HELP PLEASE!!! REALLY!!!! Video added post #25

[Kelly G]

Long story made short:

I have posted some of this story here on this forum back in Oct/Nov, but just in case you don't want to go searching for it all: We upgraded the living conditions of a miserably neglected Nubian goat. Vet aged her as 2-3 years old. We had her vaccinated (for 3 things which I can't remember, but the vet recommended them)...and slowly started feeding her.

She is steadily gaining weight and is doing really well. We love her so much!

Two bits of bad news:
1. She is CAE positive.
2. She was bred by the original idiot owner (who I found out, KNEW she was sick!). He reports she was bred in mid to late August.

The vet thinks she's probably pregnant (says they rarely have fertility probs - GREAT!!!)...and now - she's really looking a lot pregnant...this last couple of weeks, her sides have really popped out (I'll take new pics tomorrow)...and I believe I see changes in her udder. Again...GREAT!

It seems likely that I will be bottle feeding babies - as if they nurse they are likely to get CAE from her.

I am getting ready to order udder tape (so the babies cannot nurse from her in case I'm not there) and other supplies I think I'll need...but my most important question is

How much of this do I need to order:
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=cebda908-2166-4d76-998d-c343340185e5#tabs

Fiasco farms website (and my vet) both recommend it, but I don't know how much to order/administrate...and just in case - I need to order enough for two kids.

Lord have mercy! Give me strength and wisdom...I have NO idea what I'm doing!

I've had horses my whole life. Dogs. Saltwater aquariums. Cats. Toucan. LOTS of high-maintanance animals...but I have never had ANY pregnant animal - and never had to hand feed babies.

...and I've NEVER had a goat. They are different than anything I've ever had, and nothing in my repetoire of experience has prepared me for this! But we love her, and she has a home for life as long as she is comfortable!

PLEASE help - I appreciate everything!

Do these feeders work? http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=4241&cat=14&page=1

 

[Overeasyplz]

I used to work at a goat farm, we milked goats and fed babies, made cheese. I see you have visited FiascoFarms, she is an invaluble source of goaty information! I don't think you will need the hanger bottle. Baby goats eat quickly from a bottle and at first will eat a little and fairly often but as they grow they eat more but less times a day, and can be trained to drink milk from a bucket. I think the nursemate is useful but the kids will probably need just one or two each and after that milk replacer, or get a freshened goat without kids and milk her for the kids' food. Goats are awesome, I love them. I wish I had some here!!

 

[Countrywife]

I second that, You won't need too much colosturum supplement. i have fed newbors with cheap dollar general bottles. you do want to get them on a bucket asap, or they will get over attached to you. Purina makes a not overly expensive milk replacer for goats in a bucket- check online or your local farm supply store. They will also have a bucket. We used a calf bucket, and changed to smaller nipples for the goats. One hint- since there is no top on the bucket it gets dirty, so put a pantyhose leg over the top, keeps the milk clean. If you are handy you can make a milk bucket from a 5 gallon bucket, just have to buy the nipples. I would have some Goataid on hand, in case they are weak, just a vitamin boost to get them stable. Feel free to PM if you need me, I have been raising them the last 7 years or so.

 

[Laurieks]

Quote:
I've never given a Colostrum replacer, but I know they need just one 'dose' to get the good stuff from it into their systems. After that, heat treated milk from their mom should be fine. Amy at Fiasco probably has something posted on that.
I keep a few small bottles of last season's colostrum in the freezer for future kids, or anyone needing a 'boost'.
Nutridrench is good too, is you're ordering anyway.

Those feeders look ok. I can't tell if they come with the hanger, but with just a few kids you can hold it for them and bond more anyway. With more than 2 or 3 kids a 'Caprine Feeder' (bucket with nipples all around it; you can buy the whole thing, or just the parts & make it at home) is handy. When I was down to a few 'bottle babies' I put quart bottles inside it with the tubes going to the nipples dropped into each bottle-to try to make sure each kid got their share, and not lose any to the bottom of the bucket.
If you're lucky, the kids will learn to drink from a dish; it takes having them suck on your finger as you lower it into a dish of warm milk. That's all I use now, unless one refuses to learn it. Last year that one stayed on her mom as I was too busy. I'm sorry your doe is CAE positive, that makes life to much more complicated.
Or you can just buy nipples, and put them over the top of any bottle... plastic or glass, with a piece of a plastic straw folded over the top of the bottle to break the seal so the milk will flow better. You will have to hold it or they'll pull it right off the bottle as they get stronger.
Hoeggers has some great information in their catalog!

 

[cassie]

Are there any cow dairies around? You can get colostrum from them and it works fine. You can also make that goat's colostrum safe by heat treating it. You can PM me for instructions if you like. It has been a while since I have raised kids so I will have to look up how to do it. Most of the time I fed mine cow colostrum but I have used heat treated goat colstrum when I had to. As for feeding the kids, don't bother with replacer. Just feed whole cow milk from the store. The kids will do better on that than they will on any replacer.

 

[Kelly G]

I just posted an ad on our local Craig's List to see if anyone has any goat colostrum to sell....I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for your help and interest!!

PS I have absolutely NO idea how to milk a goat....and thougy Gabby is VERY friendly and affectionate, she is not tolerant of her udder being handled! And, BOY! She is strong now that she's not starving!!!

This is her udder last month...I'll post an updated photo tomorrow -

 

[taraann81]

A newbie here (to goats anyways) so I'm not offering advice, but clarifying what I've heard. Isn't CAE even transmitted through saliva? So even if you taped her udders but weren't their when she gave birth to prevent her from cleaning the kids, they could still contract it from her?

 

[luvzmybabz]

CAE is passed through colostrum. If you can not find any goat colostrum you can also use cow. Start watching for signs of birth check ligaments watch her bag I am talking constantly you have to be there when she kids!!! I have seen some does start to nurse even before the babies are clean so nit is very important that you be there when she kids take the baby immediately and dry it off get some colostrum into her either goat from a known CAE neg goat (you want to look at the papers or Cow) Last year I used powdered colostrum however I have heard many horror stories about milk replacer and I have bottle feed 2 babies on whole milk from the store and they did fine you can also use a milk formula recipe. I will find it and PM it to you. I have 2 positive does that will be leaving here after kidding in April I just got pregnancy reseult back yesterday and I have exact dates thank goodness. Last year she was pen bred and I had a 42 day window she kidded at 40 days. I took baby immediately actually doe literally climbed onto my lap and I was between head and business end. Tested her baby and she is negative

It can be done you are a wonderful person for doing this. I used superglue to glue the orifaces closed on the teats as I tried the tape and could not get it to work. PS CAE milk is not harmful to human.

 

[Kelly G]

I was out feeding the horses tonight - and this is what I saw (I didn't even notice until I came home and started editing the pics...and she is NOT in heat, but acting a little odd (pressing her head against wall, hanging around in stall). What is this discharge????!!!

I don't see much udder development, but I have noticed it has grown over the last few days - but not a TON. As best we know she was bred in August...but the man was not really sure (we purchased her in order to "upgrade" her living conditions - so we did NOT breed her! Here is picture of her from October when we bought her:

Here are MORE pictures from tonight....PLEASE help!!!

It is VERY important we catch her before she kids - she has CAE and we are going to have to bottle raise the babies. I have the info to pasturize the milk.

 

[Kelly G]

Over the last two weeks (or so) I have seen movement in the area in front of her hind legs but behind her barrel. Does this indicate anything?

Can you use a stethescope to listen for a hearbeat? Where do you listen?