Goat books, birthing kit

As Gooza's labour gets closer, me and mum are very nervous. What if something goes wrong? What if the kid/s are positioned incorrectly? I've read every book there is to read on goats, cover to cover, and since Gooza was bred I've pretty much memerised them all, word for word. We own two 'goat books', as we call them, one is mine and the other is mums. We also borrow a lot from the library.

Mums is called natural Goat care, by Pat Colbey, which isn't the best book I've ever read on goats. Pat Colbey seems to be a bit obsessed with copper. She finds ways to link copper to pretty much every goat illness there is, including CAE! And I don't think anyone's been able to find the cause of CAE. There was one incident that really turned us away from copper: Argoo had sores on her back feet from the mud one winter, and Pat Colbey's book advised us to use a mix of some sort of cream, and copper sulphate powder. That goat was in agony! The treatment worked, after a while, but poor old Gooza was left with a slight limp for a few days, she was in so much pain! So all we give them is a quarter of a teaspoon in their soaked barley.

My book is called 'Get Your Goat', by Brent Zimmerman. The author lives in Italy, and raises Oberhaslis. It's more of a beginners book than mums is. It's less factual, and it's full of pictures. That's probably why I like it!

We are sorting out our birthing kit at the moment. Towels, bottles and teats, iodine to dip the umbilical cord, scissors in case it needs to be cut, hand lubricant, and things like that. We also have to bring out a bucket of warm, soapy water, but I can't remember why! I could just ask mum, but I love opening up a book.

I've studied the page with the birthing positions over and over again, so that I will recognise which one the kids are in. Although, at this point, I'm hoping I won't have to stick my hands in!!

I don't think Daisy is enjoying Argoo getting all the attention. Daze is usually the one that gets sick, gets out of the paddock, all of that. She's also a lovely goat, very friendly, but very stubborn. Every thing has to be Daisy's way, or the world is in danger of ending! But Daisy's jealousy isn't good. She's been quite aggressive towards Goo lately, but I guess it's better Daisy is mean rather than Argoo, because Argoo has horns!