Triplet Goat Kids born tonight!

FINALLY!  Tonight when I was at work I called home and asked Gary to put Rosie and Shirley in kidding stalls.  I suspected Rosie was really close.  As soon as I got home tonight I went into the barn to check on all the girls.  I was thrilled to see Rosie pushing out a kid.  I ran to the house for my supply box and told Gary what was happening.  I tried to wake up the Madeline but once those kids are out...they're out!  I headed back to the barn.  Rosie was there cleaning up boy number 1.

He's quite a fine little lad so Rosie got a warm bucket bucket of water with molasses for her hard work.  I gave her belly a little thump and sure enough I could feel another one in there.  So I waited, and waited, and waited......finally!  Something!  Um, that looks like a placenta....

So I waited for a little while but then started getting concerned when it seemed no matter how hard she pushed she wasn't making any progress.  So I had to give the placenta a little pull.  Now, normally you never want to pull on the placenta but it seemed to be plugging the way for the next kid.  Sure enough I only had to pull it very gently and I could see the bag attached with a little hoof.  Actually the hoof looked gigantic so I let her try and push a couple more time then I broke her bag and grabbed the giganto hoof.  I pulled a couple of inches until the next hoof appeared.  Poor Rosie, who had been completely silent to this point, let out a bleeeeeting BBBLLLLLAAAAAHHHHH.  Clearly she was not comfortable!

Anyways, I pulled the second hoof and then finally a little tongue appeared and a little black nose.  Once we got those legs pulled straight he slid right out.  Success, another boy!

It was only a few minuted after that when I noticed she was still pushing.   This time she managed to get the little guy mostly delivered before she lost every ounce of energy she had.  The amniotic fluid looked really dark and he looked smaller than the other two.  I broke the bag and pulled out a pooh covered kid.  Immediately he started to gurgle and I started cleaning him off with a towel.  Rosie had no more energy to clean off another kid.  Boy number three makes a rocky entrance into the world.  His amniotic sac was filled with meconium.  Meconium is a baby's first poop (human or otherwise).  Normally, this is expelled after the delivery but during a difficult delivery it is sometime expelled prior to the birth.

We'll have to keep a close eye on number three for a few days but hopefully he'll gain strength and be running around with his brothers in no time!  Now one more check out to the barn and then a little sleep....I'm exhausted!