Our first two little Nigerian doelings were born today at our farm to Clarabelle. She had them both on the ground just before we arrived and everyone is doing great!
I'm more nervous than when I had my own children. =) I have her with the two kids in a shed with a heat lamp. She can't see the other goats, but can hear them. Does that sound like an ok situation?
Also, what types of foods should she have? We are giving her the regular hay, but also a little grain and about 1/4 cup of alfalfa pellets (the hay is mostly grass)
Anything else she needs?
Also, how do you all make the water accessible without having it where the kids can get in it?
I'm so excited!
I've attached a photo, but there will be more in my album =)
Replies
The kids are doing great. I've seen both of them nursing and their bellies look full. Clarabelle is eating about 2 cups of grain, but then she stops. She doesn't want the alfalfa pellets, but I let her out today for a little bit and she browsed and when she went back in with her kids she began eating her hay.
All seems well.
Thanks for the support!
To your first question it took my kids a few days to really get around. So as long as they are not shivering (Their mouths are warm) and can stand and nurse I would not worry too much about the activity level yet.The tummy is that little soft part after the ribs. If they have nursed recently it will still be soft but slightly protruding. The mom will call the baby over when shes ready to nurse. I would not worry about seeing them nurse, since she will probably do it when you are not looking. Just check their tummies every now and then.
Give Clarabelle some time to get used to the new foods. She will likely learn to eat them soon.
I tried to give Clarabelle the molasses in the water, but she wouldn't drink it. I have more questions ...thanks for bearing with me =)
1. If the kids are standing and not shivering, how often should they nurse? What does a full belly look like? How much should they be up and running around? Mine seem to be standing still a lot. One of them didn't nurse for the whole time I was out there this morning, about an hour, but could have nursed before that. Should I go more by behavior or the full tummy?
2. Clarabelle is not interested in hay or alfalfa pellets (we have never given them to her before) and only ate about a cup of grain this morning. Also didn't want minerals or baking soda. She is liking sticks - tumbleweed and another stick type plant with red bark that is growing on our property, almost like a willow, but I don't think it is, because we are not near any natural source of water. I don't know what they are and don't want to give her anything toxic. Is this what I should feed her since she isn't interested in anything else? I'm wondering if it's from eating all of that placenta. She is still being a good mama.
3. I figured out the water thing. I am using a green mini-feeder that hooks on the partition wall.
3. I wasn't this paranoid with the last three kiddings. I think because the weather was warm, I had had the goats for a while and reading about all of the problems on here has made me aware of what can go wrong...
Thanks for your help!
Thank you! For now, I have the bucket out and we will give it to her as we check, every couple of hours through the night. Tomorrow we will have to figure out what we can do about it.
We gave her about 2 cups of grain and 1/2 cup of alfalfa, so we will give her more alfalfa tomorrow. She did eat the placenta, so should be ok for tonite.
I appreciate the tip on the molasses, I will do that too!
Congratulations!
Once goats have their babies, they don't really seem to care about anyone else. They are usually focused totally on the babies, so she probably doesn't care about the other adult goats now.
I'd start out giving her 3 cups of grain and 1 cup of alfalfa pellets and see how she does with that. If she's not used to grain, you can start out with one cup then go to two cups at the next feeding, then three cups. You can give her the alfalfa pellets right away, and that shouldn't be a problem. If she starts losing too much weight, you can increase the grain to 4 cups and alfalfa pellets, especially if you don't have alfalfa hay. If she gets diarrhea, back off on the grain.
I worried about the water bucket the first year we had kids, and then forgot about it. I have short little two gallon buckets, so I don't think a kid could really drown in one. If it's super cold, they could get hypothermia, but I don't think the two gallon buckets are really a problem. I did have a kid jump into a water trough once -- not good! But she was a couple months old. If you have a bigger bucket, a kid might think it is something to jump ON and then wind up in the water. But they can look into the two gallon buckets, so not a problem.
TOO CUTE!!
My breeder's does can see all other goats, they are just separated from them with cattle panels.
She also gives a couple teaspoons of mollassas in water to her does just after kidding to help them get their energy up.
She says alfalpha is a MUST for lactating/freshly delivered does.
She keeps her water buckets where the doe and kids can reach, tethered to the wall so it won't tip. They are just regular buckets. About 1 foot high or so. I don't think the kids could reach them just yet.
CONGRATULATIONS!! They are precious.