Howard Homestead

Jasper's birth story. Enjoy.

Howard Homestead 1 like. "An Unexpected Surprise | Live Goat Birth"

Came home from church to find two little surprises. Meet Jazz (boy, brown and white) and Jubilee (girl, brown). Joy is the proud mama.

Everyone, meet Jasper. He was a surprise that I didn't see coming last night. His mama is Ruby. I knew she was pregnant, but I didnt think she was due for at least another week. Apparently Bo got to her earlier than I thought.

Jasper was born around 9:30 pm April 16. He gave his mama and me a little bit of trouble by deciding to come out back legs first. With a little help from me pulling while she pushed, Ruby finally got him out. He had a little trouble breathing at first, maybe because the umbilical cord broke while his head was still inside. But we got him going. He also wasn't getting the hang of eating at first, but I think he figured it out.

This was the second goat birth I've witnessed, and it was rough. She wouldn't go into the barn. It was dark outside. All I had was a flashlight, and it's really hard to pull a baby out and hold the light at the same time. But we managed. I wasn't able to get much on video due to challenges, but I'm excited for the happy surprise and the good outcome.

I went with the name Jasper to go along with the gemstone theme. I felt it was appropriate, especially since we lost Diamond so unexpectedly last month.

Jasper is definitely a cutie!

Apparently I have a thing for eyes. 👀

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That'll wake you up in the morning!

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Edit: This memory just became even more sweet because I just now realized that she no longer has that ugly ear tag! It's illegal to remove (trust me, I asked the vet to do it), so it must have fallen out somewhere along the way. She's been without it so long now, I forgot she even had it! Now she's truly and properly free of her horrible past. 🐐 ❤️

This is a fun memory. Three years ago I brought Faith home. She came from a livestock broker, a concept that I didn't understand at the time. Even though I paid for her, the situation she came from made it more like a rescue. She was scared, angry, headbutted me through the fence. This picture represents a turning point. It's the moment Faith started trusting me. It's the moment she got her name. Now, three years later, she is one of my favorite goats. Her personality is unmatched and she produces kids that are just as sweet. I'm so glad I took that leap of faith and brought her in as a founding member of our herd.

I finally got to be there for a birth!

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Here we go again!

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