Murphy's Answer to Countdown

Oh what a night! Yuli's first freshening, and the family's first kidding in a while...

Amazing how much people (myself among the best) can draw from a natural process a never-ending series of escalating worries.

How odd that we our open minds beset
With phantoms of our own imagining.
To take a process natural as can be,
And beef about the bridges yet to come
Which very well may never come to pass,
And stew in worry over this or that
One hundred thousand ways to skin a cat.
The anguish can attack, annoy, depress,
Afflict us with the grumpies or yet worse,
Make us to run away from what is good.
Yet lacking fears to torment our small minds,
We'd miss the sequel: O! Such sweet relief!

~Daddy Goat

So, where to start? How about with schedules. Yuliana, like many of our animal cousins, has mastered a bit of freedom from calendars. The perfect 150 day gestation would have been Saturday, which would also have fit in with other lovely plans we have made for the following week, showing off the babies and mom in a variety of educational activities. Sunday, Day 151, gave no signs of impending delivery. Monday, Day 152, and the week begins to take hold of our minds... Heck, we probably would even forget she was gestating, except that we have her separated. Tuesday, Day 153... sigh.... A watched doe never kids.

Let's see, what would Murphy do? I know. Let's plan to go to a concert 30 minutes travel away!

Bingo!

"I'm at the concert, where are you?"

"Just checking on the goats. Oh! Yuli is showing mucous! Hmm... I don't think we're joining you, but you go ahead...."

And to annoy the concert masters, but to my delight, text message updates between numbers.

"What's happening?"

"Having contractions... Everything seems fine. Mama coming with supplies soon. I comforting Yuli. She pawing and talking much."

"She eating hay betwn cntrctns. Mor fluids cming out."

"Yuli not eating. We cold & hngry. Concert over?"

"Done. Shall I stop for food on the way home?"

"No, friendly neighbor made us quesadilla's and tea. Get something for yourself."

Almost to the store: "Oh! she's pushing!" Oops! Don't want to miss the birth entirely... Abort food run and go!

Several hours later... after much pushing and pulling, coaxing, fussing--all seeming totally beside the point after the fact--and much licking of everyone and almost everything by the should-already-have-been-a-mother-by-now, out comes a big beautiful white with black baby. Happily identified as a very large doeling at first... but later discovered to be a beautiful boy, 10 pounds 2 ounces. (That explains the delay! Poor Yuli!) Followed hard after by a black with brown brother weighing in at just under 7 pounds.



The new mom knows her stuff! Cleaning up each kid and the kidding area with her unstoppable tongue.

Kidding countdown - 5, 4, 3...

May 10 - Day 145 - 5 days to Yuli's perfect 150: Got the appropriate sized link to attach the stock panel to the barn doorway. Kidding pen all set and awaiting signs from the prospective mother that she is in need of isolation. Any time now! (Hee, hee. Whee! Kids!!!!)

May 11 - Day 146 - 4 days to Yuli's perfect 150: We moved Yuli into the barn, bringing along her mother for company. They don't like being away from the rest of the herd. Even Yuli, who has suffered of late from T-bone attacks from the boys and their mother, seems to be calling to the others. I guess I can't blame them. For a bit of security, she's had to give up quite a bit of freedom. A large enclosure, with protection, but not so much space to roam, and though they have plenty of grass hay, I know they will miss the fresh grass that has started to grow in the last weeks.

May 12 - Day 147 - 3 days to Yuli's perfect 150: Jail break! Did those clever girls figure out how to open a spring-loaded utility clip, or did we fail to connect it properly? Well, whatever the case, Yuli and Zixi pushed through the lower part of our makeshift stock-panel gate and roamed free... and where did they head? To the heritage orchard, with baby apple trees that they pruned during their Fall escape from this same barn? No, thank goodness. They appear to have made a bee line (or rather a goat line) to the rest of the herd. "Hey guys, we're back, let us in!" When that didn't work, they found some lush new grass growing in the field just outside, and had a hay day! Gotta love 'em.