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Barnyard Buddies:  Bad day to have baby goats! UPDATE  |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 07:28:37 AM
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| One of my doe's started having her kids this morning. Right now, it is 9:30 am and the temperature outside is -17. I brought the first one in the house and the second one didn't make it. It may have been stillborn, as I came upon it right away, but the cold may have just killed it instantly. I have never bottle fed goats before, but it looks like I'm going to have to learn pretty quickly. I am busy looking up tips on the internet, but if anyone has any info to pass along, please do. |
Edited by - PlumCreekMama on Jan 31 2008 1:46:20 PM |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2881 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2881 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 08:26:12 AM
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| Hey Heather, I will call my friend Linda(wooliespinner) & tell her about your babies. I have 2 of her Nubian does (my BEAUTIES) She is a wealth of knowledge & can hopefully help. I think she may be out doing groceries this morning, but I will have her get on line when she gets back. |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 09:28:03 AM
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Hi Heather,
definatly get the colostrum in them and also if you have it 1/8 tsp of instant coffee or 1 tsp of regular brewed coffee. This will jump start the system if they are week. I would feed the baby every four hours for the first 24 and then go every 6 hours the second day as long as it is nursing well. If the baby does not want to take the bottle. Then give this mixture warm of course in a syringe very carefully. Little at a time and make sure is swallowing. If you only get a few cc of this milk/coffee mixture that okay. Let it rest and try again in 20 minutes. Sometimes ticling them under the tail will stimulate them to nurse or just getting a little in their mouth. If you have that baby in the house you cannot take it back outside in the cold for many days because this will be to much a shock to its body. If you would like me to call you send me your phone number and I will call you and we can cover more ground quickly.
Good luck to you and hope things work out for you.
take care
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 3:24:34 PM
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| There is no way I can milk the doe. She is very wild. I did get some milk into the kid by having him suck my finger and slowly squirting milk out of a syringe. He doesn't seem weak or anything. I have to buy feed tomorrow, so I'll see what they have that might help. |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 7:33:48 PM
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Heather
if you don't have any milk from the mother whole cow milk will work. Try putting in a baby bottle if you have one. Tomorrow see if you can get some kid milk replacer or lamb replacer. Just don't buy calf milk it doesn't have enough fat in it. If all else fails give straight whole cow milk from the store with some polyvisol liquid vitamins for chidlren without iron.
good luck.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 8:25:33 PM
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Linda,
I haven't had goats before just sheep. I would be concerned about developing mastitis if mama isn't milked. Is it the same with goats? |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 8:52:23 PM
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Yes Jennifer its the same for goats as sheep. Its very important. I have wool sheep also and they sure can get in a mess just like the dairy goats. It was harder for me to milk my wool sheep because they had such short legs...lol...Romney sheep are such low riders. I know longer breed them they are just fiber pets now.
I know she said she could not milk the doe because she was so wild. I was just giving advice for her to give the baby something if she could not get it from the mother.I know she lost the 2nd one and was hoping the first one would be okay. But if the mama is really got a good amount of milk it would be really a good idea if you could milk her out. If you could tie her and have someone hold her legs while you milked her out. I know this can be very hard with a new mama that has never been milked. If you can't you need to watch and make sure her udder doesn't get red and hot to the touch. Antibiotics may need to be used.
I would talk to a vet if you can about what to do with that.
What kind of a goat is this Heather ??
Is she a milk or a meat goat ??
Sometimes you can work with them and they will calm down after the first few times especially when they know they will get grain while they are being milked.
Well I am off to bed I have an appointment tomorrow early. Take care Heather.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2008 : 10:29:39 PM
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Thanks everyone for your advice. I will keep an eye on her udder. I have tried working on taming her down in the past and nothing works. The people who owned her before me didn't mess with her at all. She was pretty neglected, as were the other 2 goats I got with her. One of the other 2 got really sick one time and almost died, and after I got her healthy again, she was more tame. The mother doe is a pygmy. I know what you mean about short legs, Linda! I hope I don't have to try to milk her. I may end up getting gored! Oh, well, if I have to I have to. She does have another (older) kid that is still really attached to her. Maybe I could get lucky and he'll drink some of the milk! I do have penicillin on hand if I need it.
The baby is doing fine. Already recognizing me as his mom. My human baby, on the other hand, is not so thrilled. He cries whenever he hears the baby goat crying. I have the goat in the house for today, but tomorrow I am going to have to set something up in the garage. Luckily, I have my chicken brooder heat lamps and a spaceheater, so I can keep him nice and toasty. I haven't been able to get him to drink out of a bottle yet, but using the syringe is getting food into him pretty well. I am feeding him evaporated milk, which several websites said is a good thing to give them if you don't have colostrum. I also have some whole cows milk in the fridge, but I will look tomorrow for something for goats. Thanks everyone! |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2008 : 2:27:56 PM
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how if your four legged baby today, heather? i'm thinking of the little bugger.
What we write today slipped into our souls some other day when we were alone and doing nothing.
-Brenda Ueland
http://quilandneedle.blogspot.com/ |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2008 : 7:49:05 PM
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He's learning to drink from a bottle pretty well. I have to use my finger to get him started, but he's doing very well. He likes to head butt me like baby goats do to their moms udders, so he definitely thinks of me as his mom. He really likes being a house goat- he's going to be spoiled rotten! I got a lamb/kid nipple at the farm store today, but he's still a little small for it, being a pygmy. He's using my son's bottles for now. Here is a picture of him with my 3 year old.
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2008 : 8:30:55 PM
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Do you diaper him yet?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2008 : 06:19:21 AM
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diapers! i saw a pattern for goat diapers in an old Countryside Magazine recently. the "house" goat i had, was pretty much potty trained. she only had an accident inside once and that was when she got so excited jumping around on the couch she just had to tinkle (btw, she is the goat in my tagline). i know you are just having a blast with this little one, heather...i miss my goats so much.
What we write today slipped into our souls some other day when we were alone and doing nothing.
-Brenda Ueland
http://quilandneedle.blogspot.com/ |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2008 : 11:03:50 AM
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Glad to year your baby goat is getting the hang of the bottle. He looks very cute in the picture. I just love baby goats. I hope everything continues to go well for you and the baby goat. Hope mama is fairing well too. I know you were concerned about her udder. Take care.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2008 : 1:28:44 PM
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| Mama goat seems to be doing fine. I had to take the baby goat with me yesterday to my parents house. I had a double birthday party for my sons there, and was going to be gone too long to leave him at home. He was fine and everyone got a kick out of seeing him. He is adjusting very well. |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2008 : 2:16:13 PM
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oh, my! i love totting around baby goats. everybody just loved it. pack up the baby and go...just like the two legged ones!
What we write today slipped into our souls some other day when we were alone and doing nothing.
-Brenda Ueland
http://quilandneedle.blogspot.com/ |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2008 : 2:43:54 PM
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We had a house goat for w awhile, Bailey, before she got too big. She was a Nubian and full of personality. I miss my goats too, they are a blast to take around. We used to pack her up in the car in a carrier and go visit family, this was some years ago and she is no longer with us, but they are such cute little devils. I would put on blue grass or fiddle music and she would dance and bounce around to it. heehee
Your little fellow is a cutie and your little boy is darling too. I wish you lots of fun with your house goat =)
Annika
Farmgirl sister #13
Mud Hen Queen
http://innermountainmudhens.wordpress.com/
http://panzymoon.wordpress.com/
http://panzymoonsgarden.blogspot.com/ |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2008 : 3:13:17 PM
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Well Heather,
sounds like the baby is doing great. It sounds like he's already part of the family. He will be a spoiled baby in no time. I had a bottle baby too and his name was Duncan Idaho after a character in Dune the movie. Strange name but it just seemed to fit him. He was the cutiest thing and spoiled. He went everywhere with me and I took his bottles too because he needed to bed fed so often in the beginning. I took him to school for the kids to see. They had a blast with him. He was so friendly and would run and play with all the children just like he was one of them. I miss those days with him. He grew up and had to move to the barns. Goats are so endearing. What can I say I am hooked on them..........lol
take care
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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doublebow
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
michelle
springtown
tx
37 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 11:26:29 AM
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| Hello, I'm new here and I know this topic was started a few days ago but wanted to give some input. First of all I hope everything is still going well for your baby goat. He is just adorable. The other thing I wanted to say is that there's some stuff called Goat Serum that you can get that will help build your goats immune system since he didn't get any immunities from his mom. If you want more info about it you can let me know. |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 12:05:17 PM
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| Yeah, I'm interested! What is it? |
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doublebow
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
michelle
springtown
tx
37 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 4:58:47 PM
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| The product is called Goat Serum Concentrate. You can get it from Hoegger's or Caprine supply online. If you can give it to a little one at birth you can give it orally but at this stage you have to give an injection. It helps build the immune system because it is actually made from the part of blood (from a healthy goat) that has immunities in it. Sorry I didn't mean to sound like an infomercial! It's really helpful for babies that don't get colostrom. Well, good luck! |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2008 : 6:43:08 PM
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| Thanks! I appreciate it. I have a Hoegger's catalog, so I think it sounded familiar when you first mentioned it. I'm going to have to get some. I was wondering what I was going to do. Thank you very much! |
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doublebow
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
michelle
springtown
tx
37 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 06:42:36 AM
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| You're welcome! |
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PlumCreekMama
True Blue Farmgirl
730 Posts
Heather
Iowa
USA
730 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 1:51:35 PM
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| I just took him to the vet because I noticed his back hooves were swollen. The vet said he has frostbite. He said it takes about a week after to show up and that would be right because he was born a week ago. He said I'm already doing the best thing for him, which is keeping him in the house. He said not to let him get cold, so he won't be able to go outside for a long time. I also have to give him penicillin because he's running a fever. Worse case scenario is his feet could fall off. Which is horrible! The vet said it's a good sign that his feet are still warm and he's not having pain. Also I had noticed a few days ago that his ears were swollen, and the vet said that they are definitely going to fall off, but that it's not as big a deal as the feet. He said it will take at least 3 weeks for the swelling to go down, so hopefully by then I'll know what's going to happen. I'll keep you all posted. |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2008 : 3:23:22 PM
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I am so sorry to hear this Heather,
Bad enough to lose one and now frostbite. Well I dealt with that last year. It was 11 below and I even had them in a stall closed up with tarps and a heat lamp and he was nursing from his mother. He was a 11 pound strapping boy. But the end of his ears became swollen and hot. The vet told me the same thing. I did the antibiotics plus baby asprin to help the swelling. He did lose a little of his ear but not much. My goats are nubians so they have lots of ear !! I would be more concerned for his feet. I would try to massage them very gently twice a day and maybe they will be okay. If they look weepy maybe try to soak them in epson salts and warm water if possible. Maybe one little foot at a time in a coffe can. Its a good sign that they are still warm. Poor little guy. I feel for the both of you.
Sounds like your doing a great job with everything. Keep your chin up and keep up the good work. Will say a prayer for both of you.Take care.
Linda
Each day is precious...take a few of those minutes for yourself. |
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Barnyard Buddies: Bad day to have baby goats! UPDATE |
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Bad day to have baby goats! UPDATE
