Tales of a Goat Midwife: Hillbilly Edition

Saturday morning dawned a beautiful day.  I was surrounded by pillows and snuggled down under my covers, ignoring the fact that the brilliant sunshine was streaming in the window.  All of the sudden my serene state was interrupted by a voice shouting "Elly May is in labor!"

"What?"  I was not sleepy anymore.  It was Edna's due date, Elly May wasn't due for another 5 days. Although it is not uncommon for a goat to be 5 days early, I really wasn't expecting her to kid just then.

I hopped out of bed and ran out to the goat pen in my pajamas.  Elly May was laying down and looking so round.  When she stood up, I observed that her udder was huge and she was very uncomfortable.  But the biggest indicator that she was in labor was the fact that she had "lost her ligaments," meaning that the tendons at the top of her tail bone were unable to be felt.  It was almost as if her whole rear end was "mushy."  Her rear end was also sunken and looked loose and I could tell that the kid had moved up into the birthing position.

Edna was separated by herself in the birthing pen, but I took her out and put Elly May in.  Elly May kept laying down and getting up.  She was also pawing at the ground.

I thought that Elly May would kid quickly...last year when I discovered the goats had "lost their ligaments," they kidded within an hour or two.  So, I watched and watched.  After lunch I went out to check on her again.  She was waddling around still and I saw the first sign of discharge: the white goo that indicates the "plug."  Then, she went and laid down and pushed really hard.  I had recently read that usually there are baby goats on the ground within an hour of the first push.  Hurray!

Soon, "the bubble" appeared.  It popped and the amniotic fluid came pouring out!  I was a little surprised when there seemed to be a second bubble that was opaque.  Hmmm...  Elly May was eager to lick up all of that amber colored goo!  Then things got really serious again!  It is always interesting to observe how the goats lift their upper lips when they experience each contraction.

When the big contractions started up again, I saw a hoof appear!  Goat hooves have a white protective covering on them when they are in the womb.  It was exciting!  There was a goat kid coming!

Elly May pushed and pushed and yelled and yelled!  She tried all kinds of strange positions to stretch and get comfortable.  

Then, I saw a nose appear.  I knew the kid was in the correct positing, but I was a little confused at this point because it seemed that both hooves and the head were coming out at the same time.  So, in a frantic moment, I called my "goat mentor" and asked if I should push the head back in.  She said to actually gently pull the hooves out in between contractions.  But, while we were talking, Elly May naturally delivered the full head.  Whew!

(In this picture you can see a little pink tongue sticking out of the mouth.)

He really didn't need my hand in there.  But the warm, slippery feeling of a newborn goat kid is so amazing!

Hillbilly began flopping around as soon as his head was out!  I helped wipe off his nose with a paper towel to make sure his air ducts were clear.

Elly May knew what to do!  She began vigorously licking him all over!  I moved him to be a bit closer to her.  He is such a beautiful goat, and identical in coloring to his mother!

I lifted up his tail to see whether he was a buckling or doeling.  It's a boy!  He was immediately named "Hillbilly," which seemed appropriate since his mother is named Elly May after the Beverly Hillbillies.

Although I didn't have my watch on, it was only about 10 or 15 minutes before Hillbilly was standing up looking for a drink!  He wobbled on his little legs and almost fell into the side of the goat hut!

He tried latching on to Elly May's collar!  But he was quickly disappointed.  He tried sucking on everything with his pointed, velvety nose.

Sweet mother and son!

Elly May continued to lick him down and tickle his tail to get him nursing.  It is amazing how a first-time goat mama knows what to do through such strong instincts!

Hillbilly soon found the nourishing drink he was looking for!

I tied his umbilical cord with dental floss and dipped his umbilical cord in iodine.  Then, I weighed him.  I am not sure how accurate my make-shift scale worked, but Hillbilly was around 8 pounds.  I also gave Elly May some molasses water to reward her for all of her hard work!

 After all of the action, I went inside to let them bond.  Actually, I left them alone for most of the rest of the day.  When evening came because Elly May kept acting scared of him.  I was concerned that she might reject him.  I was glad that she kept "talking" to him, but she didn't seem interested in nursing him or in being close to him.  I went to bed, but I woke up around 4am and went to check on them.  Hillbilly was "crying" and seemed hungry so I tried holding Elly May to let him nurse.  Elly May just jumped around.  I was a little frustrated because I was dreading the thought of a rejected kid.  So, I settled Hillbilly and decided to wait until morning to try again.  Elly May just seemed unsure of who this little creature was and what she should do with him.  When I woke up in the morning, I found Elly May nursing Hillbilly!  What a huge blessing!

It had been a long, fun day of playing "goat midwife."  I feel so privilege to have experienced a new baby goat come into the world!  It was truly an awe-inspiring event!

Baby goats are some of the cutest creations!