OK, Our Goat Kids Are Delivered, What Now?
We go into more info in the video below, but we kid in the cold weather (it has been -45 windchill outside before) so we always like to make sure kids are dried off well. It is important for the dam to participate in this process as that is partly how they bond. We bounce the doe to make sure there are no additional kids (even if the placenta is out there could still be a kid in the womb.) We tie off and dip umbilical cords to help prevent infection. We also clear the plug in the teat and make sure each kid is nursing before we leave. After delivery, we give the doe a big pot of hot water with molasses and some grain/alfalfa pellets. We clean up all the mess in the stall and lay down fresh bedding if needed.
Anything We Should Know or Watch Out For Once Our Goat's Have Delivered Their Kids?
1. Mastitis: Symptoms would be a warm, red udder, blood in milk, chunks in milk, etc. You can purchase mastitis tests to run. It is beneficial to run tests anyways (on a schedule or randomly) if you drink your milk raw because they could have mastitis but are not yet showing symptoms. Treatment options include but not limited to: warm compress on udder, keep the udder milked completely out, massage with coconut oil, tea tree, and peppermint, use a natural udder balm, and antibiotics that inject directly into the udder.
2. Staph: There is staph everywhere. If a does immune system is down then the staph bacteria can cause issues in your doe. It is most common on her udder, vulva, and anus area. It essentially looks like little white head zits all over. I would NOT drink raw milk from a doe with staph and she is much more likely to get mastitis so she should be watched. Staph is contagious to people so always wear gloves when treating a staph infection. Making sure the doe does not have parasites, is not nutritionally deprived, and giving immune boosters can help her overcome the staph quicker then just treating the staph alone.
3. Milk Fever (Hypocalcemia): This is a condition that is caused by a high need of calcium in a doe but her not receiving enough. This is most a concern at the end of pregnancy and within the first 3 weeks after kidding. We keep our bred does on alfalfa pellets (high calcium) throughout pregnancy and give as soon as they kid also. It is higher risk in a doe with multiple kids, an older doe, a doe that is already low in calcium. Injectable Calcium Gluconate is used if your doe has milk fever to get her calcium that is more readily available for her body to use. More info can be found here.
4. Milking: We plan on doing a future blog post on this in more depth but will give a general explanation here. We keep kids on mostly and milk what is left - we rarely pull kids. It is a reason we have multiple does. Many people start pulling kids at night for 8 hours after 2 weeks and milking in the morning and then leave kids on dam all day. Wash udder before milking (there are different products that can be used to add to water for disinfecting). Clear out each teat before milking to remove any bacteria that may have gotten into the teats. Milk out each side completely to help prevent mastitis. If her udder is looking dry we do use coconut oil, olive oil, and vit E to help sooth it.
***Disclaimer: We are simple farmers and not veterinarians. This is for informational purpose only. What we do on our farm may not be what is best for your farm so please do your own research. This is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. We disclaim all liability in connection with the use of these products and/or information.
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