INTERESTING BIRTH

Agrippina was being very vocal both yesterday and today, and something about her this morning made me think she was going to birth today. However, first I was to lose Polly, one of our dogs, on our morning walk - being a labrador it must have been something edible and probably disgusting (still waiting for the sick) that distracted her, normally she's fairly quick to come to the whistle (food reward) but she didn't return, even after about half an hour - very enormous field with very high crop of oil seed rape as far as you can see. Having lost one dog to the A32 I was getting rather anxious by now - to cut a very long story short, thank goodness I hear you all say, after phone calls to the police, then the council and then the dog warden, I discovered that someone had picked her up and reported her 'found'... and within an hour this very kind lady delivered her back to me safe and sound. So Polly lives to walk and eat rubbish another day!

Anyway, back to Agrippina - all day she looked a little uncomfortable and then towards the middle of the afternoon more like first stage labour... great ... afternoon birth... usually means trouble. When Peter returned from his flying (first time for almost a week, 'cos of awful weather - now human again!) I got him to hold her for me whilst I had a polite poke about... cervix not dilated at all. So, she'll either get going now or have it tomorrow. She decided now - and after another hour managed to get the head and legs out and then circled hysterically round and round screaming and spitting at her cria hanging out of her backend!

Good job I was there ... but I kept my distance and after a few minutes she calmed down.  However, the birth didn't progress, not surprising after all that commotion, so given it was already 5.15pm I went over and gently pulled the cria out. A very lovely dark fawn female, our first from Snowmass Invincibly Elite and I am thrilled to get a fawn from him. Within just a few minutes she was up, feeding well and now cosy in a coat for the night.

Finally,  for those who have been following the progress of Bliss and Bruno, our two 'bottles' - today they had their first proper gallop round the fields - a good 5 minutes of real leg stretching, lung filling, heart pumping, flat out fun - just great to see at last.