Goatie Nursery and Questions

[sweetshoplady]

OK, with 4 goatie mamas-to-be, what is the best thing I should do for a goatie nursery. Should I separate out the buck? All the girls look huge. Do they need separate quarters for each doe to have her own babies? I've heard they can be ugly to somebody else's babies. Is there anything special I should do as far as feed? I've upped their food like it said on the bag, or maybe I read it on here. Everybody looks good. All but one, are experienced mamas. How long is labor? Will I know or is it like a cow, they go lay down somewhere and you find them with their wee ones?

I've heard goat babies are friendlier when bottle fed. Should I bottle feed or just let mama do it? When do I get to have milk from them? Only one of my does was not bottle fed as a baby, she was mama raised. How long do they stay til they're weaned?

I'll see if I can't get some pics up of the 4 girls. Maybe y'all might like to play guess when.

 

[sweetshoplady]

I just went to Fiasco Farm - thanks to who put that link up in another post. Great pictures of what to look for.

How big should the kidding space be?

I'm going to pick up some straw tomorrow to put down. I know to separate Maria from Strawberry, she picks on her...

Gosh, I'm getting nervous. It's probably easier if you've been a mom. I've had a couple litters of puppies, but this is a first goat thing.

 

[username taken]

take the fias co advice with a grain of salt

particularly, please dont 'assist' your goats during kidding like they say to

leave them alone and dont interfere unless the doe has difficulties

 

[bheila]

Fiasco has some great basic info. I personally wouldn't help a doe with delivery unless necessary like username stated. I separate my does once they get close to delivery. Better to be safe then sorry. Definitely separate the buck from the does. Especially if you don't want him breeding your does right after they've given birth. You'll want to give them alfalfa for their milk production. If you give them alfalfa pellets there's less waste then alfalfa hay. I fence my girls off their own space with 16' hog/cattle panels then they have their own 6'x6' shed to kid in. I don't bottle feed, I always let the does raise their own.

When your does start loosing their mucus plugs then your getting close. When they start streaming goo then your really close.

 

[Haviris]

This year I grouped all my pg does in one pen together, my does are not nasty to each other's kids, my herd queen is actually kind of grandmotherly to them.

You could group them together, or put them two to a pen. Now I did have one doe that desided she liked one of the other's kids and started feeding it, she was lower on the pecking order then the kid's real mom, so the real mom would run her off occationally, the kid just happily nurse both moms. I could see it potentially being a problem if the real mom had been the lower one, Willow may have completely stolen the kid. If the does are due at the same time I have also heard of a few cases where people have found more then one doe had kidded and had trouble sorting out whose kids were whose.

Now I 'do' assist my does, most often, and they usually want me there especially the first timers.

 

[lilhill]

Definitely the buck needs to be out of there and away from the does and kids. Here, the bucks have their own bachelor pad and are not run with the does at all.

I've done it both ways with kidding, put them up into stalls and one year decided to let them kid outside on their own (in the maternity pen). Personally, I want to be present at every kidding just in case the doe runs into trouble, but I do not assist unless it's a have-to case. A few days prior to her due date, she goes into her own stall at night, with the BarnCam on so I can keep an eye on her. After freshening, the doe and kids are left in the stall to bond before they are returned to the herd.

Bottle babies are friendly, but if you spend lots of time with the babies from birth they, too, will be socialized with humans and as friendly as bottle babies.

Take a deep breath and relax. The does can feel your nervousness and it can make them nervous, too. Just stay calm and let them do their "job" when it's time. And most of all, enjoy the experience. It's an exciting time. Happy kidding!