I am certain my doeling is pregnant...now what?

[TXMissy]

Hello goat family!

First let me start by saying I have no intention on breeding my girl. She had to be pregnant when I got her. I have no bucks. She will not be a year old until Dec 18th. I am curtain I felt a baby move when I was feeling on her 2 different times today. I have no idea how far along she is. I am hoping for Nov kids. I am hoping sooner than later. I really don't want her to kid in winter. Texas winters are normally wet and cold. Anyway, I have so many questions. I want to make sure that I can do everything I can to make sure mama and babies are comfy and safe and healthy. I have read articles and watched videos trying to prepare. I value your stories and opinions. Please tell give me all the advice you can. I am a little overwhelmed... do I need a kidding kit since this will be the only kids we ever have? Do I need to build her a whole new shelter? I only have 1 other goat and he is a wether, and they share an 8x8 goat shed. Other than gloves, and a towel is there anything else that is a "must have"? Also, do I need to feed mama different food? Currently they eat whatever they want in the yard, have timothy hay access all the time and she and her brother get a cup of pellets each. She is a Nigerian Dwarf mix. If she needs different food does that mean I need to feed my wether something different or can he eat what she eats? If she has a boy, how long do we have to wait to castrate him? I am really excited to welcome our new family members but also worried about Buttercup since she is so young and I have no clue what I am doing, other than learning from ya'll and YouTube videos.

Thank you so much! Ya'll are such a blessing!

 

[Alaskan]

Other than gloves, and a towel is there anything else that is a "must have"?

A thermometer.

Umbilical cord care. You do increase the chance of a healthy kid/kids if you dip the end of the umbilical cord in antiseptic of some kind. Save a medicine pill bottle, perfect size. Wash it out, dry it out, then fill it up. If you are fumble prone pre-prepare 3 or more. Usually a 7% iodine solution is used as the antiseptic.

I would get a heating pad that does NOT have an auto-shut-off. So useful for humans, chickens, dogs, goats... if you don't have one you want one.

A small, fully plastic of some kind, fleece lap blanket. Machine wash and dry.

If you have to help deliver you can just wash your hands well and use olive oil as lube.... but hopefully you will not need to help.

if it is cold and nasty, yes towels to help fully dry the baby are helpful.

I would buy and have on hand tubes of vitamin B complex, pro-biotics, and calcium. Maybe also a bit of red cell too.

Also, do I need to feed mama different food?

I would double check to make sure that your area has enough selenium and copper, see if she needs those. And I would look her over carefully. Is she full grown, or is she still growing?

If she is still supposed to be growing I would give her a bit more pellets, or a bit of grain too.

I would get some powdered kelp meal and put that in a free feeder next to their loose mineral feeder..

I always worry about milk fever, so like to give my girls a calcium and magnesium supplement 2 or less weeks before kidding.

If she needs different food does that mean I need to feed my wether something different or can he eat what she eats?

I would have collars on both, and clip them both to a fence, then feed the girl her stuff, give the boy a bit of hay (yes, I know they also have free fed hay).

If she has a boy, how long do we have to wait to castrate him?

4 weeks. Usually by 4 weeks both testicles have descended and can be easily cut out. They can impregnate by 6 weeks of age.... so don't wait.

 

[Alaskan]

Do I need to build her a whole new shelter? I only have 1 other goat and he is a wether, and they share an 8x8 goat shed.

Oh... missed this one.

Eh... depends on their personalities. If they are some times rough with each other then you might want to put up a temporary partition, or maybe a tarp area right outside their shed for the male.

They shouldn't need to be separated long (if at all), again... depending on their personalities. But, you will not know until you see how they interact.

 

[TXMissy]

A thermometer.

Umbilical cord care. You do increase the chance of a healthy kid/kids if you dip the end of the umbilical cord in antiseptic of some kind. Save a medicine pill bottle, perfect size. Wash it out, dry it out, then fill it up. If you are fumble prone pre-prepare 3 or more. Usually a 7% iodine solution is used as the antiseptic.

I would get a heating pad that does NOT have an auto-shut-off. So useful for humans, chickens, dogs, goats... if you don't have one you want one.

A small, fully plastic of some kind, fleece lap blanket. Machine wash and dry.

If you have to help deliver you can just wash your hands well and use olive oil as lube.... but hopefully you will not need to help.

if it is cold and nasty, yes towels to help fully dry the baby are helpful.

I would buy and have on hand tubes of vitamin B complex, pro-biotics, and calcium. Maybe also a bit of red cell too.




I would double check to make sure that your area has enough selenium and copper, see if she needs those. And I would look her over carefully. Is she full grown, or is she still growing?

If she is still supposed to be growing I would give her a bit more pellets, or a bit of grain too.

I would get some powdered kelp meal and put that in a free feeder next to their loose mineral feeder..

I always worry about milk fever, so like to give my girls a calcium and magnesium supplement 2 or less weeks before kidding.


I would have collars on both, and clip them both to a fence, then feed the girl her stuff, give the boy a bit of hay (yes, I know they also have free fed hay).

4 weeks. Usually by 4 weeks both testicles have descended and can be easily cut out. They can impregnate by 6 weeks of age.... so don't wait.

Thank you

 

[Finnie]

First let me start by saying I have no intention on breeding my girl. She had to be pregnant when I got her. I have no bucks. She will not be a year old until Dec 18th. I am curtain I felt a baby move when I was feeling on her 2 different times today. I have no idea how far along she is.

This reminds me of a question I was going to ask on your other thread but I never did. I think it was @Alaskan that said to count from the last day she was with a buck or a RECENTLY CASTRATED whether. But I don’t think anybody asked you how close your whether was to his castrating when you brought them home. I suppose that could alter her due date by a number of weeks, depending on just when the breeder got him done.

 

[Finnie]

This reminds me of a question I was going to ask on your other thread but I never did. I think it was @Alaskan that said to count from the last day she was with a buck or a RECENTLY CASTRATED whether. But I don’t think anybody asked you how close your whether was to his castrating when you brought them home. I suppose that could alter her due date by a number of weeks, depending on just when the breeder got him done.

Oh, I just saw on the other thread that it was @rachels.haven that said it, not Alaskan. Lol, I probably should have quoted it over there to put my question.

 

[rachels.haven]

Oh, I just saw on the other thread that it was @rachels.haven that said it, not Alaskan. Lol, I probably should have quoted it over there to put my question.

Meh, no worries.