New Goat Times - Goat Midwifery!

As the rain falls so do little goat kids from the uterus. This spring has been a whirlwind of activity for Nick and me - trying to find a new place to live, then moving all the animals and our belongings, scrambling against weather and time to establish growing beds, setting up a make-shift living area for our goats to have babies, and then having A LOT of kids born in a not-so-ideal space. Stress levels were high - but out of chaos came joy, and now we have lots of kids to lift the spirits and welcome in spring. We were also lucky in the fact that all the births went  smoothly with little complication.
The birthing process for a goat is a very individual experience. No goat is going to do it the same as another. The best birthing story from this spring is from Pearl - our little pure bred Nigerian Dwarf. She showed me signs of pre-labor, including braxton hicks contractions and extreme fussiness a full two days before she decided to give birth at 3am after the second day! Epic. But she birthed two very cute little kids. Pictured below!

Although we had no serious problems during birthing this spring, we did have two yearling does with delivering single kids - which tend to be larger. That makes it quite the stretch for a first timer! Something to keep in mind when dealing with first timers is to have olive oil on hand, so that you can add some extra lube and aid in stretching. If you feel like you need to help pull out a goat kid there are some VERY important things to remember.

• If the babies are positioned normal everything should go fine.  Only help her if you feel like the kid has been in the birthing canal too long. What helps is to have a time keeping implement on hand. It is funny how time gets all fuzzy when you're watching a goat give birth. You think it has been hours and it has been 5 minuets.
• Start timing how long they are in the birth canal after the water breaks and she begins to actively push. In general, 30 mins is the maximum amount of time they should be in the birth canal. In a normal "diving position" kid you can see the front hooves and nose. In this situation you can use the "rule of tongue" - If the tongue is blue - most likely it is time to help a little. But this is not a cut and dry issue - use your instincts and seek help if your nervous!
• In the situation where you are going to be pulling on a kid take a firm hold of ONE hoof and gently but firmly slide it out until it is completely extended. This will help create a more arrow dynamic shape for the mom to push out. If she is still having trouble, you can do the same thing to the other leg.
• Work with the mother's contractions. Do not be pulling on a baby when the mother is resting between contractions. This doesn't help the situation at all, only stresses the mother out even more. 
• When you do help her, pull down - toward her haunches. Do NOT pull out away from her body. Pulling down works with the natural shape of her pelvis. If you pull out you increase her pain and probability of tearing.

 The best thing to remember is that a healthy well cared for goat is going to be set up very well to have an easy hands free kidding. They are really good at having babies, and tend to be excellent mothers. Here are some good things to have on hand waiting for your kids to arrive...

• Olive Oil
• Watch or Cell phone to keep time
• Emergency contact numbers - breeders, vets, savvy neighbors etc.
• Everclear or Vodka to sterilize implements if you need to enter the does vagina or uterus.
• Cayenne - this can be used to stimulate weak kids (rub a VERY tiny amount onto their gums) as well as given to a doe after a difficult birth along with blackstrap molasses dissolved in warm water.
• Clean towels - if you want to help the doe dry off her babies 
• Heat lamp (chicken brooding lamps work great), if it is very cold - kids sometimes need extra warmth.
• And a camera! of course.  

This is really preliminary information and I recommend watching some you tube videos of goat births or better yet finding a breeder in your area who would let you come watch first hand.