I have a 2nd freshener who kidded this morning @ about 9am with triplets. 2 does and a buck. I have yet to see either doe nurse. When it went on for too long I put some colostrum in a bottle and the black doe sucked it down like a champ, the buckskin will NOT suckle a bottle.
Their mom is doing everything she can, she stands patiently, she even nuzzles them toward her teats. They just aren't doing it. I have syringed colostrum to the one who won't suckle every few hours, some goes down, most gets spit back out.
I see the black doe butting around looking for the teat but does not latch on. Buckskin doe will not even look for it. When her mom nudges her toward the teat she just walks on by the mom's rear end like she doesn't get it.
What else can/should I do? I am less worried about the black doeling because she has had two good feeds on a bottle.
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Those stubborn little ones can drive you crazy! Good luck with her!
Well...I was there when they were born and dried her immediately. They were born around 9am, and if I had to guess it was probably around 70 degrees. She DID shiver though. I have had other kids shiver at temps that seemed silly, like 60 degrees. I held her in my lap and warmed her.
Follow up bit of info- she is now nursing on her own and seems perky and as bouncy as her littermates. She never looks or feels as well fed as they are, and there is PLENTY of milk. she never would take a bottle no matter how hard I tried. So I am just hoping for the best at this point.
If you can't get enough down her with a syringe, you can try tube feeding. You can get the tube from a dog and cat vet.
A little more back info too...when they were born, the buckskin doeling was always just weaker than the other two. They bounced around and she just laid there. She is not significantly smaller than the others. I gave her vit E & Sel with a drop of blackstrap molasses mixed in with the first colostrum that I syringed to her.
Both of the other kids are nursing on their own now. Last year's thread was very helpful, I wish I had remembered it was there yesterday morning!
Last night when I went to milk it appeared that the doeling still had not nursed. She felt quite empty. I am getting better at getting the food in her with a syringe, and I thawed out a brick f colostrum from another dam in case their mom's colostrum is lacking for some reason. I got almost the whole brick in her which should have been at least an ounce. I know I wasn't getting that much in her earlier so I hope it wasn't too little, too late.
I had a possum in my chicken coop & was down there rescuing the chickens at 4am and when I looked in on her she was standing up so I am praying when I feel her belly she will have nursed overnight
Keep syringe feeding her, and remember, they only need an ounce or so. It's such a small amount. Hopefully once she gets her strength up, she'll start nursing! She might just be the one that gets bumped off if she tries. I had triplets this year I worried about that happening with, but once I got the bugger some milk in his tummy, he got the strength to eat on his own and keep up with his brothers.
Juliana, I just read through a post you made a year ago with a similar problem and there's a lot of good information there:
http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com/forum/topics/when-to-worry-about...
Their mom is doing great. She is even letting me milk her out with no food or tie in the stall to bottle it to them. I just bottled the black doeling again, black buckling nursed on his own, buckskin doeling still has not nursed that I can tell- feels empty, have not witnessed it, but have not been there every minute of the day. She does not seem excessively weak.
How do tummies feel?
It sounds like momma knows what she's doing, so that's good. If it were me, I would leave kids with mom, and keep an eye on tummies. As long as they are full, they're getting something. Remember that when they are little, it only takes a few seconds for them to get what they need. They might be getting something when you're not looking. They're only a few hours old at this point, so they're still learning! It sounds like momma will be patient and keep teaching them. They'll get the hang of it! Since you said you gave the buckling colostrum every couple hours, I would say he's got what he needs to be the foundation of his little immune system, so that's good. Give it some time. My last two kids seemed to take forever to figure it out, but they did it!! A patient mommy helps a LOT.
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