Like an anxious new mother, I've been hovering over my doe Yoko for the past few days. She is due to kid on March 8th.
Yoko is prepped as well as she can be, so it is basically a waiting game now. Her hooves are freshly trimmed, her udder and lady area clipped, she got selenium, copper, and her vaccinations about a month ago. I've got everything ready to go, like towels, povidone iodine for cord dips, navel clamps, mucous sucker bulb things (I don't know the formal name for these things), and other kidding goodies.
It doesn't help that Yoko is definitely well versed in her
Doe Code of Honor. I'll copy and paste it here, I just wanted to provide the original place I learned about this important code!
The code utalized by all expecting doe goats is as follows:
The doe's secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is
ultimately the species best kept secret. No doe shall ever kid before
its time. (Its time being determined by the following factors):
1- No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all
involved. Your owner's house must be a wreck, their family hungry and
desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexistent.
2- "Midwives" must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out.
Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence mean
the time is getting close.
3- For every bell, beeper, camera or whistle they attach to you,
kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they use
an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.
4- If you hear the words, "She's nowhere near ready. She'll be fine
while we're away for the weekend," Wait until they load the car, then
begin pushing!
5- Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of
someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you're
getting close.
6- When you hear the words "I can't take it anymore!" wait at least
three more days.
7 -You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are
mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing
your food around in the bucket and then walking away from it, and
nesting, are always good for a rise. Be creative and find new things
to do to keep the adrenaline pumping in those who wait.
8- The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to
avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear
that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for
another day. OH, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems
fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful
wormings can also be avenged at this time.
9- If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when
to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has
been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe storm warning is
what you're waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump into action!
The power could go out and you could have the last laugh. You have a
good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching
for a flashlight that works!
10- Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time
someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love
you as the extra goodies fall their way too.
Remember, this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly
special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a
beautiful doeling to carry on the Doe Code of Honor for the next
generation of those who wait.
Of course, I always provide pictures in these posts. So here are some pictures taken of Yoko as of yesterday!
Yoko on the milk stand! You can see my 'nest' in the background. Yep, that is my cot and sleeping bag so I can hang out with her at night!
Yoko all cleaned up. A shave of her udder and lady bits makes things easier to keep clean when birthing happens. Goats, like humans, also have discharge for a few weeks after giving birth.
Her udder. It isn't quite 'ripe' yet. It can actually get bigger, and that is another sign of imminent kidding, when it gets fuller and tighter.
Her sides looking a little more hollow. But she is still pear shaped, meaning the kids haven't dropped down quite yet.
Yoko's next door neighbors while she is in the kidding stall. Georgie can barely poke his head over the wall to see her.
But Artie is tall enough to say hello!
"Put the camera down and pay attention to me!"
"Stop ogling at my bum!"
"And turn the flash off!"
"Fine, I'll just fog up the lens so you can't take anymore pictures!"
Having a good itch
I've never seen Yoko do a flehmen response before. She squatted to pee, sniffed it, and then curled her lip up! It was so funny and odd! The boys do this all the time, but not Yoko!
"What sorcery is this?" Apparently, the latern is quite interesting to her.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for a healthy batch of kids! I think there are at least two in her. I could feel kicking simultaneously when I held my hands on very different areas of her abdomen. Now she is a bit sensitive about me touching her belly, so I haven't been able to feel the kid movement for a few days. Hopefully, they come soon!
