Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats Blog - Triplets born - New baby pics

[ruth]

Quote:
Yes, I'm seeing that already. I took the babies back out to mom again and this time she was bathing BOTH babies. Yippie. I also only had to hold her by the collar and she let the babies try and nurse and let me full with her teats and squeeze them to get milk out and try and get the babies to nurse. Unfortunately neither one ever seemed to get a teat. I finally tied her and milked her. I tried feeding them from the bottle but neither would take it. I made larger holes to no avail. Finally, I force fed them using the large medicine dropper, for lack of a better word for the suction dropper I use. I got a little bit in each. The little girl refuses to even swallow if I dribble some in her mouth so I'm starting to get worried about her. I've seen the buck, the frail one, nurse twice and he also takes the dropper. He seems to be stronger already. But I've not seen her nurse and she won't take mama's milk at all. Hopefully I'm getting enough in her. She is, however, doing the yellow poop thing.

 

[helmstead]

Much as you probably don't want to hear it... I think mom needs to come inside with the kids to offer every oportunity for them to nurse on their own...and so you don't have to fret about them getting too cold. Maybe that kid was nursing fine before you started helping and now it feels too pressured?

Oft what I've had to do is hold baby's mouth slightly open with one finger, then squirt milk into its mouth from mom's teat with the other hand. As with people...some are quicker than others.

I've had dams and kids in my walk in, CARPETED closet. That's why they make cleaners! hahaha

ETA: when trying to get them on a bottle...use your pinky finger first. Stick it in the mouth, pad up, nail on the tongue. Caress the roof of their mouth with your pinky and get them sucking on your finger to make sure the reflex is there. (you have to stick your finger farther in than you'd think). Once you have them interested, exchange bottle for finger. You might have to stimulate the roof of the mouth again...but be persistant - and keep a towel in your lap because you're gonna wear more milk than they consume at first!!

 

[ruth]

Hi Kate - yes, I had alredy decided I needed to bring mama inside. The temps are dropping here and even with heaters going in the tack room I'd be worried the power would go out or that would still be too cold. Just finished feeding all FIVE dogs (now that another stray, a beagle, has shown up) and locked up all the chickens/ducks/peacocks. This is the time of day I usually fix a cup of coffee even though I know it will keep me awake all night but it's the only time of the day that I don't have over 100 animals demanding something from me.

BUT.....I just went and checked on babies and I really want them to bond with the mama so I've told myself that I was going to refinish the hardwood floors as soon as I finish paint stripping the walls so, what the heck. I'm going to get Confetti and bring her in. I have to post pics of a goat in my bathroom with a huge crystal chandelier over it. Who'd have thunk it????

I am going to try and lay some newspaper. DH will simultaneously laugh and poop at the same time when he gets home and I have a goat in the bathroom - wait - three goats.

Monique

 

[hcammack]

LOL three goats in the bathroom should be great

LOL my Mom would kill me one day she cam in to a brooder up in my bead room I snuck it in the night before because it got cold she had no idea until she came to wake me up for school. Your DH will probably have the same reaction my mom did merth and horror. What ever is necessary for the animals

enjoy that cuppa and don't stress to much I am sure everything will turn out fine. It is a great story and should entertain guests for years to come

 

[ruth]

Well I've officially become the Goat Lady and have three goats in my bathroom. There was a famous murder near here in Natchez many years ago and there is a book about same: The Goat Castle Murders - about the crazy goat lady and the guy she lived with. Former blue blood aristocrat southerners who end up living in a demolished plantation mansion with goats living all in the house and eating the furniture. Anyway, I laughed when I read the book about how anyone could get so bad off that they would allow goats to live in and take over their plantation home - but here I am with goats in my plantation home. I think it's the Lord's way of saying "never say never".

Confetti allowed me to trim her hooves, which I didn't realize were so bad because she's always standing on mulch/hay/shavings but I could tell on the hardwood floors how badly they needed trimming. Anyway, got that done by myself without tying her at all. I think by now she's realized I'm going to wrestle her to the ground and hog tie her if I have to so she's just given up.

Then she allowed both babies to nurse, at different times, without my assistance. I had simply held her by her collar to let them nurse when I first brought her in and the little girl still wouldn't nurse. So, I left them alone - came back a little later and watched the little girl walk up and nurse all by herself. Confetti has also taken to the little boy so no more special preference. Right now they are all sleeping on the bathroom floor and Rex is sleeping outside the bathroom door. I can't get him to go outside so I'm not sure who will be watching the farm tonight.

By the way, I called the breeder, Cindy Joubert and told her the good news. She gave me the daddy's (LV Sequoia) pedigree which is also impressive. Seems his brother, Mercury Rising is Reserve National Grand Champion; his mother is MCH LV BDC Serabi; and his father is LV Gay-Mor's RA Kingwood - so we will be keeping the little boy as our breeder buck which now means I have to get another little boy from Cindy to keep him company. Cindy said she has a new website, still in development stage, where I can find out info on pedigrees of my goats:

www.bluffcreeknigerians.com

and Lost Valley's site:

www.lostvalleynigerians.com

Guess I need to pay more attention to all that pedigree stuff. I just picked out the goats I did because they were cute.

 

[PortageGirl]

I'm sure I read somewhere that it's good luck to have a goat in the house.. errr, or maybe not, but I say we make it a new tradition!!!

 

[bheila]

Ruth-I'm so glad to hear that things are moving in the right direction for you and the babies. It's crazy how all of a sudden these goat kids are being born. Never a dull moment on BYC! Sounds like Confetti will be taking on her job fulltime so you can relax and take some time for yourself. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys. Believe me I know what your going through. I'm constantly going out to the goat shed day and night.

 

[helmstead]

I had a feeling they'd nurse on their own! Congrats

And, YEP! Time to start paying attention to pedigree. I've learned the long way around...better to build a herd starting with well bred animals than have to keep trying to catch up.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Yeah, who'd have known - baby goats that can nurse on their own.

Well actually, they kept trying to nurse all day, it's that the mama kept running from one and head butting the other one away.

 

[MissPrissy]

Glad to read mom and babies are doing well. I can't imagine bringing my herd queen in the house. LOL She is nearly 175 lbs. LOL