Diary of a Goat Lady, Entry 2

Goat Kid Preparation Checklist
​
Stack of clean towels for drying off goat kids - check.
Blue bulb syringe for suctioning noses - check.
​Path worn to the barn from checking on my pregnant goats - check.
Camera for newborn photos - check.
Clean kidding stall with straw, water, & food - check.
Propane tanks full to heat our barn - check.
Baby goats - ummmmm..........

Does anyone else hear the crickets?

The state of things around here can be summed up with a picture of Nickel from today...

Nickel on 3/9/17 - 10 days before her due date

Oakley is the goat we've been watching closely because we don't know her due date, but since Nickel & Llama both dropped yesterday, now I'm watching them too!  When I say dropped, I mean that their kids moved from being carried high in their abdomens to low, which results in a sunken look at the hips.  This happens as kidding gets closer and the babies are getting lined up in the birth canal.  

Just for your reference as we count down the days, we know Llama is due 3/17/17, and Nickel is due 3/19/17.  We didn't witness the deed with Emma, but we suspect it is around 3/21/17.

Throughout this pregnancy, Nickel has just been large.  She had triplets last year, and I'm fairly confident it is triplets again.  Based on her size, I wouldn't even be surprised to see quads, but I do think it is triplets.  Her extra largeness compared to the other ladies in the herd is likely due to her "queen goat" status that earns her more grain at the food trough everyday.  (For anyone not familiar with goats, they have a self-established pecking order like chickens.  Nickel is the long-standing queen of our herd and won't hesitate to push her authority on the other goats - except our buck, Ziggy.  She doesn't mess with him.) 

So, we are keeping a wary eye on the bitter cold temperatures predicted for this weekend.  I've gone from wanting Oakley to kid NOW to hoping her babies stay safe & warm inside her until we get through this bitter cold snap.

Stay tuned.  The babies can't stay in there forever!