Our St Patty's day kidding thread

[Moody]

I'm just happy it's not all boys!

And I'm so excited that they each had more than a single.

I don't know when to start milking... Last year I had read two weeks but was told NOW.

Also one of Lucy's kids has yellow all over her backside. It does not come off. sticky, sticky, sticky. Is there a magic tonic to get it off?

 

[mysunwolf]

Oh and the 3rd kid born came out fully in its bag? I didn't know if the doe would bust it or the kid could bust out or if it would have died had I not be there to cut it open for her?

I dried that one off, too. She was too busy still cleaning the other two instead of bothering with the little one who had some fluid it was working out of its lungs.

In my experience with sheep, lambs will sometimes flop out of the fluid sack on their own, and sometimes not. We have lost a few this way when there are multiples. With a single in a sack, mom can concentrate on licking that lamb. But with multiples, sometimes she'll be busy with another lamb and can't get to it in time.

As to the yellow stuff, if mom doesn't lick it off right away I towel it off as best I can and then just leave it. Some moms have thicker "goo" than others too.

Those are some cute kids

 

[mysunwolf]

I'm just happy it's not all boys!

And I'm so excited that they each had more than a single.

I don't know when to start milking... Last year I had read two weeks but was told NOW.

Also one of Lucy's kids has yellow all over her backside. It does not come off. sticky, sticky, sticky. Is there a magic tonic to get it off?

Unless the yellow stuff you're referring to is baby poo... in which case you can clean it with warm water or just let mom get it eventually.

 

[Moody]

Thank you for your experienced answer! I was wondering if he would have made it had I not been there. I'm glad I was.

I like to let them Take care of things. They are best at it after all. I don't want to intervene or meddle unless necessary.

The yellow is the poo. She is not keeping the doeling clean.

 

[Latestarter]

If she's not cleaning the kid, you'll want to watch to make sure it doesn't harden and cause a blockage. Warm water with a little dawn ought to help it loosen and wash away.

 

[Moody]

I got that off yellow off finally a couple of days ago. Turns out it wasn't a girl after all. I don't know how I missed THAT. So Lucy had 2 boys.

I disbudded those two on Wednesday at 5 days. The one had horn buds at birth and really needed to be done probably sooner. I'm certain I didn't get the ridge. It was only my second and third disbudding. These are mixed breeds. Alpine/lamancha. Their momma, Lucy, is bleeding a lot. I see bright drops on the ground, her kids, the milk stand had a small puddle. I hope she isn't hemorrhaging internally. I think that would have killed her sooner than 6-7 days after kidding?

I'm only concerned because Ethel, the Nubian, kidded one day later and doesn't have visible blood drops, a tail full of blood or anything even remotely close to Lucy. Ethel seems to have no bleeding.

 

[Moody]

And I guess I was off on the dates for Betty. She hasn't fully developed her udder still but is huge. I still think she was bred by the non related buck. She showed interest in him but was a tad on the young side so maybe the first heat didn't take. She can't be more than another 2 weeks out.

 

[Moody]

And I'm wanting to sell all but the Nubian girl. I will likely keep her.

So.. The mixed alpine/lamancha boys are likely to sell easier if I band them, right? I have no good resources, only craigslist. I would rather them not be for meat, but I'm not sure of the demand for dairy mixed breed bucks or bucks in general. So $100 sound fair in your neck of the woods? Hopefully no meat buyer wants to pay that much and I'm hoping to get the brush buster or needs a goat buddy market.

I know what I paid for my Nubians but I'm thinking I bought Nubians that didn't sell quickly. I've seen them anywhere from 200-500 but I know my Ethel was not show quality, according to the seller and I can only assume my buckling I bought wasn't either. She makes a medium amount of milk and I don't know what the buckling brings to the equation. I've no clue about show qualities except that a straight top line is desired and a show udder would have great attachment and a perfect full look when full. I'm thinking $200 each for those bucklings.

I want to sell at 3-4 months of age. Is there anything I'm missing? I can't have 11 goats. I could manage to keep a wether and the Nubian female but the rest must go.

 

[Latestarter]

Best way to gauge price is to check craigs list... see what others are asking, and for what, and go accordingly. You say you don't want them to sell as meat goats, but in reality, you'll never know... Many who buy wethers end up selling them later for meat just to unload them. If you price them too high, you won't sell them, or have trouble selling them regardless...

I would actually say/suspect if you want to have a better chance to sell them as pets, then you should train them to the bottle and sell them as bottle babies... A meat goat buyers isn't going to want to bottle feed an animal and raise it if they don't have to. Good luck!

As for Lucy, from my understanding a little blood/bleeding can happen for up to a couple weeks after a birth, but it should be getting less over time. Have you taken her temp to see if maybe she's fighting an infection or something? Did you see if she got the whole placenta out after birth?

 

[Mini Horses]

Congrats on good kiddings, & nice save on that little one.

Realistically, most do not want to pay $100-200 for a pet wether. I've sold my young wethers for $40-75, depending on age, looks, tameness, etc. Often people will buy for forage pupose and sometimes keep, often sell off when needs are met. Many go to meat and that's just it. I've seen lovely wethered, full blood Nubians go at $25 each. Yep.

Now a doe is different matter. IF you keep them long enough to freshen and begin milking, you can get more $ for them. I have pd $275 for excellent reg Nubian as a 6 mo old and $350 for excellent grade Saanen, in milk. Have both, plan to keep them. Saanen due to kid in Jun, so milking now and Nub freshened 3 wks ago, plan to begin milking this week. BUT her twin bucks will be sold -- full Nub, so can go intact or wethered & can be registered for a small increase. I will likely get $100 intact, less wethered. My 5th gen mini Nubians (registered parents, they can be) will bring as much -- trip boys. I have 7 does, 1 buck, 11 kids, 1 more doe due June.

Just bringing this up for comparison. Some areas are different for pricing but, mostly bucks get far less. Doe milking or bred and especially trained to milk/in milk and or trained/in milk & bred....that gets most $$$. Just not a great number who want to milk, some just think so, until they begin the grind. I love the ones who TRULY love the goat, the milk and the commitment. They are out there. If you specify that these ARE milk type goats you will get best results for a buyer who truly wants that.

Just "food for thought"......good luck with sales.