What do you think of this?

I think that would be kinda difficult.. That's a long time to spend in a pen by herself... Not impossible, but not really practical (for me anyways..)

I think it means on the same property....

That is the advice my goat vet gave us as well. We just sectioned off a part of the normal shelter for a kidding pen, so she already was used to being in that area. My vet also set that moving them once labor begins can actually cause labor to stop due to stress.

Well it kinda makes sense but unrealistic in my case. I can't keep that many in the pen at once for that long. But the pen is right by the main pen so I don't see there being that much of a difference in anything and they can still see the herd. I also agree about not moving during labor. If a doe is close to going into labor at night I move her to a stall but if she goes into labor during the day she kids out and about then I'll move them in......it also saves me from having to clean the stall out sooner

I really think it means in the general area...like on the same property...not necessarily in the exact pen...

That sounds ridiculous to me.

Phhht.
It must mean on the same property.
My girls don't get moved till they are ready to kid or have just kidded.
With exception of today.
Sissy had no goo or shiny udder just sunken in flanks. Brought her to kidding barn with her daughter who is due soon. She would have had a cow without her Ma.
This was 10 am. By 3:30pm Sissy cranked out her load.

It does mean the general area; i.e. don't move them across town right before kidding. However I think it's ok to break the rule if the doe is in a situation that isn't good for kidding.

OK reread and maybe I'm slow lol......so basically what they are saying is if your herd lives in you'd back yard and you kid out in your front yard you should move them there 14 days before due date because there basically might be 'something' in the front yard......a sickness let's say??? No I don't agree with this at all if that's what its saying. I don't see how anything could be different from one place to another in such a small area. I simply move my goats a week before their due date only because the 'kidding pen' is right outside my window and I can watch if they go into labor without walking way out in the pen to check them.
But back to the point maybe since this is coming from a dairy man they manage things different and maybe they kid out in a whole other area and keep the dry does in another. I really don't know but like I said I don't see a difference in anything when its so close together.

I think that they mean more like. If your herd is out on BLM all the time and you round them up and bring them to the farm for kidding, then you should give them time to make antibodies for your farm.

Yes i am betting thats what it means. They have to do the same thing with horses. Dr maddox brought a bunch of horses from across town to his farm ten miles away and dewormed them and etc. now if its on the same property theyre already on? No i wouldnt even worry about it at all. Personally i lime my property every now and then.... I seperate the acres and lime each acre at different times but other than that, i dont worry about germs etc. now if i moved my goats to my frienda house in faydette..... Thatd be a different story.

milk and honey said:

I think that would be kinda difficult.. That's a long time to spend in a pen by herself... Not impossible, but not really practical (for me anyways..)

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Thinking the same thing:thinking:

goathiker said:

I think that they mean more like. If your herd is out on BLM all the time and you round them up and bring them to the farm for kidding, then you should give them time to make antibodies for your farm.

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I think Jill hit it on the head....

NyGoatMom said:

I found an article in the Dairy Goat Journal and the following is a part of it:

"Pregnant does must be kept in the location they are due to kid in for at least 14 days prior to kidding. This gives them time to manufacture the correct antibodies for their specific kidding environment to pass on to their kids."

Thought it made sense, but what do you "old hands" think of it?

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I agree.

goathiker said:

I think that they mean more like. If your herd is out on BLM all the time and you round them up and bring them to the farm for kidding, then you should give them time to make antibodies for your farm.

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That is exactly what it means.

milk and honey said:

I think that would be kinda difficult.. That's a long time to spend in a pen by herself... Not impossible, but not really practical (for me anyways..)

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They are not talking about moving does to kidding pens - they are talking about going out, buying a bunch of pregnant does who are due to kid any day and transporting them to your property. To do that not only heavily stresses the does, it also opens the door to potentially new illnesses and diseases that the does have no exposure to, therefore they cannot manufacture antibodies that are passed on to the kids.

That's how I took it, and in that way I believe it makes sense.

Well, where I am, if I was a brush goat producer...I would have a working herd in Portland, another on the central coast, one on the reservation, and one on Forest Service land...They would all need to come home to kid and would need to make antibodies before the kids were born.

goathiker said:

Well, where I am, if I was a brush goat producer...I would have a working herd in Portland, another on the central coast, one on the reservation, and one on Forest Service land...They would all need to come home to kid and would need to make antibodies before the kids were born.

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I know you don't need me to tell you this, but you're absolutely right!