This is our second kidding season (all 100% NDG)...so still learning. The newest does to our herd kidded here last year shortly after their arrival, so they had been through the trauma of travel and getting used to a new home. We lost several at birth, and more later...still not completely sure why. We are hoping this year will be better. So far, out of 7 of the does, we have had 18 kids, with only 2 stillbirths (the last 2 of quads from a doe that had lost some the year before; last had to be pulled...very traumatic). I have been recording all kid weights since birth this time, but need to know if due to the data and the behavior I'm seeing, if I should be supplementing with milk replacer/cow's milk/etc.
Kid Weights spreadsheet (shared Google Sheet)
The kids are 4-12 days old as of today. I see their moms' more often than not refusing to feed them. I have also noticed several of the kids grinding their teeth today, which I've heard is a sign of pain. Why would a kid so young be in pain? At some point with last year's kids, they were grinding their teeth a lot as well. The vet thought it was because they were getting ulcers from nibbling on their mom's grain. These kids are nibbling at grain pellets and hay, but it seems more like play and immitating the adults rather than truly eating it. Also, from what I've read, that's normal for young kids to nibble like that.
Their poop has seemed normal, developing from dark, tarry stools at birth, to fluffy, sticky, yellow baby poops. I haven't seen evidence of diarrhea. The kids are all very playful and run and jump to their heart's content. But, they also chase after the does (thier mom or anyone's) trying to get milk. They suckle on our pant legs and boot straps, and seem to be looking for a meal most times when we hold them. Maybe most of the behaviors mentioned are totally normal, but the teeth grinding worries me.
I went ahead tonight and tried them on some warmed whole cow's milk from a slow-flow dollar store bottle. Only two of them would latch on (Autumn and Milkyway). One of these had definitely been teeth grinding earlier today. Both have been gaining some weight daily. The rest weren't really interested and just wanted their moms.
Replies
Hi, Tammy!
Looks like we were responding at the same time :)
Thank you for that. I was just wondering about it being a response to stress, but hadn't even considered me being the stress... :(
I don't see it with all of the kids, but if it is stress from being handled that might explain it. The most personable kids who tend to chase me down for attention, don't seem to be teeth grinding. Maybe it comes down to personality and stress.
The great news is that the more you handle them, the less stressful it is for them :) They tolerate being picked up and held much better if they are closer to the ground. So handle them while sitting instead of picking them all the way up to a standing position and see if that helps.
~Tammy
They should be gaining an average of 4 ounces per day or 0.25 pounds per day, so most of them are just under that. If your scale only goes out one digit, then you should be seeing 0.3 about every other day to make up for all of the 0.2 you are seeing. It looks like some kids are doing okay but others not so much.
Eating grain does not cause ulcers in kids' mouths. That's a very odd thing for a vet to say. This is what all kids do. Teeth grinding is a sign of pain, and I can't imagine why kids would do it when they are acting totally normal. Do you see it in conjunction with anything else? You might hear it if you are trying to give them milk in a human bottle.
If you check out the bottle-feeding article Abby shared, you'll see that most dam-raised kids will act like you're trying to poison them when you try to give them a bottle. It is usually an exercise in futility to use a human baby bottle. You can get a Pritchard teat at the farm supply store, which works much better. That article gives you a lot of details on bottle feeding.
The moms are not refusing to feed the kids. It is normal goat behavior for the doe to walk away when the kids are nursing. That's why the kids nurse so often through the day. In fact, I get this question so much that I just created a livestream about it: https://www.youtube.com/live/rsf2UkrN6SA?si=-Wdq4G6G569rTzQr
Hi Rebecca! I'll let Deborah know about your questions. In the meantime, check out these articles.
https://thriftyhomesteader.com/raising-baby-goats/
https://thriftyhomesteader.com/bottle-feeding-goat-kids/
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