Sunset on the Waiting Period

After Tom and Huckleberry's welcome comic relief, their mother finally set the sun on the anticipation of her new progeny. All the signs of labor started in earnest yesterday evening. We were too tired to stay up with her, leaving her at midnight with contractions going at intervals of about 2 or 3 minutes. "We'll get a few hours sleep, then come check on ya girl." As daybreak shone its luster on the valley and wall clock's delicate hands pointed toward time to shower for a 9am presentation, our Oberhasli blossom began the earnest push, and we happily tabled any other morning plans.

Foxglove, as perhaps not mentioned before in this forum, was crossed last Fall with a handsome American Alpine. Strong-boned and tight-shouldered, a lovely, kind temperament, and impressive family history for milk production. They got on famously, and their offspring have been anticipated fondly both by hiker and by milker. A buckling of that parentage should grow into a nice strong packer; or with the combined milk-production capability of the two lines, a doeling would be a great addition to the dairy project.

The wait is finally over! Our herd is now increased by two new obie-alpine females, each born weighing 10 pounds dry (big girls!), with withers at about 15 inches, and a long straight back. The dairy side of the house is ecstatic.

Huckleberry's Helmet

It's kiddin' time around the farm, and all hands are so focused on the kids we have and the ones to come, that sometimes the grown goats must feel a bit left out. Older kids lose laptime to younger. Milkers may get fewer pats and scritches. And the working wethers start to wonder if we'll ever get on the trail again!

To combat the boredom, and perhaps to get a bit of attention from the distracted staff, hi-jinx may ensue. Zixi finds more and better opportunities to say "I love you" by pressing against you as she passes by. ("Oh, why are you falling down in the straw?" her eyes innocently ask.) Tom, always the king of the spinning leap, capers higher and with more flourish and dances wildly around the spools on the field. Huckleberry, not to be outdone, makes creative use of ... an empty water bucket!?

Here we go again???

You'd think we would learn. Gestation periods are not precise. For a normal goat gestation, they don't just say "150 days". They add a very important qualifier: "plus or minus 5 days." So, rather than marking a day on the calendar as "Foxglove's Due Date" with several exclamation points and fooling ourselves that we can rely on that, shouldn't we really mark the 11 day period surrounding that date with question marks?

Compared to most goat lovers I read, we're novices. And it shows, every time we come around to kidding season. We try to plan--outings, seminars, special projects--around the so-called "due date" but invariably find ourselves surprised, often scrambling to exchange or donate theatre tickets, hiking trips, personal visits.

Case in point: Our Foxglove. A general rule we have accepted is that a doe's second freshening is easier and often shorter than her first. Foxglove went 154 days in her first... so what do we do? First we worry that "earlier" could be a week less than 150 days! After fretting about our plans to be out of town that weekend, and drawing up detailed notes for our goat sitters, we realize our error, and decide that things really should be okay until at least day 144.

When day 145 arrives, she shows no sign of impending delivery, and her behavior in our daily contact with her almost makes us forget she is with kid. Until day 150. Then she starts in with the signs. Laying down, getting up. Pawing the ground. Stargazing. Tail stretching to the sky. Extra friendliness. Chatting. Uh oh... better hurry and clean out that kidding stall! Scramble, scramble, scramble! Why did we forget? Well, this is it. Call everyone... here goes...

Umm... what?

Enjoying her new quarters, all signs of labor stop. For days. Day 151 passes, then 152.

"She is not pregnant at all is she?"
"Nope. Just fat. Very, very fat."
"And that udder? Looks like it is really bagging up."
"Fat."