nervous about kidding time, what am I missing from kidding kit?

[marlowmanor]

The only things no one has mentioned that I find essential are:
1. Hibiclens or other surgical scrub to clean your hands and arms before going in, if you need to do that.
2. a stiff drink for after

and just a few more comments-

I love the puppy pads - usually go through about 2-3 per kid. I find they are cheaper in the "incontinence" section of the regular grocery - near the adult diapers and tampons and stuff.

Myself, in contrast to an earlier post, I prefer the regular cotton towels - I find the texture cleans better than the paper and can clean goo off their face really fast. I've not had any problem with the towels getting clean in the washer. So, I guess have both available and see what you like best for next time.

I always trim cords, so I keep scissors.

I have molasses in my birthing kit to give mama a refreshing drink just after birthing. Not a necessity, but my does seem to appreciate it and pick molasses water over plain.

Remember to worm right after birthing!

Good luck, and have fun!

I do not worm my goats unless they need it. I only have ivermectin here (and it's been rarely used, last use was to treat mites). Will that work to use if I need to worm the does after kidding. I figure I'll keep an eye on their condition and if I think they are losing condition and need worming I'll do it then.

 

[Mamaboid]

We don't worm ours unless they need it either. Haven't wormed any of ours in over a year and a half. I do have one right now that I am watching and she may need to be checked and wormed but other than that we never worm on any kind of schedule or after kidding.

 

[marlowmanor]

We don't worm ours unless they need it either. Haven't wormed any of ours in over a year and a half. I do have one right now that I am watching and she may need to be checked and wormed but other than that we never worm on any kind of schedule or after kidding.

That's what I plan to do. I haven't wormed the wethers in over a year. I think the last time was likely when we first got them so it may be closer to a year and a half. I did have to treat Bob with Ivermec to deal with a mite problem though a few months ago. Bailey hasn't been wormed since we got her last June, and Dixie was wormed by previous owner a month before we got her but we haven't wormed her at all. I definitely want to breed for parasite resistance. I also want to breed for good hooves that require little maintenance and I seem to have that going well for my herd.

So I guess I'll just keep an eye on the does and make sure they don't start going down after birth and be prepared to worm only if needed after kidding.

 

[Mamaboid]

sounds like you are ready.....now if your does just haven't read the doe code you are golden.

 

[marlowmanor]

sounds like you are ready.....now if your does just haven't read the doe code you are golden.

If they have I'll have something like Bailey going late and Dixie going early and they end up kidding on the same day!

 

[Suburbanfarmer]

The best thing I have in my kit is a book called The Backyard Goat. http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Goat-Introductory-Keeping-Enjoying/dp/1603427902
It has really good info on different birthing positions and what to do.

Otherwise, I have colostrum on hand, just in case. I think everything else is just personal preference and what works for you. I always use iodine on the cords. I keep a small pair of scissors that have been dipped in rubbing alcohol in a ziploc bag. I use towels (lots of towels because I am not in anyway organized or neat. I toss them into my most amazing washer that will clean anything) and from my horse tack trunk - reusable cotton leg sheets/wraps work great for laying the babies out on. The only thing that gets thrown away is the afterbirth. I have a bulb syringe (the brain sucker is what we always called it with my kids when they were babies) for clearing their mouths. I have dental floss, but have not had to use it yet.

I've had pritchard nipples on hand, but I'm thinking about changing over to regular Avent bottles. I've only had to boost one baby so far with extra milk and even that one I only had to do it once. I'm thinking that if I have to actually bottle feed I like the Avent bottles better (gosh I wish I had kept them around from my kids' bottle days). You might talk to other goat owners in the area and see if anyone has colostrum in their freezer. I milked out some from my doe when she had extra last month and froze it in an ice cube tray. When I bought a doe with kids at her side and she dropped in her milk production the day we moved her (her babies were only 3 days old) I pulled out the frozen milk/colostrum that corresponded to the closest time (I had frozen colostrum from 48 hrs after kidding and 5 days). Worked great, the baby got a full tummy and the doe's milk production recovered about 8 hours later. They might let you have a couple ounces to keep on hand in your freezer.

Good luck, I'm sure it will go well since you are prepared for the worst.
-K

 

[Cara Peachick]

The reason I worm right after kidding is that the stress of the birthing gives worms an advantage and worm loads can explode very quickly after kidding. I almost lost a doe last year because I waited until day 2 to worm her. During pregnancy, her worm loads were in the low range. If you don't want to worm automatically, I'd at least run a fecal from mom the same day she kids.

Other than kidding, I only worm when a fecal shows they need it. I use herbal wormer. Just me - I'm not saying it's the only way.

Good luck and happy kidding!

 

[marlowmanor]

Close thread please