| The Birthing Miracle A Photo Essay by Stephanie Morris Pictures by *Jennifer Pritchard This is the story of a registered Nubian "Doty" giving birth to percentage Boer quads. Through these photos you will learn some of the basics of "assisting" a mother who is busy keeping you busy. Doty is a great mother and an easy kidder but when there are four of those little critters coming one right after the other you need to give nature a little bit of a hand. |
This was a few days before Doty kidded.
You've seen the "before and after"
photos for some of those weight loss
products?
This photo of Doty is definitely not the
"after" photo.
You've seen the "before and after"
photos for some of those weight loss
products?
This photo of Doty is definitely not the
"after" photo.
Moms-to-be usually get nervous just
before the kids are born. They'll walk
around, paw the ground, lay down,
stand up, lay down, talk to their stomachs,
and then start the whole routine over again.
During one of the shifts from standing to
laying down, or vice-versa, she'll strain really
hard and present a small bubble of reddish
brown fluid - anywhere from 1 inch diameter
to 3-4 inches in diameter. This is normal.
before the kids are born. They'll walk
around, paw the ground, lay down,
stand up, lay down, talk to their stomachs,
and then start the whole routine over again.
During one of the shifts from standing to
laying down, or vice-versa, she'll strain really
hard and present a small bubble of reddish
brown fluid - anywhere from 1 inch diameter
to 3-4 inches in diameter. This is normal.
Don't worry about the red color of the hay shown in the
lower right corner - that's just a heat lamp reflecting off of
the hay. You'll see it in several more of the photos, too.
Each transition from standing to laying will be followed by
ever increasing labor signs; straining, moaning, crying,
screaming (in goat language she'll calling the buck
some very not nice names). Soon another bubble of fluid
will appear but this time, if you look close, you will see a pair
of hooves inside the bubble. The mom will strain some more
and the legs will come out further and a nose will appear,
laying chin down, on top of the legs. This is the point at
which she'll probably start having a harder time of it - the
head is next and it's quite a bit larger than those little legs
and nose. The head is laying on top of the legs and getting
it out is a real job for the laboring doe. Once the head is
delivered the rest is relatively easy for the doe and the kid.
In this photo the kid is head-down with only the back
showing.
lower right corner - that's just a heat lamp reflecting off of
the hay. You'll see it in several more of the photos, too.
Each transition from standing to laying will be followed by
ever increasing labor signs; straining, moaning, crying,
screaming (in goat language she'll calling the buck
some very not nice names). Soon another bubble of fluid
will appear but this time, if you look close, you will see a pair
of hooves inside the bubble. The mom will strain some more
and the legs will come out further and a nose will appear,
laying chin down, on top of the legs. This is the point at
which she'll probably start having a harder time of it - the
head is next and it's quite a bit larger than those little legs
and nose. The head is laying on top of the legs and getting
it out is a real job for the laboring doe. Once the head is
delivered the rest is relatively easy for the doe and the kid.
In this photo the kid is head-down with only the back
showing.
It really doesn't matter if the doe is standing up or laying down.
Standing up makes it easier for the umbilical cord to break
naturally when the kid falls - The mom who delivers laying down
will usually stand up soon afterward and the cord will break
then. When the kid hits the ground you should make sure that
the birth sack is broken and not covering the mouth and nose.
It's fairly easy to remove and leaving it in place is not an option
unless the mom is quick on the draw and removes it herself. If
the umbilical cord is intact you need to snip it off about 3 inches
from the kid's belly. You'll shorten it later. The reason for
keeping it 3 inches long now is so that you can tie it off if there
is excessive bleeding through the cord - usually not the case
when the cord breaks on it's own
Standing up makes it easier for the umbilical cord to break
naturally when the kid falls - The mom who delivers laying down
will usually stand up soon afterward and the cord will break
then. When the kid hits the ground you should make sure that
the birth sack is broken and not covering the mouth and nose.
It's fairly easy to remove and leaving it in place is not an option
unless the mom is quick on the draw and removes it herself. If
the umbilical cord is intact you need to snip it off about 3 inches
from the kid's belly. You'll shorten it later. The reason for
keeping it 3 inches long now is so that you can tie it off if there
is excessive bleeding through the cord - usually not the case
when the cord breaks on it's own
The kid is still covered with afterbirth but mom is busy
having the next kid. This gives us the opportunity to do
a little goat husbandry work. We trim the umbilical to
about 1 inch long and dip it in strong (7%) iodine using
an empty 35mm film canister. There are commercial naval
and teat dip cups available but the plastic film canisters
work just as well. Dip the navel all the way to the belly.
If mom is too busy delivering the next kid we help by
cleaning off the first one (with a dry towel so we don't
wash the scent off of it). We also inspect to make sure
all the parts are there and learn if the parts are male or
female. Now mom is attending to the first one and getting
ready to deliver number 3. The second kid is recovering
from the birth process and we repeat the clean/dip/inspection
routine on this one.
having the next kid. This gives us the opportunity to do
a little goat husbandry work. We trim the umbilical to
about 1 inch long and dip it in strong (7%) iodine using
an empty 35mm film canister. There are commercial naval
and teat dip cups available but the plastic film canisters
work just as well. Dip the navel all the way to the belly.
If mom is too busy delivering the next kid we help by
cleaning off the first one (with a dry towel so we don't
wash the scent off of it). We also inspect to make sure
all the parts are there and learn if the parts are male or
female. Now mom is attending to the first one and getting
ready to deliver number 3. The second kid is recovering
from the birth process and we repeat the clean/dip/inspection
routine on this one.
The third one was born breech and pretty much shot out so fast we
were unable to get a picture of the actual birth. Notice how close
mom's rear end is to the stall wall - A few more inches and we'd have
to make her get up and move - It's really hard to deliver kids when a
wall or other obstruction is in the way.
were unable to get a picture of the actual birth. Notice how close
mom's rear end is to the stall wall - A few more inches and we'd have
to make her get up and move - It's really hard to deliver kids when a
wall or other obstruction is in the way.
The fourth kid was born breech also. Mom was very
tired and we had to do most of the clean up of the last
one. All the kids were born between 7 and 9.5 lbs. She
drank over a gallon and a half of warm molasses water
afterwards.
tired and we had to do most of the clean up of the last
one. All the kids were born between 7 and 9.5 lbs. She
drank over a gallon and a half of warm molasses water
afterwards.
These are the babies just hours old and in the makeshift
incubator. It's a plastic drum with a 1' square hole in the
lid top. We put a hooded light inside and passed the cord
through the hole then wrapped the cord around a 2 foot
piece of 2x4 and taped it down to the outside top of the
lid. We used a low watt bulb and it kept the kids warm
and toasty as this was in November and pretty chilly
outside. The hole in the drum must be cut large and low
enough for the kids to jump in and out on their own
pretty easily.
incubator. It's a plastic drum with a 1' square hole in the
lid top. We put a hooded light inside and passed the cord
through the hole then wrapped the cord around a 2 foot
piece of 2x4 and taped it down to the outside top of the
lid. We used a low watt bulb and it kept the kids warm
and toasty as this was in November and pretty chilly
outside. The hole in the drum must be cut large and low
enough for the kids to jump in and out on their own
pretty easily.
| . *Jennifer Pritchard Jenny is my granddaughter and not only took the pictures at age 12 but helped Doty deliver these quads while I was at work and standing by the telephone giving her encouragement. Jennifer is now 20 and attending Fresno State working towards becoming a Veterinarian. She hopes to attend Texas A&M for her Doctorate. Copyright © Stephanie Morris, Valley Springs, California, USA All Rights Reserved - Email For More Information |
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