Just got some skinny goats

[Goat Whisperer]

Congrats on the kid!

I agree with @norseofcourse

The doe could have passed the placenta and ate it before you found them. Watch her closely, if she starts acting "off" take her temp right away!

Express a few squirts of milk/colostrum from each teat to be sure everything is flowing as it should. The kids can look like they are nursing but it doesn't always mean they are. We had several calls this spring because kids that were born healthy were suddenly becoming lethargic & one died. They didn't check both teats and the colostrum was so thick the kids couldn't nurse. This was 2 different farms.

I would have the momma goats' fecal checked in about a week. The stress of kidding and hormones can cause a parasite bloom.

Any history on CDT vaccines? The kid will need to be vaccinated and if the dam wasn't she should too.

The kid should be monitored for cocci as well.

 

[TAH]

Agree with all the above,
Congrats on the little guy

 

[JenniferDuBay]

We made the decision to sell him as a bottle baby after a few days. Myrtle has an extremely skittish attitude towards people, and no one wants that, let alone in a boy. He was bought by a woman to keep as a wether pet. I have been milking her for two days. It has been both easy and difficult. Milking itself is easy, but Myrtle, the unfriendly goat neither likes being milked nor likes me. I have to lasso her, tie her to a post and maul her. It's like a dwarven rodeo, only I don't get clown makeup. Her latest trick is simply to lie down when I milk her now. She's trying to make me juggle goats. I don't have a stanchion yet, it's not in the budget this month, but I did build an automatic milker, which should help with Myrtle's laying down protests. We'll see when the silicon dries.

 

[babsbag]

Sell her...life is too short for annoying goats. I may sound harsh, and I am partly teasing, but I have been selling off the hard to handle hard headed beasts and keeping their offspring as bottle babies. Last year I pulled some kids at about 1 week of age and would separate them until they started taking a bottle and then I would give them back to mom to nurse when I didn't want to feed them. They aren't quite as tame as a full bottle baby but much better than most of my dam raised kids. That also allowed me to sell the dam if the opportunity arose and the kids could be transitioned to a bottle with no problems.

 

[TAH]

It is very easy to tame a goat if you have the time to work with her. I have tamed 2 goats and they are some of the nicest in the herd now.

I start with halter training.
Put the halter on and tie her to a tree or teepost and leave her there till she stops fighting, as soon as she stops fighting reward her with there favorite treat. With tying her to something else not your self shows her you are not the issue especially when you give the treat. Once she has stopped fighting with halter on she will start to trust you, then start on leading. Take the lead rope and make it loose ask her her to walk to you if she doesn't understand what you are asking show her the treat and ask again if she does it reward. If she wants to pull start with the lead really short, if she starts to pull you ask her to halt/stop right at your side and processed to ask her to walk along side you again. It normally takes a good 15 min each day to work with her before she will be a awesome goat.

I like to do tricks with my goats, it is gpod to have one or to tricks for them to do. I do touch it is the easiest thing for a goat to learn, have her touch tour hand and reward when she does.

I hope this helps

 

[JenniferDuBay]

Sell her...life is too short for annoying goats. I may sound harsh, and I am partly teasing, but I have been selling off the hard to handle hard headed beasts and keeping their offspring as bottle babies. Last year I pulled some kids at about 1 week of age and would separate them until they started taking a bottle and then I would give them back to mom to nurse when I didn't want to feed them. They aren't quite as tame as a full bottle baby but much better than most of my dam raised kids. That also allowed me to sell the dam if the opportunity arose and the kids could be transitioned to a bottle with no problems.

It would be a pity to lose my first in milk goat before I get to have some. I had planned on replacing both her and Lilly when they all have babies, hopefully girls. I am going to have nothing but bottle babies from now on, it's just so much easier.

 

[JenniferDuBay]

It is very easy to tame a goat if you have the time to work with her. I have tamed 2 goats and they are some of the nicest in the herd now.

I start with halter training.
Put the halter on and tie her to a tree or teepost and leave her there till she stops fighting, as soon as she stops fighting reward her with there favorite treat. With tying her to something else not your self shows her you are not the issue especially when you give the treat. Once she has stopped fighting with halter on she will start to trust you, then start on leading. Take the lead rope and make it loose ask her her to walk to you if she doesn't understand what you are asking show her the treat and ask again if she does it reward. If she wants to pull start with the lead really short, if she starts to pull you ask her to halt/stop right at your side and processed to ask her to walk along side you again. It normally takes a good 15 min each day to work with her before she will be a awesome goat.

I like to do tricks with my goats, it is gpod to have one or to tricks for them to do. I do touch it is the easiest thing for a goat to learn, have her touch tour hand and reward when she does.

I hope this helps

Good information, thanks

 

[TAH]

Good information, thanks

Your welcome

 

[babsbag]

I have hung on to some brats so I would have milk, I understand. Since I am building a dairy I don't want any trouble makers so I have started selling the wild things. I had some that if and when I caught them they would throw themselves on the ground or jump and twist and take my fingers with them if I happen to be holding a collar. I just refuse to deal with it anymore, there are too many nice goats in the world. If I like the genetics I keep the kid and the mom has to go.

That being said, my bottle baby bucks are kind of a pain when they are in rut. I do like my bucks to be a little more standoffish than the does.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

@JenniferDuBay if you ever breed the doe again, pull the kids immediately. The "mom hormones" will kick in and the doe will bond with you.