Our last babies of the season, Izzy's triplets, have now been named. Apparently, we have some of the kids' favorite dance/pop songs to thank for inspiration. The giant chalky-spotted brother is "Ghost." The other fella is "Uptown Funky Goat" or "Uptown" for short. This is kind of ironic because his red color with standard black markings actually make him the least funky-looking of all this year's babies. And, little bitty girl is "Shake," as in "Shake It Off." This is pretty appropriate for her. First, she was born with some challenges that we hope she will shake off, and, second, her tiny little frame does a lot of shaking as she works to keep warm with basically no body fat to help her out.
Because Izzy late-term aborted her twins last year, she is actually a first time mother this year, and her udder is just not developed enough to support triplets. Plus, she lacks the super-maternal instincts she would need to care for this tiny one and has basically abandoned her. We gave it a day before we called it quits, but Izzy just won't stand for her nursing. Meanwhile, the brothers have mastered suckling and are getting all the milk mom is providing right now. So, Shake is officially a bottle baby.
Shake, the morning she was born -- all 4.2 pounds of her!
So, she is currently being fed every 2-4 hours, around the clock. Izzy tolerates her presence but will not allow her to nurse. We feel it's important for her to bond with her siblings and other babies, so she is spending her days (so long as they're warm ones) in the nursery barnyard with the other little ones. But, she is spending her nights with us in the house. This way I know that she is staying warm, and I have her close by for middle-of-the-night feedings. Needless to say, she's being spoiled rotten.
Above, Shake is receiving a little loving while we snuggle in the rocking chair. And, no, that's not her mother. That's her GRANDMOTHER Razz giving her kisses. I love this goat! It is VERY difficult to get a goat to nurse another doe's offspring, but I think Razz might just have what it takes. If she weren't busy feeding her own two chunky boys, I'd try getting her to take Shake.
Shake is so very tiny right now that her feedings have to be very small but frequent. This puts us on a very tight leash, time-wise. Unless, that is, we take her with us! Saturday evening, we had a race to run as a family and would be away from the house for several hours. We brought Shake on the road with us and dropped her at our herd godmother's house where she was lovingly looked after and doted on until we were finished.
Selfie with Godmother Karen. :)
Thanks, Karen, for loving our goats just nearly as much as we do and for being so willing to help us out. I have to tell you, though, I fear that goat-sitting may land you in the "crazy goat lady" camp with me. :)
Clearly, Shake enjoyed her time at Karen and Chris's. I wonder who enjoyed the snuggle time more? :)
Shake was born with super-weak hind legs, but that doesn't stop her from standing up. The first day, she couldn't quite keep her hips in check, and they would splay out to the side, and she would drag one leg behind her when she tried to walk. We are having little therapy sessions along with feeding times, and she has definitely showed major signs of improvement as she strengthens up. Here's hoping that each day brings more and more improvement!