| Author | Message | ||
     Brenda Tifft (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 74.39.22.251 Rating: N/A |
Thank you to everyone who has helped me so far! What would I have done without you all?!! I hope this is the last question for you all and apologize for so many questions. The 4 goats were born Monday night. Again, the 2 smaller goats weighed 4 lbs. All day yesterday they each ate 4.5 ounces about every 4 hours. I did not feed through the night so they went about 7 hours before the next bottle. Again this morning they ate 4.5 ounces each. I waited 4 hours and just fed them again. They each drank 7 ounces. Can I continue to just let them eat what they want to or should I limit them? They did not poop the yellow poop yesterday or yet today. Thank you. Brenda | ||
| Sandi Scott New member Username: sarasotasandi Post Number: 66 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 63.87.188.226 Rating: N/A |
Brenda, 4 lbs is a little small for a nubian, but I've had normal, full-term boers at just 5 lbs. I've seen a nubian deliver a full-breech, he was a big guy, 3rd of trips. Quads are great as long as mom can carry them to term, which she apparently did. I think the nutrition of the doe prior to pregnancy has more to do with multiple births than anything. A doe with adequate nutrition is apt to release more eggs to be fertilized than one who is stressed or undernourished. Congratulations! | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 820 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141  Rating: N/A |
You did fine helping the doe deliver. If the doe is pushing hard for 15 minutes without presenting a kid she probably needs help. Most does should break their water and finish delivering kids in less than an hour. I will often check to see if a nose is at the cervix when a doe really starts pushing. Most goats can easily deliver a kid with only one front leg forward, many can deliver (with help pulling) a kid that presents with just the head forward (lots of pygmies are born this way!). The yellow poop slowly goes away as the kids experiment with solid food. It does get less goopy before then too. Colsotrum poops are nearly always very sticky and a bit loose. But I have to tell you this beats the heck out of a constipated kid!! Milk makes yellow poop. She may never quad again but then again she might, or have triplets. Its a roll of the dice each time. If that last one came rear legs first that is called a posterior presentation and is a normal birthing position. Breech is when the come tail first with both rear legs pointing towards the doe's head. I have had a pygmy deliver a kid in a true breech position, she is an amazing doe with great pelvic capacity.... I usually keep the kids in for 2 to 3 days if they had a hard start (if they are normal kids they go out sooner). Then if they are doing pretty well they go out to the herd for a few hours for a few days (or can make several short visits during the day). Then they go out for all day. At about a week to 10 days they stay out day and night. A stimulating environment promotes growth and vigor. Kids that are confined to a box or small pen (like inside) just lay around, not exercising and learning to use their muscles. The digestive system seems to need a bit of "jiggling" by a kid that is exploring his world to function well. Fifty degrees isn't cold if they are eating well and have a draft free well bedded place to sleep. They will snuggle up with other kids or in amongst the does. The quicker you can get them out with the other goats the faster they learn to be proper goats. Kids learn by watching what the older goats do and copying it. They learn goat manners and how to be a member of the herd. Most importantly they learn to eat solid food. The does won't hurt them but will certainly discipline them if they get out of line. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Brenda Tifft (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 209.210.232.33 Rating: N/A |
Thank you all for your input and help! Maggie, you have greatly encouraged me! We don't mind the bottle feeding at all. By the way, mom is a nubian. She twinned last year BUT 4, we were amazed! Once a mom has quads, does that mean she has a greater chance of having quads next time? This goat got HUGE! First baby out had one front leg forward but second leg was down - I reached in and got it because she pushed for a long time and it wasn't coming. Was that proper? Mom groaned louder when I did it but then baby came quick. Second and third babies no problems but then fourth was completely breech. I reached in somewhat and got her too. I really did not know what i was doing or if it was correct. Interesting that the ones that had troubles were the smaller ones that I am bottle feeding now. When should I expect yellow poop to go away? How long should I keep them indoors? It is around 50 at night right now. These babies stand for feeding from bottle today but are wobbly. Brenda | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 819 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 64.102.241.5 Rating: N/A |
The colostrum acts as a laxative that's why the poop is pretty runny right now. When giving a bottle, hold the goat in your lap very close to your body, make sure the milk is very warm, it will feel almost hot on your wrist. After cleaning off their behinds spray the tail and hair with Pam Cooking Spray. This will help the sticky poop slide off, come out of the hair. Works for the doe too to help with the after kidding goop. I beg to differ with trips and quads being undesirable. I raise pygmies and they frequently have trips and quads. Our organization registers 6 to 7 sets of LIVE quints every year. The doe can often raise all of them (mine do) with only sometimes having to give a supplemental bottle once or twice a day. I have 1 permanent grand champion that was one of trips and 1 that was one of quads. Nigerian dwarves and other dairy goats have trips and quads on a regular basis not reason for meat goats to not do the same. A four pound goat can grow and thrive just as well as any other. They can catch up and do most of their catching up after learning to eat solid food. Keep them on bottles until 16 to 20 weeks old, this gives them a nice advantage of extra protein and fat. The doe will not take them back, you have 2 bottle babies to feed now. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Don S. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 172.130.97.143 Rating: N/A |
Hi Brenda. You are lucky that all 4 babies survived. Your doe must be in a very healthy condition to have successfuly carried them. The smaller two sound a bit underdeveloped at 4 lbs if full size goats like boers. 1. Sounds like you are doing well with the dropper. They will go to sucking when get a bit stronger. First keep trying with the bottle then continue with the dropper or learn to tube them as Amy stated. Be sure they get enough as per Maggie's posted amount or they will not get stronger. What type of milk are you bottle feeding with? Best if you take some of the mother's milk and use it in the beginning. 2. Do they have diarrhea? There should be some consistancy and not watery. I would NOT be giving them a bath. And make sure they do not get chilled during the night. You can take a pan of warm water, wash cloth and wash off the back end. Then lightly rub a dry rag over to dry off faster. 3. You will have to take extra care of them first few days. It is possible they will do as well as the others but be bit smaller. NOTE: You will most likely have to keep bottle feeding these two for some time because the mama will not have enough milk for all four. 4. Quads are rare but happens. Quads and triplets are very undesirable. You will have undersized and possible weak kids to deal with. Target is to produce a healthy set of twins. | ||
| Brenda Tifft (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 209.210.232.21 Rating: N/A |
Thank you for your help! I have been using a dropper and getting SOME milk into them. Once tonight they both sucked on the bottle and got some of the goat milk. I am milking the mom and the babies did get colostrum right away. So I now have a couple questions, please. 1. Will they start to suck from the bottle? I do keep trying but end up giving it in a dropper because they aren't sucking well or at all sometimes. 2. Both now have yellow poop. It is everywhere. It gets on their tails and when they wag them, it flys up on their backs and legs! Is this normal? Can I give them a bath?? 3. Is 4 pounds a goat that can eventually thrive? 4. Is having 4 babies normal?? I am wondering how often this happens. This is mama goats second freshening. AGAIN, thank you so much for helping!! Brenda | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 812 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141 Rating: N/A |
If they have been sucking a bottle but don't seem as interested now they may be constipated. You know what goes in must come out. And as Amy said they need their colostrum. It is too late fro colostrum to do much good now though, they need it within 2 to 8 hours of birth. A Fleet's Infant Enema works well for newborn goats, you can get it at the drug store. They should have yellow poop by now. At about 4 pounds they need to be eating at about 8 to 12 ounces total per 24 hours, divide this into at least 4 to 6 feedings. There is a very good homemade formula on the Articles page under the heading Kids and Kidding if you aren't going to use fresh goats milk. Don't use canned milk it tastes pretty bad from the canning process. Be sure the formula is very warm, it will fell almost hot on your wrist. A human baby bottle works pretty well if you enlarge the hole to where the milk drips out quite freely. Offer a bottle every hour or so to start as much as they want. Newborns don't suck for very long but want to nurse often. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Amy Maxwell New member Username: amyqmaxwell Post Number: 28 Registered: 01-2006 Posted From: 70.57.15.71  Rating: N/A |
Make sure you milk out some of the colostrum from the mamma and give it to them. You might have to tube feed them until they get strong enough. Look under the articles on the home webpage under kids and kidding there is an article on how to tube feed. They may need only an ounce or two every couple of hours to start with. Make sure they are kept warm. Maggie should reply at some point and will be able to help further. Good luck and congrats. to mom! | ||
| Brenda Tifft (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 209.210.232.137 Rating: N/A |
Can you all please help me?? My doe delivered 4 goats last night. 2 seem rather healthy and are with mom. the smaller 2 weigh around 4 pounds and we are trying to bottle feed. today they don't seem interested. they can stand but are wobbly. Is there any hope?? I am new to goats so please explain as fully as possible! Thank you in advance for any help! |