I've been kidding for four years now, but this is the first year I've kept a mother and daughter while both are pregnant. Grandma kidded two weeks ago, and had (five!!!) kids, but unfortunately they were all stillborn. I'm guessing they were premee, but she kidded silently, and I wasn't there to interfere. An unfortunate accident, but it happens. My question is actually about her daughter. She just kidded, and her mother was extremely interested, to the point she's feeding the kids, and eating the afterbirth. I'm making sure they all have colostrum, but I'm wondering if any of this is harmful to the goats. Her daughter doesn't care, and is drinking from her mother, too! I'm not sure if I should intervene, or if this is just what multigenerational kidding looks like.
Multigenerational kidding
- Thread starter JenD
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frustratedearthmother
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I've never seen it on my farm - but as long as all the kids get/got colostrum I don't think it's a problem. But if grandma is feeding her daughter and granddaughters you might want to watch and see that she doesn't get too run down. Is the actual mother of the new babies feeding them too?
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- #3
Her body condition is one of the reasons I keep breeding her even though she generally needs help with her kids. She's never given me less than four kids even as a first freshener, she gives a half a gallon a day, and is in great condition a year later. But again, out of four kiddings of hers, three were premees.
And yes, mom is feeding the kids as well. I'd say so far they get half from mom and half from grandma. It's a little creepy watching mom feed from grandma while feeding her babies, but goats, man lol.
MiniSilkys
Loving the herd life
How old is the daughter? lol. How many did she have? I do not see anything wrong as long as the kids steadily gain weight, which they should since they are getting double the milk.. It will also help the doe that lost her kids to get over the loss of her babies. My first doe called for her kids for two weeks when she lost them. The only way that I would see that it would be harmful is if there is something that the grandmother has that is making her keep having premie kids. You should maybe see about getting her checked.
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Daughter is just shy of 2. She was fully weaned, but spontaneously started sucking again when she kidded, and is still sucking today. She had 2 kids. One was a runt, but in great health, the other was a massive doeling, she's twice the size of her brother. I'm actually pretty happy with grandma nursing them since the girl can easily run off her brother for milk.
I had a vet out after her second kidding, but he didn't seem to find anything wrong with her. Suggested that it just might be she has a massive number of kids that cause them to be born early. The first year she had 4, all survived, second year she had 6, 5 survived, third year was 4 and full term (she couldn't even walk up stairs she was so big) this year was 5 and none did. I don't think it's a management issue since none of the rest of my goats have this problem, generally speaking I get 2-3 babies from everyone else. Sometimes first fresheners throw singletons.
Fullhousefarm
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I have a FF doe who kidded shortly after her grand dam's babies were sold (both boys, so 8-10 weeks). She helped clean the baby off (we walked in a baby was born) then I separated mom and baby. Grand dam was being milked. Once they were back together a few days later we noticed they were both feeding the baby. It worked out great actually. They all snuggle together, are bonded. All three will be bred for next year so that should be interesting.
MiniSilkys
Loving the herd life
Yeah, as long as the Vet says that nothing is wrong, then the more the merrier.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
What breed are these goats? Were these two does separated after the younger one was weaned? Have they been together since birth?
Since it looks like all the kids (except 1) from her first 3 kiddings survived, this would be the first year that she lost a significant number of her kids. Up to this year she had 14 kids and lost 1. This year she lost all her kids, bringing the total to 19 kids and losing 6. Still good production - 4 kiddings at an average of 3.5 kids per year. I am interested to know how premature the kids were each time. Were they a week early each time? More? It is possible that her normal gestation is shorter than the usual 155 days. This time it is hard to know why she lost all of them. How premature were they this time? Was it extremely cold? Did one get stuck resulting in loss of oxygen, etc. As you say, it happens. I would definitely keep this doe and continue to breed her since she is producing record numbers of kids. It is nothing against her that you have to supplement her kids when she is producing so many.
As far as the young doe nursing from her mother, and the mother feeding the daughter's kids I have not seen it before. Most does will not feed other kids after kidding. They drive them away. I have seen does and ewes try to steal newborns from the moms, usually this as just before the "thief" lambed or kidded herself, not usually after. Did they kid within 12 hours of each other and in the same pen? The older doe may have become confused and beieves that the daughter's kids are hers. However some dairy does become "self suckers" when they fill up with milk. They find that they can release their udders themselves. This is naturally a cull fault in a production dairy. Since it sounds like the younger doe was a nursed kid, she may just be helping herself to mom's mill bar because mom is back in milk again. Did she nurse from her mom last year after mom kidded? If you don't want her to continue to nurse from mom, I would give the older doe one of the kids and let the younger doe just raise one kid herself. This way, you make sure the runt gets his share without having to fight for it.
This is really interesting. I am waiting to see what everyone else has to say about this.
MiniSilkys
Loving the herd life
@Ridgetop, I just think it is a funny picture seeing grown kid drinking along with her own kids from grandma. Lol. I have a for that will be 1 in two weeks, who will try to sneak a drink from her mama every chance she gets. But her mama has been dried up but is now 3 months pregnant and starting to form her udder again. I agree with you that I would keep breeding the older doe.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
It is very funny when the lambs start to get near 100 lbs. which is when we take them to the butcher. They are still nursing and sometimes they lift the ewe's entire rear end off the ground. Mama often gets annoyed! LOL
