Is my goat a good mother???

[Laney]

I went out tonight to check and see if everyone was all settled in OK. And to give Papa Frederick an antibiotic shot.

Not to go into the story but the chickens don't sleep in the coop because the goats ripped the door off and took over. (Not that the goats sleep in there now, but the chickens have decided it's scary now.) So, while we are looking for Frederick my husband starts counting the Cochin's which sleep against the wall of the coop. Mixed in with them is one Mottled Java named Spot. The only problem is he counts Spot twice.

So he calls my attention to it. I look over and he is right, there are the day old bucklings Storm and Perseid sleeping curled up outside with the chickens against the coop. Their mother Lil'Mama had given birth inside the coop and insisted on staying there. We looked inside thinking they had wandered out without her knowing, nope she's not there.

She was 30 feet away sleeping in in the goat barn (work in progress) with the other goats, including her year and a half old wether son. Now when we brought the babies to her she was quick to recognize them, and check them over for damage and then lead them right back to the coop and it seems bed them back down with the chickens? We didn't stay that long but it seemed like that was her intention.

During the day she was attentive, letting them nurse and licking them clean. Maggie who gave birth the same day won't let her baby out of sight, but her baby seems to think she is a trampoline. She spends more time laying down (always has this isn't a change in behavior) and had a much rougher delivery (lost one kid). Mama just doesn't seem to care how far they wander unless something she doesn't like gets close. That includes:

Humans (she's a nervous girl)
Certain other females - she doesn't mind any of the males

She doesn't mind me getting close to them, though I'm still not allowed to touch her and she's OK with the chickens.

Are some Mama goats just more carefree with the Kids??? Should I be OK as long as they are fed and cleaned and have something warm to snuggle up to even if it's the chickens?

Laney

P.S I'm in North Carolina high 80s to 90s during the day High 70s to 80s at night.

 

[username taken]

All does are a bit different in the way they look after their bubs. Sounds like she is doing a good job, she has just decided that is their bed and they are to stay there!

 

[dkluzier]

Maybe she feels they are safer in the chicken coop than with the other goats? Especially since that was where she gave birth.



Goofy goat!

 

[cmjust0]

If it were me, I'd put them up together in a smallish pen for a few days. I've seen mamas leave kids out in the cold to collapse and die as they wander off to pick leaves, then scream and yell and pitch a fit when they come back and their kids are gone..

What they don't realize is that they're gone because I took them either A) to bury, or B) into the house to rescue juuuuuuust before they keeled over..

Makes me every time..

 

[Laney]

I went out this morning to give everyone their medicine and there was Lil'Mama with both of her babies. Storm and Perseid were fine and nursing.

I'm really at a loss as to what to think. Toro, her year and a half old wether baby is still stuck to her side and very jealous, but during the day she won't let even him between her and the new babies. We bought her and Toro as a pair. The person who sold them had bought Toro separately but after two weeks he was still crying so miserably for his mother that they went back and bought her two. Up until the babies were born only my Billy Frederick could separate the two of them and that was only for a few minutes.

Even during the day though she keeps bring them back to the area around the coop. I'm thinking she just feels that area is safest for them. Pick one of her babies up and they call out and she is right there to let you know she wants you to put it down now.

Laney