Kelly's kid was backwards, not uncommon, but only one leg was showing, and the other was caught. That's a problem. My advice was to call the vet and then let me know how it when it was over. She did call the vet, and also solicited the help from a neighbor. She called Mr. Duke, the local beekeeper / ag-expert / jack-of-all trades (he drives a tractor, surely he knows what to do!). He was about to go out of town, so it was nice of him to come and provide some moral support. According to him, when his family used to raise cattle, they just let them "do their thing." So when he saw the one leg, he figured all was well with world, and couldn't figure out why Andrea was in such a fuss.
To make a short story short, Andrea got her instructions from the vet over the phone (He was in surgery and couldn't come. Probably just as well, as time was a huge factor here). She washed her hands, donned a rubber glove, freed the leg, and saved the day for Kelly and the goat kid. Something that 95 to 1 would have been my task had I been home. Andrea doesn't have the nerves for such things when she has a choice not to. Thankfully, though, she is quite capably when need arises.
The kid is a beautiful little doeling, weighing in a 8 ½ pounds, and looks almost exactly like her mother. Despite her traumatic entry to the world, she has the good fortune of bearing the name Chod - administered by Elias.
Here are some pictures to make all of the above words worthwhile:
Chod
Hadawn
Tecot
Oscar with Hadawn
Timnah with Tecot (or Hadawn. Hard to tell.)
Strawberries from out patch (slightly embellished with a passion-flower)
Elias with his friend the worm
One question...How much did the vet charge for the information? If the answer is Zero then never mention that in public otherwise it will be the last free help you get from your vet. Since Andrea is now a pro you will never need help delivering livestock in the future, but your brother-in-law has helped a few calves see daylight (or moonlight) for the first time in their lives once or twice.
ReplyDeleteSounds like just another day at the plantation in the hills of Franklin.
ReplyDeleteThe next current event will be Timnah and the other children dressing a deer on the front porch.
Go Andrea!
You never know. After church yesterday, we had an in depth discussion with a gentleman about raising turkeys, sharing a calf, and the best method to slaughter a chicken. None of which I learned about in public school. You never can tell.
ReplyDeleteIgnorance alert! What exactly is "sharing a calf?"
ReplyDeleteIts where you share the cost of raising a calf (feed, etc.), and a few months down the road, when it gets turned into steak and hamburger, you share that too.
ReplyDeleteIt must be the new vegeterian pizza calf I have heard about.
ReplyDeleteForget about the goats, cute pictures of my grandchildren. Is that Lowly the Worm that Elias has? Granna
ReplyDeleteDearest Brentie,
ReplyDeleteExactly how does one pronounce the word "chod"?
-Brooke
For the Washingtonian that you are, it rhymes with Sen. Dodd.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure it didn't rhyme with commode.
ReplyDelete-B
Hadawn and Tecot look like Jasmine, but Jasmine just has little spots where yours have those great facial stripes! Which is the doeling and which the buckling? Have you decided what you're doing with the doelings yet? Want me to post on NubianTalk, HomeDairyGoats, and DairyGoatInfo for y'all (if you are selling them)?
ReplyDelete