Wwoofing It: Day 3

Hey everyone! Today was a mild day on the ranch, especially compared to everything that has happened already. I went out to the ranch around 9am and stayed out there by myself until about 3pm when Carrie and Marv came out to meet me. They had appointments and errands to run so I went out alone to start work until they could get there. So when I got there this morning 2 kids were already born. Mike said they were born this morning around 8am to a first time mom and she did a really good job. Both kids were really healthy and standing up and feeding off her already. We were surprised that they were so healthy because first time moms usually don't know what to do when they have kids so the kids take longer to get cleaned off and standing up and feeding off of their mom. But this mom had really great motherly instincts so both of her kids were really strong and healthy. I think a lot of it has to do with the weather too. It was in the 60s today, which is really warm up here, and it reflected in the kids' health. Kids born in freezing temperatures are very weak if they even survive, so this was a really good start to the day. Then I had to do the usual chores of cleaning out the straw in the barn and dog kennels, refilling food and water for the dogs, feeding the goats hay, checking on all the kids to make sure they are eating enough and making sure their mothers are allowing them to feed. One goat snapped her horn off this morning and she ran around screaming, so she was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. There was blood everywhere too and her horn was just hanging on the side of her head. Horns don't normally snap off unless they were intended too, and on this ranch we band all the horns as soon as they start to grow so they will eventually just fall off. This is to allow the goats to get to their food without their horns in the way and to protect the other goats and kids in case someone gets jabbed. But there is still some blood and pain when the horn does eventually break off, so it was startling to see it first-hand. The only problem was this was a goat who had just had kids, and she was in a mood so she wouldn't let anyone near her, including her kids. So I had to put her in a really small pen and basically force her to stay still while her kids drank. After a while she stopped moving around and would let them drink when they wanted too. So the next part of the day consisted of me checking to see if any goats were in labor; we call it 'sliming' or checking for slime. When a goat is first going into labor, a long strand of slime will hang off their back end, and that lets you know that she will be having kids that night. For some reason, goats are always born at night; or at least that is what all the ranchers always say. But so far it has been true. Early in the day no goats were sliming, but just about 3pm I saw one start to go so I let Mike know since he will be staying out there tonight- which means he will have a busy night and get no sleep. I also had to replace the bedding in the puppy pen where all the baby australian shepherds were. They are about 10 weeks old and the most gorgeous things I have ever seen. Their eyes are bright greens, blues and browns and they have the most elaborate color schemes too. They are at their rambunctious stage and all wanted to play with me, so of course I had to play with them for a long time! Then I had to move a mother guard dog and her 1 week old puppies into a separate pen to make room for another dog who was having puppies that day as well. Jordan has been due to have puppies all week and I kept checking on her throughout the day, but she wasn't having any. Then I decided to check one more time and there was a little wet puppy with her! It was getting late and cold so we brought her home and she is having her pups in the kitchen right now. It has been a really slow birth; since about 3pm she has only had 3 so far. So I got home from working around 6pm and had a nice hot bowl of soup for dinner. Then I went to check on the kids in the living room, and 1 was fine and 1 was still acting funny. He has been crying nonstop for a couple days and won't stand up at all on his own. He eats a ton but can't stand up and seems really weak still. So I heard him crying one second, then he was quiet the next so I looked at him and he wasn't breathing. I told Marv and we tried shaking him and getting him to revive, but we lost him. It was really sad because he was so determined to live, and he held out a really long time. But I think there were intestinal problems and internal bleeding, and finally he just passed away. It was a sad moment, but they are becoming more frequent than I ever expected. It seems like for every new life we get, one is lost as well. Its a tough thing to constantly have to be around, but it is helping me stay determined to be a vet so I can help save more of those lives. After that incident, Marv went into the backyard to look for one of our dogs who is well past her due date for pups. We wanted to bring her inside because it is too cold to have pups in the backyard. Marv looked for her for a long time, but she wasn't in the backyard. She went missing! We searched everywhere we could and knew there was no possible way she could have jumped the fence and no holes or openings for her to escape. Marv is really stressed out because she should be having her pups any minute now and she could be anywhere. We called all the shelters and talked to the neighbors but no luck yet. I have to get up at 5am to go pick up some cows from a pasture and bring them into town, so I had to stop looking for the dog so I can get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be the longest day so far. I have to be up at 5am to get the cows, then work on the ranch during the day, then go back at night for my first night-kidding shift! I am excited to work at night and hopefully see more kids being born, but a little nervous as well because I don't want to mess anything up. I am excited and ready to learn more, so I have to get to bed so I have a fresh mind in the morning! I miss you guys and wish you were here getting covered in poo and mud with me!