Daisy Had Quadruplets! posted 3/13/2009 7:07:43 PM | 5 kudos what's this?     report abuse

tentfire

DAISY HAD QUADRUPLETS!

A week ago Tuesday night it was later than usual when I finally made it home. I don't remember why now, I just remember it was late and I was soooooo tired! As I walked up my driveway and approached my house, the sound of tiny little bleets filled the air. I walked around the corner of my house and there, in pile of leaves, was my largest nanny goat, Daisy, nuzzling three new babies. She was obviously exhausted, but she was so proud of them. I checked each and every one and amazingly, all appeared well. I say amazingly because when they have triplets (which isn't common) they often have a hard time getting all the sacs off quickly enough and getting their airways clear before they suffocate. When I think they might be expecting triplets, I try to keep as close to the house as possible when it is getting close to time. But of course, she picked a time I had to be away. And she had done a wonderful job all by herself. It was so cold outside that night so it was even more amazing that she had managed to get them all dry and warm without any dying from a chill.

Then as I started to head for the front door, something caught my eye. About 15 feet away I saw a touch of another color in a pile of leaves. (It is actually a wet-weather creek that runs along the side of my house and is currently filled with leaves). It was another baby! Much larger than the other three. He was half buried in the leaves and appeared to have been the first born. He was so cold and weak that I wasn't even sure at first if he was alive. He was so limp he couldn't hold his head up and I was afraid maybe his neck was broken. But I scooped him up, without any rejection from Daisy, and carried him into the house. I wrapped him in a warm blanket, held him close to try to warm him up with my body heat, then placed him by a small heater. I had to prop his head up because it just wouldn't stay up.

After a couple of hours he began to move around a little. Slowly, but surely he began to hold his head up a little, dropping it right back down initially. When he could finally hold it up I fixed him a bottle of warm milk. He drank a little over an ounce, then took a long, but restful nap. Although the others were already walking around, he couldn't even stand up, yet. And although he was much larger than the others, he didn't appear to be quite ready to be born. That happens in multiple births, whether human or goat. She had them about a week to week and a half early, which would have been the equivalent to about a month early for a human.

While he was warming I continued to check on the progress of the others. It was getting really cold. I had to bring one in to finish drying and warming it with my blow dryer (boy did she enjoy that!) then put her right back with her mama. The mama showed no signs of wanting the weak one back. She knew she could not feed them all and that is natures way of weeding out the weak (survival of the fittest). But I always have to try to save them.

By about 1am the rejected one, though he still could not walk, had found his voice and appetite. He ate most of a 4-ounce bottle over the evening. But when I tried to go to bed he WOULD NOT shut up! In desperation for sleep I finally put him on my bed. He curled up in the curve of my legs and went soundly to sleep........for a little while. As I said, he had found his appetite. He was large in size, but very, very skinny. He insisted on being fed at 1am....4am....7am.....10am.....and then he came to work with me in a blanket-lined wicker basket, where the every 3 hour feedings continued. Oh, how I am glad my baby days are over!!! Fortunately, he has slept through the night ever since, though he does get up early for his bottle (now a full 9 ounces!) And he sleeps on the floor, close to the heat, snuggled up next to my Great Dane's (Whimpy) old teddy bear. His feedings are a little further apart and at 3 days he could finally walk (Heaven help me now cause he found out he can also jump!).
So what have I named him? you might ask. Well, I have always named my critters after themes, like movies, favorite TV shows, etc. And my goats, I have almost always named after flowers (that's getting tough finding boy names). But it is time I choose a new theme to name my goats. After several years of raising goats I am running out of good flower names (and getting bored with the theme.) So this time I have decided to name my "little darlin's" after my terrific MD friends. Now, if this offends anyone, please politely let me know. I won't change what I am naming them, but if it is offensive, I will quit blogging about them. This little billy I have named Santo. Stay tuned to future blogs when I reveal the names of the other three quadruplets. And I will try my best to post pics of them next week.

I will only be on here for a few more minutes tonight. So I will answer all comments/e-mails when I come in tomorrow. Thank you for reading my blog!

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