Hey y'all. Newbie here with my gals Coco and Zeppy. We're all new to this kidding thing. My girls are FF and Coco is due March 6-7, and Zeppy is due any time between March 6 & April 10. I think Zeppy is likely due between March 13 and 20th though based on heat signs and a messy rear end.
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Here's the buck. I sold him after he did the deed though. Hopefully I dont come to regret that decision.
And the ladies before pregnancy and their winter fluff..... and before we removed the tarp they destroyed because they're the reason we cant have nice things lol.
Edited to add the pics that didnt upload the first time because I was too impatient apparently and hit post thread.
I am honestly not sure. I was told pygmy/nigerian, but those ears scream nubian to me, so they could be mini nubian. The farm where they came from doesn't keep detailed written records I guess, so at this point it's a wash of goats it seems. Im curious to see what the babies look like as well.
Yes! Im so nervous and excited at the same time. I have been doing so much reading and research, but then get nervous because a lot of what you read seems to be the horror stories and that scares me. Im excited to experience this though. These will be the first babies born on our little homestead, so that makes it just a bit more special.
I have also put sunflower oil or black oil sunflower seeds on the feed. VERY moderate amounts.
If you're worried about your girls getting fat, though, you will want to be careful with those.
I have also put sunflower oil or black oil sunflower seeds on the feed. VERY moderate amounts.
If you're worried about your girls getting fat, though, you will want to be careful with those.
I could possibly add some sunflower seeds to the ration mix in the future, but I feel like neither one of them could use any extra weight, especially Zeppy. She definitely is more robust. I think Coco falls right in the middle and I can feel her spine and hip bones with just a tiny bit of pressure. Zeppy on the other hand, hers are a bit harder to feel. She has always been easy to keep weight on.
Up until about a week ago, they were getting some basic grass/clover mix hay that is harvested where I grew up. It just kinda grows wild, almost like a prairie grass mix. Like nothing is done to cultivate or manage it, it's just grown and cut a couple times a year, plus 2 cups once a day of timothy/alfalfa pellets. They could also graze our overgrowth woods/brush when things were green. They kept a healthy weight easily.
We use a vet that does farm calls and sees livestock so I am confident there. Im sure he would come out for a "farm" call or we could load her up and meet him at the clinic if the need arose. I don't actually have any goat people that I know super well that are close, but I have made a couple contacts that I may be able to reach out to and see about finding some help if needed. The nurse at my kids' school actually has goats, so that may be an option if need be.
Welcome to TGS and the wonderful world of KIDDING EXCITEMENT!
The first time was nerve wracking for me, and the second time too! (Haven’t had a third time yet). But when it’s happening, you are just there, doing what needs to be done, which is hopefully just helping to dry off babies and dipping their cords, serving warm water to mom, cleaning up, giving supplements...
It is a marvel to witness a doe kidding!
Beautiful does by the way! I love their ears too!:inlove:
I have a wether named Coco.
When assessing their condition, don’t go by the sides. Feel their spine. If you can’t find the spine at all, then they’re fat. If it sticks out sharply, they are skinny.
The pictures I just looked at..your does look great! Your Buck was cute. Yes..goats tear up everything except metal. They do bang into metal too..lol. i try to keep stuff cleaned up...but when you get 30 to 40 goats...its not easy! Lol
Yes kidding is stessful yet exciting. I keep an eye on my does famacha score and their body scores. I give a small amount of selenium each.month the last 3 months of pregnancy. The last month I give my girls a small amount of calcium drench. Just so the kidds will get a touch extra. I also give my does a CDT shot the last month of pregnancy. I know this is alot to take in all.at once. The first kidding is mind blowing. When the doe does start.her labor....please...just watch. I have to just watch and wait. She will prefer to do all she can by herself in delivery. If you see 2 hooves down..and a nose...thats great..dont touch. Once the kidd is out and on the ground...is when you are needed. If..you see 1 hoof..or two hooves up..you will need to get.her help. For me...patience and smooth loving voice is what the doe needs most.
You will do great! You already.are!
The pictures I just looked at..your does look great! Your Buck was cute. Yes..goats tear up everything except metal. They do bang into metal too..lol. i try to keep stuff cleaned up...but when you get 30 to 40 goats...its not easy! Lol
Yes kidding is stessful yet exciting. I keep an eye on my does famacha score and their body scores. I give a small amount of selenium each.month the last 3 months of pregnancy. The last month I give my girls a small amount of calcium drench. Just so the kidds will get a touch extra. I also give my does a CDT shot the last month of pregnancy. I know this is alot to take in all.at once. The first kidding is mind blowing. When the doe does start.her labor....please...just watch. I have to just watch and wait. She will prefer to do all she can by herself in delivery. If you see 2 hooves down..and a nose...thats great..dont touch. Once the kidd is out and on the ground...is when you are needed. If..you see 1 hoof..or two hooves up..you will need to get.her help. For me...patience and smooth loving voice is what the doe needs most.
You will do great! You already.are!
Thank you! I called my vet's office yesterday, and they said we dont need to do BoSe or extra selenium because we're ok in our area. As I'm sure you read above, I offer TruCare top dress with my minerals, and sometimes free choice as well. The girls have both Manna Pro Goat Mineral and Purina Goat Mineral available free choice and Sea Kelp is put out 2-3 times a week, plus I sometimes mix 1/2 tsp in their daily ration.
I use Molly's Herbal dewormer and also have started adding Molly's Herbal daily herbal blend to their rations again.
Aside from their hay and pellets, should I be doing anything else? Are the alfalfa/Timothy pellets enough for now? I mixed the A/T & straight alfalfa pellets half and half this a.m. for Coco and just under 1/2 for Zep. Should I switch to all alfalfa at some point during pregnancy, or just wait until after delivery? I'm planning to add a bit of non-gmo all stock to their milking ration after delivery as well, if that matters.
If you decide to change anything..please do it slowly. Give it a few days. They look good & your Vet says they are good. I would follow your vets advice.
Just an update. Here are the ladies yesterday. Coco's belly is getting so hard. You can definently feel the roundness.
Zeppy does NOT like her belly rubbed/touched so she's a lot harder to get to cooperate when doing checks
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Me too! I seriously love it. She's so sweet too. She's more mellow and laid back, so she doesnt beg for attention, and she kinda makes you work for it in a way that's so rewarding. She just needs patience to be rewarded with her attention. She loves being scratched all over her back and sides, but not as much on her face until she is comfortable and ready, and then she will let you scratch her cheeks/face. I just love her
So this was Zeppy's messy rear end on Oct. 19th... I dont really have anything to compare it to, but does it mean she was bred? Or is there this much mess and discharge with heat?
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