I’ve searched high and low looking for an answer and it seems everybody has different opinions so I’ll see what y’all think! What do you do for winter kiddings? My does are roughly 3 weeks away at the earliest. But right now our lowest temp is around 10 and the high is 40 if we are lucky. So what do you guys do to keep newborns warm? Mine have a shelter in the main pen that is deep bedded and draft free. They will kid in a different barn but how long do you keep them in the barn? How long till they can go out in the main pen/outdoors? Do you use heat lamps? Warming barrels? Thanks in advance! Any advice is welcome!
I use whatever I need to use. I will use heat lamps, warming barrels, coats, deep bedding. I personally don't want newborn kids spending their energy on keeping warm. It does also make a difference how many goats you have. A barn full of goats will be warmer than a barn with just a few goats. I kept mine in stalls for at least a week. I weigh my kids daily to make sure they are daily gaining weight.
I’m kidding this winter as well and in the past I’ve just used deep bedding and heat lamps (carefully because they can cause barn fires) I do help dry them off to prevent hypothermia because even though the dam licks them dry they are still pretty damp and can still catch hypothermia. I give the dam molasses water and molasses and honey and corn mixture with a bit of diatemecious earth because she will be pretty weak afterwards. Also quick tip for your future milking doe. If you handle their underbelly and teats a lot when they are kids they will become comfortable with it and it won’t be so hard to train her later.
I use dog sweaters on my newborns. I have a birthing barn that hold 6ndoes at a time. I have 2 heat lamps in the barn..i keep the little ones in the barn depending on the weather and how many does are delivering. I keep mom & kidds together at leat 2 weeks before they go into a herd. I live in Oklahoma. We have days & nights in the teens. Then a few days in 50s. Then drop to 5°.. snow, ice, then go up to 70 for a few days. So all of my decisions are on what my weather is .
Texas doesn't get as cold as some of your states. But we get pretty chilly and can get a few days of frozen weather. Our barn is an open end of a shop/barn combo. We do have a room at the end of the barn we call the warm room. We try to keep pine shavings deep and the warm room provides great wind and rain protection. We usually kid in spring but Texas being bipolar we can still get a freeze or two. I dont use heat lamps unless its do or die. But we do put small shelters in pens with new moms..like a dog house top or small kennel. Babies know to crawl in all by themselves. We Make sure moms can not get in the shelter at all as they may accidentally smother kids or block them from the warm spot. This has worked well for us.
Everything is situational for me. Heat lamps may be a couple days to a couple weeks. Warming barrel is out as long as kids can fit into it. My warming barrel uses 100 watt regular light bulbs. So the light stays on until the kids get rambunctious, then I remove the light but let them continue to use it.
Our weather is very strange..and tempermental. So my ways sound a little crazy, but with extreme weather comes alot of illness if Im not on top of it. So sweaters keep them warm..but doesnt seal off the cold air. And it has to get at.least 40° befor they get too warm. My heat lamps I use mainly at night when we are in the teens or less. But as you go through.the years of birthing you will find what works for you. Alot of great ideas on here...and alot of people have great experiences to share
Premier sells the safest heat lamps, they are enclosed and it is really hard to make them hazardous, as you suspend them- not clamp them where they can come loose and fall into straw. I like the warming barrels (easy bake ovens!) and then, they get transferred into a larger pen with a wooden box, like a square dog house- The kids love it and learn to jump on and off it, too. Its sturdy, made of 2 by 4's and thick plywood or particle board. About 3' square with a smaller door opening to keep does out.
Mine are going great thanks to you guys! Kidding barrels are going to be finished today and my first two does are going in the kidding barn in a couple days! They will really just be in a big pen then a few days before they are due they will go in the kidding pen. First doe is due 12/30 and my second doe is due 1/1. How about you guys?
