The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Joseph on June 20, 2013, 04:06:01 am
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Of my three nannies I put two in kid this year. The one that did not kid this year has kidnapped and fully adopted one of the kids of the lower ranking nanny. I'm not sure if it is a good thing for me or not, It could potentially come in handy when we go on holiday I guess, because the kids between them can do most of the milking if I allow them to..But it is a nuisance that all of the milkers are feeding kids.
But I just wonder how common an occurrence is it that a nanny adopts a kid like this. And interestingly she behaves like that one kid is her own. She sniffs to make sure it is 'her' kid and will only allow the one kid she sees as her own to suckle.
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It is not common in goats at all.................but she may be a very useful animal in the future to adopt if....god forbid...you should lose a goat. Normally, it is nearly impossible to get a goat to adopt a stranger,
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We have Peach who did not kid this year and had a cloud burst, she is top goat in the herd and was a nightmare she would try to steal any kid she could and did manage a few times but we always took them away from her.
In the end we put her into a pen as it was causing too many arguments
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My GG who had triplets last year and milked through went off her food and very skinny two weeks before the others were due. When Rosie's twins first went into the field she fussed around them let them suckle and now shares them with Rosie who is quite happy not to be constantly bothered by them. Had both Mum's complaining when they got stuck in the hedge. Gertie started eating again once she had babies to nurse.
The boys are getting fat on forage, hard feed and two Mums. :D