Like mother, like daughter. Rhea’s dam, Girly delivered her quickly in a kidding stall when no one was watching. She was a first freshener. Rhea did the same thing for her first freshening, except she didn’t even make it to the stall.
Yesterday evening, I noticed a subtle difference in her udder and her ligaments were beginning to soften. I got up early this morning (day 145 for Rhea) to check on her and all was status quo. She had lost her ligaments and her udder was filling, but she was still socializing with the herd and eating, so I notified my support system and went about my day. It was a warm day in the 80’s so I decided to check on Rhea throughout the day rather than put her in a kidding stall right away. Rhea is one who relies on her herd so much, she screams bloody murder when even one of her “group” is missing. I knew it would be very stressful for her if I isolated her in her stall too soon.
My last check on Rhea was at about 2:30pm. Still no change. I felt comfortable leaving her out for a little while longer. The next time I went out (4pm), I saw 2 little wet kids on the ground standing next to Rhea, who was having a snack at the hay feeder. I brought everyone into the kidding area to dry off the kids, clip cords and get weights. The little brown girl weighs 4lbs and the blond boy is 4lbs, 14oz. Both were up and eating right away, and Rhea is very attentive. The boy (F2) is available, but I believe we will keep the girl for evaluation. Easy kidders are a blessing, and apparently a strong trait in this line. These kids are sired by Hocus Pocus.
