Well, it is 10:45 p.m. on Saturday night, Nonnie's due date. No babies yet. I just checked on her and absolutely nothing has changed. In fact, when I went to check on her just now she looked up from eating alfalfa and the look on her face was this: "what??? why are you here...AGAIN!!!" ...so...stay tuned...maybe tomorrow??? (I now feel like an annoying mom/grandma, aunt, great aunt...or whatever...good grief... :))
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Today is Nonnie's due date...no babies yet...
Just checked on the goats before going to bed for the night. Hermoine is done tormenting Patches...at least for now. Nonnie has her eye on the barn cat...she REALLY does not like that cat. No signs of babies yet....
I went into the pen Hermoine and Patches are sharing...Hermoine was begging for affection...and then BAM! Patches hits her from the side...no jealousy there...NOT! Hmmm...more tomorrow. Dawn at Fairland Farm posted a video on Facebook feeding some of their new babies...my soon to be new little guy is the brown one with the dark brown legs and dark brown spot running up his back...he is so darn cute!!! THANKS, DAWN!!!
The front goat in the picture above is my pregnant Nonnie, and the second goat is her daughter, Patches. Nonnie's due date is this Saturday, March 10th. Yesterday I put Nonnie in her birthing pen, separating her and Patches for the first time since they came to live with us. Patches does not seem to be handling the separation too well, even though she is right next to her mom. In fact, they can see each other through the fencing - and even touch noses. When the three does (Nonnie, Patches, and Hermoine) are all in the same pen, Nonnie is the little leader, with Patches second in command. With Nonnie separated into her birthing pen, Hermoine is making her move - challenging Patches for lead doe. It is actually quite amazing to watch Hermoine make her moves. She is truly working Patches...(she literally jumps into the feeder and hides behind the alfalfa - then jumps down and surprise attacks poor Patches...only to jump up and hide again....and then repeats the process). Poor Patches. We'll see what happens there...
Nonnie is doing well. She seems comfortable and content in her birthing pen. In fact, I think she is not missing being with the other two goats. While she is not showing any major signs of giving birth, I have noticed a few changes. Her ligaments are thinning, she is eating less today, and she has a little discharge. I started coming home over my lunch hour yesterday and today to check in on her to make sure she is ok. So far so good. More later... Hi, and welcome to my first ever post! My name is Emily, and the two great guys in the photo above are my husband, Dennis, and son, Ben. This is my "catch-up" post that fills you in over the past year on my new adventure in raising Nigerian Dwarf goats.
It all started about a year ago. I don't recall the exact moment, but I know it was in February. See, each February I go a little stir crazy and get the "little creature wants." My husband calls it the "baby wants" which is hilarious in itself because I am not very good with babies. Anyway...my first "little creature" was my first kitty, Chloe. After that, our son, Ben (thank you Dennis, for being so good with babies!). Then came Rin, our Golden Retriever, followed by Magnolia, our long haired rescue cat (yes, somebody actually dumped her in the country declawed and defenseless). I was content for a while, but in February, 2017 I stumbled across the idea of goats and fell madly in love with Nigerian Dwarf goats. I researching the breed, investigated breeders, and purchased my first Nigerian Dwarf goat, Hermoine, from Bear Park Bluff goats. Robyn was AMAZING to work with, and continues to give me help even today. Thank you, Robyn! I then purchased two grown does that had previously kidded: Nonnie and Patches. Both were bred when I picked them up. I taught myself how to draw blood for a pregnancy test - unfortunately only Nonnie is pregnant. Nonnie was bred on October 16, 2017, and based on my calculations, she should kid around March 10th or 11th. I have a pen ready for her, and I watch her regularly for signs of labor. I am so excited...and so nervous about this. Stay tuned... |
AuthorHi, I'm Emily, and I am excited to share with you my adventures in raising Nigerian Dwarf goats. I'm a little nervous about this new adventure, but very excited at the same time, to see how it turns out. ArchivesCategories |