Mother and child

Last night, both Mike and I were completely exhausted after work, ready to do the DVD movie thing. We had delivered pizza for dinner - a treat when you are on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

Mike was idly looking out the window at the goats and saw our most pregnant goat, 71 (as we affectionately call her) lying on her side away from the others in the barnyard.

This wasn't right. Her udder had grown disproportionately to her body - she-goats walk kind of funny when they're all 'bagged up' back there with milk.

We arrived to discover that she was oozing... the stream of goo coming from her backside isn't a very pleasant thing to see, but it did tell us that she was ready to give birth. So we dragged her (it took both of us) into a stall, spoiled her with alfalfa, apple treats, grain and other stuff.

However, we'd been keeping her in the same stall because we already knew it would be any day that she'd give us a kid or two. But today, Mike fed her really well and then let her out for a bit to get some sunshine and nibble on the green grass. She didn't eat much of what we gave her. This we should have noticed. She's not one to pass any food by if it's within butting distance.

So when we dragged her back into the same stall because of the goo sticking out of her hind side, we knew it would be a matter of no more than an hour when she would grace this world with another kid. Her last one died late in the year last year. We're hoping this one doesn't. We've had a great kidding season with few losses, so we're crossing fingers and toes.

Mike loves to take pictures of the goats' most intimate moments, such as, you know, giving birth. So we have a whole series of her grunts, pushes, standing up and then lying down again (repeatedly), and then finally the bubble of amniotic fluid that comes out with the kid's hooves and nose - they come out with head and hooves positioned as if for a long dive, with hands above one's head and put together, then head down for the jump.

The kid enters this world pretty slimy and screaming for food. Mom is busy cleaning it all the while and within ten minutes, it's up on its feet and ready to chow down on Mom's teats. This time, it's another male.

The kid was born at 7:45 last night and is probably the last kid of the kidding season. Last year, 71 kidded on Mike's birthday in July. She's the odd one out, as the rest of the moms usually kid in late December or in January and February.

It was molasses water (for energy), more feed and privacy for 71 and her newborn. For us, it was an early night and no movie. Perhaps tomorrow. You just never know what's going to happen from one day to the next when you live on a farm.

This morning, the rain hit just as we were leaving for work. It's likely to rain most of the morning and the goats stay in the barn during the storms and eat hay and grain. At least 71 won't be alone. She'll have 41 others to keep her company.