The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Thrift Bee on January 04, 2014, 09:41:34 pm
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Our 10 month old Nubian Buttercup has successfully delivered two adorable kids!! We were out all day, she wasn't showing any particular signs this morning and because she arrived with us in kid already, we didn't know when she would deliver.
The babies have both suckled and seem to be fine. Do we just leave them to get on with it? They have plenty of straw bedding, Buttercup has her water bucket and plenty of hay. Its pretty cold tonight, but they are in a old stone cow byre and its fairly comfortable.
There were two birth 'bags' on the floor which we've cleaned up.
Is there anything we should be doing......this is a total new experience for us.
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Congratulations. I love Nubians and keeping hoping to find one near me. If kids seem to be feeding, have dried off and look ok then just make sure mum has water and a bit of food. Watch they can't fall in water bucket. They will sleep quite a bit for a day or two then bounce about.
Pictures would be good :excited:
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welldone. i too would be careful about them falling in the bucket as they are so clumsy in the first few days. try a shallow trough.
if it was me i would check them about 2am to make sure they are suckling - as i lost a kid as she wasnt suckling properly, and iv also had kids struggling to find the teat and needed assistance for the first few days. wev also had a nanny who just didnt bother with the kids, not even licking them so they got chilled. so i dont take anything for granted.
once you know the nanny is looking after them, they are suckling ok and the poo is yellow you can stop worrying.
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I would check them later as well. AN kids tend to be quite weakly for the first couple of days, so make sure they are warm enough, and getting milk. You might need to think about a heat lamp for them. A cardboard or wooden box on its side is sometimes good as it gives the kids someplace warm and cosy to sleep, with less draughts- but tomorrow would be time enough for that. I would give mum a warm drink this evening, if you add treacle (or molasses if you have any) and salt to warm water, it replaces her electrolytes. I'd also give something to eat- not a protein mix, but something like alfalfa, soaked beet pulp, some vegetables etc.
Beth
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Ps- Congratulations- and boys/girls?
Beth
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Brilliant - thanks all for your replies.
Have dealt with water bucket situation, and preparing salty treacle tea now.
One is definitley a girl, not sure about the other one.
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Congratulations. They are so sweet. Mum is very young to have kidded. I would keep an eye on her to make sure she picks up properly and can provide enough milk for them without losing too much herself. She'll need a bit more than hay to eat.
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Putting a nice cardboard box in with them. Don't laugh but should i leave the shed light on or are they okay in the dark?
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I've no experience of goats but a big congratulations on your surprise. Hope all goes well with the little cuties and mum. :thumbsup:
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Congratulations. They are so sweet. Mum is very young to have kidded. I would keep an eye on her to make sure she picks up properly and can provide enough milk for them without losing too much herself. She'll need a bit more than hay to eat.
She is very young for sure, we were so worried about the birth. When you say picks up properly, do you mean her recovery?
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She is really young to have babies- you will need to make sure the babies are getting enough milk. The first few days are important to get enough milk, they have a natural birth hunger. Then they won't drink as much, but the time to watch is when they are they about 3 weeks old as they'll be looking to start taking more milk from then.
They will be fine in the dark btw!
Nice pictures, looks like she's adapting well to being a mum despite her young age.
Beth
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dont have goats do love AN's Ballingalls fault i must point out...
blondie is super cute!!!
congratulations
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Shucks.....they sure are super cute.! :love:
Been out this morning and Mum and babies seem to be doing fine. :relief:
Despite Buttercups young age she is very attentive with them. They all cuddled up for the night and we will probably spend most of the day oohing and aahing in the shed.
Will be posting more questions later no doubt. And will get some clearer pictures to share.
Thanks just for being there AS peeps. :thumbsup:
If anyone feels like chipping in ANY advice it will be all welcome.
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Forgot to mention iodine on cords. Presume you lamivac'd mum 4-6 weeks before birth? Otherwise I think you need to do kids at 6 and 10 weeks and pray they don't pick up any infections in the meantime.
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The only iodine product we have is Footspray, OH going to call on farming neighbour to come and have a look at them, will mention this to him.
No unfortunatly we have not lamivac'd, we only twigged she was pregnant about a month ago and there is a serious lack of goat information around here. Will google.
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Ah, lovely!! I have Nubians......they usually have twins - we had two sets of triplets last kidding. Ours not due until late April. Our pygmy goats kid at this time of the year, one on the coldest night on record a couple of years ago - in an old cow barn at the time, but kid coped fine with the cold.
I have a dread about water buckets having twice have pygmys kid suddenly, and the kid end up in the bucket (happy endings both time though).
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You will have to lambivac the kids at three weeks if they do not get any (passive) immunity from a vaccinated dam. Then 4 weeks later for second shot.
Yes definitely iodine for the navel - navel ill is a bacterial infection that will only show up later and is often fatal. However they may have dried off by now, and if the shed floor was freshly strawed it may have been ok. (I am a bit paranoid about doing the navel spray, but goats are much better than sheep in cleaning their offspring).
It will be very tempting to feed lots of concentrate to the dam straight away, but go easy for the first wek or two and bring her up to her full ration slowly. Soaked sugar beet shreds and bran is fine to start with, and I then slowly increase with small amounts of concentrate mixed in, also some oats maybe.
Are you going to milk the nanny? If yes it would give you a good idea if she has enough milk for her two, and if it is less than 2 ltrs per kid per day (as in 4 ltrs total after about 3 weeks) I would be tempted to also feed some milk replacer. Whatever you do - please check her udder to feel if it is tight/hot/uncomfortable. If it is - milk some milk out of her (only a bit to make it less tight).
Also you need to decide NOW if you are going to disbud the kids (and ring the boy if there is one). Disbudding needs to be done by 4 days preferably - but contact your vet tomorrow to discuss with him/her. You can take the kids to the vets in a dog carry crate in the back of a normal car.
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Congratulations! (She was probably waiting for you to get out of her way so she could kid in peace ;) )
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Congratulations :thumbsup:
and I know Beth said they'd be fine in the dark, but I have a small led light that plugs in, gives off a very low light, about 0.6watts, I like them to have just a little bit of light the first few days, esp a first timer, but that's just me and my strange ideas ;D
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Just make sure they have peed and pooed the first stool is sometimes a hard plug of "baby yellow" that they can have difficulty shifting , otherwise they sound fine.
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Just make sure they have peed and pooed the first stool is sometimes a hard plug of "baby yellow" that they can have difficulty shifting , otherwise they sound fine.
I last year I had to clean ones bottom (YUK) but there was something not quite right with him and he died anyway. Luckily the mums usually do the yukky job.
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I am new to the forum and have just read this thread.
How are the kids now? Fingers crossed all is ok.
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They are bouncing around all over the place and simply lovely.
Mothers are amazing. Goat or human.
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;D ;D
Where do I get iodine?
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;D ;D
Where do I get iodine?
MGOM most agricultural merchants sell it by the bottle
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Thank you. I've never had any because I didn't realise I should have.
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Where do I get iodine?
I don't know how others use it, I was told to dip the cord, but I find it less messy in a spray.
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I had the vet out to the last one as he wasn't presenting properly and he sprayed with something. That must have been iodine.
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I spay my iodine into an old (but clean) plastic 35mm carmera film tub and then hold the kid, dangle cord into the tub, press tub against the tummy and tip the kid upside down ao all around the cord and cord base is done without me spraying the whole kid and myself in the process - it seems to work well. :thumbsup:
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You can now buy a navel spray for sheep and goats, Iodine can get a bit messy, It's to prevent Joint Ill and other infections Leslie.
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I spay my iodine into an old (but clean) plastic 35mm carmera film tub and then hold the kid, dangle cord into the tub, press tub against the tummy and tip the kid upside down ao all around the cord and cord base is done without me spraying the whole kid and myself in the process - it seems to work well. :thumbsup:
I used a small yogurt tub - iodine went everywhere and I had funny coloured hands for a day or two, (helped to identify the 2 identical Toggs though ;D ) thats when I decided a different idea was needed.
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a small drinks bottle seems to be the farmers favourite around here.
One of my does was so fanatical about licking her kid clean I gave up after the third attempt in case she overdosed on iodine.
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Thanks, Tiz.