Kidding or Kid Care?

Friday evening after chores Mom, Abigail and I packed our bags and headed up to the Regan's home to stay the night. Saturday morning we (Josh, Jenna, Abigail and I, and a few of their younger ones) woke up at 5:00 to chores and eat a good breakfast before heading off to what we were planning to be a long day of kidding at a nearby goat farm.
Abigail, Jenna and Josh in the back of the truck. I was back there too but someone had to take the picture!!!

It was close to 7:00 by the time we pulled in the driveway but all the lights in the house and barn were turned off. This was very unusual since Tammy is usually out in the barn on kidding days by 4:00. We went into the barn and looked in the kid pens and saw several kids (12 to be exact) still somewhat wet signaling that they had been born recently. Tammy had heard us pull in and came out to the barn and saw that two more had been born while she had gone in to lay down. I quickly scooped up one and started whipping mucus off it while she told us what had happened.

The night before around 10:00 or so one of her does who had Pregnancy Toxemia (Strait) was having a really hard time even breathing so she had called the vet. He came out and said the kids were killing her so they would have to do a c-section. The procedure went well though because there were not enough hands to rub kids and get the mucus out of their air passageways two of the quads died.
Strait getting some attention. You can see the insicion on her side near her back leg.
The incision up close. Very good sewing Doc.!

After c-section the does started kidding right and left and kept at it all night. Poor Tammy didn't sleep all night so she had gone it to take a short nap. Only a few minutes after we had arrived a doe began delivering a kid head first, front legs back. The doe's muscles where tight and she wouldn't relax enough for them to get around to her shoulder so they could pull on something. Josh tried first but couldn't get it so Tammy tried but couldn't get it. She went to go deliver a breech kid then came back and she was finally relaxed enough to where she was able to pull the kid out.

Josh trying to get around the kid to find something to pull on.
The kid just "hangin' out". :)

After that little burst of excitment there was only Mia to kid yet so we fed kids, helped with chores, milked goats, gave shots (actually I just was the shot holder, Josh gave the shots), fed kids again, "counseled" the doe who had the c-section and just sat around in the pens chatting with Tammy. 3:30 rolled around and Mia still hadn't kidded and Tammy was exhausted so she went in to lie down while we waited around for our ride. Mr. Regan picked us up and we rode to their house. Mom came and picked us up about 10 minutes later (she had been at her parents house) and we made the drive home.


Here on Asher Acres we are getting close to having more kids as well. Mandie, Zoe, Jessie and maybe Camillia are due during the next week so be checking frequently for more pictures and maybe some more kidding vidoes!! Yeah, I know you are all groaning. :)


Hope you are all having a great weekend!

In Christ,
~Bethany~