Baby goat due, or is Willow just kidding?
By Jennifer Ashawasegai
ALBAN –We’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new kid.
Our oldest doe goat, Willow, is getting ready to drop her kid at any moment. Ken bet Willow would have kidded on Sunday, May 19th, and I picked the following weekend. Ken lost his bet but as of May 24 there was still no kid in sight.
We’re both very excited, yet scared at the same time because we have no idea what to expect.
Earlier this Spring, we visited a large dairy goat operation in Verner. The does there were dropping kids left and right. There were probably over 300 milking goats and over 100 expectant does in various stages of pregnancy. During our visit, we didn’t notice any complications during many of the deliveries.
Closer to Willow’s due date, we visited the small hobby farm where we purchased her. Sylvie told us that sometimes does need help, and other times they don’t. Sylvie said her husband helped deliver some of the kids, and gently pulled the goats out, rather than turn them around if the kids were in the wrong birthing position. According to the goat books, people should help adjust the kid if it’s not in the right birthing position. I’m sure hoping Willow doesn’t need too much help.
When she walks, Willow’s belly is flared out on both sides and when she lays down, her belly really spreads out, making her look incredibly huge. While Ken and I were working in the backyard, we noticed how much she liked to roll around on the ground , which is supposed to be a sign that she’s getting close to delivery.
We’ve been keeping a close eye on her, watching for other indicators: more affectionate than usual and constant bleating. This will be Willow’s first kid, and she hasn’t been too happy about the changes to her growing body. She’s been very stand-offish with me of late, like it’s my fault (well, it kind of is).
Once the hard part of delivery is over and done with, then we have to worry about other things. There’s a chance Willow may reject her baby, which is more likely to occur if the kid is a doeling. Goat moms prefer their bucklings over the little girls. My fellow hobby farmer, Sylvie has already advised me on what to do in the event Willow does reject her baby. It sounds like a lot of work to hold mom down to ensure the kid is allowed to suckle at least twice a day. If that’s the case, I have plenty of bottle supplies from when I brought home my bottle babies!
It’s going to get a lot busier after baby goat is born. After the kid has had a few days worth of colostrum (first Mother’s milk), I’ll be milking mom at least once a day until the kid is weaned and then I’ll be milking twice a day.
I’m also interested to find out what the other goats will make of a new baby in the herd. And we’re hoping for a doeling because if it’s a buckling, we’ll have to give it up. Several hobby/dairy farmers we’ve talked with have called bucklings “profit- suckers”, because they don’t contribute to a dairy operation.
I’m crossing my fingers and my toes for the safe delivery of a little doeling to add to my little herd!
Jennifer Ashawasegai is a citizen of Henvey Inlet First Nation who decided with her partner Ken Noble to start a hobby farm at their Alban home. She is a previous winner of the Debwewin Citation for Excellence in First Nation Story-telling.