I had asked Deborah that very question couple of minutes ago. This answered the question!! No reuniting any time soon! So, little sister is stuck with my company intermidently until Mom and kids return...... Marin Waddell said:
I put our doe who kidded last Friday back in with the rest of the herd yesterday, so 5 days. For us this just means opening the stall she kidded in. There wasn't much of a problem with her head-butting, but there must have been with the kids because we had another dead kid last night, right by the hay feeder. expletive expletive expletive expletive. He was the one that had to come in to warm up on the weekend but ended up fine. He was fine yesterday morning, and given where we found him I assume he was head-butted or stepped on.
I'll start keeping them separated from the herd for longer.
boy, do I remember those 70, 80, 90+ degree nights LOL. And not to mention it is still 90+ degrees at midnight with 95+ humidity! LOL.
Adrienne said:
Indiana still flips Isabel's boys sometimes. I don't know why she doesn't like them much...Isabel likes Aurora. Since I only have two and they kidded only 23 hours apart, I had everybody on the front porch for the first two weeks because the weather was really bad and cold in the 30's at night. I know that doesn't seem like anything compared to the north, but here it gets bitter cold and windy, coupled with rain its just aweful. I set up two hay feeders and two beds but I only had one heat light, mineral feeder, and water bucket...and no way to really separate them from each other. From now on I am planning on fall kiddings... the temps will be 70-80 degrees still so I probably won't need a heat light when they are born. Then it will drop down as we go into late November/December and there will be less rain and issues with worms so the kids can grow well.
I am more worried about my two yearlings accidentally stepping on them. They have taken to challenging the doe who kidded to a duel, and the day the kids were born, one of the yearlings and Clarabelle were about to go at it right over one of the kids. Poor Clarabelle was in the middle of a birth and trying to defend her babies. I am so thankful that my son looked out the window right before that and we were already on our way out to rescue the little doeling. We will keep them separated for as long as possible, I think.
Indiana still flips Isabel's boys sometimes. I don't know why she doesn't like them much...Isabel likes Aurora. Since I only have two and they kidded only 23 hours apart, I had everybody on the front porch for the first two weeks because the weather was really bad and cold in the 30's at night. I know that doesn't seem like anything compared to the north, but here it gets bitter cold and windy, coupled with rain its just aweful. I set up two hay feeders and two beds but I only had one heat light, mineral feeder, and water bucket...and no way to really separate them from each other. From now on I am planning on fall kiddings... the temps will be 70-80 degrees still so I probably won't need a heat light when they are born. Then it will drop down as we go into late November/December and there will be less rain and issues with worms so the kids can grow well.
I'm so sorry! This is turning into a really rough spring! Does can be so mean to other kids who try to nurse off them. That's the main reason I keep them separated now for a week or two, if possible. I saw a doe one time grab a kid by its tail and toss it! Luckily they handle tossing much better than body slamming into a wall, but it sure scared me! It's the main reason I will never have horned does.
I put our doe who kidded last Friday back in with the rest of the herd yesterday, so 5 days. For us this just means opening the stall she kidded in. There wasn't much of a problem with her head-butting, but there must have been with the kids because we had another dead kid last night, right by the hay feeder. expletive expletive expletive expletive. He was the one that had to come in to warm up on the weekend but ended up fine. He was fine yesterday morning, and given where we found him I assume he was head-butted or stepped on.
I'll start keeping them separated from the herd for longer.
When I started, it was zero. Now, I like to keep them separate for a week or longer if I can. And if I have several that need to be put together, I move them all together at once, so that they can all have their little head-butting fest at one time and get it over with. So, no adding single does with kids to a group, because the established does gang up on the new one.
Replies
I had asked Deborah that very question couple of minutes ago. This answered the question!! No reuniting any time soon! So, little sister is stuck with my company intermidently until Mom and kids return......
Marin Waddell said:
Adrienne said:
I am more worried about my two yearlings accidentally stepping on them. They have taken to challenging the doe who kidded to a duel, and the day the kids were born, one of the yearlings and Clarabelle were about to go at it right over one of the kids. Poor Clarabelle was in the middle of a birth and trying to defend her babies. I am so thankful that my son looked out the window right before that and we were already on our way out to rescue the little doeling. We will keep them separated for as long as possible, I think.
I put our doe who kidded last Friday back in with the rest of the herd yesterday, so 5 days. For us this just means opening the stall she kidded in. There wasn't much of a problem with her head-butting, but there must have been with the kids because we had another dead kid last night, right by the hay feeder. expletive expletive expletive expletive. He was the one that had to come in to warm up on the weekend but ended up fine. He was fine yesterday morning, and given where we found him I assume he was head-butted or stepped on.
I'll start keeping them separated from the herd for longer.