First kidding-worried!

Our doe finally had the kids her previous owners said she should have in December...and it looks like they are by her LaMancha as they have tiny ears.  She had triplets, a buck and 2 does, about 9 hours ago now, and I'm a little worried about the doelings.  I've seen the buck nurse several times.  He gets up, finds the udder and latches on and nurses just fine.  He seems robust and strong.  I know both does nursed at least a little early on, like within the first hour or two (we were there for the births of the second and third kids), but it was hard keeping track of who got how much,  with trying to get everyone warm and dry and my daughters helping too....

Anyway, I just haven't seen them nurse as much.  There have been a few times when either they went to the udder or I put them there and they didn't really latch on.  They might play with the teat and butt the doe but that's about it since fairly early on.   I milked the doe and gave the littlest one some from a bottle, but it was more like force-feeding as she didn't want to even open her mouth.  But maybe she just wasn't hungry at that point, or was a little cold.  I also tried to give them a little Nutri-drench. 

I concentrated on warming them up more and they've been sleeping under a heat lamp.  They've all been  walking around, completely dry, get up and down on their own, respond to their mom, etc.  But the doelings look so skinny and not seeing them really nurse much worries me.  What do I need to look for and do to prevent tragedy?!

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  • Cute kids and girls too! 

    Most of us just use a household scale to weigh our kids-- weigh yourself first, then pick up a kid and subtract your weight from the total. If you can weigh them every week you'll be able to tell how much each is gaining and see if they are all getting about the same amount and make sure they're gaining nicely. 

  • They are so cute.  They also look *huge* compared to mine when they are so new, even my 4.5 lb. girl.

  • Thanks!! They seem to be doing fine--such a relief!  Lots of energy and all systems working.  Here are some photos from today, day 4.  Do they seem bigger than straight ND's would be?  Unfortunately we don't have a scale that would weigh them accurately, but I am curious, and want to make sure they are getting enough to eat.  They seem fine, although still a little skinny but they are definitely filling out.  And I check the doe's teats every once in a while, and milk squirts right out....

    I just have to make sure my daughters put them down often enough so they can nurse!

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  • I'm so glad she did so well!  They're very cute!

  • Oh, no! That's what happens when I do math in below zero temperatures! I don't know if my brain was frozen or my subconscious just wanted to go inside ASAP, and the idea of getting three syringes of milk into each kid was way faster than ten. Thankfully it worked for everyone here, which I suppose is why I never double-checked my math before responding in this thread. I'll edit that post, so if someone sees it in the future, they won't be misled. Thanks, Marin!

    Marin Waddell said:

    Just a question about the amount of milk. 1cc=1ml, and there are approximately 30ml in a fluid ounce. So shouldn't a 3cc syringe need to be filled 10 times to make an ounce? Logically this makes sense to me, but when I was feeding a tiny doeling the other day (smallest of triplets to a ff), the idea of getting 10 syringes of milk into her seemed ridiculous. 3 did seem more appropriate so that's what I did, even though it's really only ~1/3 of an ounce. Do I have a massive flaw in my math?
  • Just a question about the amount of milk. 1cc=1ml, and there are approximately 30ml in a fluid ounce. So shouldn't a 3cc syringe need to be filled 10 times to make an ounce? Logically this makes sense to me, but when I was feeding a tiny doeling the other day (smallest of triplets to a ff), the idea of getting 10 syringes of milk into her seemed ridiculous. 3 did seem more appropriate so that's what I did, even though it's really only ~1/3 of an ounce. Do I have a massive flaw in my math?
  • It's hard to say if she'll have enough milk with the kids being half la mancha. I've had la mancha does give birth to kids from ND bucks, and they were 6-7 pounds, which is much bigger than yours. They consumed a lot more milk than my ND babies. I'd suggest handling them every day, checking bellies to see if they feel full, and feeling the spine and ribs. There should be meat on them. If they start to feel boney, they're not getting enough.

    Elaine Caton, Madeline and Iris said:

    Everyone seems to be doing just fine!  All nursing, peeing and pooping, hopping around, over 24 hours old now--such a relief!  The photos posted are from the first few hours.

    The doe Twix was huge, but this being our first ever goat experience, we just weren't sure what was happening.  The babes do seem fairly large from pics we've seen of ND babies, tall and long anyway, but skinny.  She seems to have plenty of milk, but with triplets that are half La Mancha, do you think this will be a problem? 

    She is such a great goat, so glad she didn't have any trouble, and she's a great mom.  I think this is her third kidding.

    Thanks again for your advice and interest!

  • I'd just use a warm, wet washcloth to clean it off so you can see the eyeball and make sure it isn't damaged.

    Elaine Caton, Madeline and Iris said:

    Our little brown girl (Snickers) had a runny eye last night and this morning it is gooey and partly stuck shut.  I'm sure  something just got in it or irritated it because there are no signs of illness and she's acting normally.  Anything I can do besides try to wash it out with clean warm water?

  • Our little brown girl (Snickers) had a runny eye last night and this morning it is gooey and partly stuck shut.  I'm sure  something just got in it or irritated it because there are no signs of illness and she's acting normally.  Anything I can do besides try to wash it out with clean warm water?

  • Oh my, they all have the tiny la mancha ears!! Toooooo cute!!!

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