Kikki & Her Kids: Part I

Kikki has done it! She's given birth to two incredible kids! One little buck and one doe! The twins are a great new addition to our herd. Given that the birthing process is such an ordeal, I'll be splitting the whole event into a few different blog posts so you can really get a good idea of what it was like to be there. There's just no way to put it all in one entry!

Kikki was in labor for nine hours and fifteen minutes before the kids arrived. That meant a LOT of waiting around. As mentioned in a prior post, her due date was on the 4th. So beginning the 3rd we put her in our birthing pen and began a regular routine of checking up on Kikki every two to three hours looking for signs of labor. This went on for three days and eight hours. Needless to say, we were all quite relieved when Martha reported the morning of the sixth that Kikki had begun having contractions. Whitt and I were out running errands when we got the call, so we finished up as quickly as possible and raced home to the barn...

...and ended up waiting.......







..and waiting...










...........................................................and waiting.

This being my first experience with goat birthing (or any birthing, for that matter) I did a lot of research. I learned:

- What to look for when a kid is about to be born
- What orientation the kid should be in when exiting the womb
- How to recognize when to assist the birthing
- How to assist if necessary
- What to look out for when the kid is born regarding defects or health problems
- How to tie off the umbilical chord
- How to use iodine to help eliminate the chance for infection while aiding in the shrinking and drying out of the chord, and so on.

I even watched videos of births, the longest of which was 5 min 33sec long. I was prepared for everything BUT the "anxiously waiting" part. I could tell that Whitt and Martha were just as anxious as I was. We all ended up doing barn chores and taking turns with who watched Kikki. After all, if we were going to spend that much time down there, we may as well clean up!

Whitt and Martha tag-teamed trimming the hoofs on our goats of the NON-pregnant variety.

Whitt taking care of Egglentine's hoofs.

The Damon looking on wondering, "I hope I'm not next."

Martha telling The Damon, "Yes, you are next!"

Kikki looking on.

Then I decided it was time to hang out with the goslings and baby chics.

Cute how they follow each other everywhere.

These little guys are coming along well!

..and Kikki still isn't quite ready.

At this point I noticed one of the barn swallows being particularly bothered by our presence. It kept swooping passed chirping loudly in an attempt to protect it's nest. There were previously four fledglings inhabiting the nest, but have since been gone flying around our fields forging on berries and insects. It was getting closer to there bed time, so I'm sure it wasn't ideal for us to be around Kikki in labor directly under their nest.

We're happy to see swallows in our barn. They help with
insect control and are a great sign of a healthy barn.

In the middle of my photo-op, The Damon catches
my attention by showing a lot more interest in Kikki.

And Kikki is really feeling it now! The contractions are really coming closer
together as she pulls her head back in pain. The kids are at last tangibly closer!


To Be Continued...