Goat getting ready to kid? Help?

[VKat]

YOU GUYS! TWINS!
Okay- I have to be quick and I promise photos very soon, but first I am worried that all is not well.
The first baby came out with my help (one leg was not forward) and the baby is VERY THIN. Is that normal? To feel all their little bones?
The second baby is a bit bigger and less bony. This baby also started making tiny (OMG adorable) sounds right away.
Both babies are making sounds and trying desperately to nurse. One even was even trying to suckle on any part of me that was close while I treated the umbilical cords.

Is it normal for kids to be floppy and unsteady at first? At what point should I worry?

Is it normal for mom to not seem to care about kids nursing and make annoyed sounds at them?
She is hyper focused on cleaning. I tried to help by removing all the soiled straw, but she is completely into cleaning the kids (who are pretty much mostly clean already) and not letting them nurse. It's her sounds that make me concerned the most.

At what point should I worry?

For now, having cleaned up and put fresh straw down, I am giving them space but staying close by.

 

[michellemire]

The ones I had to help was the same 1 was smaller then the other but now there fine n u can't tell just try n help them find her udder n see if they drink if so they should b fine

 

[VKat]

UPDATE and Photos!

Mom the night before. A very round goat!



Welcome to the world

Since my last post, the kids have found their, albeit wobbly, legs. The smaller kid who was first is notably more unsteady that the second, slightly larger kid.
I did help guide them towards their first meal. The bigger kid caught on much quicker.
Mom has expelled some after birth, and while she was focused on that, I helped the smaller kid find what he/she(?) wanted.
I did also give both of her teats a gentle squeeze to make sure milk is flowing- it is.
So I am hoping they both got at least a few swallows in them.
She is still hyper focused on grooming them, and they are focused on clumsily trying to nurse which is complicated by the fact that mom will not stand still. She doesn't seem to get that they are hungry!
There's a lot of goat chatter going on now and it's all very interesting.

I would love any advice on making sure kids get enough in their little bellies!
and also anything about supplements etc for skinny kids.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for being here and sharing support and info. I do not personally know anyone who is farming or keeping goats so this site has been so wonderful!

 

[H Diamond]

*

 

[Goat Lover2004]

Your doing great!! May I ask what breed are your goats and have you named them yet??

 

[H Diamond]

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! Secondly, great job helping baby out!

Thin babies.... I'm almost positive the baby isn't abnormally thin. Very rarely do you have kids born the same size. One is almost always bigger than the other (s).
It's totally normal for babies to feel thin when they are born... they kinda are. Especially dairy goats, meat goat kids are a little "thicker" but not much. They have to be thin and flexible to be born!
Give them a few days, they will start getting fat and sassy. (Just realized there were pics! They look completely normal!)

It's not that big of deal if baby doesn't really get much of anything up to an hour. Having a mom that is really focused on cleaning those babies is actually a good thing. Once they are acceptable for her, she will let them nurse. New moms especially take some extra time before letting babies nurse. It's that confused factor again I believe. It's like... whoa what just happened, and why do they want to touch me there!

You need to worry If she head butts them away and is not paying attention to them at all.
Some kids are born bouncing it seems, others it takes a bit longer for them to find there legs. At first it's just half up, then all the way up but very wide stances, etc. From there it progresses to very small wobbly steps with lots of falling in between.
Every few hours check their bellies to make sure they have been nursing. They aren't going to be super full tonight, but you'll be able to feel a little more roundness there.

Oh, and make sure momma is cleaning their bottoms off. First you get the sticky black "tar" poop, that's the meconium poo. It sticks to EVERYTHING! After that you get the yellow colostrum poo, it also sticks to everything, and can clog up a butt in no time. Just make sure momma is keeping their little bottoms poo free.

 

[VKat]

Ah! Thank you!
She did clean a bottom of the very first tarry black poop right in front of me.
I just worry because they seem SO HUNGRY. Especially the smaller of the two. I fed her grains and tried to help the littler one nurse, but he/she is so weak and clumsy.
So I grabbed a clean container and hand expressed mom. Which I am apparently good at (I had experience on non-goat before) her milk came freely, but much less than I would expect.
Her other side even less than that.
Her udder did swell some, but never got really big or tight or shiny.

I do have colostrum replacer for goats by ManaPro here.

Should i give them that?

 

[H Diamond]

This is a Nigerian, right? Those babies aren't going to drink much right away. Just a couple slurps here and there. Feel there bellies, and see if you can tell if there is any milk in there?
Newborn baby goats are like human babies... wake up, eat, pee, poop, bounce for a second, go back to sleep.
Baby goats when they are awake always act hungry, and try to suck on anything that feels like a teat.

Also, there is a solid chance momma is going to hold her milk back if you try and milk her. She'll let it down when babies nurse.When the babies butt at the udder, that signals momma to let her milk down. Is she standing better for them yet? First timers take awhile to figure things out.

 

[VKat]

How can I tell if their bellies are full?
I know how much they weigh
2.95 and 3.55 lbs respectively
Will I be able to tell by weighing them?

 

[roseyred]

Ahhhhhh yay!!!!! I'm a little drunk and just convinced my boyfriend that baby goats are cool cause they can do parkour. He's drunk too....drunk giggles about your super adorable goaties!!!