# New kid, weak and cold



## momto6Ls (Aug 2, 2019)

I'm in uncharted territory. 
Our first doe kidded last night. Evidently I didn't get them enough minerals. Sigh.  We were expecting 2 (by vet ultrasound) and there were three. 
First one - still born. About 1/3 of normal size. She blocked up traffic, of course, which caused the rest. 

2nd - I thought she was gone. We pulled her out and roughed her up. She is with us. Kicks, cries out occasionally, has taken some colostrum. Not much sucking, but some and she is swollowing. Hasn't tried to stand, but we have had her in arms most of the time. She is dry, and exhausted. I'm guessing we pulled her out about 5:30 and it is 8:00 here. We have been messing with her most of the time. 
Ok, so now what do I do? Her temp is 100.4. We were using a hair dryer. I just took a blanket out of the dryer and wrapped her in that. She's in the house with us. 

Her eyes - she doesn't seem to shut them. I mean I have seen her shut them, but it is like she can't rest. My daughter says they are red now. 

I'm super worried about pneumonia because she was so slow getting started. She has sneezed some. 

Please help. I have not dealt with any of this before. 

3rd - remember how we were expecting 2? My husband gloved up again, after we had worked on number 2 for a while,  just to make sure and ended up pulling out a third. If we had known...but it was to late. She was gone. Fully formed. Beautiful. 

Anything we should do for mama? She got molasses water, some grain and Alfalfa. My daughter milked her out. She's a Saanen, and with triplets she is going to have lots. Haven't seen an after birth yet, which is wierd...

THANK YOU


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## B&B Happy goats (Aug 2, 2019)

@OneFineAcre @Goat Whisperer


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## Hens and Roos (Aug 2, 2019)

sorry to hear of your kidding troubles . Do you have a vet that you can call to come out and take a look at your doe and kid?  How is the kid doing as far as temperature now? 

@OneFineAcre @Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer @B&B Happy goats @babsbag


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## B&B Happy goats (Aug 2, 2019)

Hens and Roos said:


> sorry to hear of your kidding troubles . Do you have a vet that you can call to come out and take a look at your doe and kid?  How is the kid doing as far as temperature now?
> 
> @OneFineAcre @Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer @B&B Happy goats @babsbag



Not sure what the others would do but I would give both B 12, red cell, and / or first arrival for the kid...right now anything  energy related....wait for the others to post


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## Goat Whisperer (Aug 2, 2019)

Give them some JumpStart plus paste. 
Great for kids as you describe. I’d also rub some nutridrench on their gums. Keep warming the kid. Keep it stimulated and once the temp is up work on giving it a bottle.


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## momto6Ls (Jan 2, 2020)

I’m sorry I never replied here! I had another forum that answered in real time - within a minute or so, so I stayed there.
Thought I’d update for others who see this issue. I sold 2 does this summer and they also kidded with problems - they both had QUADS. We were told twins and triplets by ultrasound. We have never had quads! The new owner was more clueless than me (said she had 25 years experience.) She lost several of the kids, but I don’t think she did anything for them except bring them in the house. I did tell her about the deficiency when I sold them, but she says she didn’t remember.

anyway...I put a blanket in the dryer and wrapped her in it - she warmed right up and stayed in the blanket. Gave her oral B complex, selenium & vit E gel, and colostrum from mom as soon as she would take it, followed with more every 2 hours. It took some time to get stronger, but within 8 hours she was walking down the hall, and ready to go back to mom.  I followed with more B complex the next day and Replamin plus every week until 12 weeks. People on the other forum were panicked that she wouldn’t bond with mom, but she went right out and was dam raised - bonded fine.

I’ve learned my lesson. Replamin for all every week! The newborns got “dollops”,  the other pregnant does got a 5 day loading dose before kidding, and it made ALL the difference. I also changed loose minerals for long term. I’m hoping for much better kidding results next season.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 7, 2020)

Hens and Roos said:


> sorry to hear of your kidding troubles . Do you have a vet that you can call to come out and take a look at your doe and kid?  How is the kid doing as far as temperature now?
> 
> @OneFineAcre @Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer @B&B Happy goats @babsbag


Here are some additional tips for you.
Baby goats are either mother-raised or bottle-fed, and it's important to know which yours is. If a baby goat has been raised by its mother, then it will nurse from her until about 6-8 weeks of age. If it's been bottle-fed, then it will drink from a bottle until 6-8 weeks of age.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

momto6Ls said:


> I’m sorry I never replied here! I had another forum that answered in real time - within a minute or so, so I stayed there.
> Thought I’d update for others who see this issue. I sold 2 does this summer and they also kidded with problems - they both had QUADS. We were told twins and triplets by ultrasound. We have never had quads! The new owner was more clueless than me (said she had 25 years experience.) She lost several of the kids, but I don’t think she did anything for them except bring them in the house. I did tell her about the deficiency when I sold them, but she says she didn’t remember.
> 
> anyway...I put a blanket in the dryer and wrapped her in it - she warmed right up and stayed in the blanket. Gave her oral B complex, selenium & vit E gel, and colostrum from mom as soon as she would take it, followed with more every 2 hours. It took some time to get stronger, but within 8 hours she was walking down the hall, and ready to go back to mom.  I followed with more B complex the next day and Replamin plus every week until 12 weeks. People on the other forum were panicked that she wouldn’t bond with mom, but she went right out and was dam raised - bonded fine.
> ...


What did you change your loose minerals too?  I haven’t been doing Replamin...my does kid Jan 29 and feb1...can’t get to TS until then..but I should start it then?   Did you go over to the goats pot....I have been a long time mem...but I will take breaks because, honestly...they get on your case and drive you bonkers.  My doe limped on Monday...I got worried and they put it in my head she had toxemia.. I trimmed her hooves up....but that was when I went out at 11...doe is fine.  The goat spot is great...just, try not to let them boss you around...I’m ease prey to that


im very sorry about your losses....this is why I’m so nervous.  I’m sorry the lady who bought your does wasn’t more cautious.  Hopefully 2020 will be better


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 8, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> Baby goats are either mother-raised or bottle-fed, and it's important to know which yours is. If a baby goat has been raised by its mother, then it will nurse from her until about 6-8 weeks of age. If it's been bottle-fed, then it will drink from a bottle until 6-8 weeks of age.



Here are a few additional ideas.  Baby goats can be quite successfully co-raised with mama and bottles.  We sometimes get a doe with a large litter, or a baby that just isn't aggressive enough to fight littermates for their share we have successfully offered those kids a bottle.  They stay with mom and they get a little boost from the supplemental bottle.  As a result they become extra tame (a.k.a. pushy!).  I have a mixture of small and full-sized goats and we tend to go longer than 6-8 weeks.   Pygmy and/or Nigerians get a minimum of 8 weeks on milk - usually even more.  Mid-sized and full-sized are given bottles a minimum of 10 and usually 12 weeks.  The exception being a mixed litter of bucklings and doelings.  We tend to have to watch out that the bucklings don't get a little too 'friendly' and have separated them appropriately.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

Ok..here’s a question...I’m hoping to keep one kid. Sell the rest.  My goats aren’t registered, etc..they will be sold for pets.  But is it better to sell wethers or bucks?  I couldn’t sell my buck, proven buck, in November, for the life of me!  Probably bad timing.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> Here are some additional tips for you.
> Baby goats are either mother-raised or bottle-fed, and it's important to know which yours is. If a baby goat has been raised by its mother, then it will nurse from her until about 6-8 weeks of age. If it's been bottle-fed, then it will drink from a bottle until 6-8 weeks of age.


Do you have goats?


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 8, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> But is it better to sell wethers or bucks?


I wish I had the perfect answer to that, lol.  I've found that it is easier to sell bucks/bucklings if they're registered.  Occasionally you will find someone who wants a pet wether or a companion for a buck - but around here a lot of folks want wethers for meat.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

frustratedearthmother said:


> I wish I had the perfect answer to that, lol.  I've found that it is easier to sell buck if they're registered.  Occasionally you will find someone who wants a pet wether or a companion for a buck - but around here a lot of folks want wethers for meat.


Even a Nigerian dwarf or Pygmy?  To be perfectly honest...we did end up eating Chester...because I had to make a tough decision...too cheap or eat him.  It’s not very good.  Chris finally found a way to cook it that’s decent, but, people around here...goats are a luxury....we’ll see how they look..if they are lookers...maybe bucks..


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## Hens and Roos (Jan 8, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> Even a Nigerian dwarf or Pygmy?  To be perfectly honest...we did end up eating Chester...because I had to make a tough decision...too cheap or eat him.  It’s not very good.  Chris finally found a way to cook it that’s decent, but, people around here...goats are a luxury....we’ll see how they look..if they are lookers...maybe bucks..



We weather all our bucklings, we find it easier to sell that way.  Any wethers not sold by early fall get processed and into our freezer.  We have Nigies and mini-manches, they don't have a lot of meat but we can't keep them all.  We get roasts and ground meat which is used to make gyros.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 8, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> Even a Nigerian dwarf or Pygmy?


Didn't realize you were speaking of little ones.  We've eaten pygmy goats - they are small but a good pygmy is a meaty pygmy!  I wether most bucklings born here unless someone has requested a buckling ahead of time.  Wethers make herd management much easier for me.  Most of my ethnic meat customers will purchase a young buckling for meat but others prefer wethers.  Just luck of the draw.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

Hens and Roos said:


> We weather all our bucklings, we find it easier to sell that way.  Any wethers not sold by early fall get processed and into our freezer.  We have Nigies and mini-manches, they don't have a lot of meat but we can't keep them all.  We get roasts and ground meat which is used to make gyros.


Perhaps you can give me recipes if I can’t sell mine?  I know I don’t want to have to build more fencing and have more barns...I want to put more pot belly pigs in those spots...I think.. I might be tooo overwhelmEd with these goat kids?!


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 8, 2020)

Y


frustratedearthmother said:


> Didn't realize you were speaking of little ones.  We've eaten pygmy goats - they are small but a good pygmy is a meaty pygmy!  I wether most bucklings born here unless someone has requested a buckling ahead of time.  Wethers make herd management much easier for me.  Most of my ethnic meat customers will purchase a young buckling for meat but others prefer wethers.  Just luck of the draw.


eah, my buck was a pain in the butt.. I think Im leaning towards wethers...how long do you keep them before selling..and when do you have to separate bucks?


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 8, 2020)

It just depends.  I have a lot of goats...I've sold bottle babies when I've lost a doe or had one with problems.  In those cases I'll have purchaser bring that buck baby back to me later to wether if that's their choice.  I've sold them freshly weaned, and I've sold them at 8 months to a year as meat goats.  I have people contact me when they want a goat - I always try to have something available, lol

With mixed sex litters I start watching for testicular development in the little guys.  You can't always count on their behavior as a sign because they start practicing early, lol.  When the testicles start growing or when they become able to extend their penis  - they get separated.  I start really looking at about 7-8 weeks.  I've rarely left a buckling with his sister past 10 weeks -12 weeks.  You just have to be very watchful.


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## Daxigait (Jan 8, 2020)

momto6Ls said:


> I'm in uncharted territory.
> Our first doe kidded last night. Evidently I didn't get them enough minerals. Sigh.  We were expecting 2 (by vet ultrasound) and there were three.
> First one - still born. About 1/3 of normal size. She blocked up traffic, of course, which caused the rest.
> 
> ...


personally I give MFO solution 50-60 CC's for 3 days that'll help with possible milk fever and you're replacing the things she has lost. given the fact that you were in her and that you are waiting on placenta I would do two things I would give a couple of cc's of oxytocin that'll help clean her out.  I would also based on her weight give 10 or 12 cc's of penicillin once a day for 3 days as a basic precaution.   as for the baby I would make sure she stayed warm continue to try to get her some colostrum even if you have to do a week kid syringe, and possibly give her some vitamins.   having lost triplets all born dead Monday I feel for you.


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## Daxigait (Jan 8, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> Here are some additional tips for you.
> Baby goats are either mother-raised or bottle-fed, and it's important to know which yours is. If a baby goat has been raised by its mother, then it will nurse from her until about 6-8 weeks of age. If it's been bottle-fed, then it will drink from a bottle until 6-8 weeks of age.


You had better feed them longer than 6 weeks if you want them to grow well and be healthy.  Their rumen isn't even fully developed at that point.   I feed a bottle a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks.  you can introduce the other food earlier but I feed three times a day for 4-6 weeks and then I move down to twice a day and then I moved once a day.  Or better yet get one of the great caprine buckets and just let them drink.


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