After your goats have their kids. Here are some important tips to care for the doe and the kids.
Important tips for after the goat kids are born
Make your kidding season a little easier with these simple tips for after the kids are born.
Tips for after the kids are born
Kidding for me this year is pretty simple because I have downsized my herd considerably. We have 2 sets of twins so far this year.
I am always so glad to get them here safely for my does sake and for the babies. Although we did have a bit of a problem with the last doe. One of the kids was pretty big and had one front leg back. I had to gently help her work it out until that second shoulder appeared and then he came right out.
I love it when I see both of those front feet poking out and a nose. This is the first sign to know they are coming the right way. The second baby came out without a problem although she was a little smaller.
Get them up to eat right away
After the babies are born I make sure they are up and eat as soon as possible. Luckily all 4 of these were born with a very healthy appetite. I try to let mom clean them off by herself as much as possible, so she can build a bond with them.
If it is cold out, I take a clean towel or shop paper towels and help her out. It is important that it is clean and not a towel you have used on other babies. You don’t want it to smell like another does kid. If that happens you may have a bottle baby to feed.
After the babies are dried off and have gotten up to eat for the first time I step back and let mom handle it. I check on her every half hour or so to make sure everything is still ok.
The next important thing is to make sure everyone is getting enough milk. If your doe has more than 2 babies you may have to pull the extra kids off and feed them by a bottle, especially if she doesn’t have enough milk for more than 2.
Watch your doe for mastitis
It is important to watch your doe closely to make sure she doesn’t get mastitis. If the does bag is getting too full and tight I milk some out (I have Nubian does with plenty of milk). I do this to prevent mastitis, especially if there is only one kid or if they are only eating out of one side.
If I only have one kid I end up milking every day twice a day. If you do things the right way, the milk is wonderful to drink.
How to tell if your doe is getting mastitis.
- The bag is hot and or tight
- Clumps of milk
- Blood in the milk
- Hard to milk with not much coming out
- The bag is very tender
Does your doe have any of these symptoms. If so you need to take action to help her. If you don’t take care of this quick you can lose your doe as a milker or worse yet she could die. This is a serious infection and needs quick action.
The best thing is to contact your vet to see what they would recommend doing for mastitis. There are shots of antibiotics that some use. Others may recommend a antibiotic you shoot up into the bag. It is very important you do something about it right away.
Watch for other problems she may have
While goats are fairly easy to take care of there are time some problems may arise. Just be prepared and watch for any abnormal behavior.
After kidding your doe with have the last of the afterbirth hanging out of her. Wait and let this drop off by itself. Do not pull it out. Pulling it out may cause problems with your doe.
If the afterbirth hangs out for more than a couple of days you may need to consult your vet. It is ok to be there for one or two days though.
Sit back and enjoy the fun
Now that you have everyone delivered, eating and doing well now comes my favorite. Pull up a lawn chair and sit back, enjoy watching these babies as they grow and play.
They are so fun to watch as they bounce around the barnyard sideways with twists and turns trying out their new legs. They love logs, old water troughs and anything else you add to their obstacle course to play on.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post. I would love to hear your comments and experiences, just leave them below.
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