New Baby reindeer to my herd

For all baby Lotte lovers. She is the only one with antlers left.
Just realised that I can't call her "baby Lotte" for much longer as it is her Birthday on the 9th May. I worried that she wouldn't survive as she only just tipped the scales at 7lbs and had a lung infection in her first few days.. Some of the Alaska herds are having 21lb babies born... I do think their adult reindeer must be bigger though???

 

Can she boss anyone around since she is the only one with antlers? (Hector maybe ) Or is she and her antlers too small?

 

Heehee, Lotte does try to boss around the bigger ones now BUT she also gives away her babyness as she keeps snuffling her mothers udder as it swells and starts smelling milky!
It will be interesting what happens when Twiglet (mother) has her new calf. I am hoping to keep them all together, as in nature, but will have to monitor day by day as last year Twiglet was VERY ferocious to any deer coming close to baby Lotte... I am hoping she won't be mean to Lotte as they have stayed very close... But close monitoring will be required.

 

Hoping for the best wishing you good luck for the stressfull times that are coming, and hope everything goes well

 

Couldn't wait any longer for the fecal worm counts to come back as I need to move the herd to the "maternity paddock" very soon as those udders are starting to wobble! Needed to decide which wormer to use, quickly.
Have gone for a "white" drench wormer as Twiglet was exhibiting signs of a tapeworm - need to keep the baby paddock worm free. All should be good as it has been fallow for 6 months.

Managed to easily do 5 this morning alone but had to call hubby in to assist with Twiglet and Ana. Didn't want to use the squeeze with full tummies so just needed someone to hold them. It was only me that got punched! Twiggy manages to hit with both a front leg and a back one at the same time - Kudos!

Must suggest, at moulting time of year, hubby doesn't wear a fleece - he looked like the Abominable Snowman once we finished!

For all of you following the expected calves I now think Twiglet is also imminent (as well as Mischa & Katya) only Ana late May. Was hoping Twig would be a few more weeks as her tummy is smaller but not too worried as she did a marvellous job with her tiny Lotte last year.
We are getting close - very, very close!

 

Good Luck with the worming medicine!! I hope all goes well and I hope you are ok from Twiglet and her punches! I was thinking (that,s scary!) lol, that maybe twiglet just has small babies! Fingers crossed all will be well and looking forward to the babies

 

Still no calves here yet but I may have been wrong with my order of calving (I thought Twiglet would be third) but she has a definite udder wobble as she walks, far more than the other girls. It can be seen from the side now as well as the rear.
Was a lovely video of Alaskan calf playing with mother but couldn't share. Mind you I can't even get rid of the underline from post!!!
I'm a Numpty!!!

 

Technically challenged but a great reindeer breeder!

 

You are having a time of it!!

 

Just a warning, the questions I'm going to ask are a bit graphic...

Karen, just curious... besides bagging up (udders filling) do your Mommas get loosened tendons on both sides above the tail, do they hold their tails at a different angle (especially thru contractions) and do they lose a mucous plug like my Nannies do when they are close to kidding? I know Reindeer are nowhere close to the same species of animal as Goats, but I'm just curious if your Mommas show any of the same tell-tale signs that I've spent many Springs watching, prodding and feeling for. Also on my Nannies, their bags became really skin tight and shiny... I'm not sure how big your girls bag up and if this is even noticeable...


Was just wondering if you had any other signs to watch for?

PS... I am getting so anxious and excited for you!

 

I haven't noticed loosened tendons (please tell me more), their tails can seem more puffy, but then even the castrates can but they are also losing lots of coat at the moment too - they don't hold their tails differently until they are contracting. Haven't witnessed a mucous plug yet... But love all your insights as we need to learn from other species...
As to bags, most of the year you can't even see a nipple - now I have all 4 teats and a little puffiness in udders but I wait for them to be tight before I'm on very close watch.. Think a grapefruit with 2/3rd cut off but tight says babies soon. At the moments, teats showing well but grapefruit is still saggy.. Guinea any more insights of your goats would be fab as not everybody watches their stock and reindeer can be a learning curve...

All I have is another nest, this time a wren... in home paddock manger.

 

Horses also "loosen" up the muscles around the tail close to parturition. This is in anticipation of the need to expand the birth canal. Once the foal starts to move into position, the mare actually looks less pregnant. IDK about reindeer but a mare that is disturbed in the early stages of birth can actually delay it for a short period of time (run away from predator). (FWIW, lol)

 

Sweet Cassi I also stay well back when birth starts unless the reindeer mother comes to lie down beside me, which some do then I just sit still.

 

Awwww how sweet Karen. Your reindeer really trust you.

 

Karen... the loosened up ligaments was a tip that an old time goat breeder taught me about, as well as watching for their bags going skin tight and shiny. The mucous plug (which per say is not really a plug, but more like a big gob of goo that usually ends up stuck to a does' tail, butt cheek, my pants leg or somewhere else gross, lol) was something I noticed with my first ever kidding... and my Mom chimed in with "oh I bet that's her mucous plug, like what women lose before they are ready to give birth" (never experienced that myself, I don't have children). So then I searched online and got the goat version of it.

I found this goat site years ago, it shows some pretty good pics of where/how to check for the tendons, and the visible changes of the tail itself during a contraction... but being that your Mommas are so thick coated and shedding out (and not shaved up all tidy like the Nannies in the pics are) you may not be able to feel or see anything... but it mentions some behaviors changes as well and IMO it's worth a read if you have time (if you don't mind all the images of the business end of a Nannie getting ready to kid, lol).

Out of everything I've learned over the years with all my Nannies kidding... the most valuable tip I was ever given was to use a baby monitor when I wasn't out in the birthing shed with them so I could listen for any grunts, groans, contractions/pushing, panting, pawing, teeth grinding and any other audible signs giving me the heads up that it was time to run out there and check for little tiny hooves sticking out... lol.

Oh and some of my Nannies did get very affectionate and wanted to lay down close to me as well

 

Says a lot about you both, Guinea and Karen, that your sweeties want to be near you at such a time!

 

Thanks Guinea, only just had chance to look at link and I will now have a feel to see if ligaments are the same... Loved last couple of photo's on page. Although didn't know about ligament check, the visuals I could see who was about to kid... mind you the other one was close too!

Reindeer update... My new vet rang today, absolutely grovelling, the fecal samples had been lost in the post to lab... I had guessed as much as I had been chasing results for 10 days.. I couldn't wait, so had taken a guess and wormed with what I guessed was an appropriate wormer as I needed to move to maternity paddock. This was the very first thing I had asked them to do so they were understandably embarrassed... Vet was a little taken aback when I laughed but I had guessed as much and knew how embarrassing it would be for them!

To balance the good news of potential calving, Katya has rubbed off all her tail hair overnight and a close inspection looks as if she may have some form of louse in her tail. Had only just discovered when vet rung (grovelling at lost results) so asked him about treatment. At the time, we decided it was best not to treat her with severe chemicals this close to calving. Still agree with harsh chemicals so close to birthing channel but as the day progressed I decided to try to stave off the itchiness - so did a "witches brew" of E45 cream with drops of tea tree oil in and rubbed it into her tail... Not saying it will work and would usually go down meds route but for now may help her be a little more comfortable and MAY even kill the pesky so and so's

 

Will keep fingers crossed that your "witches brew" at least relieves the itchiness.

 

Poor itchy Katya... well there's one tail you can more easily keep an eye on for signs of labor and contractions lol.
Hope whatever creepy crawlies are on Katya die/jump off and won't spread to her calf as soon as it's born and starts nursing.

 

I'm glad you did something to relieve Katya's itching. Poor girl...to be huge pregnant...and then have a major irritating itch on your tail.