Sad Day On The Farm

Birth is truly a miracle. Whether it is a human baby, little goat kids, or a donkey foal, the fact that they ever make it through the complicated birthing process is a complete miracle. I have come to realize this through my own difficult experiences.

Last year Nibbles delivered triplet boys. After a tragic accident the following day, only Cookie survived.

Of the seven babies we've had born on this farm, only two have survived. Lessons have been learned every time but it is always a sad, hard way to learn.

Our miracle foal, Ella.

Experience is some of the only ways that we can learn things and it doesn't really matter how much study and research we do beforehand. I had read and re-read all about foaling and foaling complications and signs of labor and what to look for to know that your Jenny is getting close to her delivery day. Our little CoCo was "due" on March 18th and from what I had learned, donkeys can take up to 13 months before foaling, but this was her 12 month mark. Some of the signs to watch for to know they are close are:

*Bagging up of the udder 2-4 weeks prior

*Softening of the croup or tail area

*Swelling and pinkness in the vulva

*Loose stool

*Irritability

*Seclusion from the other animals

*Pointy belly. This happens as the foal positions for delivery.

Our sweet little CoCo

Coco was not showing any of these signs other than some softening in her tail area. For some reason I was so uneasy about things. Saturday morning came and after doing some early morning errands, I went out to feed the animals. The instant I saw CoCo, I knew something was wrong. She was much skinnier and her entire hindquarters was soaking wet. She didn't seem distressed at all. I frantically looked all over for a foal but found none so my next thought was perhaps she had just started labor. My husband came out and we put her in a prepared stall. I was still so uneasy about the situation that I had my hubby call the vet. While waiting for the vet to arrive, CoCo was up and down and tried several times to push. I didn't want to interfere just yet because in all my research everything had said to trust the natural process and don't get involved too early. When the vet arrived, he reached in to see if the cervix had dilated and if he could feel the foal. Good news, complete dilation, bad news, the foal was presenting in a full breech. It took several minutes for the vet to get the back legs out and then some extra effort to pull the rest of the foal out. Once on the ground, there was no response from the foal. It just broke my heart! The cord to the placenta was twisted multiple times which can be a complication but the real factor here was that CoCo's membranes ruptured and I had no idea how long it had been. A foal needs to be born within 30 minutes of this happening. Since this foal was a full breech, there was no way that CoCo could have delivered on her own no matter the extent of the pushing. Such a hard lesson learned, but now I know.

The little jennet foal was perfect in every way and CoCo did everything she could to rouse her. This is a good sign. CoCo has never raised a foal so you never know how a maiden jenny will respond. When her time comes, she will be an excellent mama!

Birth is one of those processes which is not simple at all but I think we oftentimes take it for granted. It is during those times of complication that we usually take a step back and realize what a miraculous event birth truly is.