Goat-O-Rama Kids of 2023

[dragonmaker]

Ouch! I’m glad they’re still figuring things out despite their rough beginnings! Too cute! I love Dalmatian goats!

[Nanno]

Perdy's splint is off which is good and bad news. Good because it's healed enough to remove the splint. Bad because it means she's back on stall rest. The bone is strong enough for her to walk on (and moving on it will strengthen it faster and better), BUT no leaping on and off things like baby goats love to do. So the freedom she had just discovered with great delight is now being withdrawn again. Poor kiddo. But it means more snuggle time with me and Phil in the house, so that's a plus for the two of us.

[Charlie Horse]

She'll end up spending so much time with humans she becomes like a bottle baby. The way Butterfly is (who got stepped on by a horse and broke her pelvis) -- Shes been getting a little loud when she sees me lately because she's hoping for a special treat or time out in the yard with me. Finally we've had a few nice days (storm tomorrow) and I've been able to spend more time with the goats. And certain goats that have tragic back stories are coincidentally the ones that want the most attention.

[dragonmaker]

Poor kid! At least there are cuddles available!

[MellonFriend]

Crazy start to your kidding season! I hope it all goes a bit smoother here on out for you. They sure are precious!

[Nanno]

Thanks. They're in my basement right now so their mom can get some time out with the herd. I went down to start a fire and of course when I left they started crying. It's not fair to be locked in a playpen when there are people to play with in the house! They're so cute. They're already so well bonded to Phil and I that when we take them from the goat pen to the house and back we can let them run along behind instead of having to carry them. They'll leave their mother to follow us, which is so cute, and it makes things super easy!

[Nanno]

We lost Perdy tonight. She was bright and bouncy yesterday morning, but by late afternoon she was feeling off and wasn't interested in milk. She spent the night barely moving and when I got her up this morning she was only 98° and could barely stand. I'm not sure if it might have been floppy kid syndrome. Because of the broken leg, she'd been locked in a shelter with mama a lot so she perhaps had more milk and less exercise than she normally would have. I gave her some SQ fluids, electrolytes and baking soda, but it wasn't enough. I had the vet out this evening and she administered more fluids, bicarbonate, and dextrose via IV drip but it wasn't enough. She passed away around 9:30 this evening and we're just heartbroken. She was such a sweet baby and so full of life. In 10 years of breeding goats, this is the first one we've lost after a successful birth so it's a pretty hard blow. And especially hard because that broken leg was healing magnificently well and we were planning to let her out of confinement this weekend. We can't look forward to that celebratory moment now and that's hard to process. At least Pongo appears to be absolutely fine, healthy, and full of energy. Whatever hit his sister is not affecting him and let's hope it stays that way.

[MellonFriend]

Oh no, that's terrible!  I'm so sorry for your loss.  That must be heartbreaking. 

[Charlie Horse]

Oh man. And this year you are expecting fewer kids as it is. I feel bad for the little critter. I realize in nature most of the young dont make it, and with 'pet' animals almost all of them make it-- So in the big picture on your property things are going great for the tribe of goats. But that doesn't make it any less unfair that poor Perdy just randomly didn't get to live to a ripe old age. Her broken leg reminds me of my Butterfly and her broken pelvis. She is sure to live a long and happy life (though right now there's an icy wind blowing and she's hiding in a goat-house with her brother George)

[Tater74]

I'm so sorry.