Just kidding around

Violet was due yesterday.  I stayed up until midnight checking her every hour or two just to see if anything was happening.  She had dropped noticeably, with large hollows showing behind her ribs--as sure sign that birth was close.  I watched her stretch out and roll in the well-hayed stall.  Wouldn't that be a sign of her repositioning the kid (or kids)?  Once I even saw the white spot on her side give a distinctive "blip".  Could that have been a contraction?  As I sat on the pallets in the stall, she came over and rested  her head against my knee, allowing me to stroke and massage her along her head and neck.

The only thing that happened is that I got tired. 

This morning I checked her again.   Just as before, she was happily chewing cud, looking inquiringly toward me, with no signs of imminent birth..  Since it's Sunday, and I'm the Gospel Doctrine teacher, I left for church, taught my lesson after Sacrament Meeting, and left before Relief Society.  I could have stayed.  Again, nothing was happening.  I mean, she LOOKS like she should be ready to kid.  Her ligaments are soft, she's obviously dropped, the kid(s) look to be in place, but she wanted to go out so I relented and let her out.

What happened next was astonishing!  She has been in this small herd for well over a year.  Leah, who was the bottom of the heirarchy since day one, challenged her!  They were butting heads for several minutes, much longer than I would have anticipated.  Beatrice, too, had her hackles up and was making herself known.  Violet mostly ignored her,, giving notice that she wasn’t challenging Beatrice.  I finally had to pull Bea away, because she was about to slam her from the side.  Uh, uh, not allowed.  

I don’t know what’s gotten into them.  Violet’s only been separated at night, not during the day, but they acted like she was a new goat in the herd.  They seemed to find her scent different, because they were sniffing her all over.  Violet finally asserted herself enough for Leah to yield, but she was breathing very heavily.  When I was sure she was all right and Leah wasn’t going to start again, I came back to the house. 

I wish she would have those kids—or kid, as the case might be.  Violet is the doe that had a false pregnancy going last year, and of course, now I'm looking at her thinking, "Does she really have kids in there?  Or is this just nature at its deceptive best?"  This is NOT how life is supposed to be!

Sweet Violet

Notice the deep hollow behind her rib cage?  That kid must be in place!

Bulges on both sides.  That is not her rumen!