First freshening questions

[BellaM]

Hello all, my one NDG mommy has just kidded for the first time. She cleaned the babies (sort of so I've dried them off with towels) but she is now lying in the other pen leaving her babies alone, not nursing or responding to their calls - how long can I "wait 'n see" before intervening?
She's bagged up - if necessary can I try milk her for the colostrum?

 

[Mini Horses]

Put the babes with her. They need to get colostrum right away. Milk some and syringe to them. It will give them energy and wanted to nurse. Put them toward the bag and they should be trying to nurse. Until they are together your looking at bottle babes, so get to itl! Most does are fine with this you may have to hold her

Update so we can help you further.....what's everyone doing now? It's been several hours.

 

[BellaM]

Apologies! ... I've had a busy morning!
I managed to get hold of a friend/mentor and she assisted me ... Mommy is not interested in her babies at all so it looks like I'll be bottle feeding but I am milking her and babies are doing great!
They are a bit underweight but strong and active.

Thanks for your reply and concern... Much appreciated

 

[rachels.haven]

For future reference, until goat kids have had a full meal of colostrum, wether they are bottle fed or you have to help or wait for mom to do it, your work is unfortunately not done. Even dam raised kids can be loaded up chock full with a first bottle from mom and then left to figure out the udder. They will be charged up and stronger and will figure it out fine with a full tummy of antibodies as extra assurance.

 

[Alaskan]

Also, some does, if you just lock them in the milking stantion, and get the kids to nurse like that... after a day or two mom finally figures out how to mother and does fine.

 

[BellaM]

Hello everyone, please excuse the long delays between my replies - I'm in South Africa, so different time zone and also I'm crazy busy but I do appreciate your help.

I have followed everyone's advice and mommy is doing much better with her babies - I still have to take her to them but she's nursing them without me holding her and they're latching on their own.

Just another couple of questions if you don't mind:
Any ideas WHY she rejected them in the first place? I realise this is a pretty broad question because every goat is different and every farmyard and farming style is different but thoughts will be appreciated.
She (Coco) has milk but her udders aren't FULL. Will this improve with the babies nursing or should I give her a supplement to increase milk production?
If yes to the supplement, which ones work best?

Aero and Rolo. Both boys, so they're for the freezer hence the "sweet" names.

 

[Alaskan]

Hello everyone, please excuse the long delays between my replies - I'm in South Africa, so different time zone and also I'm crazy busy but I do appreciate your help.

I have followed everyone's advice and mommy is doing much better with her babies - I still have to take her to them but she's nursing them without me holding her and they're latching on their own.

Just another couple of questions if you don't mind:
Any ideas WHY she rejected them in the first place? I realise this is a pretty broad question because every goat is different and every farmyard and farming style is different but thoughts will be appreciated.
She (Coco) has milk but her udders aren't FULL. Will this improve with the babies nursing or should I give her a supplement to increase milk production?
If yes to the supplement, which ones work best?

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Aero and Rolo. Both boys, so they're for the freezer hence the "sweet" names.

The more often the kids nurse, the more milk mom will make.

If the kids are nursing often, the udder will never look super full...

If mom is on the thin side, she might benefit from more feed and/or higher quality feed.

You could offer better quality hay, start feeding some alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets... or feed some pellets made specifically for milk goats... or some grain... depending on what you have available.


As to her starting out with rejecting the kids... hopefully it was simply a "first timer" issue... and the second time she will be great.