| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 3:17:21 PM
i know that is pretty subjective but i am just curious how big or little a baby goat is. momma is a nubian/kiko cross and daddy may be a large angora or a tiny something else lol. so if anyone knows what size a new born nubian is that would give me a close enough idea. also would it need a heat lamp if it has a dry place out of the wind? if so how would i keep momma from chewing it up? her box is about a 4 ft cube and uninsulated. the temps are running around the teens at night and 20s daytime tho it could be much colder when she finally drops this baby. her bag is definately getting larger by the day tho the teats are still very floppy. peace connie in alaska |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Oct 29 2009 : 6:49:53 PM
Hi Grace! I was hoping to hear from you! The sweatshirt idea is great! Thanks! With the cold temps we arent going to let the baby outside for at least a couple weeks so the sweatshirt should stay nicely dry. I plan on at least one week of letting mom and baby do their own thing.
Will her bag be hard and full before birthing? It is getting noticeably bigger by the day now but the teats are still smallish and empty. I will check her as much as I can but she sure picked a bad time for me to do that as I am having some pretty bad health right now and just getting dressed is almost more than I can deal with. That is one reason I will leave the babies with her as much as posssible, only taking them off her for several hours when I need milk. I know that her milk production will not be as good as if I did traditional milking but hopefully it will work out for all of us that way. Hope your weather clears up soon!
Peace Connie in Alaska |
| grace gerber |
Posted - Oct 29 2009 : 11:21:44 AM
Hi Connie, just got the chance to catch up on emails and thought I would throw my two cents in.
Couple of tricks, first let that mom and baby have a good week of nursing before you take any milk. The reason is in that type of cold that baby needs to feed on demand and that will keep it going when those temps are dropping. Next, if you can give the mom some molasses in her water and give her warmed water that will get her energy up in the cold and help in her making more milk. Next if you can slip a baby sweat shirt on the baby that will assist in keeping the warmth in but do not let it walk in the snow with the sweat shirt unless you can change it out. Otherwise, that wet shirt will be worse then none. I know that the cabin is small so I would say keeping a very close eye on Mom will be your best bet for having a live birth. I know it is a pain but even after all these years I still do two hour checks on my expecting girls especially during our bad winters. The farm has been having a two day snow storm that is expected to go for another day - we are a blizzard conditions and even thou my girls are not due for two months I still keep close watch. Health, sound babies are the goal and we do what it takes to get them there. Good luck and keep us in the loop. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to assist and happy birthing.
Grace Gerber
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| sacredwolf |
Posted - Oct 29 2009 : 09:10:40 AM
Milking in the middle of the day will be fine for her once she gets the routine down. The baby will be born wet and will get phnomina really easy if not born in a warm dry place. If you are lucky enough to catch her having the baby then I agree with taking a towel out to dry the baby off. Like the replies before said it helps with breathing and circulation. She will need a heat lamp for quite awhile. It will depend on how the baby does. I know you said you do not have room but another opt. would be to take the baby off of momma, bring it in the house and bottle feed it. It seems like I end up with at least one baby in the house every year. I think that average weight is 5 to 7lbs but it is really hard to tell what the weight and size is really going to be. |
| maggie14 |
Posted - Oct 28 2009 : 8:56:54 PM
I wish you luck Connie! I have goats and I can't wait till they have babies!!
Channah
If you can dream it, and if you are willing to put forth the work and effort, you can have anything you envision. |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Oct 28 2009 : 7:34:01 PM
sadly we have no clue when she is due other than "sometime before mid december lol. i just kinda wanted an idea of what size to expect since i havent ever seen a newborn goat. i cant wait! we will have to just put a heat lamp on her soon cuz there isnt room for another body in this tiny cabin even to save its life! as it is we have to back up to get around each other! how long will it need heat? these goats are pretty hardy but i dont want to accidently kill the baby thru neglect. racheal had no shelter all last winter when temps were down to 55-60 below zero! she did have other goats tho. her bag is getting noticeably bigger by the day so i am praying that she will have it/them very soon before the temps get much lower! i have no clue why she was bred so late *sigh* i am gonna milk some and let baby have some. prob will have hubby seperate them for a few hours in the morning then milk her mid day, i know that isnt the traditional way but will work best for us. i figure that whatever she gets used to will be right for her lol. this is her second baby but i do not think she hasa been milked, ought to be interesting! we have to build a stand so that i dont have to get down so low which, especially in winter clothes, is next to impossible for me. peace connie in alaska |
| sherrye |
Posted - Oct 28 2009 : 07:15:27 AM
i agree also. when i got my first nubian girls abbie and fifi they were in a wire cage in my soap room. so very cute. i am wishing it was me with a little one coming.are you going to milk or does baby get it. i bottle fed even in the night. i enjoyed all of it. now the girls are very sweet and loving. happy birthing let us know when the day arrives |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 6:43:07 PM
I third it, wet babies can freeze to the ground, and it usually means a slow painful death for them. If you are not sure on your kidding dates, bring mama into your house, kitchen, porch , etc. All of us have had mamas and babies inside at one time or another, lol.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| maggie14 |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 6:11:09 PM
I second what Zan said!!
channah
If you can dream it, and if you are willing to put forth the work and effort, you can have anything you envision. |
| Farmtopia |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 5:05:50 PM
Hey Connie---I've worked with people with goats, and you'd be amazed that some goat babies get down to a pound, like the dwarves. It really kinda depends, too--for example, some goats have triplets, even quads, and those are wayyyyy small---competing for food and all inside the womb  . So it's sometimes kind of hard to factor for weight.
Also, yes, even without wind--you'll want some kinda heat lamp. Cold at that level + wet baby = serious chill and possible death. I would try to keep the cord out taped or positioned of sight, but I doubt that momma will chew on the lamp itself. Also, you might wanna be on hand to towel of baby or babies to get the wet off them and encourage breathing and circulation.
Good luck! 
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