Archive for 2010
Hide and Seek with Baby Pasqualina
This is an old video of Pasqualina and me playing hide and seek in the cantina last February when she was just a wee thing; we had only met two and a half days prior:
How cute is that baby “maaaaaaa!”
Can’t wait to hear some of those baby bleats!
*le sigh*
Pasqualina’s Baby Bump: I Felt a Kick!
OK, really it was more like the subtle movement of a head, but I felt it in Pasqualina’s belly! Gaaaaah!
This morning I could see what looked like the shape of a little head bulging out of her right side (for those who don’t know, goats’ rumens (stomachs) are on the left side, so on the right is where you’ll see and feel babies).
Of course I had to take a photo, and the best angle was the one below, in which you can also see she’s starting to swell around her lady parts. Sorry if the imagine is too graphic for goat novices, but check out that baby bump!
It was really so obvious, I thought I must be mistaken until I went in the pen and put my hand lightly over the spot. It shifted underneath my fingers and felt just like the movement of a human baby inside a tummy…so *very* cool and definitely an experience I never imagined having.
Unexpected and amazing! These goats just keep on giving.
Kidding Stalls and Separation Anxiety
In my goat research, I’ve read about the “kidding stall,” a separate area in which a doe is placed just before she delivers. From my informal survey of the people who have goats around here, they don’t seem to go that route in southern Italy, at least when there aren’t too many goats involved.
Indeed, goat things here generally are hands-off compared to the descriptions I’ve seen on United States-based websites, but especially when it comes to kidding during which people seem to just let nature take its course.
But here at Ranch del Fabio, we have separated the girls.
A few weeks ago, Paolo and his friend built an extension on to the goat pen. This was meant to (1) help with cleaning (being able to shift goats to one enclosed area while cleaning another is priceless); (2) allow the girls to spread out; and (3) let us split them up, which we always intended to do because, well, Pasqualina gets picked on.
You may not know it from her sweet eyes, but Carmelina is a big bully. Since the girls aren’t from the same herd and weren’t together from early kid-dom on, there are some rivalries. Things don’t get too heated or anything, but since they’re all in delicate conditions now (and Pasqualina seems to be the furthest along), yesterday we decided it was time that Pasqualina got her own space with Margherita and Carmelina on the other side of the pen.
As you can see, the only thing that separates them is a gate, and they can see each other through it, which we think is important; this way they all know they’re not alone. They do seem a bit confused by the whole thing right now, and they’ve definitely been more vocal in the past day than usual, but we think this is best for Pasqualina in the long run, especially for when it’s time to kid so she can do so in complete peace.
Fellow goat caretakers, do you use kidding stalls or otherwise separate your does from one another?
And also, is there anything we can do to stop the fighting?
Clooney v. Goat: The Sequel
When I was in the U.S. over Christmas, my mom and I went to see The Men Who Stare at Goats with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey. We found the movie (based on the book by Jon Ronson) *hilarious* although a little too light on the goats, if you ask me.
Yes, you can always tell a true goat lover by the cry, “More Goat! Less Clooney!”
Well apparently making the film really got Clooney’s goat as he just…Can’t. Stop. Staring.
Photo courtesy of dlisted
Look away Clooney!
I’m pretty sure she can take you.
A Breakthrough with Carmelina
This morning, I went inside the pen to distribute some morning petties (Paolo would be bringing the food in a bit) and ended up having a major breakthrough with Carmelina, at least from my point of view.
We didn’t get Carmelina as a young kid; she was already a few months old by the time she came to us. Needless to say, most people around here don’t handle their goats the way we do, certainly not the way I raised Pasqualina — with a bottle and lots of caresses.
So Carmelina has always been, while not exactly skittish, just a bit standoffish when it comes to prolonged petties. She’ll stay for hours at the fence if I’m scratching her face — as I stand on the *outside* of the pen. But when I’m inside, she’ll only hold still for a few face strokes; she’s not much into the full body massage. In fact, touching the back of her is grounds for a head butt in Carmelina’s world.
Yes, she worries me for kidding and milking time. I have a sneaking suspicion this one is going to be a kicker.
But today I was pleasantly surprised when Carmelina stood still for several minutes and let me pull some burrs out of the fur of her hind quarters. The new hay we got seems to have a lot of these little guys whereas the old hay didn’t have them at all. As Carmelina’s fur resembles that of a mountain goat, thick and long, these tend to get caught up in her fur more than they do in Pasqualina’s or Margherita’s.
It was wonderful to share some early morning bonding time with Carmelina. Does tend to get more affectionate as they approach delivery time, I’ve read.
I’m hoping this is Carmelina’s way of starting to let me in.
The Kidding Process: One Nervous Goat Ma
On my nightly after-dinner walk with the dogs, I stopped in at the goat pen to say hello. Margherita and Carmelina came to the gate immediately, but I couldn’t see Pasqualina.
So I went inside and there she was, kind of off in the corner, laying down. She bleated to me twice–totally normal-sounding calls. For those who have never owned goats, yes, you do know what’s normal and not normal in their cries…and you can even tell them apart. She usually gets up to greet me.
I petted her a bit, felt around her tail for the tell-tale ligament loosening that happens when a doe is preparing to give birth, and I will say, they do feel looser than normal. But it’s my first time! What do I know?
Anyway, things *do* seem to be proceeding as they should, except I can’t help being a worry wart, thinking “What if she’s laying down because she’s not feeling well…you know, other than having a kid or more inside of her wanting to get out?!”
I was the same way when Stella was having puppies a few years ago, by the way, always thinking of worst case scenarios. I like to think it helps me be prepared in case I’m called into action (animals generally can take care of this stuff on their own, right?), but I think all it really does is give me insomnia.
Pfft….
P.S. A *huge* thank you to the wonderful Naimhe Jeanne and Martha Ann of All Things Goat who are helping to calm my nerves!
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GoatSpotting!
Goats that readers have spotted out and about. Send your photos to michelle(at)goatberries(dot)com!
