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- #331
freemotion
Food Guru
I absolutely could not have done it without help. I was completely mystified by what I was feeling and what to do about it. Kate said her phone indicates that we talked for 14 minutes....it felt like hours! I just got my husband's version. He said I looked really stressed and scared with each one until the very moment that I figured out what I was feeling, then I got to work confidently and out came the baby. He said he didn't watch, but admitted to peeking. He's with you, ofg! 
The doeling was up and about this morning, the first to look for a bottle. But she was not good at finding the nipple and sucking, so I fed her brothers first, then focused on her. With some effort, she took the bottle, and then took in more milk than either of her larger brothers! All three will be getting BoSe shots, B-complex, and Red Cell today. The brown buckling has some tight tendons in both front legs, but he can stand ok. The BoSe should take care of that.
It worked out well having Mya's twins in with them. They checked out their half-siblings but went to sleep in their own box. They are good sleepers, so I gave them the rest of the milk that the triplets didn't drink in the wee hours (2-3 oz each for the twins) and they played for a while and then snuggled in their hay-lined tote box. The triplets are under the heat lamp.
This morning was a circus....everyone demanding loudly to be first. I fed the twins first to keep them calm, then milked Mya. I really wanted to milk Peach first and then feed the triplets, but I knew Mya would go on a bonking rampage, and she is quick to milk. I took Peach to the garage to milk and Ginger moo'd and woke up the entire neighborhood, I'm sure.
Peach was wonderful about getting milked on the stand for a first timer! All that time spent training paid off. She is a little skittish by nature but also has a lot of her mom's placid personality....in a strange and unpredictable mix. She has never been locked into the stanchion for longer than I could keep her distracted, so that was a slight problem. I had to stop milking several times and gently push her forward, rustling the food in her bin. It worked, but had to be repeated many times. I got a bit over a cup of milk. I will milk her again later, maybe 3-4 times today, since her stamina is low. She is out grazing with the does now and seems ok. She finished her supplements last night and ate some hay, and either finished her grain and alfalfa pellets or spilled them, I'll know when I clean her stall.
The vet recommended against giving antibiotics, so I purchased some and enough syringes (need to make an order! This one-by-one purchasing is getting ridiculous!) to get me through if I need to give it. I will monitor her temp and start right away if she spikes a fever. If she does, it will be after hours, so I wanted to have the penicillin here.
I still need to go take fluffy pictures, but I'm pooped and hungry and still need to feed the baby chicks and it is almost time to think about bottles again! Need to buy more bottles, too, so I can make them up in advance. I now understand ofg's hurry to move those babies on to new homes! I was spoiled having dam-raised singles the past three times. I will get these babies through their first three weeks, then I look forward to a break before Plum is due. I need sleep!
The doeling was up and about this morning, the first to look for a bottle. But she was not good at finding the nipple and sucking, so I fed her brothers first, then focused on her. With some effort, she took the bottle, and then took in more milk than either of her larger brothers! All three will be getting BoSe shots, B-complex, and Red Cell today. The brown buckling has some tight tendons in both front legs, but he can stand ok. The BoSe should take care of that.
It worked out well having Mya's twins in with them. They checked out their half-siblings but went to sleep in their own box. They are good sleepers, so I gave them the rest of the milk that the triplets didn't drink in the wee hours (2-3 oz each for the twins) and they played for a while and then snuggled in their hay-lined tote box. The triplets are under the heat lamp.
This morning was a circus....everyone demanding loudly to be first. I fed the twins first to keep them calm, then milked Mya. I really wanted to milk Peach first and then feed the triplets, but I knew Mya would go on a bonking rampage, and she is quick to milk. I took Peach to the garage to milk and Ginger moo'd and woke up the entire neighborhood, I'm sure.
Peach was wonderful about getting milked on the stand for a first timer! All that time spent training paid off. She is a little skittish by nature but also has a lot of her mom's placid personality....in a strange and unpredictable mix. She has never been locked into the stanchion for longer than I could keep her distracted, so that was a slight problem. I had to stop milking several times and gently push her forward, rustling the food in her bin. It worked, but had to be repeated many times. I got a bit over a cup of milk. I will milk her again later, maybe 3-4 times today, since her stamina is low. She is out grazing with the does now and seems ok. She finished her supplements last night and ate some hay, and either finished her grain and alfalfa pellets or spilled them, I'll know when I clean her stall.
The vet recommended against giving antibiotics, so I purchased some and enough syringes (need to make an order! This one-by-one purchasing is getting ridiculous!) to get me through if I need to give it. I will monitor her temp and start right away if she spikes a fever. If she does, it will be after hours, so I wanted to have the penicillin here.
I still need to go take fluffy pictures, but I'm pooped and hungry and still need to feed the baby chicks and it is almost time to think about bottles again! Need to buy more bottles, too, so I can make them up in advance. I now understand ofg's hurry to move those babies on to new homes! I was spoiled having dam-raised singles the past three times. I will get these babies through their first three weeks, then I look forward to a break before Plum is due. I need sleep!
