Goat Babies

Clover delivered her twin baby goats on Earth Day (April 22) after a gestation period of 149 days. She was left unattended for 1 hour 15 minutes and that's when she decided to go for it. My father walked out to the pen after having a sandwich in the house and realized that the ranch goat population had doubled.

Daisy and Basil are healthy and happy and just starting to frolic and play.  Welcome to the world you two!

The Countdown Begins...

April 18th is day 145 on the gestational calendar for Clover. Since goats usually give birth between 145-155 days after conception, we could have baby kids as early as tomorrow. Clover looks terribly uncomfortable and I'm hoping for an early birth. God knows I'm ready.

In the last three weeks we've:
Created a milk parlor,
Constructed a milking stand,
Built a kidding pen/nursery,
Picked up 4 bales of fresh hay,
Finished preparing a kidding kit, and
Had a pre-natal ranch visit from the vet.

Now we're just waiting for baby Nubians.

Pre-natal check-up

The vet visited the girls this week to draw blood for CAE and CL testing. She also showed me how to administer CD&T vaccinations.  The girls performed beautifully and were hardly bothered at all by the poking and prodding. Apparently, they can withstand anything if they're nibbling on dates.

Dr. P says that both girls look big enough to be carrying twins! (Unfortunately, my mother loved Dr. P until she said the dreaded T word. Mom is definitely looking forward to kid goats but was hoping to enjoy far less of them...say 1 per goat.)

Clover is due April 23--16 days to go.