General kidding questions

[Thunderhill]

hee hee

 

[ametauss]

Quote:
Thunderhill answered a lot of the questions but I didn't see an answer to this one....

I'm also gathering stuff for the kidding night.... The lady down the street from me was to help with my kidding since she had a large herd of boer but she passed away in the fall.... now I'm scrambling since I don't know many goat folks....

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Oh, and is BoSe the same as Bova Sera? I am assuming it is.

Bova Sera is a vaccine used to prevent several bacterial problems, and can be bought over the counter

BoSe is a Selenium and Vitamin E supplement and is a prescription drug. Many people give 1/2 ML SQ to newborn lambs and kids to prevent White Muscle Disease

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/WMD.html​

 

[Thunderhill]

Quote:
Bova Sera is a vaccine used to prevent several bacterial problems, and can be bought over the counter

BoSe is a Selenium and Vitamin E supplement and is a prescription drug. Many people give 1/2 ML SQ to newborn lambs and kids to prevent White Muscle Disease

That is exactly why we give it to goats too.

Most of the US is Selenium deficient or semi deficient. We ususally dose at 1 cc per 40 lbs. We give 1/4 cc to our newborns.
Copper overdose can be fatal so ya really gotta know the weight.
I am certainly no kidding expert but you are welcome to call me if you run into trouble. PM if you want my number

I thought that sheep can't have copper?

 

[FarmerChick]

I have been thru tons of kidding.

number 1 is let the momma alone. my kidding happens in january and feb. they are going to blow soon right now as a matter of fact.

if the doe kids out in the field, I pick up the kids and move her to her own kidding pen. give her water...she is super thirsty. give her little feed and some hay....then leave it all alone.

then I check them every so often, make sure they are getting dry etc.

no heat lamps except at night I turn on some lamps since it is winter and cold at night. but not on them or too near them.

if not dry in about 3-4 hrs then I towel dry them.....they should be wanting to be up and nursing. if not, I might give them a nudge to go to the doe.

but they know what to do.

I do keep Nutri-Drench for goats on hand. If a kid looks weak I hit them with a dose, it perks them up fast.

I iodine the umbilical cords right after they are born.

I don't keep much on hand ---I do have a few nursing bottles and nipples and such but never try to use them.

Get colostrum from its doe. You don't need replacer, just milk the doe and feed the baby.

bottle fed do not do as well as doe fed.

If you have a really lathargic one, rub to stimulate etc. and put the teat up to the mouth and hold it there for nursing....mother nature usually kicks in and the kids are good to go with sometimes a little help if needed.

If you have a true sick kid for any reason, not much can honestly save them. They pass fast if it is not in the cards for that one to make it.

hope some of that helps you.

 

[ametauss]

Can you give Selenium gel and Vit E (out of a capsule) seperately and not get a perscription all in one??

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I thought that sheep can't have copper?

They need some copper, but the amount that keeps a goat healthy will kill a sheep. Sheep feeds and minerals have a much lower copper level than goat or cattle minerals​

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
With gels youre just guessing at the dosage. If they arent mixed consistantly, one "dab" might have too much and the next could have none at all.

The BEST way to give most all vitamins to goats is SQ injection, and ALL wormers should be given ORALLY

If youre on good terms with your Vet, and your state laws allow it, they can write you a prescription so you can order it online and save a little money. Some states dont allow Vets to medicate animals without actually seeing them

 

[Thunderhill]

Quote:
With gels youre just guessing at the dosage. If they arent mixed consistantly, one "dab" might have too much and the next could have none at all.

The BEST way to give most all vitamins to goats is SQ injection, and ALL wormers should be given ORALLY

If youre on good terms with your Vet, and your state laws allow it, they can write you a prescription so you can order it online and save a little money. Some states dont allow Vets to medicate animals without actually seeing them

Ditto

You can get selenium and vit E gel from places like Jeffers Livestock and Hoeggers but it just doesn't work as well as the shots.
You will come across alot of people who raise goats and have differings opinions.
99% of the time none of my does need any help.
There are hundreds of RIGHT ways to do it...whatever works best for you. Just do the research and go from there

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I have been thru tons of kidding.

number 1 is let the momma alone.

That just needed to be repeated. Most of the problems I've had with "poor mothering" have been with lambs that I cleaned up myself rather than letting the ewe do her job.

It's way too easy to get impatient and want to "help" but the BEST thing to do is stand back and watch unless its obviously a bad presentation.
Resist that urge to "do something", and give them all the time they need. The first birth can take an hour from the time you first see the signs of labor. Subsequent births are usually quicker, bit I've still had lambs born as much as 45 minutes apart with no problems​