Filly has been ready to go into labor for a couple of days, but things got serious last night when her tail ligaments were completely gone. I really expected her to kid during the night, so much so that we did a round the clock kid watch. Bob and Levi took the night shift....
I started my shift around 5:30 this morning. Filly was sweet enough to wait until I was on duty before she got serious. Around 6am I saw this...
Not long after the goo....we had a hoof....
It was a relief to see that the kid was presenting normally, and I just comforted her and let her do her work. At 6:45 am little Gimli was born!
Filly did a fantastic job....especially for a first freshener. I only interfered to help with a bit of traction on the kid between contractions, and saw to it that he plopped onto a clean towel rather than barn floor gunk. I use umbilical clamps on all the kids, dunk the cord in iodine....and my work is done unless it will be a bottle kid.
It didn't take long and he was up.
Gimli will be dam raised. He's a buckling, and he's destined for freezer camp this fall. My sister named him, she happened to be in town this morning when he was born.....and when she found out his dad is Frodo...and this is a G year....she said "his name should be Gimli". So there he is.
Filly is doing a great job with him.....although at first she had a unique style of nursing...
He has been nursing well, she is very attentive, and the placenta is out. They are in the day spa now, Filly got a warm bucket of molasses water and her morning granola. They should rest comfortably together for a while.
What a blessing this particular kidding is. Bob has been travelling and now that he's home I need some time with him for a few days rather than tending brand new baby goat kids. Plus, I've had a raging case of hives for 8 days that is not going away despite medication.
This was an unplanned breeding.....and a tight inbreeding that I would never have done (Frodo and Filly have the same sire). I suppose this means we'll need the extra meat in the freezer this fall; the Good Lord has His way of working it all out.
Filly did a fine job, and is proving her worth in the herd as an easy keeper.
We need to rest and have a day or so before the Moon landing......
MoonPie was also covered by Frodo, due anytime between 5/13 and 6/2. I'm hoping for an easy delivery of triplet does....but we'll take what we get.
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