Thumbelina Kids

This afternoon when I went out to begin the evening feeding, Jennifer and Thumbelina waddled earnestly across their still-snowy pasture when I appeared bearing buckets of warm water. Jennifer arrived first and drank quickly. Thumbelina's movements were more ponderous but no less earnest. When she turned to leave the bucket, I noticed that she had a mat of straw stuck beneath her tail--a highly unusual occurrence, since there is nothing to which the straw might adhere back there, usually. I looked more closely and noticed a thick, creamy discharge serving as the glue. Hmm, perhaps Thumbelina would be kidding tonight?

I had already cleared out the laundry room in preparation for the two to move indoors, since the sub-freezing temperatures in the daytime would challenge any newborns who might arrive. Bustling back and forth with buckets for the very thirsty crowd, I did a bit in the laundry room each time I passed through. First I added cardboard, then feedbags to the laundry room floor, and set up a sliding door to the rest of the house. By the time I was trudging out the fourth pair of buckets, I saw that Thumbelina was walking uncomfortably, and--yes!--she was most certainly in labor.

Bringing down more feedbags, two of which I first stuffed full of straw, I finished a passable maternity ward by adding a dish of water, then set about bringing the does indoors. There was a time when I could simply pick up Thumbelina and tote her about--she seemed to like the attention, too. That time has passed. So I armed myself with two little buckets of grain, slipped baling-twine leads onto the does' collars, and urged them downhill. Thumbelina was not eager to travel anywhere, but responded to the chance to lip a mouthful of grain if I kept the bucket not more than a few steps from her. Jennifer was far more eager to move with the bucket--without stopping to remove her head--and I finally had to shorten her lead to give Thumbelina a chance.

When we reached the gate, I took the second bucket of grain and tossed it over the fence in several individual piles to distract any competition while the Nigerian dwarfs and I passed between gates. In moments the piles were swarmed by the two saddle horses, three larger dairy goats, and a half-dozen chickens. However, when I tried to urge Thumbelina forward again, she was not interested in moving. So I left her in the pasture with the bucket, and trotted Jennifer down to the house and inside. By the time I returned for Thumbelina, of course, the scavengers were ready to pounce. Somehow I got her through the gates and with steady urging she came down to the house.

We didn't arrive a moment too soon. Thumbelina looked around at her new digs then set about bringing two new kids into the world. The first kid, a tri-colored buckling, came quickly. I cleared the mucous from his nose and mouth and Thumbelina set about the task of licking him clean. Suspecting she might have another, I looked behind the new mom and, voila, found another head and pair of hooves protruding beneath her tail. When she seemed more intent on cleaning the first kid than delivering the second and a few minutes had passed without further contractions, I pulled a bit and the second kid slid out. Again, I cleared the mucous from the nose and mouth, and checked the new kid's sex--also a buckling. Thumbelina was busy with her first kid and made no move to inspect the second, so I pulled off a bit more of his birth sac then moved him around to her front. As this kid emerged from the sac, his coat was more like his momma's, a mixture of cream and tan.

The first kid took to nursing right away, but the second was slower and needed guidance to find "his" teat. The bucklings readily shared their momma's milk bar, one on each side suckling away, deriving life and strength from their momma's milk.

All but the first of the photos shown were taken after Thumbelina and Jennifer had enjoyed Thumbelina's "Congratulations Mom" bowl of hot oatmeal, raisins, fresh pear chunks, and a drizzle of honey. They were taken after the rest of the animals were fed and settled for the night, after Thumbelina and Jennifer chowed down much of a bucket of grain with alfalfa shreds, after the kids had their umbilical cords cut and sanitized, and after each kid had suffered a mouthful of the energy-packed Nutridrench I keep on hand for births.

The first kid was promptly named by Phyllis for a dear man from New England, Walter Packer. He happens to be the father of Judith TwilightStar's namesake, and a man whose company is always enjoyable. The second kid's name has yet to be determined.

This promises to be a busy evening. while the photos were uploading for this posting, I stopped downstairs to check on the does and the new kids. Jennifer was breathing hard; it appears that she is now in labor. Stay tuned...