Hindel Kidz 7: Black Pearl
Hindel Kidz 7
Black Pearl
Originally, Jack wanted to get a registered girl goat that was already expecting a baby so he could get a different bloodline in there. Sven searched, but could not find anyone who had a mother goat for sale. Jack finally found one for sale down at Payton’s Pygmies in New Boston, Ohio. But he was not sure whether or not he was going to buy her. Grace figured anyone who had a mother goat would have been a breeder and would not want to sell.
One night, Sven and Grace went up to visit and Jack wasn’t there. Sven also noticed all his goat information was gone. They were pretty sure he had decided to get the mother-to-be. When he pulled in the driveway and went to get the rope they knew for sure.
The goat did not come willingly. Jack had to drag her around to the backyard and into the pen. Elmer was ecstatic. He liked her right away.
“Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy!” he thought.
She was black with a white spot on the top of her head. She looked like a small version of Merlin. She came with the name Black Pearl. Jack decided to put her over with Joy because the next morning, Nibby had charged Pearl full speed. It was a good thing Pearl had been around baby goats before since Joy’s favorite activity was to jump on Pearl’s back. One time, Joy head butted Pearl in the behind for no reason. When Joy was eating molasses, Pearl turned around and head butted her and sent her over the feed dish. Good for you, Pearl!
Pearl did not look very big when Jack got her. He got her in late December and she would be turning two years old on February 13, 2006. The baby’s daddy was supposed to be a white goat and Pearl was supposed to have her baby sometime in April. If she had the baby in May then Elmer would have been the daddy.
For a while Grace was wondering if Pearl was actually going to have a baby. She would go out there and feel her sides and ask, “So do you have a little baby in there?”
This time Grace was hoping to see all three births. Porsche and Nibby were also expecting babies.
Nibby was going to be the first one to have her baby this time. Grace was hoping she would have the baby on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. She already had three names picked out: Lucky, Shamrock and Emerald. At night, Jack would put Nibby off by herself just incase she had the baby overnight. So far nothing had happened.
Sven and Grace were up there visiting one day. After a while Jack said, “Nibby’s baby didn’t make it.”
When he was out in the pen last night with Nibby, he heard Pearl cry and carry on like crazy. He kept saying, “What’s the matter with you?” and “Be quiet.”
When he finally turned on the light, he saw a little one lying next to the gate. Pearl had also had her baby. Unfortunately, it was over a month early.
He went over and put Pearl’s baby under the heat lamp, but it wasn’t breathing very well. He got Pearl up into the head gate and tried to milk her as best he could. When Jack tried to feed the baby, he couldn’t get it to swallow. It was just too little and its insides were probably not developed enough yet. The only other thing he could have done was take it in the house, but it wouldn’t have helped either.
Grace felt really sad for Nibby and for Pearl. The baby had looked like Pearl and had been a girl. Grace had never thought about the babies not being okay before.
