20kidsonhill
True BYH Addict
If I am home and can check on them every hour or two, then I leave them out as much as possible, but If I am gone, I will close the does up into the barn or move a doe that looks close into a kidding pen, just incase she gets the brilliant idea to kid outside instead of in a corner in the barn. for the most part they will go in the barn and kid. i have had good luck with just leaving the kidding pens open to provide corners for the does to lay in to kid, ofcourse if you are using the kidding pen then it is kind of hard to leave it open.
Did I mention small divider walls extending out from the inside walls of your shelter? we have had a lot less rejected kids and confussed moms by just having some 3 foot high playwood walls extending out as little open-ended divider walls, helps the does feel like they are in there own space.
When possible I would say go ahead and put the doe in a pen, if you are sure she is going to kid. I have to admit I rarely move a doe until after she is done kidding, drives my husband crazy, he would rather move her while she is kidding or right away when we realize she is in labor, I kind of like to leave them be and do there thing, and not disturb them, pretty much whereever they have choosen to be in labor.
Some people put them in when their udder starts to bloom and their belly drops. when they think kidding will take place in 2 or 3 days, the problem, you really have no idea when they are due, and you could run out of kidding pens.
I rarely leave my does and new kids in a pen for more than 3 days, sometimes only 24 hours. I have 6 pens and sometimes 15 or 20 does due often in a 10 day period. So whoever is doing the best goes back out with the group and the new doe is moved in. Our barn consists of a large area for the group, a door for them to go out into a large coral area and then that opens up into a field. Inside the barn is also hay feeders and kidding pens set up. Everything inside our barn can be taken down and moved around, it is all portable and rearrangable. after we get done kidding and the oldest of the kids is going on 3 weeks old we reaarrange a couple of the kidding pens and turn them into a creep feed zone. An area that only lets babies in so we can leave grain out for the babies all the time. Since we are a meat farm, our goal is to get those babies growing.
Did I mention small divider walls extending out from the inside walls of your shelter? we have had a lot less rejected kids and confussed moms by just having some 3 foot high playwood walls extending out as little open-ended divider walls, helps the does feel like they are in there own space.
When possible I would say go ahead and put the doe in a pen, if you are sure she is going to kid. I have to admit I rarely move a doe until after she is done kidding, drives my husband crazy, he would rather move her while she is kidding or right away when we realize she is in labor, I kind of like to leave them be and do there thing, and not disturb them, pretty much whereever they have choosen to be in labor.
Some people put them in when their udder starts to bloom and their belly drops. when they think kidding will take place in 2 or 3 days, the problem, you really have no idea when they are due, and you could run out of kidding pens.
I rarely leave my does and new kids in a pen for more than 3 days, sometimes only 24 hours. I have 6 pens and sometimes 15 or 20 does due often in a 10 day period. So whoever is doing the best goes back out with the group and the new doe is moved in. Our barn consists of a large area for the group, a door for them to go out into a large coral area and then that opens up into a field. Inside the barn is also hay feeders and kidding pens set up. Everything inside our barn can be taken down and moved around, it is all portable and rearrangable. after we get done kidding and the oldest of the kids is going on 3 weeks old we reaarrange a couple of the kidding pens and turn them into a creep feed zone. An area that only lets babies in so we can leave grain out for the babies all the time. Since we are a meat farm, our goal is to get those babies growing.
I suppose I need to have more than an acre too! 
