Question about goat birth if help is needed

[BlessedWithGoats]

Thanks Sweetened!
I'm starting to think "forget the gloves...", as many of you have mentioned it works better with them off... Thank you all so much for your help!!

 

[norseofcourse]

I've never had to go in and assist (yet), but I do keep gloves in my lambing kit, and use them.

I use the shorter nitrile or latex ones for when I'm dipping the umbilical cord, so I don't get iodine stains all over my fingers (sometimes I forget )

I also use the long sleeve-length ob gloves - this was a tip from a friend. I put one on to pick up and hold onto the afterbirth, and with my other hand reach for the top of the glove and turn it inside out, so the afterbirth is neatly contained. Tie a knot in the sleeve of the glove, and dispose.

 

[SkyWarrior]

I've never had to go in and assist (yet), but I do keep gloves in my lambing kit, and use them.

I use the shorter nitrile or latex ones for when I'm dipping the umbilical cord, so I don't get iodine stains all over my fingers (sometimes I forget )

I also use the long sleeve-length ob gloves - this was a tip from a friend. I put one on to pick up and hold onto the afterbirth, and with my other hand reach for the top of the glove and turn it inside out, so the afterbirth is neatly contained. Tie a knot in the sleeve of the glove, and dispose.

I just let the chickens eat it. Extra protein.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Good ideas, norseofcourse and SkyWarrior!!

 

[Sweetened]

Our barn cats consume the afterbirth; its usually half gone by the time i find it and, whatever the cats dont finish off i give ti the chickens if the dogs dont get it first.

 

[norseofcourse]

No chickens, no barn cats, no outside dogs...

 

[Ridgetop]

Blessed with goats - Sorry so long in replying - out of town picking up a new herd ram.
Antibacterial liquid soap - you can use a little water with the soap to make it go on easier. I try to keep it close to full strength for the antibiotic properties and also the lubrication. If you are pullig babies and the water has burst the extra lubrication helps.
PennG is available without prescription at any feed store. I only give it if I have to mess about inside a doe or ewe. I have never had a problem with a retained placenta. On the other hand, when we had a large herd (35 to 45 breeding does and ewes) I also kept some oxytocin on hand. Actually I never had to use that very much either.
You will learn the signs of a problem birth eventually, (I know that doesn't sound happy) but most goats and ewes do fine without help. We had goats for a long time before I ever pulled a kid. Our first Nubians were renowned for having quads (not unusual for Nubians) and never had a problem. Our Suffolk and Hamp sheep were worse. Our dorsets never had a problem except a ewe who had aborted a 4 month fetus and had a huge single 7 months later. I had to pull it because of the size not the position.
Some people freak out and go in before they need to. If you are worried that she has been pushing hard for too long, just use the tip of your finger to check inside her vulva. Often you will feel the tip of a hoof or nose which means things are ok. Unless she has been really straining for over an hour she is ok. I don;t mean regular labor, I mean really pushing without any progress. After that you might have to check to see if things are not working. Massaging the vulva if she is not dilated can help, but only if she is in hard labor.
I do like to help dry the babies off and make sure they are breathing properly. I also find that after several minutes letting the doe fuss over her newborn if you take it away she will get on with having the next one. (Helpful in late night kiddings!) This is a good time to check sex, health, and iodine the cord. If you aren't sure she has finished, you can check without going inside her. Stand over and reach under as if you were going to give her a hug. Gently pick up on her belly and feel. If there is another kid or lamb it will feel like a hard lump towards the bottom of her belly. If you can't feel anything you can pick up harder to make sure. If she has another baby it will be born within 15 minutes if you take away the first one. (This gives us cuddle time with the newborn!)
After she has the last one, and the cords are iodined, make sure that her teats aren't plugged by manually expressing a little colostrum. Make sure they are nursing. The kids are extemely stupid and will try to nurse on ridiculous parts of mom. Most first time moms do fine, some first timers are confused about what has happened and won't let babies nurse even though they busily clean them off and are interested in them. First time moms that won't let their babies nurse might be engorged so just release a little milk until the kids can latch on. If she still won't let them nurse, tie the doe to fence and put the kids to her udder. I had a first timer who still kicked her lambs when we did this and we had to hold her legs down but once they were nursing she became a great mom. The fun in livestock is all the incredibly different ways they behave!
Save what you milk out - colostrum is precious and can be frozen in case you ever have a weak kid that can't nurse. Then just wait and enjoy your new babies! All will go well. Those darlings will be running and jumping like mad within a week after birth - so much fun! Remember to post pix!

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Aww! Thanks so much Ridgetop! I'm much better prepared, learning from all of you, than I was before! Great info!
And no worries... congrats on the new ram!! What breed is he? How's he adjusting to the move?
I just got a new Alpine/Nubian/Saanen doe recently, so she's getting used to it here.

 

[Ridgetop]

He is a Dorset. Our old Dorset ram is a good one, and produces lambs year round. We have several of his ewe lambs already, and although they say 4 generations is ok, we are expecting a third generation lamb now. 3rd generation out of his daughter/granddaughter! I am a fan of line breeding, but this is overdoing it! We also picked up another 2 ewelings. The plan is to breed them to the old ram, and sell the old ram next year. He is a great out of season breeder. Dorset ewes will lamb every 7-8 months, and good Dorset rams stay fertile and will breed year round. Most other breeds go sterile during the hot summer months and the ewes only cycle once a year. We get lambs year round. Since we live in southern California the weather is never too cold. I love Dorsets.

On the other hand, our very favorite animals are goats. We will probably get some more Boers soon. There is a good market for them here, actually better than freezer lambs.

If I could figure out how to do it, I would post a picture but I am computer challenged! LOL I'll keep trying. Of course, they never cooperate. I either get a photo of their butts, or the babies are hiding behind their moms, etc.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

He is a Dorset. Our old Dorset ram is a good one, and produces lambs year round. We have several of his ewe lambs already, and although they say 4 generations is ok, we are expecting a third generation lamb now. 3rd generation out of his daughter/granddaughter! I am a fan of line breeding, but this is overdoing it! We also picked up another 2 ewelings. The plan is to breed them to the old ram, and sell the old ram next year. He is a great out of season breeder. Dorset ewes will lamb every 7-8 months, and good Dorset rams stay fertile and will breed year round. Most other breeds go sterile during the hot summer months and the ewes only cycle once a year. We get lambs year round. Since we live in southern California the weather is never too cold. I love Dorsets.

On the other hand, our very favorite animals are goats. We will probably get some more Boers soon. There is a good market for them here, actually better than freezer lambs.

If I could figure out how to do it, I would post a picture but I am computer challenged! LOL I'll keep trying. Of course, they never cooperate. I either get a photo of their butts, or the babies are hiding behind their moms, etc.

Nice! That must be cool to have babies all year round! I think our goats are seasonal from what I can tell...
Me too! Goats are my second favorite animal, second only to dogs! But goats are rivaling that position! I haven't had any Boers yet, but if we like goat meat I might look into getting some!
Aww! Look forward to seeing pics!