FF refusing to let kid nurse, UPDATE she's nursing on her own! Yay!!

[Chirpy]

Actually, larger goats (usually wethers) can be used as pack animals and people take them camping all the time. Teach them to walk on a lead rope and they can go anywhere with you... as long as they are legally allowed.

You could easily take a kid (the four legged kind) camping; even letting her sleep in the tent with you. Once they settle down to sleep at night they seldom get up until daylight so you wouldn't even have to worry much about them pottying in the tent. Or, put her in a large plastic tub with towels/straw/etc. at night in the tent with you.

The biggest issue that I would have taking my goat camping is if there are predators around that would be drawn into camp by the smell or sound of a goat. That would depend on where you are camping.

 

[Araylee]

In the woods in an unregulated camp space not far from the wilderness where they drop off the naughty "3 strikes your out" yellowstone Grizzlies, in stock campground in the wilderness between Idaho and Montana, and backpacking near the Canadian border. Cougars, grizzlies, and now wolves are all a threat. We have a dog to alert us to danger and a .10 handgun for just-in-case. We take our human kids (4 of them) into this same wilderness starting at 8 weeks old. I figure if we can keep our children safe the goats shouldn't be any worse. I would bring a trailer for them to sleep in. It's a small herd of 3, and they come when called and stay where they can see us.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Not to fuss at you, but I am going to, did you catch the part at the beginning where I said a 4 x 6 kidding pen. NO Bigger!!! She may have never taken her, but that is way tooo much space (35 feet from barn) for her to wonder away from baby.

Did you ever have her in a smaller space with the baby? If you did I apologize for fussing at you, if I miss understood.


but Next time she kids and doesn't act like that is the coolest thing on the planet, put her in a really small pen. Don't let her out for atleast 48 hours or more.

 

[Araylee]

Not to fuss at you, but I am going to, did you catch the part at the beginning where I said a 4 x 6 kidding pen. NO Bigger!!! She may have never taken her, but that is way tooo much space (35 feet from barn) for her to wonder away from baby.

Did you ever have her in a smaller space with the baby? If you did I apologize for fussing at you, if I miss understood.


but Next time she kids and doesn't act like that is the coolest thing on the planet, put her in a really small pen. Don't let her out for atleast 48 hours or more.

Fuss away, I'm new!
I did not put her in a kidding pen b/c my herd is two does. If I separated this doe from the other, they'd both scream until I put them back together. In addition, my current setup is a shed that's enclosed on one end w/ 5' welded wire that opens w/ "barn door" style doors into a 35 or 40 foot long, 10-12 foot wide 5' welded wire pen. I'm thinking putting both does plus new baby into the shed wouldn't work because it's not big enough for the other doe to escape. If I did lock mom and kid into the barn it'd be 40-50 sq ft ish for the two of them but the other doe would be locked outside in the snow and cold. I'm using the other half of my shed as a chick brooder and place to store feed so she can't go over there. Next year I'll have three does, more space, and a kidding pen. Or a small horse trailer would work too.
I'd read that does can kid w/out being separated from the herd and that separation stresses them out so I thought she'd be fine...

 

[20kidsonhill]

Not to fuss at you, but I am going to, did you catch the part at the beginning where I said a 4 x 6 kidding pen. NO Bigger!!! She may have never taken her, but that is way tooo much space (35 feet from barn) for her to wonder away from baby.

Did you ever have her in a smaller space with the baby? If you did I apologize for fussing at you, if I miss understood.


but Next time she kids and doesn't act like that is the coolest thing on the planet, put her in a really small pen. Don't let her out for atleast 48 hours or more.

Fuss away, I'm new!
I did not put her in a kidding pen b/c my herd is two does. If I separated this doe from the other, they'd both scream until I put them back together. In addition, my current setup is a shed that's enclosed on one end w/ 5' welded wire that opens w/ "barn door" style doors into a 35 or 40 foot long, 10-12 foot wide 5' welded wire pen. I'm thinking putting both does plus new baby into the shed wouldn't work because it's not big enough for the other doe to escape. If I did lock mom and kid into the barn it'd be 40-50 sq ft ish for the two of them but the other doe would be locked outside in the snow and cold. I'm using the other half of my shed as a chick brooder and place to store feed so she can't go over there. Next year I'll have three does, more space, and a kidding pen. Or a small horse trailer would work too.
I'd read that does can kid w/out being separated from the herd and that separation stresses them out so I thought she'd be fine...

I would normally agree with the not seperating part, I don't pull any of mine out of the herd and I have 20 in the barn and coral area. I put them in kidding pens after they kid, only if they are having bonding problems or kids are really not walking well, or in the winter if I need a heat lamp on for a couple days. With that said, as soon as your doe kids and you realize she isn't showing excellent bonding and mothering with the kid, she needs to be in a small space no bigger than 4 x6 or maybe 4x8, Plywood works well, just drill holes and wire it together. This small space, gives mom not much to do other than bond with baby.
this way you would only be taking up a 4x8 or 4x6 area in the barn and the other does can still come in the barn.Sometimes a doe that is close to another doe will come look over the edge and lay right next to the pen. Another reason to cut the hieght down to 36inches.

Sorry I didn't realize you hadn't had her penned up and what your barn situation was, I would have insisted more at the beginning to make something to put them in.

worse case you have a bottle baby, I know it would have been easier if mom took her. We love camping to. We drive back and forth twice a day to do chores. It is a pain.

 

[Araylee]

I went out this morning to hold mom and I didn't even have to go into the pen! Baby saw me and ran for udder and mom stood still and let her empty both sides, even lifting her leg out of the way and then licked her bum! Went out at noon, same thing. Mom is getting the idea that she needs to nurse her baby and I hope that within a couple days I won't have to go at all! YAY!!

 

[20kidsonhill]

I went out this morning to hold mom and I didn't even have to go into the pen! Baby saw me and ran for udder and mom stood still and let her empty both sides, even lifting her leg out of the way and then licked her bum! Went out at noon, same thing. Mom is getting the idea that she needs to nurse her baby and I hope that within a couple days I won't have to go at all! YAY!!