[fifixx]

Triplets!!  My first goat to kid has just had 3 - they all look healthy and strong, I just want to know how to make sure it stays that way and if I should be looking for any problems.

[Blinkers]

Yeay - fantastic - congratulations.   Just make sure they've all suckled and getting their fair share of colostrum each.  Vital.

 

[jaykay]

Excellent 
That's the thing with triplets, is to make sure they're all getting fed since obviously one has to wait its turn. You might need to 'top up' the last one to feed, but if it's getting fed at all, leave it with mum and its siblings.

[fifixx]

All have suckled - the last one born is a bit more sleepy - but has definitely fed so probably just exhausted!

[Anke]

Make sure you go back every couple of hours (daytime) and put the little ones onto mum, maybe the last one /sleepy one first next time?

Also with lambs if you wake them up with a stick or similar they should first get up with a comfortable stretch, a sign that they are not starving. Should be the same with kids I assume? Also check if tummy is nice and full.

[fifixx]

I've just checked them and the stronger 2 are wobbling around the  pen getting acquainted with their long legs!  No 3 is snoozing, although opened eyes to see what was going on when I arrived.  i'll go back in half an hour and get it up if it's still asleep.

Also, does the mum need anything extra seeing as she is feeding 3?  i have already given her a nice warm bowl of oats and molasses which she gobbled up and now she has plenty of hay

[Anke]

Go very slowly on the concentrate for the next couple of weeks or so, otherwise she is more likely to get milk fever. Oats and sugar beet shreds (if thats what she is having at other times too) would be fine, a little concentrate on top and increase very slowly. But watch that she doesn't loose her appetite. Good hay and lots of water.

[little blue]

Congratulations!

Our twins seem to both favour the same "quarter" (to give it its proper, if stupid name! Here its her "left or right boob!!") so we are milking off the other to keep her comfortable...

[Roxy]

Kids are always a bit sleepy for the first couple of days, until they find their feet properly!!  In cases off triplets, the mum could really do with an udder like a cow, so they can all feed at once!!

We have only ever had one set of triplets in all our years of goat keeping ......three white male kids.

[fifixx]

Our next goat had.....triplets!  We had to call the vet as she was pushing and pushing but nothing was happening - when the vet came, it was a breech - I certainly couldn't have sorted out 12 legs inside her!  All is well this morning, I'll post some pics a bit later.  One goat to go - wonder what she'll have?!!

[Anke]

Oh boy, are you going to have your hands full.... Are you bottle feeding any of them?

If you leave them on the dam I would check their weight gain regularly, just to make sure one doesn't stay behind. I have found that this years kids (bottle fed from day 4) are really putting on weight very well in comparison to last year's that were left on the dam for about 10 weeks (I just was too busy to milk her out). Will be interesting to see if there are final size differences too.

Have fun watching those kids!

[Mays]

wow you are on a roll! fingers x for the safe arrival of your next batch, and were are the photos  

[fifixx]

couldn't work out how to reduce the size of my pics - so this is the Facebook album link!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=344305&id=518309877&l=6497daebbe

[little blue]

they are absolutely gorgeous!

[ballingall]

Oh boy, are you going to have your hands full.... Are you bottle feeding any of them?

If you leave them on the dam I would check their weight gain regularly, just to make sure one doesn't stay behind. I have found that this years kids (bottle fed from day 4) are really putting on weight very well in comparison to last year's that were left on the dam for about 10 weeks (I just was too busy to milk her out). Will be interesting to see if there are final size differences too.

Have fun watching those kids!

Bottle rearing the kids does make a difference- both to the kids weight and to the state of a show goat's udder!