# goats



## memela (Oct 6, 2011)

My first goat Rosie had triplets!!!!!!YEA. I will try and post pic.


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## redtailgal (Oct 6, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## that's*satyrical (Oct 6, 2011)

Congrats!!!


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## memela (Oct 6, 2011)

She will not nurse them. This is her 1st babies. when  they go to her she bites them on the head and ears. We milked some of her colustrum and gave to them by bottle. but I'm so afraid shes going to hurt them during the night.


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## redtailgal (Oct 6, 2011)

If she is harming them, can you not separate them?


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## that's*satyrical (Oct 6, 2011)

I agree, you should seperate them if she is harming them, at least when you can't be there to supervise.


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## memela (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks thats my ideal too. i have waited so long i want let her hurt them. And to think I have 7 more due anytime and they are all huge twins or triplets also. Oh my nerves are going crazy.


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## freemotion (Oct 6, 2011)

I haven't had enough goat babies yet to have experience with this, but I used to work on a horse breeding farm.  On occasion (rarely, thank goodness!) a mare would do this with her new foal, and a horse can do a lot of damage.  And hand raised horses can be dangerous.  So we would take turns staying with the mare and foal until her hormones kicked in.  I'd praise the mare and comfort her, telling her how wonderful she was when she sniffed or licked the foal.  I'd focus mainly on the mare so she wouldn't get jealous.  Then if her ears went back, she'd get a sharp word, and immediate praise when the ears went forward and she'd sniff nicely again.  This could go on for a few hours but with patience, she'd come around as the hormones balanced.  I'd restrain her for nursing when the foal needed to.

This scenario was rare but we were always successful and could trust them together within a few hours.


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## currycomb (Oct 6, 2011)

she is probably sore from a full udder. you may need to milk her out, feed the babies, freeze the rest(just never know when you will need it). then restrain the doe while the kids search for the teat(once they are hungry again). otherwise you will have 3 bottle babies. first time moms don't always know what to do.


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## Ms. Research (Oct 7, 2011)

Congratulations on the Triplets!   Hope all is well.


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## RareBreedFancier (Oct 7, 2011)

Congrats on the babies! Hopefully with a little encouragement she will accept them and all will be well.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 7, 2011)

IN my experience a first time mom can be very nervous about the babies touching her udder and rooting around on her. Does she act at all interested in them? Did she try licking them at all? How did the birth go?  Did she have them on her own and each time tur around and lick them and talk to them?  

Does she bite at them when they try to nurse, but licks them and talks to them when you put them in front of her, or does she act like she could care less and get them the heck away from me? Does she come right at them and bite at them right away? 

If she is acting like she likes them at all, and is just nervous with them sucking on her sides she can be taught that it is okay to be nursed on. If she doesn't want anything to do with them. It is a lot more difficult to get her to accept them and you may be better off to just get as much milk from her as you can and bottle feed them. 

The pritchard nipples work well for beginner nipples(they are red with a yellow cap and go on a 20ounce water or plastic coke bottle. 
by the end of 24 hours you should be seeing them eating atleast 4 to 6 ounce per feeding every 6 hours or so. You can use whole cows milk as you run out of goats milk. Corn syrup works great if they seem like they are getting dumb from not having enough to eat. It is fast energy and goes to their brain quickly to help get them sucking again. 

If she is licking htem and likes them, just keep encouraging her  to stand still, It may take two peole, one to hold her still and another to work with the baby. Once she learns the babies don't mean any harm to her udder she may came around. May take 2 or 3 days. I would supplement with bottles will trying to get them to nurse.


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## memela (Oct 7, 2011)

Thanks for the info. She had a real easy birth with them they came quick. She did not try to clean them up at all she never even looked at them. We stayed at the door of the stall and just watched trying not to interfer but when the babies came out and she didn't try to clean them up we had to step in and get off their face so they could breath. She makes no attempt to have anything to do with them we milked her down all the way today and had to refrain her from kicking us. i've been putting her in the stall with them for a few min at a time but no reaction from her except to butt them and bite them on their ears and head.When they go to her udder even after we milked her she butted them ant tried to kick one and then runs to the other side of the stall to get away from them.She has never been around any babies as she was a show goat. i'll keep bringing her in tomorrow for a few min at a time and hopefully she will accept them. They are so beautiful ! She does not lick them at all are talk to them. They are having no trouble sucking from the bottle drinking 4 ozs every 4 hours and acting like they want more. When i put her in the stall with them she goes to the back where she had pawed and made her nest and looks there like she lost something and makes a noise. it's very confusing to me but i'm not going to give up trying. if she doesn't except them i'm in for a long haul but they will be worth it. i'm  expecting the other 7 to deliver any time also. so i'm going to be one tired mama LOL..


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## RareBreedFancier (Oct 7, 2011)

If she made no attempt to clean them after birth and now when you put her in with them she just bites and butts them they'd probably be safer just on the bottle. From your description of her going back to her nest it sounds like she doesn't see the kids as her babies but as strangers.

The rejected babies I've seen successfully reunited with the mother where kept in the same stall as the mother but in a dog crate or behind a wire fence where they were safe but she could see and smell them at all times. She was restrained to let them suckle and she was milked so the babies could be bottle fed her milk. My friend said it usually worked if the mothers showed some interest in her kids/lambs but if the mother was aggressive towards the 'strangers' then she'd just be bottle feed the babies.

Good luck with the other impending births, I hope they all go well and you have many healthy happy families soon.


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## Ms. Research (Oct 8, 2011)

Sorry to hear about the problem with Mom and the triplets.  Glad though that they are taking the bottle.  

Hopefully the other births go as smoothly and Moms connect with the babies for you.


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## memela (Oct 8, 2011)

New pics of the triplets 2 days old. Sorry bad pic of me but cute of the babies.


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## 1MrsMagoo (Oct 8, 2011)

Awww....the are really adorable memela. I  baby goats, especially Nubians.

 That is the exact behavior my doe exhibits to her offspring, except she will lick it and sniff it, but draws the line with nursing: She will not let a baby nurse....period...ever. She has a terrible issue with anything touching her teats; even us.  If I choose to breed her, I do so knowing full well that I'll have a bottle baby on my hands, so after the first two I have chosen not to.

You said you have other pregnant does, you may try bottle feeding some of their milk to these three and seeing if you can graft them onto other moms. This may mean splitting them up and giving one to each doe that has a single birth and good udder. It would sure be easier than multiple bottle feedings if it would work. If not, you have just acquired three new children that will follow you around like puppies for the rest of their lives: I have three that way myself...lol.


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## daisyjack (Oct 8, 2011)

awwww they are soooooo cute. i will be getting two nubian kids in the spring and just can't wait. that picture is just making the wait harder to deal with.


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## memela (Oct 8, 2011)

Thanks everyone but I have Boers and i breed them to a KIKO to make them stronger.The brown has the same colors as the father a KIKO. i think they are beautiful even if I have to bottle feed them thats ok. We're still milking the mama and feeding the babies her milk. They are running everywhere its so funny. And yes they think I'm their mama even when i talk they come running looking for me. i'm still putting their mamma in with them for about 15 min at a time but not much reaction from her.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 8, 2011)

Congrats on the triplets. They are adorable! As far as mom, I think I read that she was a first timer? If so, I would give her another chance. Some does are so confused the first time around and then are great moms after that. There is always the chance that she will not be a good mom period but I would certainly try at least one more time with her.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 8, 2011)

You for sure have bottle babies, They should be worked up to 3 bottles a day of 20ounces. Right now they should be on atleast 6 or 7 ounces 4 times a day. bumping it up an ounce at a time as they seem to conitinue to act hungry.  REgular bottle feedings are important. After a week transition them to 3 bottles a day, substituting the total of the 4 bottles into the 3 bottles. You can pretty much let them eat as much as they want per feeding, (trying to keep it a somewhat regular amount), If they get bloated and slushy looking, cut them back a little.  

They look reallly healthy.

I would give mom one more chance to kid out next kidding season. But it is very very unlikely you will get her to take any of these babies.


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## RareBreedFancier (Oct 8, 2011)

Those kids are just gorgeous!


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## kstaven (Oct 9, 2011)

memela said:
			
		

> She will not nurse them. This is her 1st babies. when  they go to her she bites them on the head and ears. We milked some of her colustrum and gave to them by bottle. but I'm so afraid shes going to hurt them during the night.


We have this issue with some first time mothers. Often times all you have to do is get her head in a bucket of feed and they will let kids nurse. Do this once or twice and all is good after that. Only one we had to stanchion the first few times the kids tried to nurse. We have never seen it happen here on a second kidding.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 9, 2011)

kstaven said:
			
		

> memela said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


We stanchion ours, but I was worried this would be overwhelming for a beginner to try to do. We build a head shoot, attached it between two fencing walls, the doe is able to get up and down and reach her feed, but she can't get her head out. the babies can come and nurse when ever they want. Most the time is works, sometimes it doesn't, we leave them in for a few days.


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## memela (Oct 10, 2011)

The triplets are doing GREAT !!!!. They are now 4 days old and are taking 9 ozs 4 times a day. We weighed them today and 2 weigh 7lbs1oz and the lil one weighs 4lbs 1oz. They are running and jumping all over the place and are very healthy. They are a joy to watch. The mom still has nothing to do with them but she is now smelling of them.So we're just bottle feeding them.We do milk her and give the babies what she puts out. They are just so cute... Still waiting on the others to kid to see what else is in store for me.


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## jodief100 (Oct 10, 2011)




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