Born: April 10th , 2003
Mother: IDA, purebred Alpine doe, no papers
Father: DIMITRI, purebred Angora buck, no papers
Breeder: BAUMHAUS
Maritta Kissel
baumhaus@zoominternet.net
410.378.0853
Ilka (peach) and Idun (grey) were born in the morning hours of April 10th, 2003. Ilka was the first to be born, Idun followed shortly after. It was a rather uneventful birth, though Idun’s amniotic sac was still intact and had to be ruptured. I cleaned Idun’s nose and mouth, and brought her to Ida’s face to be licked clean. Ida was such a devoted new mother, she wouldn’t stop licking them. Ida was already 7 years old when they, her first living babies, were born. She had had a stillborn boy kid the previous year.
I soon discovered that Ida did not have enough milk to feed her kids, one teat gave only about half a cup, the other was blocked completely. At first, I decided to milk some of the other mothers who had recently given birth to live kids. There was not much success since Angora goats are not dairy goats, and they strongly object to being milked! Cathy McNatt, my good neighbor, owner of Promised Land Farm and proud and successful breeder of Nubian goats, came to my rescue.
Ilka and Idun received the rich colostrum of Nubian nannies and were raised on their raw, high-fat milk. After several bottle feedings of Nubian milk Ida rejected her babies. Nannies identify their young by smelling their behinds, and even though I was milking Ida everyday and mixing her milk in with that of the other goats, she did not acknowledge the kids as hers. So Ilka and Idun moved into my kitchen and made their home in a large green water trough. It was so much fun! We had to remove the kitchen door to bring the tub in, and had to repeat the procedure every time the tub needed cleaning. Those were busy times. But, most importantly, the kids were thriving on our good care, and the good milk, of course. Feeding time was every four hours in the beginning, then the hours between feedings increased, as well as the amount of bottles given. Lorin and I let them out in the yard to play, and Ilka and Idun would follow us everywhere, race across the lawn and do their special kid jumps, bleating loudly.
Ilka and Idun were such beautiful babies, all fuzzy and with the long, drooping ears of the Angora breed. A big surprise came on Easter Sunday morning: Idun greeted us with her front feet dangling over the edge of the tub and - with both her ears erect, looking like the Easter Bunny himself! The genes of the Alpine had come through, those ears stayed erect, and Ilka’s ears were pointed upward a few days later.
Those happy times came to an abrupt end when Ilka and Idun decided to leave their nest and frolic on our kitchen table. It was absolutely impossible to keep them in their tub, so the girls had to move to a more natural goat habitat. They made their home in a stall in the barn and soon began nibbling on goat pellets and hay.
The rest is history. Ilka and Idun grew into beautiful, healthy goats, and they adjusted to life in a herd. Being big bullies, though, they can make the lives of smaller goats a living hell. And, interestingly enough, I am still their ‘Mom’, and they will always consider themselves to be little four-legged people!
I hope you will grow to love goats as much as I do.
Feed Purina sweet goat feed & hay, unless on good pasture. Horse feed will do, too. Salt/mineral block is a must, goats need minerals to maintain good digestion.
Trim feet as needed. Every three to four months is good.
Brush them if you like. I combed them both this spring, they were shedding heavily.
Deworm every three months, I used Ivermectin Pour-on in April of this year. I believe you can also use horse dewormer. Last fall I gave them deworm pellets for sheep and goats that I got at the feed store. It is good to change the dewormer frequently. How often you wish to do the job is up to you. Opinions vary.
Tetanus, a must with horses around.
Clostridium perfringens type C & D (Over- eating disease)
Rabies (optional)
Rectal temp.- 103 to 105 F
Heart rate- 70 to 135 beats per minute
Respiratory rate- 20 breaths per minute
Central pair - 1
Middle pair - 1-2
Lateral pair - 2-3
Corner pair - 3-4
After that - Guess!
Applebrook Veterinary Clinic ( Dr. Mark Brown)
Oxford, PA
(610) 932-4430
I just began recently to call on Applebrook for Vet services. They are very efficient and timely. And very expensive. Your choice.
All my goats are treated homeopathically and herbally. Unless it is a very serious case or an emergency, of course.
Call me if there are any problems with Ilka and Idun. Thanks. And good luck!
Written by: Maritta Kissel
All design and artwork by Maritta & Lorin Kissel.
Please ask before using. Thanks.