Mother Distancing from Kids

[abraeri]

We have a small herd of three and this was our first kidding. So we had two does kid this past week.The first one had two healthy kiddos that are jumping and being very normal goat kids I would say. Her delivery was quick and easy; she bonded well, comes running if they cry, talks to them, etc.

The second one is our better milker and her labor was long. Her first kid was giant 11 pounds, and we had to pull him out. She licked him a ton, and we could feel another kid inside. So we waited. There was an hour gap between kids, and her second kid was tiny, 6 pounds. He is small and he just looks so frail. It took a while to get him to nurse, but we did get colostrum into him within an hour I would say.

The first few days there was really no problem with nursing, except that it took a while for the little boy to be able to find the teats on his own and we had to help him find it. Now however, we are noticing the mother is distancing herself from her kids. She doesn't respond to the crying, doesn't talk to them, doesn't want to stand still when they nurse. They sit on opposite end of their stall. I checked both of the mothers eyes and they were pale so I just started them on their wormer, which is my fault for not starting them on it when they gave birth.

We also have yet to see the little boy poop (he pees) so that is also concerning.

So main questions:

What can we do to get the mother to pay attention to her kids, could her indifference be due to worm load, and what should we do if the little one is constipated/how can we tell? And lastly, what rate should we expect the kids to be gaining weight?

Thank you very much.

 

[animalmom]

She may be in pain because of that first big boy. If she was mine I'd keep her penned up with her kids.

Regarding the smaller boy pooping... look for mustard colored smears on his butt. If you see that then he is pooping just fine. Kids don't go to pooping pellets until they are a wee bit older.

Please keep us posted on everyone's progress.

 

[Mini Horses]

I agree with animalmom.

The does who are milked by humans are sometimes less impressed with kids & nursing. (I have one who likes to wean them early as she gets FED in the milk stand!) That said, check his tummy to be sure he's eating. The larger kid may knock him away and in a few days it will be too late to keep him thriving. Even separate the kids and be SURE the smaller nurses well, for a few hours a couple times a day. Yeah, PITA but, that's life.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

I had a goat kid in Jan...triplets. She actually made too much milk and her tests got too big and she wouldn’t let them nurse. For the first few weeks I kept them all locked up together, but I still had to milk the mom down. Then, once she was in the stand she would nurse...no choice? But, that kind of bit me, because now when I take her to the stand they come rushing...I have to lock them up, until I get m6 milk room built!! I was given wonderful advice on here, so I’m just passing on what I got help with...locking them up helps. Checking tummies...great. I had a kid that wouldn’t nurse in front of us...but his tummy was always big...

 

[abraeri]

I don't see yellow smear on anyones behinds so it's difficult to tell. Also, I think the mother has a habit of eating their poop too...

If he was in fact constipated how long would I have. They are a week old at this point and the little runt has the most energy out of them all. (He hardly drinks anything so I have no clue where he gets all his energy from) The big boy seems to be a little on the sleepy side which worries me. The kids follow their mother around but she won't stand in one place for them to nurse unless we hold on to her.

We have a camera in their stall so I don't think anyone is secretly nursing.

We are keeping them penned up for the majority of the day.

Very frustrating to see the poor kiddos try to get their mother to pay attention to them.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Yes, I was very alarmed by the poop being gone. Apparently that’s the mommas job...they eat it..I only saw it a tad.... I understand. My goat, Busty, that I mentioned, didn’t seem to bond at first, and then we had horns debudded and that seemed to make it worse...the smell? But, she got in the grove as it went. This was not her first rodeo, but perhaps he4 firs5 triplets? Definitely keep them in the stall. Do what you can to get he4 to let them nurse, and visa versa...because once they go on a bottle...you’re committed. At least that’s what I’ve been told?

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

We have a small herd of three and this was our first kidding. So we had two does kid this past week.The first one had two healthy kiddos that are jumping and being very normal goat kids I would say. Her delivery was quick and easy; she bonded well, comes running if they cry, talks to them, etc.

The second one is our better milker and her labor was long. Her first kid was giant 11 pounds, and we had to pull him out. She licked him a ton, and we could feel another kid inside. So we waited. There was an hour gap between kids, and her second kid was tiny, 6 pounds. He is small and he just looks so frail. It took a while to get him to nurse, but we did get colostrum into him within an hour I would say.

The first few days there was really no problem with nursing, except that it took a while for the little boy to be able to find the teats on his own and we had to help him find it. Now however, we are noticing the mother is distancing herself from her kids. She doesn't respond to the crying, doesn't talk to them, doesn't want to stand still when they nurse. They sit on opposite end of their stall. I checked both of the mothers eyes and they were pale so I just started them on their wormer, which is my fault for not starting them on it when they gave birth.

We also have yet to see the little boy poop (he pees) so that is also concerning.

So main questions:

What can we do to get the mother to pay attention to her kids, could her indifference be due to worm load, and what should we do if the little one is constipated/how can we tell? And lastly, what rate should we expect the kids to be gaining weight?

Thank you very much.

That was so odd indeed, I hope the small one is doing great by now. I can't really say anything about it since this is the 1st time I've heard about that.

 

[Ridgetop]

If the littlest kid is running and jumping around and seems lively, he is eating plenty. Sometimes there are big differences in weights between twins but the smaller one often catches up. Sounds like they are healthy.

Are you currently milking the does? If so is the doe making an adequate amount of milk? Some does are more attentive to their kids and others are not. As long as she is feeding him well, she may just be a more laid back mom who is less interested in hovering over them. All my does and ewes have different mothering attitudes. If she had a hard time giving birth, it has probably taken her longer to recover. If that is the case, she may not be as willing to nurse kids. Have you checked to make sure her is soft and pliable? If her bag is too full, it may hurt when the kids try to nurse. The larger kid may be rough when he nurses. Mastitis?

You might want to milk her and just bottle feed the kids. If she is your main house milker that may be the best solution. If she refuses to nurse the kids, her milk yield will decrease.

 

[abraeri]

Oh never saw this... well he turned out just fine. Had him and his brother sent to freezer camp a month or so ago. His mother is pregnant again and not doing very great though; 'tis the life I suppose

 

[Ridgetop]

What is wrong with the mother?