Baby Goats

Kidding Goats A Simple Guide
Felicity McCullough

Getting Healthy Baby Kid Goats

Baby Goats are called kids.

Goats are bred for several purposes, including milk and healthy kids.

Getting healthy kids actually starts before birth. The gestation period is roughly five months on average. Near the end of this time, in the third trimester, is when the foetus gains 70% of its weight.

It is essential to offer the dam the appropriate levels of energy and nutrients. Gradually switching to legume grass and offering concentrate will raise energy levels in the diet.

This is also why it is suggested that does are not bred until they are about a year and a half old. Some breeders base this decision on weight rather than age. 70 kilos is an appropriate weight, although this may vary between breeders.

What you are aiming for is to wait until the animal is no longer physically growing, so that all energy can go to the kid and none will be needed for growth.

Usually goats have no problem kidding. One of the most common problems that can possibly occur when a problem does crop up is breach positioning, where the kid is not correctly positioned for birth.

If the dam is having trouble you need to verify that the kid is in the right position. If it isn't, then it will need to be corrected, or the veterinarian called. It needs to be done very quickly and firmly, yet gently, so that the kid's first gasp is of air and not amniotic, or uterine fluid.

If the kid isn't breathing after it is born, you have two choices. You can use clean towels to clean off the kid and vigorously yet gently massage it, especially focusing on the area of the heart.

You can also use a piece of straw to tickle the kid's nose.

Sneezing will clear out any liquid.

Some people also swing the kid holding the back legs. Take care when doing this because the kids are extremely slippery and it is easy to lose your grip and the kid to go flying. Also make sure to have plenty of room around you. You do not want the kid to end up flung against a wall.

It is preferable that the umbilical cord breaks naturally. If you need to intervene and cut the cord:

Sterilise the instruments first;
Clean the cord with an iodine solution, and
Allow the remaining cord stub to fall off naturally.

It is desirable that the baby kid bonds with its mother, by keeping them together. You will wish to avoid having to hand-rear the kid yourself, or have to feed the kid by other means.

The next thing to look for is to make sure that the kid drinks colostrum, which is the dam's first milk. This is full of antibodies, which are essential for the immunity of the kid. Try to get the kid to drink in the first 6 hours after birth.

If necessary, bottle feed or even tube feed.

Within 24 hours, the kid's intestinal wall will have closed, so that the antibodies can no longer pass into the bloodstream.

If they haven't passed by then, the kid is left defenceless against diseases.

Make sure that the kids are kept in a warm, secure location and that they are getting plenty of milk from their mama.

Keep a close eye on them to make sure that they do not develop any respiratory problems, or diarrhoea, which are two of the most common problems that affect kids.

Treat any problems promptly and always make sure that kids are kept well hydrated. Nothing can kill a kid faster than dehydration.

F. McCullough

7 March 2022

Kidding Goats A Simple Guide
F. McCullough

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About Goats
About Goat Lap Shop
Anglo-Nubian Goats
Angora Goats
Articles
Backyard Goats
Baby Goats
Best Goats For Meat
Best Goats For Milk
Boar Goats
Blog about Goats
British Alpine Goats
Capra aegagrus hircus
Cheese Making Goat
Christmas Goats
Commercial Goat Farming
Cooking Goat
Copyright
Culling Goats
Diseases of Goats
Domesticated Goats
Endangered Goat Species
Fainting Goats
Female Goats
Farming Goats
Fun Of Goats
Garden Goats
Goats And Other Animals
Goats And Stress
Goat Basics
Goat Bedding
Goat Behaviour
Goat Books
Goat Breed Standards
Goat Breeding Season
Goat Breeds
Goat Character
Goats And Children
Goat's Diet
Goat's Digestive System
Goat Equipment
Goat's Eyes
Goat Fables
Goat Farming
Goat Farming In India
Goat Fibre
Goat Food
Goat Frolics
Goat Fun
Goat Genome
Goat Giving Birth Video
Goat Hair
Goat Hides
Goat's Home
Goat Hoof Care
Goat Horns
Goat Hooves
Goat Housing
Goat Humour
Goat Husbandry
Goat Husbandry Practices
Goats In Heat
Goat Island
Goat Knowledge
Goat Life Expectancy
Goat's Lifespan
Goat Links
Goat Lotions
Goat Management
Goat Medicine Cupboard
Goat's Nose
Goat Nutrition
Goat Poetry
Goat Pregnancy
Goat Production
Goat Problems
Goat Skins
Goat Soap
Goat Songs
Goat Stories
Goat Tagging
Goats Tattooing
Goat's Teeth
Goat Temperament
Goat Transgenics
Goat Viruses
Golden Guernsey Goats
Healthy Goats
Hoof Trimming
How Long Do Goats Live?
How To Buy A Goat
How To Care For Goats
How To Choose A Goat
How To Keep Goats Healthy
How To Raise Goats
How To Start Goat Farming
How To Weigh A Goat
How Vets Can Help Healthy Goats
India Goat Farming
Keeping Goats Information
Kid Goats
Kidding Goats
Male Goats
Mating Goats
Meat Goats
Milking Goats
Minature Goats
Mountain Goats
Nature Of Goats
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
Nimbkar Boar Goat
Pack Goats
Packing And Driving Goats
Pharm Goats and Malaria
Polled Goats
Pygmy Goats
Raising Goats
Raising Goats For Beginners
Raising Goats For Meat
Raising Goats For Milk
Raising Goats For Pets
Raising Goats For Profit
Raising Goats Pros And Cons
Rearing Goats Successfully
Rare Goat Breeds
Reproduction
Saanen Goats
Schmallenberg Virus
Software Goat Recording
Spider Goats
Transporting Goats
Types Of Goats
Types Of Goat Housing
Vets And Goats
Vitamins And Minerals Goats
Videos Goats
Water And Goats
Weighing Goats
What Do Goats Eat?
What Is Goat Hide Used For?

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