Mantis Kidding Thread - WE HAVE BABIES!!!!!

[SA Farm]

Congrats, they look great

 

[Fullhousefarm]

So cute! Congratulations.

 

[Mantis71]

Thanks!

I have some questions...

I put sweaters on them as soon as they were dry because they are tiny and it's cold. We're expecting major snow starting tomorrow; and by mid week it's going to get down to around 11 degrees at night. 25-35ish during the day. They are in the kidding side of the goat house with mama, enclosed on 3 sides and shielded halfway on the 4th side. They have LOTS of hay and straw for warmth, their little sweaters, and I made a kid box out of a plastic storage tub with a little hole for them to crawl in, a blanket inside to curl up in, top on and then a heavy blanket covering the tub on 3 sides to insulate. I have no way to get a heat lamp out there right now.

Do you think they will be ok at night with the temps going below freezing?

Do I bring them in at night?

If I do, do I take them back out during the day or is that a recipe for pneumonia?

Do babies sleep through the night? (hahaha I think this one might be wishful thinking)

Do I need to do anything specific with their umbilicals?

And do you think the sweaters will damage them?

I'd prefer to leave them with mama as they are nursing nicely; but I want them to be safe above all else.

Suggestions? (help! lol)

Thanks in advance - you guys are awesome with newbies like me.

 

[Bucking Adoeable Fainters]

We dont have freezing temps here, but there are AMAZING posts for the big 55 gallon with the heating lamps.....let me see if i can find the posts.....

I do use sweaters! As long as it isnt too tight on dried cord, it is fine. I usually make sure the are in front of their cord until completely dry though!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Here is a link to that barrel heater...

http://onpasture.com/2014/03/03/dont-burn-down-your-barn/

 

[Sweetened]

When i kidded in -40 last year, and probably this year as well, they had polar fleecr sweaters i cut from an old scarf, access to heat lamps for only 24 hours and i just made sure they were dry. Their sweaters came off 72 hours after birth when it was a balmy -36. I am extremely wary of heat lamps, we almost lost our chicken coop. I think what you have will be fine. Sonething else you could do is fill bottles with hot water and put them under a blanket in their kid hut IF they use it, they will probably sleep with mom.

We dont treat or dip navels here. We do find the hanging cord takes a while to fall off, despite being dry, im not sure if iodine would change that, but we leave it as is. Thats a personal preference.