necessary: you have your hands full!]
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting your blog and pictures. I look forward every day to seeing what's happening on the farm. Your experiences are the circle of life and it reminds us to live each day mindfully.
I love the twins! And their names. Twins run in my family. My brother is a twin, my sister has twins. They are two cute and you are the best photographer.
What fun!
OMG--I didn't think there could be anything cuter than the babies you've already posted. But twins?? Could it get any cuter???
Susan, I completely agree with you in that it is right to mourn for our babies when they go and that if we didn't, something would be wrong. You're a really wonderful person. Thanks for sharing all your experiences and feelings with us.
Sedress, you ask the best questions! Patrick is holding Sassafras and Saffron in that picture and he does have big hands. (He's 6'11") But the kids are pretty small when they are born, especially twins. The doe twins were about the same size as Parsley when they were born. Rosemary and Oregano were small as well, but Oregano was about a third bigger than Rosemary.
It's funny because the goats seem larger than, say, a puppy, because they are so tall.
I was thinking the same thing Sedress - the scale of the thumb in relation to their tiny heads. My gosh - those a little babies!!!!!
Congratulations, they are beautiful and I'm so glad all went smoothly!
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