More kidding updates!

Last I wrote Sabine had kidded on Friday evening.

Saturday morning (while we were at the Bayou City Market) Rosa Blanco kidded with girl and boy twins.

Later on Saturday as I was cooking dinner Sara ran in with a coat full. She had gone to feed the pen of new alpines, none of whom were really due until next week and found that the one due March 1 had kidded early. Sadly one of the doelings died but the other, though early, seems stable. This little girl is named Bug Tussle, partly because she is cute as a bug, partly because it is a Texas town and we only do Texas names for animals born here on Swede Farm. Goats don't do well as preemies. That last week is really important, This little girl is half the size we would expect her to be at full term, weighing in at under 4 pounds. Her teeth, which should be visible were still not yet erupted and her little alpine ears lack the cartilage to stand upright. Thankfully her lungs are relatively clear and she is sucking well. So for now she is living in a rubbermaid tote on my bed and being fed every few hours. The vet had us add antibiotics prophalactically to the steroids that we had already given her to hasten lung maturity and so far so good. In fact she stood up for the first time this morning! So, while we aren't out of the woods yet, little Bug is looking pretty good, all things considered.



Bug Tussle and Rambling Rose, born just a few hours earlier but full term.