Baby Nigerian goats! :-)

[totesmcgoats]

Holy goats! I came out to feed my goats and there are two new babies! We didn't even know she was pregnant! I am not prepared - please give me your quick and dirty to get these guys ft to a good start! These are our first babes!

 

[Latestarter]

From the pics, looks like mom did her job wonderfully! They are up on their feet and dry and appear to be nursing! Looks like everything is just as it should be at this point. GREAT JOB! Just keep an eye on the kids and make sure they are nursing and that mom is feeding them (milk) and all should be fine! If you feel their tummies, they should feel "full" indicating they're getting the milk they need. Congrats "Goatie Momma"!

 

[babsbag]

That is my favorite way to find kids, up and nursing. Everything that @Latestarter said...make sure they are warm at night, not sure where you live but this time of year can get cold. You might want to make them some sweaters out of old sweatpants. There are a lot of ideas online for making them; I haven't done any as we in CA and our winters aren't that vicious. If the kids aren't crying they are doing just fine, a hungry baby will cry.

Was the dam current on her vaccines? If not, you can give CDT to the kids at 7 days and then 3-4 weeks later.

Congratulations.

 

[Latestarter]

Gosh, was so excited for you I didn't even think to ask... Boy(s) or girl(s)?

 

[totesmcgoats]

I can't stop looking at them! Ha! They are moving around the pen nicely and nursing. Should I be doing anything with their umbilical cords? I just went back out to check and they are little blue-eyed bucklings! So fun!

 

[OneFineAcre]

Congrats on the new babies.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Congrats on the babies!

Given that you didn't know the doe was pregnant do you know when she last received a CDT shot?

Not sure if you check fecals yourself or have your vet do so- you may want to check in 3 days as kidding can bring on a parasite bloom.

Enjoy the babies!

 

[Latestarter]

Some folks "dip" the umbilicals in iodine, some don't... They will shrivel up, dry out, and fall off eventually either way. Aside from the CD&T shot recommendations above, from my understanding, the first week or 2 for the kids will be the time you have to monitor them. The kids will get a huge amount of antibodies/"innoculation" and biological health (having trouble finding the words) from the mother's milk which will be mostly colostrum at first, changing over to pure milk over the first several weeks. As @babsbag said, depending on where you live, you need to make sure they can keep warm at night. If you have other goats (I assume) you may need to separate the mom and kids for a week or two so the kids don't get hurt by the other goats trying to establish a pecking order and head butting them. Give them a chance to grow a little.

If the kids get parasites from the mom, or their environment (worms primarily or cocci) they can go down hill very, very quickly! Watch their poop and if it gets runny (scours) that will need to be addressed immediately if not sooner. Listen to their breathing for raspy-ness or coughing, which could indicate pneumonia, which again will need to be addressed post haste. Not trying to scare you...

In the next several days you'll need to determine if they are polled (no horns) or if horned. If they are horned and you don't want horns, they will need to be dis-budded. This is normally done within the first 5-7 days (this is one time where a CD&T shot is important to prevent infection). Within the next 3-4 weeks you'll need to decide if you want to keep them or sell them, then if they should be left intact or wethered.

If you have specific questions, @OneFineAcre , @Southern by choice , @babsbag , @Goat Whisperer , @goatgurl , and so many others could (and I'm sure WOULD) most likely help you! So much fun! I hope to experience it myself sooner rather than later! Congrats again.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Congrats on the kids! The dam and kids look great Are they bucks, does, or 1 of each? The are adorable!

I dip the cords in iodine. Its not expensive and helps prevent joint navel ill- a nasty disease/infection at the navel. If the cords are long cut them so they are about 2 inches. Be sure to tie it off with floss before cutting (tie right above the 2 inch mark).

Like the others said, if the dam didn't get vaccinated, you will need to vaccinate the kids sooner.

I always check the teats. Squeeze a few squirts to make sure she doesn't have a plug and to make sure the colostrum is thin enough for the kids to drink. Last year we had a doe freshen with VERY thick colostrum. We actually had to mix it with milk so the kids could drink it. Some kids will look like they are nursing but aren't getting anything due to a thick plug or ultra thick colostrum.

Do you know if the doe passed the entire placenta? If you aren't sure watch your girl for a fever.

We always monitor the kids for parasites. You don't see it until they are a few weeks.

When the kids are first born they have a dark stool, then they get a yellow stool (from the colostrum)- so don't be alarmed!

I hope you keep us updated! They are stinking adorable!

 

[La-Z Hooves Farm]

Holy goats! I came out to feed my goats and there are two new babies! We didn't even know she was pregnant! I am not prepared - please give me your quick and dirty to get these guys ft to a good start! These are our first babes!

Congratulations on your new kiddos! What breed of goats do you have. so, pink or blue or both. is she a FF? you'll do fine so don't worry so much, just sit back and enjoy the scenery of those lil ones. just find out about medical history on momma. What We usually do after my does kid, we will deworm her due to all the stress and all. plus her hornmones are all stress, so on the day of kidding we will watch momma with babies, to make sure their nursing good. we would deworm momma. and make sure momma is getting proper nutrition. oh yea and watch those water buckets. don't want any accidents. Once again Congratulations.