Wednesday, February 17, 2010

On Goat Watch

I never would have thought I'd stare at a goat's butt so much.  I can't help myself.  Today is Luti's due date, or at least I think it is.  I have two due dates, today and March 10th.  She let the buck breed her twice so I'm not really sure.  Anyone with goats or anyone who breeds animals knows what it's like to wait for the birth of the babies.  I go out to the barn every few hours and try to get a look at her udder or vulva.  Am I allowed to say vulva on a blog?  I've even taken pictures every now and then so I can compare swelling.  You may think I'm sick or weird but everyone on the goat forum I read does the same thing.  They post the craziest photos.  One of the favorite threads seems to be when someone is on goat watch.  They post a picture of their goat who is due to "freshen" (that means give birth in the goat world) and ask people to guess the due date and how many and what gender the kids will be.  They get many replies to this and then when the goat kids or freshens they're expected to post pictures of the babies.

Since I can see the goats from where I sit at my computer I can watch to see if Luti is pawing the ground, stretching, getting up and down or acting strange.  I've learned a lot from the last two goats who had babies here.  I know how to check to see if the ligaments near the tail have softened or disappeared and what color the mucus should be when birthing is imminent.  It's very cold and breezy here today so I hope she doesn't have the babies tonight.  I want her to wait for a 40-something degree day when the sun is shining.
Here's a picture of Luti from behind.  Anyone want to guess when, what and how many?
 
 Sorry, I couldn't get her to lift her tail.  She's very modest.

3 comments:

  1. Friday, 2:00 P.M., 46 degrees, 2 beautiful baby girls.

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  2. Haven't a clue, but it's fun to watch. Wish I was there. Peaches paws the floor when she drinks out of Ike's water dish. Wonder what that means?

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