I have a baby monitor in the goat shed. I put it out the first time just before my two does had triplets (yes, they both had triplets) so I could hear what was going on out there and come a’runnin’ at the first audible indication of labor pains. It worked great: I was able to be present at all six births–which wasn’t difficult since both does gave birth within an hour of each other. The first doe that gave birth was assisted by me and the other goat. I toweled each newborn after the “midwife” goat cleaned the afterbirth from it. Not long after, the situation reversed and the new mom became the midwife for the other goat. One big, happy family.
Of course, I left the baby monitor on because — hey — now there were actual babies to monitor! I was out there at the first sign of baby goat distress of any kind–or pretty much at the first sign of baby goat anything! I visited four times the first night, three the next, and so on until I found myself sleeping through the night…which is about the time the babies started acting like goats and started playing, on and off, throughout the night. Lisa Twining Taylor eventually clued me in and said if I’d turn off the shed light at night they’d sleep through the night, too. So I did that. Wonder of wonders! Goats do go to sleep when there’s not much else to do!
It’s three and a half months later. The baby monitor is still out there doing its thing. Right now I hear chickens laying eggs, planes passing overhead, goats gamboling, and rain falling. But the goats have figured out that I have my ear on them because they wander over to the monitor and start crying whenever they want me to come out to do something for them–which happens at least three times a day.
Sometimes they want to be let into the back field to eat. Sometimes they want human attention. Sometimes they have a “crying need” for alfalfa because it’s raining and goats hate to be rained on, so going outside is just NOT going to happen. That’s what happened first thing this morning. One goat stuck her hoof out, confirmed it was wet outside the shed, and started bawling for sustenance. So I drove to Tractor Supply Company and bought two bales of alfalfa. Instant bliss. They’re quiet again, chewing their cuds, waiting for the rain to depart.
Looks like they’ll be waiting a while! The weather forecast doesn’t look right for goats.
