Here we go again...
Feb 15, 2021 15:20:46 GMT -5
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Shawn, serendipity, and 3 more like this
Post by mollymoo on Feb 15, 2021 15:20:46 GMT -5
We have five does due to kid this year - first one is due Sunday - 21st Feb - last one is due 2nd March. My dairy doe - first freshener is first and so far seems to be doing fine. She’s so athletic compared with the rest: the others are show boers (I see her as a skinny blond with one of those beach all baby bellies, all jogging up to the last minute!)
She looks like she’ll have a nice udder too!
Our problem child, Heart, is next in line.
Poor darling is as big as a house - ketones have been reading small or higher since the end of last week. She’s due in 10 days - getting three times daily drenches of a witches brew that includes propylene glycol, b vitamins, amino acids and lots of sugar as well as special attention to make sure she’s eating and keeping moving. Her poor feet swell up too. Vet told us she thought she saw at least three fetuses when she ultrasounded at ~50 days. They’re probably all bucks!! I started her on 1cc dexamethasone on Saturday in case we have to induce her early. Really hoping she can hang on, because it’s crazy cold for TN! We lost her three kids two years ago - almost lost her too - to pregnancy toxemia. Last year she had two doelings - a little toxemia at the end, but not too bad. We have done everything “right” in terms of condition when breeding her (on the thin side) feeding her through pregnancy (minimal grain from 30-110 days) - as evidenced by the fact that all of the others seem fine (so far!) - but this girl just takes pregnancy hard!
The last three does are related - mother (with the spot) and two daughters (red ones a first freshener and traditional kidded for first time last year) from successive years. Thankfully they are all looking good ketone wise - and seem to be handling their pregnancies well (so far!)
I like that they all seem deeper bodied than Heart - suspect that helps their metabolism at the end of their pregnancies.
Really just sharing this for fun - excited to see what this years crop of babies will look like and excited to start milking my Nubian doe! Anyone have any tips on milking a first freshener goat? I haven’t milked since Snooki (jersey cow!). Planning on hand milking - some for the house but mostly for bottle babies (we’ll bottle raise extras from triplets or quads) - but not even sure whether I should bottle raise the milk goats babies or leave them on Mom and take extra milk? Would welcome any thoughts
She looks like she’ll have a nice udder too!
Our problem child, Heart, is next in line.
Poor darling is as big as a house - ketones have been reading small or higher since the end of last week. She’s due in 10 days - getting three times daily drenches of a witches brew that includes propylene glycol, b vitamins, amino acids and lots of sugar as well as special attention to make sure she’s eating and keeping moving. Her poor feet swell up too. Vet told us she thought she saw at least three fetuses when she ultrasounded at ~50 days. They’re probably all bucks!! I started her on 1cc dexamethasone on Saturday in case we have to induce her early. Really hoping she can hang on, because it’s crazy cold for TN! We lost her three kids two years ago - almost lost her too - to pregnancy toxemia. Last year she had two doelings - a little toxemia at the end, but not too bad. We have done everything “right” in terms of condition when breeding her (on the thin side) feeding her through pregnancy (minimal grain from 30-110 days) - as evidenced by the fact that all of the others seem fine (so far!) - but this girl just takes pregnancy hard!
The last three does are related - mother (with the spot) and two daughters (red ones a first freshener and traditional kidded for first time last year) from successive years. Thankfully they are all looking good ketone wise - and seem to be handling their pregnancies well (so far!)
I like that they all seem deeper bodied than Heart - suspect that helps their metabolism at the end of their pregnancies.
Really just sharing this for fun - excited to see what this years crop of babies will look like and excited to start milking my Nubian doe! Anyone have any tips on milking a first freshener goat? I haven’t milked since Snooki (jersey cow!). Planning on hand milking - some for the house but mostly for bottle babies (we’ll bottle raise extras from triplets or quads) - but not even sure whether I should bottle raise the milk goats babies or leave them on Mom and take extra milk? Would welcome any thoughts