Freshened

I woke up this morning thinking "Leah's going to kid today."  I wish I would listen to myself.  I kept thinking, "I need to give her Apis so she won't have congested udder", but kept getting distracted.  She didn't LOOK like she was ready to kid in the morning.  In the afternoon, I went out to check the goats, and to give Leah some Apis Mellifica.  She was in her stall, bleating softly.  Uh oh, where have I seen this before?  I hustled the other does out, gave her the Apis and closed the gate so no one else could get in. 

Leah in labor

 Two more doses of Apis and 45 minutes later she gave birth to her first doeling, all white.  Ten minutes later, out popped a Sable doeling.  Shawn was busy cleaning the first, while I cleaned the second.

Leah's kids

Off to the house we carried them.  Poor Leah, she never even got a chance to know her kids.  This is the worst thing about CAE, having to separate kids and mother at birth.  Happily, Violet had provided me enough colostrum to feed Leah's kids for the first two or three days, and I have both colostrum gel and powdered colostrum for Bea's kids when they arrive.  I'll give them that until I can milk her and pasteurize the colostrum, then they'll get the real thing.

I went out to the barn again later to milk her out.  Unfortunately, she has a congested udder, so I got only about a pint.  A dose of Phytolacca, and we're off and running again, hopefully only for 3 or 4 days, like last year, and not 4 weeks, like the first time she freshened.  I think this is the last time I'll breed Leah.  She produces lovely babies, but she needs just to be milked through for the next few years.  Once this resolves, she'll be her usual easy milking self and can have a job providing good milk.