The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: little blue on July 25, 2010, 08:30:41 pm
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Ours and Geraldine's first born... arrived today at 4:20pm
Mum and baby "Cravendale" (cos he's black and white like a cow!) both doing well after abit of confusion as to where to suckle.
think he's a boy
A "Bagonburg" or "Toggot" - Mum is pure Toggenburg, Dad a registered pedigree Bagot !
(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7001447.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7001447.jpg)
(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7001472.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7001472.jpg)
(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7001489.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7001489.jpg)
(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7001492.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7001492.jpg)
(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7001483.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7001483.jpg)
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Well done mum and human mum :love:
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..I'm so proud!! ;)
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Definately a Bagonburg ;) he's so sweet !
Congratulations and well done :-*
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What interesting colouring, definitely Bagonburg as said before. Congrats - and now MILKING! Have fun! Anke
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Well done Geraldine on the arrival of your lovely kid!! The kittens will enjoy a drop of goats milk, Little Blue .....
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Oh at last! Well done to both of you. He is beautifully marked. Your first baby goat is something special. Funny isn't it- our BT gave birth as well today! She is 3 1/2, and has been pregnant 4 times- but this is the only time we have got as far actually producing kids.
Bethx
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He's lovely - congratulations!
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Well done Ruth, love the pictures. :goat:
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thanks all, Cesar's "mum" (ie previous owner!) is coming round soon, asked if Geraldine would prefer fruit or flowers! made me smile (and she prefers fruit, bananas mostly!)
congrats to you too then Beth, is yours as cute as ours??!! ;)
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Ours was really pale in colour, but his mum did not like him, and managed to squish him. So he is not with us any longer, and mum became much happier when he stopped moving >:( He was cross BT/AN in any case, so no real use for breeding for us, but it was my partner's first kid, so he is disappointed.
Little blue, I noticed you asked about disbudding on the other forum- I didn't like to register there as I am not in the area! Nor am I living off the land really. Anyway, it is illegal for anyone other than a vet to disbud. We do our own, but of course mum is a qualified vet. I don't know that I could bring myself to do the disbudding when she is no longer capable, despite the fact that I am more experienced at disbudding then most vets. Your vet will want to disbud very young- if you do not thing he is big enough, then lie to the bet about how old he is. The last thing you want is to lose your kid by having him disbudded when he is too wee to cope with it.
If you have a local showing goatkeeper, you could ask them where or who they get to disbud their kids. Let us know how it goes.
Beth
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Oh dear, Beth, sorry about your kid being squashed......maybe mother goat wanted a female kid? I know you did not really want him etc. but I am sure you did not want him squashing. I have a cat that does that with some of her kittens.
I wonder why farmers can do disbudding of calves? I know one man who goes round the farms doing their calves. They are not done as early as goat kids, because he was very surprised at how quickly goats horns came through in comparison to calves. He said he would not be happy doiing a goat kid due to the tiny size of its head and the risk involved.
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OMG thats too cute!!! congratulations!
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thanks for advice on disbudding - books are always abit vague and of course I prefer the vet to do it - its just the journey that concerns me...
the receptionist asked if we had lamb rings to castrate - I told her I want the vet to do it, she looked abit gone out. but I'm not a farmer! ;~)
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Ruth, its quick and easy to do, and the vet will have it done in a jiffy. I am sure he will have lamb rings. If he hasn't, go to the nearest sheep farmer, knock on the door, and ask him to do it. They get big boxes of rings, and he can surely spare one out of his box, and do the job for you. Can you not have the vet out to do the disbudding. My concern would be transporting a little goat kid, and bringing him back after its done. What about Geraldine, presume she will stay at home? Some years ago, one of my kids got ill and I had to take her and her brother to the vets, as he thought the other kid would catch the bug, so needed jabbing. Poor mum was beside herself when we got back, thinking we had stolen her little kids.
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thats the trouble, vet will not come out as they say he will be gassed... the kid, not the vet!
I thought they would but...
poor Geraldine will be here, crying. I've checked with animal health - he can go in a crate, and doesn't need a AML1 form, just the journey recorded in our register as routine vet visit.
I just hope they do it quickly and I can get him back to his mum. he is nibbling hay, so should be ok without needing a bottle - I'd be concerned about keeping it the right temperature without breeding bugs.
So they can do both jobs, I'll be paying after all !
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Why does he need gassing? Can't he just have a pain killing jab, and be sedated if need be.....never heard of a goat being gassed before. I remember years ago having gas as a child to have a tooth out. It was not a nice feeling at all. Poor little fella.
He will be fine without his mum. After all, he will be asleep.
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well, with our vets, you never know - they often say one thing but mean another , especially if there's a receptionist n the middle! But they are very good really.
its probably the easiest form of sedation?
I'm slightly calmer about it now... so I'm sure it'll all be ok!!
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It is safer to get it done at the vets, yes they put them to sleep under gas but that way they can also get the back very quickly too.
Mine travelled in a dog crate in the back of the car, and it only takes 20 minutes to get done! Be prepared for the look, and in particular for the smell afterwards, I couldn't cope with the smell for the first one, but was ok when the two girls went in a few days later.
Also vet put the ring on the wee male, as he was under it was much easier. I normally do all my lambs myself, so no issue in doing it, but vet asked and didn't even charge for it...
Also keep checking him a few weeks afterwards for any re-growth, my two BT girls have had two disbuddings already, and one looks set to go in for No 3.... not very happy about it, but nothing I can do (and the vet is experienced, he has done loads of goat disbuddings in the 1980s....). If you plan to keep the boy as a pet in particular, horn growth after disbudding can be very irregular.
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Very cute ;D
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the little man has had all his horny bits dealt with today!
we took him in about 8:30, and fetched him out at 2pm
they said he made more fuss over his b*lls than his horns!
and his poor mum was distraught until he was safely returned... then wouldnt let him settle to sleep (dopey on injections)but kept shoving him to his feet to sniff him.
relieved its done now... and hoping the piglets are all girls!
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Glad it went well. Poor Geraldine, she will be protective with it being her first kid too. He will smell strange after being in the vets, and being dabbed with all sorts of antiseptics and things. Thats what she will be sniffing at. Poor boy will want to sleep it off, and then feel rather sore in a couple of places. His will have forgotten the castration by tomorrow, but not sure about the horns!!
We will send vibes over to make sure all the piglets are girls......but, even if male, they will only need castrating, not dehorning, so not too bad?