By SIDNEY BROWN
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
Hey fellow readers! It’s Sidney here, back with Part 2! Enjoy!
I’m about to explain breeding, so if goat sex bothers you, skip this paragraph. Bucks STINK. Goats have breeding seasons. For the boys, it’s called being in rut and for the girls it’s called being in heat. Girls in heat are needier; they cry constantly and hump each other. It can last for a few hours to a few days. For bucks, being in rut lasts months.
If you’ve ever smelled skunk, it’s like perfume compared to my buck, Angus. He pees on his beard and into his mouth. The stink follows me wherever I go. It doesn’t matter how many times I shower a day; I still smell like nasty buck. The first time I smelled him, I legit about vomited. I have to schedule when I let him in with my girls to line up when they will give birth, which is during my spring break. I have to watch him to make sure he impregnates the girls.
The gestation period for goats is about five months. During those months, I’m watching the girls’ bellies to see growth patterns. I have to make sure they’re gaining weight and keeping it on. Goats have fat pads under their tails and I feel that to see if the girls are at a good weight. Sometimes, I have to keep weight off of my goats. If they’re too fat, they can miscarry. I also make sure their udder is bagging up nicely. If the sides are uneven, it could mean infection in the udder and the kids can’t drink the milk.
Once spring hits, my stress level goes up to the top. I’m out in the barn constantly, checking under the goats’ tails to see if they’re about to go (give birth). If they’re about to go, their tail “dislocates” itself to make room for the kid coming out.
The birthing experience is beautiful, but it’s also dangerous. The best way for a kid to come out is front feet and head first. I’ve had to stick my hand in my goat to reposition the kid. The kid was so big that I had to help my doe pull her out. Because of this, her uterus tore. I put a solution in there daily for a week or so to clean it out and help it heal.
Once the babies are born, I bring them in the house. It’s pretty cold when the girls give birth and kids come out pretty wet and bloody. I dry the babies off and make sure they’re warm. I also cut their umbilical cord until there’s about three inches left and then I dip it in iodine to sterilize it and to also let it shrivel up and eventually fall off. I then run back outside to milk my doe for her colostrum. Colostrum is a rich, golden-colored milk packed with nutrients for babies. It’s made for the babies’ first drink. I strain the milk to make sure no hair or skin falls into the pan. I then have to teach the babies how to take a bottle.
Yes: I take the babies away from the mamas. Doing this makes it easier to make sure the babies are drinking enough milk daily. It also makes it easier to measure the amount of milk my does are producing and to not ruin the udder for showing. It also lowers the risk of infection in the udder and ensures no cuts are on the teats from baby teeth.
The babies stay in the house for the remainder of my spring break. They are fed four to five times a day. Once school starts up again, they are fed three times a day. My mom and dad help with this, and for that I am so thankful. My mom gets up early for work anyway so she warms up the milk in the morning to let me sleep in for an extra 20 minutes. As soon as I get home from school, I warm up the milk and go feed them, and at night I go out and feed the babies as late as possible as they had eaten not too long ago.
After about a month and a half to two months, I switch to feeding them two times a day. I get cuts on my fingers from slippery, milky-faced babies. I do this all during school and the whole summer.
There will be a Part 3, and I promise that’ll be it! Stay tuned for the conclusion!