BIRTH TIPS/STORIES
Although we've not seen lots of kidding years, we have had several outstanding experiences with birth complications in the years we've had goats; thus are these two stories born.
Heidi's 2009 birth story in brief...
Heidi, from Calico Bluffs, was one of the first LaManchas we ever had. She was given to us as a starter goat. We learned how to milk on her and she was such a "love bug"; always there, ready for any attention or treat we would give her.
Heidi was our first goat to give birth on our farm; it wasn't a pretty one either...
She was an older LaMancha doe with a narrowed pelvis due to age and ended up in a C-section birth.
Heidi started contracting in the morning with liquid discharge coming from her vagina. This lasted until evening time when she finally started hard labor. She was pushing good and hard for around 20 minutes, but still no kid came. We called for assistance as we had no experience with goat birthing and didn't know what to expect. The kid was in the right position with it's front legs and head in the birth canal. The legs came but the head would not come. So, we called the vet out. He arrived around 11pm and pulled for a little while and then said Heidi needed a C-section. So we ended up watching him perform a C-section birth. There was only one kid... a beautiful lifeless doe. To our knowledge, because of Heidi's drawn out labor and her losing body fluid throughout the day, her kid didn't make it. The kid was perfect and looked as if it hadn't been dead very long. This was a hard way to start out, but we did definitely learn some things. It was the first C-section we had ever watched.
Blossom's 2012 birth story in brief...
Our second sadest story was in 2012 with a little Boer doe we had. I learned later that you don't get a Boer doe bred unless she is at least 1 year to 1 1/2 years old and is a GOOD size, like 100lbs or so.
This cute Boer doe we had gotten was bred already. She was close to a year old, but was just too small... we could pick her up quite easily.
Spring rolled around and she started labor. She had one BIG buck kid in there. He was in the right position, nose and both front feet right there, BUT that big head would not come...I thought, "Oh no, we have another 'Heidi birth'", but this one ended worse than hers. I was quite sure we were in for another C-section as all our pulling efforts didn't seem to get anywhere. Well, reality is, we SHOULD have had a C-section on this birth, but the vet we used, pulled on that kid till he came, which was a mistake. He used cables and more. It was bad to say the least. All the strain and stress on that poor kid's body was too much for him with all probability that he was internally damaged. He died minutes after finally coming out. The poor mama, Blossom, underwent so much stress and had to be put to sleep because she had ruptured her uterus even before the vet had went in to pull the kid.
That was a hard night for all of us... and quite a loss.
These birth experiences have helped us to see even more that God is in control of everything and He allowed this all to happen for our good. I have cried out to God many a time to help me and give me wisdom, as only true wisdom comes from Him. He is faithful and is always there to help me!
Learning Tips...
I learned from the Boer birth experience that it is far better
that your vet does a C-section on a kid that won't come within 5-10
minutes of good gentle pulling, than to pull so much that the kid or
mother dies and/or is damaged from the trauma. If the kid(s) is still
alive, a C-section is worth it, as your selling the kid(s) probably will
cover all or most of the C-section expense.
Another thing I learned is to not let your doe go too long in hard labor (pushing). Past 20 minutes or so, it's getting time to go in and assist. Make sure your fingernails are trimmed and your hands are sanitized well. Carefully check out what may be the hang up, delivering kids is an exercise in finesse not strength. Too much and too long of pushing on the does part may end in a ruptured uterus and the longer the whole process goes on without intervention, the more likely you may lose the kids. If you don't have the courage to assist, call on someone you know that has plenty of experience with goats or a Veterinarian that has a good reputation with small ruminants.
Also,
a doe may contract for several hours and keep hesitating to lay down
and push that head out. Or she may "tuck" in her rear immediately
following a contraction, indicating she is hesitant about trying to
expel the kid. This is probably an indication that the kid is not in
the right position and needs a little manual correction on your part to
be able to be born soon.
-Written by: Suzanne Bauman
