mama goat rejected babies

[lukin4trbl]

We have a young mama goat who rejected her babies 3 days ago we have tried putting them back in there. She kicks them in the head and walks away. I tried leaving them in there and let them cry for her she looks at them and walks away. I have been bottle feeding them and they are thriving but mama goat just keeps screaming outside. You go outside or take babies out she stops they are super small and its so cold I cant leave them out there I dont know what to do any suggestions would be helpful?

 

[FishMtFarm]

You wouldn't need milk replacer cause the doe would have to be milked so you would bottle feed her milk. And everything be should care if it's stressful. They would need to feed frequently cause if you stick em on there every few hours, she would have time to fill up tight again and that's painful. We tried that game when we first got into goats and it wasn't worth it. I'm sorry but to say who cares about animal stress is careless and irresponsible. They are dictated by Mother Nature and survival and if she rejected them, you can't make her love them. Just not how it works in the animal world. With breeding comes the reponsibilty of knowing things could go wrong and that you may have a chore on your hands.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Milking a goat just prolongs the dry off period. Best to let her dry down right away and be done with it. Humans that don't nurse do it all the time, and they don't get mastitis because of it.

I personally find it easier to bottle feed kids than it is to constantly having to hog tie a goat multiple times a day so the kids can nurse.

Kid goats will get very sick if fed improperly. When nursing the kid keeps the bag mostly dry and they can't consume much at each feeding. Now you take a goat and restrain it a couple times a day and suddenly you don't know how much they are consuming which can cause scours and death.

Best to pull the kids for their own well being. Whether to milk the goat is a whole nother issue.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It's best that you raise the babies. I've had does who don't know that they are their kids, especially if they wandered away during those first few minutes while she's delivering another one, or if she's a new mom. She will dry up and go back to be a goat after a bit.

 

[lukin4trbl]

We have a young mama goat who rejected her babies 3 days ago we have tried putting them back in there. She kicks them in the head and walks away. I tried leaving them in there and let them cry for her she looks at them and walks away. I have been bottle feeding them and they are thriving but mama goat just keeps screaming outside. You go outside or take babies out she stops they are super small and its so cold I cant leave them out there I dont know what to do any suggestions would be helpful?

Thank you so much for response the babies are doing good inside. I just was scared we lost a baby last month she had babies early looked like raw chicken and two days later she was in shock and died. My heart broke and I can't lose another

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have lost plenty of goats and kids over the years, none are ever easy to take. Your mom goat should be fine, most take about 2-4 weeks to dry up and return to normal, and the babies will do fine being raised by you. Next year she may be a better mom or she may not.

As far as your other goat she could have been unwell and that's why she aborted her kids. There seems to be too many reasons for goats to die. They are more fragile than people believe.

 

[FishMtFarm]

I think part of the reason they seem to be so fragile is because of copper and selenium deficiency. Copper deficiency can cause all sorts of problems like parasite overloads, rough fur coat, weight loss, lethargy, hair loss, etc. And selenium deficiency can be really scary. I give selenium to all our newborns and to the pregnant does 30 days before their due date. You make sure they are not deficient and it's amazing how hardy they are and how low maintenance they are.

 

[lukin4trbl]

She died and we are devastated

 

[FishMtFarm]

She died and we are devastated

The mother goat died? Awe so sorry. What happened?

 

[kraChickenKidd]

She died and we are devastated

I'm so sorry for your loss
:,( that's so sad. I really am sorry to hear that. But don't let it ruin you on raising goats. When raising animals, there will be just as much bad as good. Even if we do everything right. It's just the way nature is