more kids

This evening we went out to feed the  critters their evening meal and  we  heard an unfamiliar  "mahhhhh" coming from out of the  holding pen. After looking  a bit better we noticed two little brown fur balls laying in the enclosure. One making lots of noise and trying to stand and one laying  in the dirt, dirty and dang near frozen.  Momma was not really tending much to either one of them as it was obvious she knew if she didn't eat her food right that minute she was going to die of starvation.

I went in to check on the little darlings and see that they were ok and make sure momma was doing well . Both looked fine other than a slight lack of care  but the smaller of the two was close to freezing to death. Now I am  not in to taking heroic measures in order to save animals  here on the homestead and I  no longer do the bottle baby thing unless it is absolutely needed but I will not let a critter die simply because momma had a very big lapse of judgment.  I also know in  years past she has always been a very good mother so i  scooped the near froze one up and  wrapped it up in my coat.

I didn't think she  was actually going to live. It was so cold and wet its muscles were contracting and pulling its neck in funny  positions and the breathing was pretty screwy.  The only thing this kid had going for it was that it was trying to suck. I went out to the freezer and grabbed a couple frozen packs of colostrum and set it in  some warm water to thaw  and worked on drying the baby off. As I was drying, I was stimulating and rubbing quite briskly while switching out towels that I had hanging on the wood stove door. I then decided to  just let her warm and rest a while to see what happened as I had done all I would do. I tucked her into a nest of warmed towels on top of the dirty clothes basket and left her sit a while. Within an hour she was looking around, neck issues fixed and standing up. I gave her a bit of  colostrum which she willingly took  and  she began following me around the shack.

  Knowing I didnt want to  bottle feed a baby for many reasons, I decided to take her back  and see if momma would  mother her and take her back after my having messed with her a while.  I walked in the pen set the kid down momma immediately took her in and began mothering. Baby then decided  she was still hungry and went searching for a teat. All seemed well so baby is now back with  momma and I don't have to play momma goat.


I gotta say, it's kind of funny that no matter what sort of baby it is, you still  mother it  like it was your own. I caught my self rocking the beast  as I did my motherly duties. Don't tell the manthing I said this but I think in his old age he is softening a bit. I caught him checking her out and I think, even petting her a couple of times. Miracles never cease!