Kidding Season - Annie's Doeling

Tricia keeps tight records and announced to me that Annie's due date was today, January 17th.  Plus it is a full moon.  Annie is our 9 year old Nubian momma goat.  We happened to be outside when the labor began, and we coaxed Annie to push.  Hooves pointed outward and we see the little face.  Everything seems to be positioned right.

In three shakes of a billy goat's tail, the little kid was on the ground.  We checked it out and it is a doeling?  Healthy, active and vocal.  Annie began licking her to get her all cleaned up.  She scratched the ground all around and threatened all the chickens who wanted to venture too close.

Annie's teats are huge, and as a dairy goat, that is a good thing, except Annie's bags are messed up.  Mastitis in the past have rendered her unable to provide any milk to her offspring.  Therefore we have goat colostrum that we'll bottle feed and then this little doeling will be a bottle baby.

At first, she didn't get the sucking reflex too good, but after a second trip to the barn, Tricia had her draining the bottle.

She has all kinds of interesting markings on her face!  

We welcome yet another kid to the homestead.  Now we have to figure out a name for this new arrival.