Galaxy Ridge Farm

3/11 Miel! 🥰 My little Honey-Turbinado girl (that's her mama and daddy names). Hold your horses, this is long but worth reading I hope...

Last night after chores, it was raining again, so I checked in on Lily and babies and the other pregnant girls. They were all a little on edge, especially new mama feeling protective of unknown storm sounds with this new pen. So I comforted Lily for a bit. Then noticed Miel's udder looked more full and she was extra moody, including seeking out one of the other mamas over 5 feet away and then head-into-side butting her. Not cool at all. So I sat down with those 4 and tried to spread my petting amongst them. Miel slowly inched her head into my lap like she wanted to cuddle asleep. She's a good friendly girl but this is extra. Eventually I decided to go and before I got out, she went after that mama again. Sooo, instead of waiting till the morning, I stayed up till 3am getting a gate put up to make another closed pen area in this new "baby barn" and put Miel inside.

In the morning, Miel ate all her breakfast and seemed fine for a while, so I did chores without worry. I checked on them again around 1pm when I heard loud banging. Lily was headbanging her fence panel (not that hard, just sound traveled) because her babies were asleep up against it and another girl was apparently too close for comfort. And I noticed Miel sitting as if she might be pushing, or at least getting closer. Oops, so I went inside, potty break, refilled kidding kit (more washcloths and puppy pads), back out by 1:15.

Immediately saw she was standing with a small pool of slimy liquid at her feet. Didn't know if it was a sack break. I got in there and within minutes she was pushing - a hoof tip, no sack, oh! Then quickly it became clear Miel was not having it easy, the hoof went back in when she stopped pushing. A few more times sounding like hard/not usual pushing and I got concerned. I tried to get a finger in, she was tight and sensitive so I couldn't feel much without her moving away. Finally I determined it was one hoof and tip of the face. I couldn't feel far. Was it big or she not dilated enough or baby slightly turned funny? Wasn't clear yet. As she pushed more, it seemed possibly any or all of those. The very tip of nose was now showing too, but she was pushing pretty hard with no more movement. I got scared/very worried and only freaked out for a moment. I want Miel to make it thru most important. I want baby, but mama first. She can do this. We can do this. Both can. Ann (unrelated girl) had a very large boy before, Miel can do it too.

Slowly I gently pushed the face very slightly back and tried to feel around it and the hoof and mama's wall to see if she might spread more. Eesh, the tightness. Breathe. I tried feeling again, seeing where there could be movement, maybe shift angle or the foot, something. I gently pulled the foot out past the dew claws, almost to the knee. That seemed to give a bit relief, but then feeling around again to one side, she cried out, so it was not better beyond the moment. I gave her a few seconds and then gently pushed the foot back to just the hoof again with nose showing. Time to just wait and watch how much she can push. She pushed haaard and kept it up, crying out with pain but such a good strong girl. Now past the bridge of nose, can see tongue squished, but still not far enough. So much pushing. I pulled the foot further out again. That helped, more pushing, closer and closer, not much I can do. Finally past the biggest part of the skull! She stops for a moment, but I don't let her wait too long being at the throat. I pull some, worried about choking from compression. Long neck coming. What the heck, where is the other foot?? Okay, it's fully back, okay. Baby looks good but how am I not seeing shoulder yet? I pull more as she pushes, careful with the neck. Please. Breathe. Pull more. Crying mama. Oof, past the bent second shoulder, holy moly she comes out!

Yes a beautiful healthy girl ♥️ 1:45(ish)pm 5.4 # with blue eyes from daddy Swami and chocolate color copy of mama's markings, which are now carrying on from great great grandma Sassy.

Wow that was a new experience with the front leg fully backward 😳

Wipe wipe, one two, suction just in case and get to mama's licking - not as vigorous as usual but definitely being a good mama and understandable. I help wipe and, whoa, barely 5 min later and Miel is pushing again! She lays down, has a bubble, then stands. Quickly see hoof, nose, and I barely had time to get a puppy pad before just a few pushes and out flies baby boy while she's standing. But is he okay? I worried because he didn't move (most often it's nearly immediate), but I've had plenty that benefit from a little help, need suction and/or rubbing or even upside down swinging (just twice I can recall). I quickly pick him up out of the pool of liquids, onto a puppy pad to help soak up and keep bedding shavings less sticky, got the slime off his face and one or two more wipes and then he moved his head. Phew. More wipe, suction, mama licking. Hmm, surprising smaller than sis (boys usually bigger, but also usually first). ♥️ 1:55pm 4.4 # slick black copy of mama's markings again and blue eyes. And he's moving more, phew! He actually tries to get around and then even beats sis to successful nursing (makes sense though). He's wobbly with one back leg muscle a little tight, not wanting to bend yet, but it'll get there (and it already looked much better within a few hours).

All is good. Both nursed and got sleepy. Mama got molasses tea and fresh hay and I let them all be. Checked back after a couple hours and babies were up and getting around well. Miel had passed two placenta and was not really swollen at all. Wow, so thankful another good day with healthy mama and babies 🎉🥰🐐

3/10 my special Lily has kicked off 2026 kidding with her first set, a boy and girl at 148 days gestation, from sire Jagger. I noticed Lily was likely ready to birth today when she didn't shove her way to the front for breakfast. After chores, I checked her and there was still plenty time. So it became a full day finally finishing up the new baby pen after it flooded from the rain a few days ago. Got her and the other 4 pregnant girls moved and settled by maybe 5pm. I went inside for a break and checked again at 6. All were fine. She was definitely progressing but not immediate.

Checked again a little after 7pm and ooh saw a couple contractions with arching hunches that got me a little worried about position. I quickly ran to get my birthing kit and phone from the charger and got in the pen with her. She wouldn't let me check for readiness, was sensitive about touching there and also wasn't puffy. Hmm, because first birth? Or something not right? (Taking special notice because she's almost 3 years old). It was still early enough that I waited. By 7:25 she started pushing a bubble. Good! It came out just a sack of fluid though, but helped her dilate. Another 10 min or less and she started pushing a new bubble and I saw feet tips, woohoo! Took some good pushing but normal. When I was able to feel the face, I couldn't quite tell size and decided to pull one foot forward to the knee to possibly help shift just in case. A couple more strong pushes and baby boy slid out to his belly. 7:45 black with brown and white marks much like his daddy and a solid 6.0 # size. Lily couldn't reach him and wasn't trying hard, so I wiped the slime off and waited for another push or such since I don't like breaking the umbilical myself. When he didn't simply come any further and she wasn't shifting, I gently pulled and the rest of him slid and cord mostly broke and I moved him within reach from her face.

And then surprise! Just 5 min after his face came out, Lily pushed again and very quickly slid out baby girl 4.9 # dark brown like fudge with a white poll. Wiped off the slime and put her next to mama's face. Lily gave her a bit more effort while brother was getting vocal and trying to work his legs. They both were fluffy very fast and up eating within 20-30 min.

What a fantastic end of day. New kidding pen ready before more rain and just in time for these new healthy babies and mama. We take the good news wherever we get it. ♥️♥️

Moonpie babies 2/4/25 ♥️♥️ I had been watching my Moon for a week as she was decently wide, such a waddle, and had gotten quite insistent at feeding time. On Monday, her udder that was full finally got a little more full, so I knew it was probably 24 hours notice. Tues morning she was in the same spot by the door where Dana had birthed and was looking like she was early stages as she was laying a bit sideways. I started with chores and she stayed there, didn't come demanding at the door, but she did stand up. Aha! Her udder was soo much more, she was definitely going to birth soon. Toward the end of chores, she came to the door, ate and then joined the group when I put out hay. So maybe she wasn't urgent, but that udder p**f meant by night for sure.

When I checked in again at 3pm, she was back in the spot, awkwardly on one side due to full belly (in two ways lol) and had a leg outstretched like she'd probably had contractions. I got my main kidding kit (a bucket with towels, gloves, and the nose suctioner) and sat down with her while everyone else kept eating or slept since it was too soggy to let them out. Around 4pm, after she had gotten up a couple times to adjust, she laid down with her butt right up to the wall. Well that won't work, but I didn't bother her as I figured she'd still shift or get up before too long. Her next time up, I coaxed her to the back pen. I got mama some warm molasses water, thinking she might not be all that long now. She progressed a little more, but not a lot. She would seem to have a contraction or maybe movement, but she stayed standing, no more laying down. Waiting, waiting. A couple hours. Got my phone charger and stayed. Eventually there was a little bit more progress and pushing where I saw the bubble. Oh good I thought. I pulled out a couple towels to be ready.

While my back was turned, around 7:35pm, the sack broke. The fluid was a little bit more yellow than typical but not alarming. But 10 minutes passed and she just seemed relaxed, relieved of pressure, no contractions. Generally, once the water breaks, the babies need out within 30 min or there might be an issue. 10 sounds like not a big deal, but I've seen where things were wrong during labor without acting soon enough. So I put on a glove (not leaving to wash, I had been petting her a lot over the hours) and reached a finger in, hmm, and then another. I barely felt the tips of feet, took a second to figure they were feet. She started to push a little, I'm sure from my pressure. I let her be, hoping it would just all flow. She hunched with more of an arch than typical. Then she did it again. And no feet from that pushing. I went in again, a little further. I didn't know if they were hooked and I moved them or what. I had my fingers circle around the feet to feel for a face. Finally I thought i felt it. During that it also felt like maybe there was a membrane that broke during the moving. I hope that wasn't another sack. Hard to describe it all. Moon started pushing more. I kept fingers next to the feet as they came forward, tips out. I let her have a break and they went back in. Hmm. Can't figure if an issue. I let her push. Maybe I should've waited more, but I checked again, further. The face was behind the ankles. Okay. More pushing and still not quite coming. Then I questioned if the face was angled funny, checked again. I wondered if it's maybe a second kid. I try to quickly mentally imagine and decide. I think it's okay, let her push more to find out. She lays down and pushes. Feet come more and eventually bulging from the face coming. A bit more and I see nose and tip of tongue. She's pushing hard but I don't want to pull yet. She pauses and there's slight retracting. But then more pushing and the face is nearly out. This feels so slow comparatively, but it's not long. Then finally the head is 95% and I gently hold/pull to help in case she stops, so the baby comes out further than the neck. And then she easily slides the rest of the way a bit before 8pm. Brown with mama's frosted ears and white poll (head spot) 7.2 # girl and holds her head up right away. Mama Moon cranes her neck, can't reach, but doesn't budge her body at all. I do a quick couple wipes, there was some baby p**ps in the goo, probably from during the push. Then I pull baby girl closer to Moon and she gets right to licking. I wipe some more and then give them space. Phew.

After a few minutes, I stand to clean up the wet piles and mama starts pushing again. I get baby girl out of the way, she yelps at me and works at standing up while I turn back to Moon. Another sack bubble peeks out and quickly breaks. Maybe only a minute later, and just 10 min after the first born, out slides second baby without help 8:07pm brown but tiny white poll 6.4 # girl. I help with the big glops. Moon stands up and I put the second girl next to the first so mama isn't debating which to care for. After this, everything is smooth. She gently licks them all over, cleaning both back and forth. They are both strong, up fast and find the teats and nurse within 30 minutes or maybe less. After a bit I brought her some food. Got some blurry photos, the babies were moving around so much. Other littles poked their heads thru the fence checking them out. My heart skipped at all the cuteness. Mama passed a second placenta at 10pm. Aha, now she's really really done. I refilled the hay, fed all the other mamas, and headed to bed. I was run down and no doubt mama Moon wanted to settle in and rest too. I figured I'd write this the next day since I would need to try photos again too. In the morning found them all doing perfectly well. Aww yay. Over the Moon! 😘🐐♥️♥️