Spring has really sprung here!

Well, today was very adventurous, full of excitement, and it's only lunchtime.  Did you ever have one of those days where it just started off wrong?  Today, I had one of those days.  Only my sister, mom, and I were home since my dad already left for work and my brother wasn't home yet from his Washington, D.C. trip for the National 4-H Conference.  The first thing we always do is feed the animals.  When we went to the barn, somehow the inside latch had managed to lock the door from the inside.  (Just for the record, my baby goats didn't do it)  

So what do you do when the animals are inside calling for breakfast and you can't get in?  You go get the cordless screw-gun and start taking the screws off the 500 lb door's by the hinges.  We finally managed to get into the barn and realized that Harley, my sister's ewe was in labor!  Now, we were already running late because of the door, so Ashley and I ran around feeding while my mom checked on Harley.  Ashley then had to race to school.

Ok - so are you following all this so far?  Locked door, baby on the way!  Guess what?  The baby was stuck.  Only one foot was presented.  That's not good.  Two feet with a nose should always come first.  So now mom, without her fearless assistant, my brother, had to go in.  Harley was down.  I stayed at her head to keep her calm while mom worked to get the baby repositioned.  After what seemed like forever, she found the other foot.  Harley was such a good girl during all this.  We were back in business.  Harley pushed and mom helped a bit.  POP! GUSH! Out came the baby!  A little boy who shall rename nameless until my sister comes home.  

Mom and I cleaned the stall to give them fresh comfy bedding.  Then I dipped the baby's umbilical cord in Iodine and helped his mommy dry him off.  He's a little small and was shivering a bit, so I fitted him with a sweater (the sleeve of a large sweatshirt).  We also milked his momma and gave him about 4 ounces of colostrum.  This step is very important for newborns.  They NEED colostrum soon after they are born or they have all sorts of trouble.   

Since its a beautiful day in PA, mom and I took him and Harley outside for a little bit of fresh air and he was able to bounce around Harley, tail wagging in the breeze.  Life is good!

Almost there......

Spring Has Sprung.... Finally!

Momma cleaning her babe!