Well, after a rather uneventful kidding season here this year, I was able to lend a hand recently to some new goat enthusiasts. The first time Mom, a great looking Nubian doe, was in labor for nearly 12 hours before I got the call for advice. My experience told me, as it did them, that it might be time to help the new mom a little.
After some "pen side" talk, we decided that we should determine the position of the kid, because she was making no progress and was getting very tired. After a short manual exam I figured the little kid was transverse, or laying across the birth canal. This just doesn't work in any setting, so more help was needed. Now the books say just simply push the baby back in and turn it to the proper position. This is sometimes easier said than done. Imagine shoving your hand down a slimy rabbit hole and into a mix of legs, ears and noses. After a few tense seconds I found a rear leg, just one, and I gave an easy pull. That was the key, I had done it, and just like that, the little doe kid was born. Tired at first, then moving a little, she was alive and out. A big sigh of relief for all.
With one baby out, the way was cleared for the other two little bucks to make their entrance into the new world. Not as hard as the first, but each just as wonderful. Needless to say, the new mother was exhausted. We offered her a drink of warm water which she gladly accepted. We took care of getting the kids cleaned up some and then placed them by the mother's head so she could help clean them off, which she did. With my work done, I washed my hands and rode off into the night. Ready to lend a hand again at the next call for help.
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