Iodine used at birth?

[BlessedWithGoats]

Hello!
I've read/heard that you need to use iodine to dip the kids navel in when it is born... why is this, do you do it, and where could I get it?
Thanks!

 

[babsbag]

Tractor Supply. I use one called Triodine-7. You dip them to sanitize and dry them up; the cord is a bacterial super highway and infections can occur. The most common infection is called Navel ill or Joint ill.

My vet (she raises goats too) says that you should dip the cord every time you see the kid for the fist 24 hours. I do mine once. I also cut it off if it is more than about 2" long. I clean the scissors before cutting and I am always prepared for the cord to bleed but it never has. You can tie off the cord with dental floss or thread and cut below that.

 

[Onyx]

I was just reading the section on this Raising Goats Naturally book. Deborah mentions how there was a study I believe, showing that pasture-born sheep were less likely to get navel ill than those who had the cord cut and dipped in iodine. At least I think it was sheep? The thinking being that cutting the cord could drive bacteria into the cord which could cause infection despite the iodine.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Tractor Supply. I use one called Triodine-7. You dip them to sanitize and dry them up; the cord is a bacterial super highway and infections can occur. The most common infection is called Navel ill or Joint ill.

My vet (she raises goats too) says that you should dip the cord every time you see the kid for the fist 24 hours. I do mine once. I also cut it off if it is more than about 2" long. I clean the scissors before cutting and I am always prepared for the cord to bleed but it never has. You can tie off the cord with dental floss or thread and cut below that.

I was just reading the section on this Raising Goats Naturally book. Deborah mentions how there was a study I believe, showing that pasture-born sheep were less likely to get navel ill than those who had the cord cut and dipped in iodine. At least I think it was sheep? The thinking being that cutting the cord could drive bacteria into the cord which could cause infection despite the iodine.

Thanks so much! So if the cord is naturally short enough, I shouldn't have a problem with dipping it in iodine? I think if I had to cut it, if I did like @babsbag said and clean the scissors, sterilizing them, it should be okay?

 

[Onyx]

I think the issue with the scissors is that they drive bacteria present on the cord deeper into the flesh, so sterilizing them won't really help. It was recommended to tear the cord instead of cutting.

My personal feeling on iodine is that millions of wild ruminants are born every day without anyone dipping their cords in iodine. If I had a baby that got sick from an undipped navel I'd probably be wondering about how hardy an immune system it had in general.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Thanks for the info and advice Onyx!

 

[babsbag]

My human son got sick from an infected cord as an infant. It can happen in people too so I will dip my kids cords. It is easy to do, navel ill is not easy to watch, why risk it? Millions are raised with CDT shots, rabies shots, etc. But how many die that we never know about?

Good to know about cutting the cord. I have only done it a few times and I have kidded out a bunch of kids in the last 6 years, about 30 this year alone; the cord is usually pretty short. I can't imagine tearing it, that stuff is tough.

For dipping I use a plastic case that some syringes come in. It makes a great little tube for dipping; I put the cord in it, hold the case up against their tummy and flip them on their back for a second. Easy peasy, done.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Thanks babsbag! This is my first time having goat kids, so this is a new learning experience for me!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Iodine is a good bet. It's all about what you want in your herd. You can leave breeding and birthing take their own course, or you can intervene. Things may work on fine on their own, but the incidence of death in birth, infection and illness, and death of kids will be higher. The animals that do survive are likely to be more hardy ones, and in the wild that is how it goes. On my domesticated animal farm, which is not a natural setting obviously, I intervene because I will trade chance for security.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I like to iodine the cords right after they are born, but honestly, that didn't always happen this year. It was so cold through most of our lambing that my iodine would freeze before I could dip them. A large number of lambs didn't get dipped as a result.

I also almost never shorten the cord. Only if it is so long that it is dragging on the ground. If I do clip it, I use a sharp scalpel.