Akira (2008)
You know the story, about the time you think everything has happened that possibly can, you are reminded that it hasn’t.
A little background on one of the does: Akira is an alpine/nubian born in 2008. She has a coat that is slightly longer than most of the goats in the barn. She is a stocky type of girl. She does not fit into the graceful lines of a dairy doe.
When I walked into the barn to feed a few days ago I immediately set eyes on a newborn. She had a clean dry coat. She was walking around like she knew the world already. Then I began the task of finding the mother. Akira! How in the world did she have a kid? I checked her udder, I didn’t feel one. She had not looked pregnant.
Because I did not feel an udder, knowing there was no milk, I knew I needed to get colostrum in the kid very soon. So, to the freezer I went for a bottle. I returned with a warm bottle and the struggle began. The newborn was angry. She refused to eat. Akira was not hovering.
So, I deposited the newborn in a pen with bottle kids and returned in a couple of hours. Still, she refused to nurse.
I knew it was going to be a long night. And I was tired.
I picked up the little doeling, marched to the house with her for the night. I can sleep-walk and feed a newborn fairly well.
She finally ate at 4:30 AM the following morning.
When we returned to the barn later that morning I immediately felt Akira’s udder. She had milk, a lot of it.
I set the kid in an empty stall and took Akira to the milk stand for the first time. I milked out about a tablespoon of colostrum and dabbed it on the newborn’s lips and under her tail. I wanted the newborn to be recognized by sight and smell. When I took Akira to the pen, there was no sniffing involved. The reunion was spectacular. And guess what? The kid definitely knew what an udder was. She had been there before. She lunged for it, even though her belly was already full.
Akira’s udder is rather high. She is milking out beautifully for me. She had milk all along.
All is well. Just call me the goat kid snatcher. And, without a doubt, Akira hovers now.
Have a good day!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 
Akira – “That woman just kidnapped my baby!”
Poor Akira had a long night but at least was a happy ending.
Funny, funny. I really am glad it worked out well, Joanna.
what a good story – always a happy story when it ends with a healthy kid attached to an all you can eat dairy bar!
Happy Easter, Linda Sue.
The dairy bar is full service!
LOL, enjoyed this post! Happy Easter!
Amy
Amy, I missed your comment. I hope you had an enjoyable Easter.
Cute kid! I had a doe this year that loved her kids from the moment they were born, then a couple weeks after they were born she went through a phase for a few days where she did not want to feed them. I suspect it had to do with the fact that this is the time I put her and her kids out with a group of other does and their kids. She was rather paranoid about these other doe’s kids nursing off of her and stealing any of “her” milk. Maybe she got confused but it ticked me off because if she was going to pull the “I don’t want to feed my kids” anymore routine she should have done it from the beginning. Not wait until they were 2 weeks old and would be more difficult to break to a bottle. So I went out there several times a day and held her, I made her feed her kids. She didn’t like it at first but after a few days she started feeding them again on her own and still is. Dingy goat!
Jennifer, they seem to do some crazy things. We become quite the goat counselors, don’t we?
Funny!
I guess she decided she’d rather feed the little one than be put on the milk stand again, huh?
Akira isn’t milking out too well now. I put her on the milk stand, check her udder, give her grain to eat, and then dismiss her. No milking. As long as the kid is healthy I’ll accept it.