Kidding in the heat Q's(title change was 'keeping preggo goat cool..')

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

My lamancha is due June 12th. I bred her early january to an alpine. Our temps are supposed to get up to 102 by the end of the week. I know, not really scorching hot, but for us it is. We live up in the sticks and it rarely gets over 100. Its also supposed to be 110 down in the valley. The goats are still used to our cold weather. We go from winter straight to summer here so not much time to get used to the heat! She's big, and uncomfortable. I made her a separate kidding pen thats 12'x12' with a little shelter. Unfortunately the shelter makes the only shade in the smaller pen.

Last week (when it was only in the high 80's) she was really having a hard time with the heat. Breathing hard and she just looked miserable. I sprayed down the dirt in the pen with the hose but it didnt seem to have much effect. Plus it just evaporated. She's been drinking plenty of water. More then usual towards the end of the pregnancy but thats expected with the heat and everything.


What are things I can do to help keep her cool? I thought about running a fan out there and told dbf and he said I could bring her into the laundry room during the hottest part of the day and put a fan in there if I want. Only problem is my puppy lives in the laundry room! lol but he can probably go into her kidding pen or the lower pen. I also thought about putting ice in her water. Seems like that would just melt the second I put it out there though. I'm gonna put some roof panels up to make extra shade.. Oh, and we use misters at work outside in the dog runs. Maybe I'll set up a strand on one side of her pen and see if she likes that? Any other good ideas?!

 

[madcow]

How about freezing water-filled milk jugs or 2-liter soda bottles and float them in her water? That would probably work for an hour or so, but you will have to replace them often during the hottest part of the day, but at least you can just have a bunch of them and refreeze them and keeping reusing them. You might even see if she likes being close to a couple of frozen water jugs in her shaded area. She might get a little respite from that , but you will have to keep replacing them. Poor thing, she's got to be just miserable being big, pregnant, and hot! I think it would make even a big, macho man grumpy! A fan would probably help, because we do that for our chickens when it gets over 100, which in Texas that can go for quite a few days in a row. Nothing good about that. Put some of the frozen milk jugs in front of a fan, because we've done that for our chickens in the past and it helps for a while. A mister does help cool down an area quite a bit, but being that goats don't like water much not sure if she will take a shine to it, but I bet she would deal with as much as she is willing to just to be a bit cooler. Hope she kids soon so she can have some relief, or your weather cools down a bit until she kids.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Didnt even think of freezing water in jugs! We did that last year and put them in front of the fan when we didnt have an AC.

I feel really bad for her. The pregnancy looks uncomfortable enough and then add in the heat. Hopefully I have some really cute deolings in a week! (hahah too bad I have a feeling its a belly full of boys though!)

 

[Missy]

On a side note: Hey we are due date buddies!! I have an Alpine who is due June 12th!

Anyways, Have you considered giving them a show cut? buzzing off that extra fur? Mine hate having it done but seem soooo much happier after. I also freeze water for them. I fill one pail with water and put ice chunks in it, then another with ice. I also haul the water pails to the shade and keep them there.

I tried putting one of the plastic pools in with them, they avoided it like the plague and looked at me like I grew a third eye.

 

[Oakroot]

When it is real hot here everyone gets a good soaking with the hose. (held so they don't run around and get hotter) Mine are used to it and it does not seem to bother them. They give me death glares the whole time but cool down really well that way.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

I went out and the pen is actually shaded until about 2 in the afternoon but then between 2pm and 6pm the sun is blazing down and its the hottest part of the day.


I have frozen jugs and I've also been freezing water in a 1 gallon plastic ice cream container. I dump that in her water bucket and it seems to keep the water nice and cool all day. I work M,W,F so I'm not home some days and have to set her up in the morning. The water was still a good temp when I got home at 6:30 lastnight.


I didnt think about clipping her either. I will have to think about that! I dont have clippers here but I've needed to get some for a while now. It doesn't help that she's mostly black!


Oakroot: do you think hosing her down will stress her out too much during the last few days of pregnancy?

 

[babsbag]

How about putting a sprinkler in the pen on a garden hose timer and let it come on for a few minutes every couple of hours; not enough to make mud. It will cool down the ground and work as a swamp cooler as it evaporates. Also, mine like to dig holes in the moist dirt. I use a rain bird type and the sprinkler is acutally outside of the pen so the goats can't play with it.

Can you put up shade cloth for her to block the sun?

I considered a fan with wet burlap and a mister setup when I thought I was having late kids last year. Then the doe ended up not pregnant so took care of that problem.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

I put some misters up. I dont have a water timer but I can pick one up tomorrow. She avoids the misters but theyre only in one corner. I also hosed her down and she seemed to really like it! She didnt even try to run off. She kinda has a snotty nose though and I'm not sure why..

 

[SheepGirl]

The humidity the misters create may be even more of an issue than just the regular heat. I wouldn't have misters out for my livestock, just fans. But then again all I do for my sheep is let them use the shade.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Our humidity is really low here. 35% out in the goat pen today. The misters really cool down the area and they dont add too much humidity. I've only used them a couple times though. It pretty much evaporates before it hits the ground. I tech at a vet that does boarding and they use misters in the kennals. Its down in the valley where its 10 degrees hotter then it is up here and I had my 6 month old pup and a 6 week old foster outside in the kennals friday and they were fine.



Squirts due soon. She's getting really close. We made it through yesterday, the hottest day, but I was wondering about her drinking water. Everywhere I read says give them warm molasses water after. Well I've been putting ice in her water and she seems to really like the cold water. Do I give her fresh ice water? molasses ice water? Any tips for kidding in the heat?