She was due JAN 1: Is she pregnant?

[SuburbanFarmChic]

Beautiful!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Congrats! I second what Gypsy said about making sure to feed the doe really well since she's thin and raising twins. That's great she had does too!

 

[AdoptAPitBull]

Wow! Looking at her, you would have never suspected two kids would have been in there! Just goes to show you that you truly can't tell just by looking!

They look so sweet in their little vests!

 

[hollycow]

the vests are good, but because they're a bit big they'll be out of them as soon as they start to move around a bit. we use dog jackets or sweaters, we can get them at walmart for about $10, they stay on really well and can be washed when they get mucky. not to mention there's not much cuter than a baby goat in a pink dog jacket with fur collar or a camo jacket with a skull embroidered on it if they're out and it's sunny, you can take them off but we keep them jacketed overnights until they're established and active, longer if the weather is wet windy and cold.

we worm the mothers the same day they kid, or the next, becuase if they have any worms at all they'll get a bloom of them right after they kid... its the progesterone I think that wakes the worms up.

make sure the kids are getting enough milk, and that both sides of the udder are producing and unblocked, and that they're working both sides.

add some grain to mama's ration if you haven't already, since she's a bit thin she'll need the extra calories. if you can put her on half or more alfalfa hay that will help with milk production too, it's high in calcium and protien.

other than that, with healthy kids, there's not much to do but enjoy!

Thanks zzGypsy!

What do you use to deworm? What dosage? I am worried too about her having too many worms. Would alfalfa cubes work too? I don't have access to alfalfa hay ...

 

[Ms. Research]

Congratulations on the 2 doelings.

Hoping Mom and babies are doing well.

K

 

[zzGypsy]

the vests are good, but because they're a bit big they'll be out of them as soon as they start to move around a bit. we use dog jackets or sweaters, we can get them at walmart for about $10, they stay on really well and can be washed when they get mucky. not to mention there's not much cuter than a baby goat in a pink dog jacket with fur collar or a camo jacket with a skull embroidered on it if they're out and it's sunny, you can take them off but we keep them jacketed overnights until they're established and active, longer if the weather is wet windy and cold.

we worm the mothers the same day they kid, or the next, becuase if they have any worms at all they'll get a bloom of them right after they kid... its the progesterone I think that wakes the worms up.

make sure the kids are getting enough milk, and that both sides of the udder are producing and unblocked, and that they're working both sides.

add some grain to mama's ration if you haven't already, since she's a bit thin she'll need the extra calories. if you can put her on half or more alfalfa hay that will help with milk production too, it's high in calcium and protien.

other than that, with healthy kids, there's not much to do but enjoy!

Thanks zzGypsy!

What do you use to deworm? What dosage? I am worried too about her having too many worms. Would alfalfa cubes work too? I don't have access to alfalfa hay ...

depends on what is working locally - probably a good question for your vet or a local breeder. worms are more or less resistant in different areas, so what works here might not have any use where you are. Ivermectin is totally useless here, but valbazen works. some wormers require precise dosing or they can be lethal, but most don't so you can estimate weight for dose. also depends on what type of worms she has. really the best thing to do is take some poop to your vet for a fecal test and advice on what's working locally. she's likely to continue to lose weight if not treated for the correct type of worms. to be sure your treatment is working, a second fecal should be done about 14 days (check timing with your vet) after the first. fecal tests are inexpensive, so it's really a good diagnostic.

you can feed alfalfa cubes or pellets, however if she's not used to eating them she can have trouble eating them, or eat them without proper chewing and choke (which can be quite serious and needs a vet). so... start by feeding one or two cubes or a handful of pellets and see how she does. you can try soaking a handful overnight and see if she'll eat the softened mush. if she will, start with soaked, and then gradually add a few unsoaked pellets or a cube or two and let her learn how to chew them. ours grow up with access to pellets so they know how to eat them.

BTW, cubes and pellets are less wasteful than hay as they sometimes will eat the leaves and leave the stems. with the pellets and cubes they eat all of it.

 

[wannacow]

Congratulations! She was the same size as my FF saanen that is due the end of March. I showed DH her pic, so when he starts to get impatient (which he will ) he can remember what she looked like and quit telling me she's not bred.

 

[20kidsonhill]

alfalfa pellets would be a better choice. goats don't do to well with the cubes. I would work her up to 1lb goat grain(3 cups), and 3 to 6 cups alfalfa pellets twice a day, plus all the hay she can eat. Making changes to her feed every 3 or 4 days until she is on full feed.

I would worm her with safegaurd, at 3 x the label dosage for 3 days in a row and then repeat in 2 weeks. Or also get some ivermectin and worm her with that weekly as well as the safegaurd, You can get a tube of ivermectin for horses, cheaper than getting the ivermectin injectable for cattle and give her a dosage for a 300lb horse, since she is probably close to 100lbs. All wormers should normally be given orally.



make feed changes slowly.

I have some concerns that she is under condition enough that she isn't going to produce enough milk for hte kids, if her udder seems small and the kids are bothering her a lot, they will need to be supplemented with a bottle. Whole cows milk works well, but needs to be warmed to 104 degress, since they are used to nursing. good luck with her.

 

[hollycow]

All great advice. Thank you so much!

Will advise on progress...

 

[hollycow]

Since I am a newbie, I decided to get the goat vet out so that she could see Gertie and the kids. I also will get her to talk about disbudding with me. I do not want horns on potential milkers.