Goat Kidding

It is kidding time! Whatever time of year you choose to have your kids born can be a very exciting time, but it can also be stressful. Especally if you are not prepared. A doe will kid about 145-160 days after being bred. Plan your breeding sechedual around when you want them to kid. We want our does to kid the end of December so we breed the end of July.

Somethings are hard to prepared for but here is a list of basic things that you might want to have on hand for when your doe kids.

1. Time. You will want to make sure that your does are kidding at a time that you have more time to check on them and observe them often and possibly help them if they need it. For us we have more time in the winter time. So we breed in July for December kids. Pick your kidding time in accordance with your schedual. This may not work for everyone and you might just have to put in the extra time or take time off of work to be there for your goats in case something goes wrong. Most times goats can kid on their own and it is best for them to do it on their own. But we would feel bad if they did have problems and we were not there to help them.

2. Penicillin/LA200. These are normal goat medications that you should have on hand anyway if you raise goats. These are used in case of infection, retained placenta, and mastitis.

3. Vitamin B. Another thing you should have on hand at all the times.

4. Needles and syringes.

5. Latex gloves. These are nice to have when you need to assit a goat.

6. Colostrum and milk replacer. If you have a large enough group of does kidding at the same time you can just use milk from the other does if you want to milk them. Colostrum is very important for your kids to have within the first hour or so of being born. This is the first type of "milk" that a doe will producte for her kids. If you have a doe that produces a lot of colostrom you could milk her and give the colostrom to the kid that did not get it from their mama. We keep a small container of powder colostrom and some powdered milk replacer on hand but prefer to use milk from another goat for the kid that needs it.

7. Extra bedding. We use bedding hay (hay that is not great for animals to eat but is free from mold) and just keep adding layers. If the bedding gets too deep we will clean it out and start fresh, but the deep layers add warmth for the goats.

8. Heat lamps. This is a controversial topic as some say heat lamps are too dagerous. And yes, they can be dangerus and cause a barn fire so use with caution. We use heat lamps when it is really cold and when the kids are first born.

9. Old towels/rags. We like to let the doe clean up her kid but there are times when we do help clean them off. If you are there when the kid is born and the doe is not nervous about you being there you can wipe the kid's nose and mouth right after they are born to prevent them from getting anything in their lungs. If a doe had multipules one right after another and it is cold you might want to help her clean them off but make sure you let her lick each one some so she knows that they are all hers.

10. Feeding tube. We never had to use one yet, but it is a good thing to have on hand.

11. Iodine. This is used to dip the umbilical cord to dry it up and prevent any infection. If you do not do this step most likly the kid will be fine. Some people are religous with this but others are not.

Here are a few things that you will notice when your doe is about to give birth.

A month or so before they give birth most goats will start bagging up. By this I mean that their udder will begin to get bigger and fill up with milk.

The ligaments on eather side of their tail will not be able to be felt anymore and their tail may hang more sideways because they are dilating and getting loose in order to kid. You may also notice that they are 'walking loose'. This is hard to explain, but they will just walk like their back end is loose. If you really know your goats and their mannerisms you will be able to tell if they are loose by watching how they walk.

They may become agitated and more agressive toward other goats. We keep all our goat together in one large pen but it has several corners where they can seclude themselves. We do have two pens just in case of bully problems or heath issues. Some goats will pick a spot and not let any other goats near them while they are kidding. Others will walk around or hang out with their best buddy and not leave their side. It is almost like they need a support goat. It is interesting watching how each one reacts to labor. If you know your goat's regular actions and attitude you should be able to notice when she is agitated and close to kidding.

Active labor is when they are pushing and straining. They may get up and down and paw the ground and dig in the bedding. Some goats will kid standing up and others will lay down. It does not really matter.

Here is our guide of the time line of when we intervene in the birth process.

These are just guide lines we do not follow them to the minute and it depends on the doe and her history.

If the doe takes longer then 2 hours from when we first notice that she is in actual labor we will check to make sure the baby is coming the right way, see if it stuck or more then one is coming at the same time, etc. It is best if actual labor is not longer then two hours.

After the kid is born we like to see them up and eating within a half an hour or so. Some first time does do not stand still for their kids to nurse at first so you can hold them and guide the kid if necessary.

The placenta should be delivered within 12-24 hours. Your doe may have discharge for several weeks after giving birth and that is normal. But if we do not see that she has delivered her placenta after 12 hours we consider it a retained placenta and begin antibiotic treatment.

Some other random things we want you to know:

Take pictures on your phone of when your doe starts to kid and when she kids. This will help you keep track of time.

Some kids will have weak back legs. It is like their joint is backward. It is not, this is just a sign of selenium deficiency. If it is not really bad we just let it go. Sometimes if it is bad you can wrap the leg to support the joint. You could also give the kid some selenium paste. To prevent this issue, be sure that your goats have the correct minerals they need.

The kid's first poop will be gooy black and then change to a yellow paste and then eventually goes to normal goat poop. Sometimes the doe will not clean her kid and you will have to wipe it off of them to keep them clean.

Some people offer their doe molasses water or electrolytes after kidding. This is a nice treat for them but if you can not do that just make sure they have fresh clean water.

Watch your does for worm issues after they kid. Because of all the stress of kidding they are more susceptible to getting worms.

What are some other things that goat owner should know about their does kidding? Let us know in the comments.