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Please help!!!

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  MsScamp 
#1 ·
My Nigerian do just kidded not more than 45 minutes ago. A single buckling. He looks WAY to small to me, and his hooves feel like gel. Very soft. He still hasn't stood up either. :( I'm very worried about him, and it's our first baby goat born on our farm so I don't know whats normal and what not!
 

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#2 ·
Their hooves will be very soft for awhile, but will harden up in the air. I dip the hooves in iodine, the same as for the navel.
Is there, perhaps, another kid still in the doe? Wash up and gently check inside her. Baby kids are pretty small! Make sure he gets
some colostrum soon. He will perk up after that! (Is he dry and warm?)
 
#3 ·
I don't think there is another, but she hasn't passed the afterbirth yet. It's still hanging. She only had one the first time, and she's back to eating and acting normal. He doesn't have any teeth yet either, but I was able to hold him up and he nursed for about five minutes. :)
 
#4 ·
Give him a little selenium and vit. E gel to help him gain strength to stand :) Have you taken his temp yet? Make sure he gets plenty to nurse..
 
#8 ·
congrats...he is sweet!! good job in getting him to nurse...check on him every 30-40 minutes until you see him get up and nurse all by him self....once you see he is nursing by himself then check on him every 1- 1 1/2 hours to be sure he continues...after a full day of him nursing by him self then relax lol...left too long on his own and him not eating he can go downhill fast..
On mom..after birth will look stringy with white stringy stuff and of course red goo...let it come natural...the more Jr nurses the more it heps her rid herself of the after birth....off her mom some fresh water with a bit of molasses in it for energy..a bit of grain and plenty of hay : )
do dip babies navel in iodine a few times until dry..Nutra drench is great to give..one squirt should do him...
 
#9 ·
He's up and walking around with mom today! She still has afterbirth hanging, but I think she's almost done passing it. She is acting great and has a good appetite. The little guy still isn't quite strong enough to keep up with his mama, so I don't think he's getting much to eat because mom doesn't like to stand still! :rolleyes: I've been seeing him pee though, and he's stool is mustard colored so I think he must be eating more even when I'm not out there holding mom for him. His eyes are mostly blue, but have some brown around the edges so I'm guessing they will change all the way to brown as he gets older?
 
#10 ·
Thats wonderful news : ) Mustard yellow is correct baby poop color : ) I would have him and mom in a small area of their own until he can keep up with her...Just to be sure he is being well cared for by mom...his tummy should be firm not sunken in..
 
#13 ·
Hooves are like that or else the would rip their bags and most likely the uterus. If the placenta is still dangling, you can tie a weight onto it with some baling twine. We like to use about a 1 foot long piece of chain (standard 1 inch chain links). For a smaller animal, you might wanna just do a 6" piece of chain if it is still there.
 
#14 ·
She finally passed all the afterbirth! I know the hooves should be very soft, I just wasn't expecting them to be THAT squishy. I'm still in awe of how small he is... there's no way he weighs more than a pound. I'm still really unsure of how he's going to do, because I never see him nurse. I can't hardly get the mom to stand for more than a few seconds, so I milked some tonight and tried to get him to take a bottle. He took it for about 10 seconds, and that was it. I'm just SOOO worried about him, his mama was our only doe to kid this year, and I'll just die if he doesn't make it. I've thought about pulling him and bottle feeding, but I don't know.... I'm probably just being super paranoid! :eek:
 
#16 ·
I would offer him a bottle and see if he drinks it. If he absolutely refuses, he is probably getting from mom.

I would also weigh him daily with a scale that weighs in pound and ounces or pounds and tenth of pounds. You can get an inexpensive hanging fish scale if you don't have a scale.
 
#17 ·
So, I offered him a bottle last night and he didn't want it. His little tummy felt fuller this morning though, so
I'm pretty sure he's nursing now! He seemed a little weaker this morning, so I gave him some electrolytes, molasses, and a tiny pinch of probios. I'm starting to think he's gonna be ok! :cool:
 
#18 ·
Nutra drench is a good vitamin source...I use it on every new born...2 squirts : )
 
#19 ·
I can't hardly get the mom to stand for more than a few seconds.....
That is how goats do it. Kids are allowed to nurse for a few seconds multiple times a day. It is incredibly easy to kill a kid by overfeeding him/her milk. If you have doubts, stand the baby up and stand over him facing the same direction. Put 2 fingers of each hand on either side in front of his hip bones. You want to feel a firm, full tummy - not hard and squishy. If you are feeling that, leave Mom and baby alone - she is doing her job.
 
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