Kidding Season Ups and Downs

(Alternatively, Saanens versus LaManchas.)

Kidding season usually has highs and lows. Kind of a 'you win some, you lose some' deal. Last year was particularly bad, with all but three of the 22 kids from the two-year-old does dying from Floppy Kid Syndrome. Floppy kid is a metabolic disease associated with a secondary bacterial infection - in last year's case, Cryptosporidium. However, last year was also one of the best for kid growth and I have some beautiful yearlings in the barn right now.

10 does have kidded so far this year, and it's been quite the roller coaster ride. Two of them were unplanned - the result of does getting bred by a very young buckling who hadn't yet been moved to the buck pen. Here's the breakdown:
Lily (LM cross) - buck/doe twins (doe was stillborn)
Kolea (Saanen) - twin does
Sitka (LM cross, not intentionally bred) - one slightly retarded buck kid
Reina (LM cross) - buck/doe twins (buck was stillborn)
Panda (Saanen cross) - twin does
Cristal (Saanen cross, not intentionally bred) - twin bucks, both with parrotmouths
Emma (LM cross) - buck/doe twins (doe stillborn, and she laid on the buck kid and killed it)
Stella (LM) - twin bucks
Kitten (Saanen) - buck/doe twins
Dreamer (Saanen) - giant single buck

Is anyone else noticing a trend here?

Cristal can be forgiven for the parrotmouths - she IS a very old doe, and older mamas tend to have kids with congenital issues. If that is the only thing wrong with these two boys I'll be happy, especially since her last kid was a cryptorchid with extra teats and a furry eye. However, the fact that only half of the kids from the LaMancha does have survived makes me wonder if I'm really meant to have LaManchas. Then again, Kitten was bred to a LaMancha buck, so her kids are LaMancha crosses, and they are two of the biggest, coolest, most curious little buggers I've ever seen. Go figure.