Goat with kids

[BlueCoyote 0]

we were just given some goats, a nanny and her three kids. there were four but one died. they're only two days old, i think the woman said....

 

one of them sounds weezy to me.... i've handled calves before, even dealt with one dying of pneumonia because some jack ass took him from his mom way too soon after birth.

now i'm wondering.... with four kids.. or even three, do you think the same thing is happening to the weezy one? if he didnt get enough colostrum is he on a downward spiral and is there anything i can do before a vet gets involved?

 

 

 

thanks

Edited March 30, 2008 by BlueCoyote

[earlybird 0]

HE sounds like he has fluid on his lungs,doesn,t mean to say he hasn,t had enough colostrum though,if he is fine and lively and feeding well and skipping about,keep an eye on him and it may clear,if he is down and not drinking etc nip him to the vet,i,m sure a steroid jab will sort him out,

[BlueCoyote 0]

yep he's doing ok now. as you said skipping and climbing and playing. i've never raised goats, only seen them from a distance really.... but all seems to be well. one of the other nans just had her kid yesterday and he seems to be doing well also.

funny thing is all these kids are boys. not a single doe in the bunch! i guess thats ok if you're raising them for meat, eh?

 

 

also for future notes..... if a nan has four kids is that too many for her to handle? if she has that many again should we try to take one or two off her and give it a surrogate mother or can goats handle four? i know with dogs if there are too many pups and not enough tits the smallest ones will die unless you intervene.......

 

i guess i need to just go get a book about goats and read it lol

Edited April 4, 2008 by BlueCoyote

[skycat 6,172]

I rescued a herd of goats many years ago, and learned as I went along with the help of some goat keeping friends. Generally speaking it is not a good idea to let a nanny rear more than 2 kids: look at her udder: just 2 teats: should tell you that maybe nature only intends for 2 kids to be born. If one kid is much smaller than the other 2 then maybe it would be best to get rid of it: it may never be 'right' and if you intend keeping them as pets, then possibly cost you a lot in vet bills throughout its life. That said, not a good idea to keep billy kids as pets unless you get them castrated: they STINK when adult!

[BlueCoyote 0]

no these arent intended for pets.

they came from a funny situation actually.... a man had this herd plus a pony.. coyotes were killing the goats so he sent the pony and goats to his sister so he could repair fences and control the coyotes. a year went by and he finally came to get the pony but told her he didnt care what she did with the goats. she kept them for about six months to a year before stray dogs got into their fence and killed a few.... a friend of hers knew my husband and knew we already had goats so she asked if we would be interested.

i got to be honest when i say the woman that had them was kinda dippy...... the type that WILL make a pet out of a billy. the worst part is that the one adult billy is the son of one of the nans and is the father of all the kids.. so there is inbreeding going on. that might be why the one died and the other seemed sick. the plan is to find someone willing to trade billy's with us or see if we can sell him. we're raising goats for milk AND meat so having all males isnt a bad thing since they are destined for the market.

 

still i'm no expert at this. we didnt know there was inbreeding going on until they were on the property.

 

we had two does to start with. my mom bought them last year and has never bred them. she was told that it takes 9 months for them gestate which surprised her and pissed her off lol she was expecting them to kid quickly so she could have a supply of milk.. we lucked into this situation with the nannies and kids so my mom has what she wants but still plans to breed her other two (which are nubian/boar... i cant spell it) i dont know what breeds the new ones are..

[earlybird 0]

Yes 4 kids is too much and u should try and foster or bottle supplement feed if that is easier if it happens again,goats carry for approx 5 months,similar to sheep.

[BlueCoyote 0]

thanks for the help there. i passed on the info about the gestation too. my moms happy about that lol

[earlybird 0]

Most female goats are mated sept/october time,which is when they come into season.so they kid down following early spring.How is the little fella doing?

[BlueCoyote 0]

everyone seems to be healthy, especially the sickly one. i feel bad for his mother. she doesnt get a moment's piece and is constantly stepping over and away from them when they get too pushy while fighting for a tit. my aunt certainly wants to take one to bottle feed and raise for herself. my mom and her sisters all grew up on farms but never raised goats. i think its a bit of a novelty for them lol but i think my aunt feels sorry for the mom more than she does for the kid.

i'm also surprised that they are eating with their moms now. i was under impression that at this young an age the kids would just drink milk.. but they are eating goat food and nibbling at grass. so i'm surprised!

 

one thing for sure..... they are so damned cute playing and climbing at such a young age.... but it wears off quickly!! my mom's two older goats have gotten their heads caught in the fence around the pig pen more times than i care to count. and its hard to get their heads out of the wire when a half grown pig is trying to sit in your lap.....