a sad thing

On Saturday morning, one of our little does (named Imelda)-- from the group born last spring, so they are not quite yearlings yet-- aborted her kids, premature and stillborn. She had been having some problems with a gassy belly on Friday, which Cathy treated by giving her a bit of baking soda solution, and later in the day her bloating had gone down and she was eating and moving about normally, although bleating a lot, and loudly, every time we came into the barn. The young does should be due to kid at the beginning of April, so this is a full month early. I have never seen a fetus of any animal before-- they were strange and perfect and incomplete. A boy and a girl.

Imelda is still pretty distressed-- she has been bleating a lot, licking, and looking for her babies. She was licking at the little bodies in the straw before we took them out.

But she seems okay health-wise, so that's good, and hopefully this is the only trouble we'll have this kidding season. Chalk it up to the bad magic of February, perhaps. On the mend.

~jasmine