Selenium prior to kidding and a few other newbie questions...

[AdoptAPitBull]

I have 2 pregnant lamanchas. Fred is due in 2 weeks, and Ethel in about 4. I gave Fred her CD/T on the 25th and plan to do Ethel today or tomorrow. I've been told to give it anywhere from 6 weeks prior to a month prior to kidding, so I believe I'm OK there, right?

As far as selenium goes, I know I'm in a deficient area. I was told to give a Bo-Se but I ended up getting the selenium/vit E paste from Jeffers instead. I feed Caprine Challenger, BOSS, timothy hay and a mineral block. Should I still give the selenium paste? I definitely don't want to overdose them, but I also want to make sure they have enough. Your thoughts?


In regards to clipping, Fred is not a fan of me touching her back there. She runs away, even at feeding time. How should I approach the clipping if she does this? I don't have a milk stand yet so that won't help. Should I put a collar on her and tether her so at least she can't go too far? Kinda at a loss for ideas!

And also in regards to a kidding stall, what is the protocol for after kids are born? Do they remain in there permanently for a few days with mom, or do I just bring mom in every few hours for feeding? I purchased dog igloos for the kids to be able to snuggle into for warmth and I do have a space heater I can turn on for them. I hope that is sufficient.

Any other tips for a new goat owner would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[ksalvagno]

I give my BoSe shot when I give the CDT shot which is 4 weeks prior to kidding. It is up to you as far as giving it. I have found that the kids seem to be stronger when the doe has had a BoSe shot. I also give the kids a shot of BoSe the day after they are born.

You would leave the doe in the kidding stall with the kids. Once again it is up to you for how long. I have 12 does so the mom and kids stay in the kidding stall for 2 weeks and then go in with the rest of the herd. But if you only have 2 does, that is a different situation.

You will have to tie Fred somehow if you want to clip. It would probably help to also have someone help hold. I don't have any good advice on that since I haven't clipped my girls yet.

 

[chandasue]

You could get a double clip lead (clips on both ends of a short piece of leash) and clip her to the fence or something for clipping. She wouldn't be able to get far and you could pin her up against the fence if she gets to wiggly.

If you're dam raising kids, I'd think you could just leave mama with the babies. The babies will stay warm and get all the good nutrition they need. If you want milk, wait a couple weeks before separating them at night so you'd milk in the morning. (Or the other way around if you prefer milking at night.)

Be very careful not to burn down the barn with a space heater. I hang a heat lamp where it won't get bumped or start anything on fire. I'd be too worried about a space heater falling over and catching fire.

I'm not sure about the selenium paste. Hope someone else chimes in on that.

Edit: she beat me!

 

[20kidsonhill]

Selenium paste doesn't work nearly as well as a Bo-Se injection, so if you use the paste there is probably no way you would over dose her.
We use free-choice loose goat minerals, and at 30 days prior to kidding put them on goat pelleted feed, both of these have selenium in them and we still give around 3 or 4 shots of Bo-Se a year to our does.

One shot 30 days before breeding
another shot 30 days before kidding with the CD &T shot
Another shot around a month into nursing ( we have meat goats)
And then one more shot if the doe is looking wormer and it has been atleast 30 days since a shot.

A goat has a harder time getting all the needed minerals from a block compared to loose minerals.

In my opinion there is no way you would over dose her with the paste and I would recommend the Bo-Se injectable from the Vet. A couple times I got lazy, never got around to buying another bottle, and regretted it.

As far as kidding stalls we leave ours in for 1 day to a couple weeks depending on multiples, milking ability of the doe(Boer) and mothering ability of the doe. We don't milk our goats so the dairy people would be more helpful. We then just let them out in the herd with the kids(Around 20 does). We wean between 6 and 8 weeks of age.

 

[helmstead]

The selenium/e gel/paste really isn't worth using. They just don't get enough out of it. Try to get some BoSe from your vet. Even if you are 14 days prior to kidding, it will make a big difference.

 

[Roll farms]

The dosage I use for selenium is 1cc per 40#. I tried using the paste a few years ago...saw no results...I will stick w/ BoSe from now on. Makes one heck of a difference!

 

[julieq]

Nothing to add to the wonderful advice except welcome!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

We starting using BoSe injectable this season and our first kid hit the ground RUNNING! It's not at all that last year's kids weren't healthy and vigorous, but jeez! It's like he was two hours old the minute he emerged.