# Goat appetite first day after delivery



## Georgia Girl (Apr 21, 2019)

My goat delivered this am and her appetite is less than prior to delivery.  I know she needs to eat more for milk production, but what should I expect her appetite to be in the next few days.  I tried to give her the molasses water after delivery but she does not like molasses.  thanks


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## Alaskan (Apr 21, 2019)

Georgia Girl said:


> My goat delivered this am and her appetite is less than prior to delivery.  I know she needs to eat more for milk production, but what should I expect her appetite to be in the next few days.  I tried to give her the molasses water after delivery but she does not like molasses.  thanks


Do you know for sure that she is done with labor and delivery?

And do you know for sure that she expelled all of the placenta?

Did you give her any supplements prior to or after delivery?  

I have a calcium pro-biotic powder I like to give them after they deliver, just to cover all basis and help them switch to lactation.

Is her milk in, and have the kids nursed well?

To be honest...  I haven't had that much kidding experience....  but I never noticed an appetite drop.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 21, 2019)

Lacking appetite is never good.

Take her temperature. If temp is low and heading downward (think 100 degrees or below) you may be having the start of milk fever - Hypocalcemia. She needs  treatment asap.
If running a fever then that is a different ballgame. That means infection. 

Since she would not take the molasses water do you have any Nutridrench?
Do you have any Tums on hand?
If Milk fever you need CMPK it is good if you can get it with dextrose.

I say all that if you happen to hve that on hand, but if you are newer and no experience *PLEASE call your veterinarian*. I cannot stress this enough. As a group (here on the forum) we all want to help one another and yes, many have great experience but building a relationship with your vet is very important and monitoring her health is important.
After kidding the appetite should be rather ravenous. When it isn't that is not good.
Get probiotics in her too!


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 21, 2019)

Alaskan said:


> Do you know for sure that she is done with labor and delivery?
> 
> And do you know for sure that she expelled all of the placenta?
> 
> ...


Yes she is through with delivery, and intact placenta was expelled about an hour after last kid was born.  I did give her the best feed and periennal peanut hay , as well as supplements, she also had selenium and vit e  at right interval and replamin plus about a week before delivery.  She is in milk, but her little ones, to me are not nursing enough.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 22, 2019)

I hope she's OK.....I'd get the vet if it continues (like Southern says).

Sometimes animals are a bit over-tired for the first day or so after delivery and all they want to do is lie down quietly. They often bounce back the following....hope this is the case.


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## B&B Happy goats (Apr 22, 2019)

Nutridrench, red cell, or vitamin  B12 orally, you have to get her up and eating...or get a vet, listen to the above posts, these people have years of experience. .they don't  tell you to get a vet for no reason....


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 22, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Nutridrench, red cell, or vitamin  B12 orally, you have to get her up and eating...or get a vet, listen to the above posts, these people have years of experience. .they don't  tell you to get a vet for no reason....


 What b12 are you giving orally ?  To all her appetite is back up today and she has no high or low temp.
  I do have another question, she has milk, but the little ones don't seem to get the milk going and are giving up after 2-3 sucks. They are up and jumping about.  what should I do?  I did try a bottle with a regular baby nipple but could not get them to suck....should I try to milk her out and try with a goat nipple?  If I posted this in wrong place please feel free to post where appropriate.  Thanks


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## Alaskan (Apr 22, 2019)

I would put the doe in a milking stantion (sp?)  get the milk going, then put the kids on the teats.  Hold them there if needed to make sure that their bellies get full.

As needed...repeat the above...  hopefully by the third round everything will be fine, and no more intervention will be needed.


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## B&B Happy goats (Apr 22, 2019)

Check and see if her plugs are out of teats....


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 22, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Check and see if her plugs are out of teats....


She gives milk freely after a few milks.  I just think they are not sucking long enough to get it started.


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## Alaskan (Apr 22, 2019)

Georgia Girl said:


> She gives milk freely after a few milks.  I just think they are not sucking long enough to get it started.


That it why it is important to get them started.  If they don't get full bellies then they can go down hill fast.


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 22, 2019)

Alaskan said:


> I would put the doe in a milking stantion (sp?)  get the milk going, then put the kids on the teats.  Hold them there if needed to make sure that their bellies get full.
> 
> As needed...repeat the above...  hopefully by the third round everything will be fine, and no more intervention will be needed.


If they don't empty her bag should I milk her out to keep her producing?


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## Alaskan (Apr 22, 2019)

Georgia Girl said:


> If they don't empty her bag should I milk her out to keep her producing?


If they don't empty her....is that because she is a really high producer?

Or is that because the kids aren't eating as much as they should?

I would work at filling up those kids.

If she is a high producer,  and you want her to produce enough milk for you and the kids, then yes you could empty her out after you know the kids are full.

You might want to keep the milk from this first week, since it will be richer and heavy in colostrum (depending on how fast she transitions to "regular" milk) either on hand in case you do need to bottle feed the kids... or freeze it for later possible emergencies.


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 23, 2019)

Newborns nurse for very short intervals, but often.
They are probably doing like they are supposed to. 
They will not "empty" her udder.  Plus, there is edema in the udder for a few weeks after birth.
It wouldn't hurt to get her on a stand and milk some out and offer a bottle to them.  I wouldn't milk her all the way.
Save the colostrum, you can freeze it.


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 23, 2019)

It will be a while before they can keep up with her if she is a good producer.  A few days after birth we do usually milk ours to keep up production.


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 23, 2019)

Thanks for all the replies.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 24, 2019)

How are things? (Fingers crossed)


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 24, 2019)

She is ok and eating well, little ones are jumping about and sucking frequently, there is so much I have to learn as a newbie.  I read every night trying to learn.  thanks to all.  What I think about this site, there is always someone to respond to almost all posts and it really helps those of us that are not experienced.


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## Alaskan (Apr 24, 2019)

Great update!


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## Sheepshape (Apr 25, 2019)

Georgia Girl said:


> She is ok and eating well, little ones are jumping about and sucking frequently,


Great news. Her milk production will become appropriate to the number/size/appetite of the kids within a few days. Did you milk her out at all?

Birth is a tiring process. The ewe I described in a thread I called 'A Huge Pair"....apologies for the tasteless title....is a big, fit 3 year old who had 2 huge twins. Both she and they were very lethargic for 48 hours, sleeping most of the time, and eating/drinking poorly. Her udder was vast. They are now bouncing around in the field and that udder looks normal-sized (and well used!).

Animals vary so much in the post-natal period. Some are lively, some tired. Huge udders, small udders. Great mothers, 'clingy' offspring, poor mothers, 'detached' offspring......but most survive and thrive. We do all the worrying for them!

SO glad to hear they are doing well. Now, where are the pics.?


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 27, 2019)

Sheepshape said:


> Great news. Her milk production will become appropriate to the number/size/appetite of the kids within a few days. Did you milk her out at all?
> 
> Birth is a tiring process. The ewe I described in a thread I called 'A Huge Pair"....apologies for the tasteless title....is a big, fit 3 year old who had 2 huge twins. Both she and they were very lethargic for 48 hours, sleeping most of the time, and eating/drinking poorly. Her udder was vast. They are now bouncing around in the field and that udder looks normal-sized (and well used!).
> 
> ...


I don't know to post pictures, I took them to the vet at 4 days to be disbudded and they weighed 8.5 lbs and 8.9 lbs.There is so much that I don't know....I have milked about 1/2 pint a day, udder is soft, no redness, I think the babies are using only one teat at least this is what I see them doing, although the udder does not look larger on one side, but is almost equal...how will the bag look whe milked out?  The babies don't seem to such very long and when out with mother I have noticed them nibbling the dirt?  Do they need some type of vitamin?  or why are they doing this?  thanks


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## Southern by choice (Apr 27, 2019)

You can post pictures by where it says upload file, you can click and drop as well.

All normal. Kids eat constantly when they are on the dam, usually for a few seconds to 15 seconds then off.... then back again.
Nibbling at stuff on the ground is normal, they watch momma and do the same.
They must be utilizing both sides or her udder would be very uneven.


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## Alaskan (Apr 27, 2019)

Georgia Girl said:


> how will the bag look whe milked out


At first,  there is so much extra everything going to the udder to start up production that I don't think it ever looks really empty.

Later on... an empty udder looks alot like a raisen.  Unless the udder is "meaty" then it never looks that empty.  

Each doe is different.


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## Georgia Girl (Apr 27, 2019)

Southern by choice said:


> You can post pictures by where it says upload file, you can click and drop as well.
> 
> All normal. Kids eat constantly when they are on the dam, usually for a few seconds to 15 seconds then off.... then back again.
> Nibbling at stuff on the ground is normal, they watch momma and do the same.
> They must be utilizing both sides or her udder would be very uneven.


My goat is a Saanen, how much grain should I be feeding her in am and pm.  I read somewhere a quart each time.  I was also told to add some oats to the feed.


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## Alaskan (Apr 28, 2019)

Saanen can be very heavy producers.  Heavy production means they need more feed and better quality feed.

Each grain has different nutrition.  I can't keep them all straight. 

I would feed as much pellets as she could eat during a milking.  I fed pellets made for milking goats that are in milk. I would add a handful or two of grain..  the least expensive in my area was barley.

Then free feed high nutrition hay.

But I would watch her body...  in peak production I had to feed my Saanen a lunch too.  

And that girl stayed at high production for over 2 years.

I know there is a formula though... so much milk production means you should feed about x amount... can't remember it though.


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