The Goat Spot Forum banner

Damn Farm Countdown - babies on the ground!!!!

5K views 68 replies 16 participants last post by  Moers kiko boars 
#1 ·
And when I say first kids I mean first kids EVER. We've only had our goats for a year and are expecting twins out of my favorite doe Frida (a Sugar Moon Nigerian) and by our ****** (an OMF Nigerian). I badly want a daughter out of Frida - she is our herd queen and my first milking goat and I am extremely close to her.

I'm very nervous about Frida because she's due in the dead of winter. She got pregnant a solid month+ early because ****** broke down a whole a** fence to get to her - he's a determined boy! Thank god we were able to successfully contain him for another month, so our younger doe Maria isn't due until mid-March. Maria is a first freshener and has got at least two in there visible on ultrasound, but our vet thinks she is hiding another one up front.

We are building a loose box for Frida in the garage so she'll have a warm place to have the babies if it's super cold outside. But I am still so nervous! I'm really grateful to have this forum to read as I do all my research to prepare for the births.
 
#2 ·
There are several post on birthing kits..which suggest what you might need for kidding. Also watch for the doe wanting to distance herself. There are you tube videos how to check for ligaments softening. Its a wonderful nerve wrecking fun time. We ard here for.you with.any questions you may have. Good luck & happy kidding
 
#8 · (Edited)
Well, Frida is only about 27 days out. She is definitely not where I would like her to be in body condition, so we are supplementing her with grain and snacks. Ketones looking good so far but I'm going to check her again tomorrow. I am so excited to meet her babies. (Checking her ketones is a hilarious process... she gets really suspicious when I start following her around with a pee cup.)

I was also able to secure a backup vet to call in case there are any shenanigans and my beloved Dr. Steve from down the street can't attend. The backup is 45 minutes away, and I'm really grateful she agreed and didn't tell me I was out of her range. That really put my mind at ease. Next step: building the winter kidding pen inside the garage.
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Our vet was here this morning. Both girls got their CDT. Maria's body condition is good (which was not surprising as I am pretty sure she is secretly a pig/nigerian cross), but Frida is still underweight. I just can't seem to get her to gain body condition and the vet doesn't want to worm her until the babies come out. I look forward to when she gives birth and is back on the milking stand so she can eat as much grain as she wants. At this point I'm close to just giving her bowls of animal crackers free choice.

We have over a foot of snow on the ground so the does look like they are swimming in it. I'm glad they're getting a bit of exercise. We also finished building a lovely brightly lit 10x10 kidding pen in one of our garage bays because it's getting awfully cold here. This waiting is so hard and I'm so ready for the next three weeks to pass!
 
#14 ·
Sounds like you're doing great! What kind of hay are you feeding? You might try mixing in a higher-quality hay, like alfalfa, if you aren't already, and make sure she's good on all her minerals. Frida is probably putting everything she's got into making those babies!
For the record, I know a lot of people who prefer to kid when it's cold outside. There are fewer parasite issues in the winter time. They say that the kids are healthier, and grow faster.
 
#16 ·
I for one have all my girls kidd in winter! No parasites..easier on the Does. With cooler weather they have less blood loss. Easier to warm them..than to cool them off. Already feeding for winter .so babies are healthier..Moms are too. For my area..its a win win situation.
 
#18 ·
Welp. Frida has pregnancy toxemia and I'm beside myself. Thankfully I think we caught it in very early stages. She is up, around, bright, interested in things, and picking at hay. I started worrying when she was skeptical about her grain yesterday, but thought it might be because I had added goat balancer on the advice of our vet as she is under condition for sure, and she is SO picky. But this morning she basically ate two crumbs of her sweet feed and called it a day, and she also just seemed a wee bit spaced out, and I knew something was up. Thank god our magnificent vet practice was able to send someone out. She has had calcium, thiamine, and banamine, and her first dose of PG drench. The vet (our first time meeting this vet, as my beloved Steve who knows my anal retentive tendencies was off today,) was very impressed that I had Keto-Nia drench on hand! So that was a good moment for me. If there is anyone else in far northern Vermont, I seriously can't recommend Large Animal Medical Associates enough.

I will be drenching her with 1oz of PG drench 2 times a day for the next 3 days, as well as offering electrolyte water (and drenching if necessary), corn syrup/molasses, and as many cookies as she wants. The vet said the name of the game is not really improvement, but basically to prevent any further deterioration. If she decompensates any further she will receive an IV. She is 134 days pregnant right now and if she really can't cope the vet will induce her, but she said it's best to wait a little longer before doing that. She said we caught her at a good time, and it's good that I spend so much time with the does and know their routines so well as the worst outcomes are when the vet isn't called until the doe is already down.

Frida is so important to me and I am terrified. I am going to do my best to take care of her but I know even human women can die of this and I just don't know how to make it through the next two weeks. I'm going to do my best to take care of her! I am letting her chill for a little while right now since she is a bit upset from the shots and drench, but pretty soon I'm going to take her some electrolyte water and some animal crackers with Karo syrup smeared on them. And she's picking at her hay, which gives me hope. If I can manage to get a urine sample I will start checking her on the ketone strips to see how we're doing. Please send good vibes!
 
#22 ·
If you are dealing with ketosis, 1. Offer a balanced electrolytes for animals in water - but make sure they contain dextrose!

@HoosierShadow posted about a ketosis recipe for a doe; I saw the recipe and I modified it a bit with some of my own knowledge, and I have now seen it help 2 early toxemia situations very well!! Keeping the does on it daily is incredibly helpful.

Mix 1 can of creamed corn with 1 can of pureed pumpkin.
2x daily, feed this:
6oz of creamed corn pumpkin mixture, or 3oz for dwarf goats
10cc molasses
1 TBSP raw honey
Probiotics (average goat dose is 5cc)
And if concerned about hypocalcemia as well, I recommend adding 5-10cc CMPK calcium drench. :)
 
#23 ·
We're getting close! Frida had another negative ketone test this morning so I think we are past the worst danger, but we're keeping up with the Dyne for extra calories. She's laying down, clearly uncomfortable, grinding her teeth some and taking a lot of naps. She is on day 144 today and her udder started getting fuller and tighter a few hours ago!
 
#26 ·
Yesterday Frida was laying down a lot, gritting her teeth, looking very uncomfortable, and making some progress on developing her bag so I thought we were close. Of course today she is standing up and acting as though absolutely nothing is out of the ordinary! No more toxemia symptoms thank god, but I am on pins and needles waiting for these twins!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top