# How cold is too cold for kids?



## KellyHM (Dec 1, 2010)

I have a Nubian due to kid any day now.  Of course it's been in the 80's during the day and 60's at night, but now that she's due it's dropping into the 30's at night for at least the next 10 days.  I don't have a barn for them, although they do have a 3-sided shelter and once she kids she will be moved to a pen I built in the corner of the carport (dirt floors with straw).  Are these accommodations ok for newborn kids in this weather or do they need a heatlamp (or something)?  Thanks in advance!


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## ksalvagno (Dec 1, 2010)

You will want a heat lamp. It will be extremely important that they are out of drafts. If she is due any day now, you may want to move her to pen since she could birth in the middle of the night.


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## helmstead (Dec 1, 2010)

You should really find a way to confine her and provide heat.

Kids are born soaking wet, obviously...and are unable to really regulate their temperatures by shivering (the internal thermometer isn't fully developed).  If she were to kid in the night, out in the open, you'd be likely to wake to dead babies (kidcicles).

We have really small kidding stalls (4'x5') that we house kidding does in.  In the winter, we cover these (which are just about 5' tall) with removeable roofs.  Then, a heat lamp is hung inside.  The walls are solid, so this holds the heat very well, and the stalls are small enough that the does can't drop their kids in a cold corner.

Our last winter in GA was BAD COLD and our barn was drafty.  I'd been watching a doe on the barn cam all night...and apparently drifted off.  I woke early in the morning (it was 14*!) and saw the doe, a moving kid...and a dark, motionless mass in the far corner of the stall (which was 5'x10').  Running to the barn...she'd kidded just maybe 30 mins before.  The buckling was a kidcicle...I was pretty sure we'd lost him!  I rushed the doe and doeling to our basement 'goat room'...and walked back to the barn for the other kid.  When I picked him up, he groaned!!  I rushed him to the kitchen and rewarmed him in the sink with increasingly hot water.

He survived (nsmithurmond got him - Chippy) and thrived, but that is one experience I would never want to go through again!


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## Ariel301 (Dec 1, 2010)

You might also find some dog sweaters that will fit on the kids. I adapted a dog sweater pattern and crocheted a bunch of sweaters that I use on my kids if it's too cold.


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## glenolam (Dec 1, 2010)

My friend made something really neat for her kids last winter - she took one of those huge water tanks (the white plastic kind), cut a "door" in it, cut a small hole on the top, hung a heat lamp through the top hole and presto - instant heat room.  You can do this with just about any large, plastic, drum-type thing, provided the heat lamp doesn't touch the plastic or it doesn't get hot enough to start a fire.


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## greenfamilyfarms (Dec 1, 2010)

helmstead said:
			
		

> You should really find a way to confine her and provide heat.
> 
> Kids are born soaking wet, obviously...and are unable to really regulate their temperatures by shivering (the internal thermometer isn't fully developed).  If she were to kid in the night, out in the open, you'd be likely to wake to dead babies (kidcicles).
> 
> ...


And that groan is heartbreaking. We had one that got cold this past Feb. and I really thought she was gone until I picked her up. Her mouth was even cold inside, but she made it and is a house pet to her new owners now (yes, a house pet).


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## swest (Dec 1, 2010)

Good evening,

I'm not sure where your from, but these are what we use, they work great!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-Dog-House...384?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439afc5e98


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## elevan (Dec 1, 2010)

swest said:
			
		

> Good evening,
> 
> I'm not sure where your from, but these are what we use, they work great!
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-Dog-House...384?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439afc5e98


Interesting...where are you from and how cold does it drop to in the winter there?


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## chubbydog811 (Dec 1, 2010)

Not much advice to offer, as I have a draft free horse barn that I keep my kids in, so I never had to be creative  ...But I do want to put warning out - 
Be VERY careful when using heat lamps...They seem like a great idea at the time, but can cause great amounts of damage just from a faulty bulb...
Our barn burnt down a few years ago from a faulty heat bulb...Killed 6 of my horses.
Definitely would get little doggie blankets for them, and try to keep them in a totally draft free area...Also consider bringing them in your house/garage if you have a spot!
Good luck!


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## KellyHM (Dec 1, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the advice!  Last year the 2 does I had delivered kids in Feb when it was below freezing.  I kept them in the trailer with heat lamps.  The pen I have under the carport is about 5x10 in the corner where the 2 sides meet.  The other 2 sides are open, but the hay bales are stocked there and keep the draft down pretty well.  I don't have an enclosed garage and we don't have basements in FL.  My only problem with moving her to the pen now is I'm afraid she'll freak out that she's not with the other goats and hurt herself or break the pen.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 2, 2010)

helmstead said:
			
		

> You should really find a way to confine her and provide heat.
> 
> Kids are born soaking wet, obviously...and are unable to really regulate their temperatures by shivering (the internal thermometer isn't fully developed).  If she were to kid in the night, out in the open, you'd be likely to wake to dead babies (kidcicles).
> 
> ...


And thrive he did!  Way to go, Kate!


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## lilhill (Dec 2, 2010)

I'm with Kate about the small kidding stalls.  We just built 5 new stalls for our February kiddings and they are 5'x8' stalls.  Plus the barn is insulated which will help a lot.  Even though we're in the South, our Februarys get frigid sometimes and that's when the majority of my kids are due.  In the larger stalls we also have heat barrels just in case.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 2, 2010)

I agree with them all...I also dont think she'll freak out about being separated. She knows shes pregnant and she may enjoy it so she can concentrate on what shes gotta do.  I wouldnt worry to much about that.  Sometimes you just gotta do whats best for them..no matter how much they b*tch and moan about it.  

I would build a stalh as well and heat lamp for sure or some way of keeping them warm. And start asap..cuz if shes gonna go any day now..its tough when they are born..as Kate said they are born wet.

So good luck..and be careful with the heat lamp..they can be dangerous. Great point!


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## KellyHM (Dec 2, 2010)

Well, her bag is FULL and she has a mucousy discharge, so I'm thinking at least by the weekend.  I cleaned up the pen under the carport and bedded it down with straw.  I'm also going to hang a heat lamp and I think I might put a large dog house in there with a heat lamp too.  What do you guys think?  Until last night we hadn't had anything below 60s at night and now all the sudden we're having 30s.  

ETA: I'll take a quick pic of the set up so you guys can see what kind of carport I'm talking about.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 2, 2010)

Pic would help for sure!! Thanks!


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## KellyHM (Dec 2, 2010)

The back right corner is where the pen is (excuse all the junk).  Does this help?  Now I need to take a pic of HER.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 2, 2010)

Personally, I would get everything out of the right side.  And put some plywood or whatever you have and close the front...you want it enlosed and warm...babies are born wet..as Kate said...and you dont want any disasters... 

My guys would have a field day with any stuff in there at all.  I always say goats can get in trouble in a empty room!!!  

But if you totally empty that and get some staw down..with a heat lamp and cover the front..they should be ok.

It looks like a fence or some fencing gate is on the inside separating those rooms.  So that should be okay..as long as they cant get to anything and get hurt...

Hope everything goes great at her delivery! Good Luck..


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## KellyHM (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks again for the reply.  There is no "junk" in the actual pen...just dirt floor and hay that I put down.  It's fenced off from all the other stuff.  Maybe this pic helps...the shelves are tall enough she can walk right under them and I hung a heat lamp over the part where the hay is.





Here's one of Paisley...sorry about the quality...it got dark on me.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 2, 2010)

Oh...thats a better pic then...I couldnt see it from the 1st one! 

You girls look beautiful!!   Hope her delivery goes great for you!! Have fun!! I love when babies come!! 

Post pics of the babies please!!


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## KellyHM (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, no kids last night.  I did move her to the little pen for the night, along with Jack, the super sweet buckling I bought last spring, and the one she hangs out with the most.  I tried her by herself, but her and all the others just screamed their heads off at each other and she tried too hard to get out.  She still wasn't happy after I put Jack in there but she calmed down enough to sleep there for the night.  Now they're both back out in the pasture with the others.  And so the waiting continues...


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## glenolam (Dec 3, 2010)

I'll hope she goes during the day for you!  Make sure you keep a close eye on her in case she decides it's time when you decide to look away!


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## KellyHM (Dec 3, 2010)

That would be great!  Although my guess is she's waiting until tomorrow since I have to work a 20 hour shift.    My SIL will be here with the baby, but she doesn't know the first thing about goats...at least she can call me if anything's going on.


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## aggieterpkatie (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah, the little babies can get hypothermic very quickly.  I unfortunately lost a lamb when a ewe lambed early one blustery morning.  

Interestingly though, I worked on a beef farm for a good while, and they calved outdoors with no shelter, just trees as a windbreak. Calving started in mid-January, and we never had any issues if the calves were able to get up and nurse fairly quickly (which most of them did).  Even when there was snow on the ground, as long as the calves got up and nursed within the hour, they were fine.  They were amazingly hardy.  We only had issues with cold calves when they didn't get colostrum quick enough.


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## KellyHM (Dec 3, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Yeah, the little babies can get hypothermic very quickly.  I unfortunately lost a lamb when a ewe lambed early one blustery morning.
> 
> Interestingly though, I worked on a beef farm for a good while, and they calved outdoors with no shelter, just trees as a windbreak. Calving started in mid-January, and we never had any issues if the calves were able to get up and nurse fairly quickly (which most of them did).  Even when there was snow on the ground, as long as the calves got up and nursed within the hour, they were fine.  They were amazingly hardy.  We only had issues with cold calves when they didn't get colostrum quick enough.


I'm also use to cows (my family has a cow-calf operation) and we never even think about the weather with them, so this protection from the cold thing is all new to me.


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