A Sad Note for a Baby Goat

Annie has been being real motherly with her triplets.  She watches over them and takes care of them.  The barnyard is full of activity with all the animals on our small acreage.  We have 100 laying hens.  three milk cows, three bulls, one billy goat, two mama goats with 5 total kids.  At feeding time, it is quite a circus to keep everyone separated from the others' food and to keep the cows from stepping on the goats or the chickens.  We always have a hen or two that is walking with a limp due to being stepped on.

Tragedy strikes!

Several evenings ago Tricia fed Annie in the pasture.  Her triplets, that were less than a week old, were gathered around her as she ate from her trough.  When Luna (one of our Jersey cows) finished her feed, I walked her out of the barn, through the corral and into the pasture.  Big mistake!  Luna is quite gluttonous and ran straight for Annie's feed.  Fortunately, I was right there and caught her before she could gobble down the goat's food.  I walked Luna farther out in the pasture and held her.

After a time, I looked and noticed that Annie had finished her food, and I let Luna go.  Luna ran to the trough to see if there was any food left.  Annie's triplets were sitting in a group in the shade next to the barn.  Everything seemed to go in slow motion.  Tragically, instead of running to the food trough, Luna detoured and ran up to the barn, directly to the triplets and right through them.  They are too young to know to get out of the way of the large (not-so-smart) cows.

I watched in horror as Luna stepped right on top of one of the babies' backs.  Luna is not a big cow, but she still probably weighs 750 pounds.  The baby goat weighs less than 7 pounds.  The baby goat cried and cried and cried.

Tricia now looks back and tells us that what happened next shows the difference between boys and girls.  Tricia immediately ran to the baby goat, picked it up, and began nurturing it, and showing it compassion.  In contrast, I ran immediately to Luna and punched her.  (I know, not kind, right?) Russ picked up a dirt clod and threw it at Luna. We were angry and impatient with Luna's decision to do that to a defenseless animal.  Ironically, we weren't so kind to Luna, who is also a defenseless animal.

The baby goat that was injured was the doeling, the other two are bucklings.  Things did not look good.  She could not use or move her back legs.  Her hooves turned backwards and she could not stand on them.  We were just heartbroken.  I figured we would put her down, but Tricia wanted to wait through the weekend so "she could work with her."

Status Update and Prognosis:

The doeling (we need to name her, I guess) is nursing on her mom while laying down, unable to use her back legs.

Having her nurse requires putting her two brothers in a cage as she is lame and can't compete with her rambunctious siblings for her mama's milk.  They knock her over.

It is just real sad as she sits on essentially useless back legs.

A silver lining

Tricia has been performing physical therapy on the baby.  In Tricia's rehab center, the patient has shown some improvement!  Each day she is making strides.  She can now get up and stand on her own.  Although one leg looks lame and she just drags it, it appears that she is just beginning to try to take some first steps.

She has a LONG way to go and we still don't know the full extent of her injuries or prognosis, but it looks like we won't need to put her down.  Here is Tricia with the patient.  Tricia has patience and nurturing abilities that I just don't have.

Tonight we walked into the barn and the little crippled goat had gotten up on her own.  That's progress!  Tricia put her siblings in the cage and let the little goat nurse on Annie.  She drank milk while standing on wobbly injured legs.

We're seeing small improvement every day and we'll just have to wait a bit and see how things turn out.  We've learned a lesson through this, though.  We always talk about how it is good to have a variety of animals on the pasture.  Chickens eat what cows don't eat.  Goats eat what cows don't eat.  All eat grass and poop to fertilize the grass, which, in turn, grows more grass.  It is a beautiful cycle that God created.  It does, however, require some management as cows don't have much regard for their smaller brethren.  As the goats get older, they learn to stay out of the cows' way.  We learned from now on to keep the babies away from the cows until they get their 'street smarts.'  We'll keep you posted on our patient.

There's a new KID in town...

When I was 10 years old, there was a song called, "There's a new kid in town," by The Eagles that will be undoubtedly stuck in my head now, but we've got a new kid in town - really.  A baby goat.  Nellie had her little kid this afternoon.  It's a girl!!  We named her Annie. 

We got back from Lake Charles and while I was moving the temporary electric fence to let the cows eat fresh grass in the backyard, Russ went to the barn to gather eggs.  All of a sudden he took off running back to the house with the entire flock of chickens following him.  He ran to tell Tricia that Nellie had her baby, so we all went out to see the new arrival.

Everyone's excited about the new baby!

Nellie was cleaning her up as we walked up.  She didn't really mind our being there, but she did not want the chickens around.  She scratched at the dirt with her hooves and lowered her head and rushed at them as if to say, "I'm a new mom.  Give me and my baby some space!" 

Annie gets her first bath

It is very important for baby animals of all types to get the first milk - colostrum, it is called.  It contains antibodies and other vital nutrients that the mother passes to her offspring to ensure that they are healthy.  We watched for the longest time, but Annie was having difficulty in understanding how things work.  Her instincts were working.  She knows she needs it, she just can't figure out how to suckle off of Nellie's teats.  Poor Nellie was so engorged - it looks painful.
 

Where is it?  How do I find it?

Nellie tried to push her with her head as if to say, "C'mon!  Lower, go lower, little one!"   


Trying to help

Little Annie is so cute.  She is tiny and has markings almost like her Mom.  She's a Nubian goat as well.  Look at those long, floppy ears!  

Awwwww!  She looks like she might be smiling!

She is a curious little thing and is not shy.  Just hours out of the mama and she's calm and content as can be.  She seems to be perfectly healthy.  Nellie is fine, too.

My, what big ears you have!

Nellie, with her beard, licking little Annie.  Nothing like a spit bath...

 

At last, and who knows if this is the right thing to do or not, we helped Annie find what she was looking for and she began to suckle and get that colostrum that gives her a good head start on health.  Goats often have twins.  In fact, the lady who sold us Nellie just had another doe (nanny goat) that delivered triplets.  Since Annie is the only kid that Nellie had, we'll likely have to milk her to relieve some of the pressure.


Got Milk?  Well, yes.  Yes, I do!

One thing that is a little different with baby goats is that they aren't as wobbly as calves are.  Annie looks like she's ready to go.  She's got her footing and walked up to tell us goodnight. 

Annie, the baby Nubian goat - born 4/9/2013

  So Our Maker's Acres Family Farm has a new baby.  Wow!  She's a cutie, too.