Pygmy's first pregnancy - three still born

[hikerchick]

My heart aches for her. Her mom is pregnant too, as is my other female. When they all have their babies, what is my little Diamond going to have? She has been her mother's baby for two years but now mom is going to have new little ones and I am afraid she will reject poor Diamond.

 

[KellyHM]

I'm sure that mom won't completely reject Diamond...she won't treat her as a baby anymore, but she'll still be part of the herd. Sorry about your loss...

 

[hikerchick]

Breeding goats is so much fun when all goes well and so heartbreaking when it doesn't. At least I got the vet here in time to save Diamond - the babies were too big and she was too small.

 

[KellyHM]

I'm glad she's ok. Make sure to breed her to a buck with a smaller birth weight next year. Good luck with the other kiddings!

 

[username taken]

Sorry for your loss.

It is unlikely that mum will completely oust diamond. Goats have a very strong family dynamic. Often, a doe will take her sister or daughter with her, away from the herd, for company when she gives birth. And it is not uncommon for grandmother, mother, daughter and granddaughter and so on to all hang around together when they are all mature does. I have even seen a bottle raised doe, bottle raised from day 1, run over to her biological mother and sit down with her, when she was 12 mths old and put back into the main herd.

Depending on her personality, you might see diamond mothering the other kids. She might turn into the babysitter to give the other mums a break.

 

[Chirpy]

I am so sorry for losing the babies. hikerchick is sooo right... when it goes well having goat babies is such a joy - when it goes bad it's just heart wrenching. I've had it go both ways...

I'm guessing that Diamonds mom will be just fine with her once her kids are old enough that she's not so focused on them. Goats are so social that they don't generally oust anyone... they just change the herd social order.

 

[hikerchick]

Thank you all for your reassurances. I love my little Diamond and I don't want her to be sad and lonely.

 

[MissPrissy]

I was in your shoes Monday. I posted about it on my blog. My vet did a c-sect here. Very sorry for your loss of the kids but glad the doe was saved.

 

[Cajunsamoan]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I wish you the best of luck with the other two.