Goat getting ready to kid? Help?

[VKat]

Hi! I'm posting an Update and Photos for anyone still following this thread.

The kids are 2 weeks old today! They are doing very well. Eating well, nibbling on hay, and very playful. Since their mom decided she didn't really want to be a mom, she has been enjoying life back outside while the kids have stayed in here and taken over my entire schedule. Momma goat is eating much better now though. She has been giving us 2 and 1/2 cups of milk each day, sometimes a little more. I'm adding a handful of calf manna into her pellets and she seems to like it.









The little boy goat remains super attached to me. I spend time in their area with them a lot to make sure they get attention. For a while I was even using a warm washcloth to mimic a mother cleaning them. I know touch stimulation is important for mammals. Anyway I apparently have a lap goat! Both kids are getting super socialized, and have even met the dogs who they, unlike the adults, have no fear of. I'm also starting to get them used the idea that I pick the up and touch their hooves to make future grooming perhaps easier on all involved.(Their mom is practically a feral animal when it comes to hoof trimming. It's kinda stressful) Both kids seem to be coming along really well. I'm excited to see what they weight this evening.

I am keeping them both. We have decided to castrate the boy and then he can stay to run and play with his sister as they grow up. Since these are the only babies I think it will be better if they have each other to play with. Not to mention I'm already so attached to them

I do have a serious question for anyone reading this- at what age do you chose to castrate?
What method do you prefer?
I am looking towards the Emasculatome method that involves no cutting and also no banding.
This question is a big one on my mind because the boy is already chasing the girl around making chittering noises at her and trying to mount her. I know that at 2 weeks his equipment can not possibly be functional yet, but I am shocked at the behavior already starting so young. I do allow them time out of their area to run it out around the house and have distractions and wear themselves out. But I don't want anything to happen, and I also don't think it's very nice for my poor little doeling to have to deal with the unwanted attention.
Any input from experience would be very appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Stacykins]

Hi! I'm posting an Update and Photos for anyone still following this thread.

The kids are 2 weeks old today! They are doing very well. Eating well, nibbling on hay, and very playful. Since their mom decided she didn't really want to be a mom, she has been enjoying life back outside while the kids have stayed in here and taken over my entire schedule. Momma goat is eating much better now though. She has been giving us 2 and 1/2 cups of milk each day, sometimes a little more. I'm adding a handful of calf manna into her pellets and she seems to like it.









The little boy goat remains super attached to me. I spend time in their area with them a lot to make sure they get attention. For a while I was even using a warm washcloth to mimic a mother cleaning them. I know touch stimulation is important for mammals. Anyway I apparently have a lap goat! Both kids are getting super socialized, and have even met the dogs who they, unlike the adults, have no fear of. I'm also starting to get them used the idea that I pick the up and touch their hooves to make future grooming perhaps easier on all involved.(Their mom is practically a feral animal when it comes to hoof trimming. It's kinda stressful) Both kids seem to be coming along really well. I'm excited to see what they weight this evening.

I am keeping them both. We have decided to castrate the boy and then he can stay to run and play with his sister as they grow up. Since these are the only babies I think it will be better if they have each other to play with. Not to mention I'm already so attached to them

I do have a serious question for anyone reading this- at what age do you chose to castrate?
What method do you prefer?
I am looking towards the Emasculatome method that involves no cutting and also no banding.
This question is a big one on my mind because the boy is already chasing the girl around making chittering noises at her and trying to mount her. I know that at 2 weeks his equipment can not possibly be functional yet, but I am shocked at the behavior already starting so young. I do allow them time out of their area to run it out around the house and have distractions and wear themselves out. But I don't want anything to happen, and I also don't think it's very nice for my poor little doeling to have to deal with the unwanted attention.
Any input from experience would be very appreciated!
Thanks!

I've personally never used any of the other methods, so perhaps my input isn't the best. But I band my lads. The itself banding is pretty quick, though it takes a few weeks for the dried up package to fall off. They always get a dose of banamine 30 minutes to an hour before I do the deed. I am a big proponent of providing pain relief when animals are in pain. Any method you choose will hurt, sadly. I also use banamine on them before a disbud.

I thought of using an emasculator, but I was concerned with not properly crushing the spermatic cord. At least when the junk fall off, I know he won't be functional unless he is a cryptorchid. But if that is the case, I'd know something was up with the testes, if I could not palpate two of them before banding.

I band at eight weeks. It gives them a little time to develop and mature. And they should still be shooting blanks then, plus sisters won't have her first heat by then, either.

 

[VKat]

I've personally never used any of the other methods, so perhaps my input isn't the best. But I band my lads. The itself banding is pretty quick, though it takes a few weeks for the dried up package to fall off. They always get a dose of banamine 30 minutes to an hour before I do the deed. I am a big proponent of providing pain relief when animals are in pain. Any method you choose will hurt, sadly. I also use banamine on them before a disbud.

I thought of using an emasculator, but I was concerned with not properly crushing the spermatic cord. At least when the junk fall off, I know he won't be functional unless he is a cryptorchid. But if that is the case, I'd know something was up with the testes, if I could not palpate two of them before banding.

I band at eight weeks. It gives them a little time to develop and mature. And they should still be shooting blanks then, plus sisters won't have her first heat by then, either.

Thank you. Yeah I don't want him to suffer... the Fiasco Farm site that people often quote for good info is where I read about the alternative to banding.
They state that banding is banned in some places for being considered inhumane. Do you think it is a painful process since it takes so long?
I worry about what if a band breaks? Can that be a health issue?
Lastly about pain management, is that something you get from a vet or is the an over the counter option?
Sorry for all the questions- I'm so nervous about making sure I do this right!

 

[Stacykins]

Thank you. Yeah I don't want him to suffer... the Fiasco Farm site that people often quote for good info is where I read about the alternative to banding.
They state that banding is banned in some places for being considered inhumane. Do you think it is a painful process since it takes so long?
I worry about what if a band breaks? Can that be a health issue?
Lastly about pain management, is that something you get from a vet or is the an over the counter option?
Sorry for all the questions- I'm so nervous about making sure I do this right!

I would think that after the initial pain of the band being applied, it goes numb. It is, after all, blocking off all blood circulation, so the cells (including the nociceptors, the receptors that respond to painful stimuli) die. Bands can break, but should not if you use new, bands. Rubber becomes brittle as it ages. So a package of bands that is years old could lead to breakage. It would be a health issue if one broke, a new one would need to be applied immediately. A scrotum that has been banded for more than a few hours is dead tissue. Having that attached to the body with nothing to separate (like the band) could lead to it becoming necrotic and spreading an infection. So checking to see if the band is there on a regular basis is important. I don't sell mine until their scrotum has either fallen off, or the band has been in place for at least a few weeks and the tissue is drying up.

 

[silkieloverz123]

Someone told us that if you band anything smaller than a lamancha, the it doesn't do anything? So nigies wouldn't work with banding? Is this lady telling the truth?

 

[roseyred]

We've banded pygmys and lamanchas with both good results.

 

[H Diamond]

Someone told us that if you band anything smaller than a lamancha, the it doesn't do anything? So nigies wouldn't work with banding? Is this lady telling the truth?

No, she's not.

 

[Stacykins]

Someone told us that if you band anything smaller than a lamancha, the it doesn't do anything? So nigies wouldn't work with banding? Is this lady telling the truth?

Aye, she is full of hot air. You just need the smaller size bands that are an appropriate size.

It is ridiculous the myths people come up with regarding livestock, and then spout it as undeniable truth. They don't seem to understand what facts are.

 

[silkieloverz123]

Thank you for your help! She said that we could bring him to her work and she would cut him, i was like, i do not trust this lady! He is also four weeks old, is there a prime age this should be done? We are selling him and have no takers, therefore have no idea if someone will want him as a buck or a whether. Thanks again for your help!

 

[silkieloverz123]

Btw, i am sorry for asking a question on a thread that is not mine. But i figured my question would get answered fairly quick, so i figured it would be a waste to start a new one.