I've read to take away water buckets when kidding is close, yet I want the goats to have water. What do you do. My buckets hang off the walls. Should I have something else set up for this time??
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I suggest hanging the buckets on the wall with the brim at adult's shoulder height and put a concrete block in front of it for them to stand on to drink. That should keep babies out of the bucket and leave plenty for the adults to drink. My first kid went into the bucket, briefly, with all fours and had to have a quick dryoff which is when I put the bucket higher, kept it only half full, and added the block for their front feet to be higher to reach into the bucket.
I added about half a cup of molasses to 1.5 gallon of warm water. The first couple of times it was offered, they drank it like there was no tomorrow but then didn't care about it at all. From that, I concluded they will drink what they need and then be ready to go back to regular water.
Some people (on here) drench their goat with unsulphured blackstrap molasses after kidding. I just put about a third of a cup of the molasses into a bucket of hot water to give her some energy and hydration. I don't think you need to worry about measurements though-- you can't give them too much or too little. I've only had one kidding so I'm not expert (lol) but when I offered the bucket, she slurped it right down.
I remember reading that and removing water buckets the first year or two after my does kidded. And then I forgot all about it. After 12 years, we have lost one kid to drowning, but it was a one-month-old kid that jumped into a water trough outside. The only newborn I have ever had that got into a water bucket was one that we finally realized had been born blind and with some sensory issues. Normal kids are smart enough to stay out of water buckets, but what we discovered the first couple years when we put shallow pans in the pens is that kids would walk right through them and get wet!
Ok - of course - logic steps in. My buckets are for the most part high enough to stay clean, so that should be high enough not to have a baby dropped. I know some have babies standing but most lie down - right?
If you do the water with molasses- how much molasses in it?
Judy
Judy, you just have to have the buckets at a level where the doe can't accidentally drop a kid into a bucket when kidding. They'll need the water buckets to stay in the kidding pen at all times. Bringing her warm water with molasses during kidding and after is important but not leaving the bucket down at kid level after she drinks it. Of course the kids won't need water anyway.
I keep water buckets in my goat's area. They haven't had any issues yet! :)