You need a well thought out kidding kit for your goat’s birth to make sure that you are prepared for anything. You will be glad you are prepared when an issue arises! This is one post of many in my Raising Goats series.
When I was pregnant with my first, it never occurred to me that there would be complications and that I would end up having a cesarean. I’m strong. I’m healthy. I ate healthily and only gained baby weight. No problemo! Push that baby right out!
Nope. Didn’t happen.
And several years later, as I rushed to help my panting, laboring doe, I realized that we had a kid who was backward and quite large, and thought, “Oh, girl! Push that baby right out!” But we ended up pulling two out of three of her kids. The first and last kids were backward.
In all the years we’ve kidded, we’ve never had any problems. But it only takes one problem to realize how unprepared you are, right?
So now I’m prepared with a “Kidding Kit” for any goat birth.
When putting your kit together, there are four main areas that you need to be thinking about:
- The prepared goat owner…YOU!
- When your goat is in labor
- The kid(s) after birth
- The doe after birth
You excited goat owner, you! You need to get all of these items ordered, delivered and gathered before your goat goes into labor.
The Prepared Goat Owner
As kidding nears, you need to be prepared with the proper tools and knowledge! As the prepared goat owner, this is what you need to have ready and what you need to know about!
Instructions
- Prepare your barn, goat shelters and goat pen. Is there clean straw and light available? (It is very possible for your doe to kid after the sun goes down! Be prepared with light!) A head lamp may come in handy and if you don't have electricity in your barn, using a chicken heat lamp light or a work light are great options.
- Have Vet's number in phone or a handy location. Keep your vet informed that the kidding dates are approaching, so he can prepare and be ready as well. You can also ask him what would be best if a problem arises. Would it be best if he came to you or you brought the goat to him? Those are great questions to ask!
- Have kidding kit assembled (shown below)
- Be prepared with knowledge. Read the links below on how to navigate pregnancy complications.
- Print out Goat Health and Information Binder. This binder will help you keep track of all your goat's information, including pregnancy and birth information! It has to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will get your new (or old) goat heard off to a terrific start! You can look at the binder and reviews here: Goat Binder
Notes
Read up on:
You need to know the signs and symptoms of each of the above goat pregnancy problems that might appear, so you can act quickly. They affect pregnant does and are not something to mess around with!
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Download your free Kidding Kit printable below:
Here are a few items you should put in your kit to be prepared for when your goat gives birth.
When Your Goat is In Labor
When your goat goes into labor, you don't want to be running around trying to gather supplies, especially on the weekend! Get these items together and ready in a box!
Instructions
- Flashlight. A flashlight will help you see if the kid(s) are in the correct position. If you shine the light into the "bubble", you should see two feet!
- Standard medical gloves. These will keep your hands clean as you work around your goat and your hands will be clean if you do need to help her out in any way.
- Warm water. If you need to go in, you will be prepared to wash up.
- Surgical scrub. This scrub will get you clean and sterile in the event you have to go in.
- OB Lube and Betadine. Your goat will thank you for the lube and betadine will give antiseptic Properties.
- Obstetric (OB) Gloves. You will use these gloves if you need to go into the doe to help re-position a kid or pull one.
- Leg snare and kid puller. A leg snare will help keep the legs in the proper position and the kid puller will help in more severe cases.
- Empty feed sacks. The doe can deliver on these and they are also great garbage bags for the messy process.
- Scissors. It never hurts to have scissors handy but they can be used to pop the bubble, only if necessary!
- 7% Iodine Tincture. Used to sterilize any of your equipment. You may be able to buy this solution from your vet, if not, watering down iodine will work as well!
- Thermometer. A doe with a high temperature may indicate infection. A doe with a low temperature may indicate hypocalcemia.
- Drench gun. You can administer medication with a drench gun. Keep an eye on the health of your goat. It is very serious if she were to go into ketosis. Read up on the pregnancy problems in the above links!
- Twine. Twine is an abundant resource when you have animals, so it just seems fitting to include it on the list. Use the twine to braid a beautiful rope while you impatiently wait for the kids to appear 🙂
Notes
Read up on:
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After mama goat has valiantly made the last push, you can attend to her kids.
**We generally take the hands-off approach. Our does are very good mothers and we kid in the later spring to avoid extreme temperatures. We allow the doe to take on the cleaning process and only step in if there is an apparent problem. But, if you are kidding in colder temperatures and climates you will want to have the necessary supplies ready to get your kids up, clean and dry as quickly as possible.
The kid(s) after birth.
You did it! I mean, your lovely doe did it! She did! You have kids on the ground...now what? This list will walk you through what to do to help give your kids the best possible start!
Instructions
- Bulb syringe. You will use this to suck out the mouth and nose of any amniotic fluid. NOTE: *Be choosy in the bulb syringe you purchase. From experience with my kids, there are some bulb syringes that are pointless because they are too stiff to squeeze and the hole is too small to suck. The one linked below is one like I've used with my kids and it's worked well.
- Puppy training pads. After the birth, the kid can be placed on the pads and they absorb so well and the kids can more easily stand on them.
- Paper towels and rags. They help with the clean-up process.
- Towels. In cold weather, and depending on when you kid, these will be a blessing! You will want to get them cleaned off and dry as quickly as possible.
- Floss or clamps. This is used to tie the umbilical cord if necessary.
- Scissors. These can be used to cut the umbilical cord if necessary.
- Small Container. This is used to fill with 7% iodine tincture to dip the umbilical cord in.
- Iodine 7% Iodine tincture. Dip the kid's umbilical cord in this. You may be able to buy this solution from your vet, if not, watering down iodine will also work.
- Saved goat colostrum and milk from previous year or kid colostrum replacement. If you don't have goat milk available, whole cows milk will actually be a better choice than the goat powdered milk replacer. Hopefully, you will never have to use this, but in the case that the doe or kid is unable to nurse, you will be glad to have this handy. Kids need colostrum within 2 hours of being born. A newborn's mouth should be warm to the touch, never cold. And should have a good sucking reflex when you put your finger in its mouth.
- Bottle and nipple. These are used in the case that the kid is weak but can still nurse. A clean pop bottle and nipple can be used. A baby bottle can be used as well. You will probably want to make the hole a bit bigger by cutting an X on the top.
- Weak lamb syringe--Feeding Tube. This is used when the kid is too weak to nurse.
- Thermometer. A kid with a low temperature indicates it's been chilled or is having trouble regulating its temperature in cold temperatures.
- Warming hut. If you have kidded in cold temperatures, the kids need to be able to get out of the cold.
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Your wonderful doe, has put a lot of work into this whole process. Treat her well now 🙂
Your goat after birth
Your doe just did a major feat over the last 5 months. She grew 1-4 babies and then was able to push them out safely. That is an amazing miracle and she needs to be treated with some love and treats. But these "treats" will actually give her a boost of energy as she heals, and begins to nurse her kids. Remember, she still is at risk for ketosis, which happens after birth. You want to give her the energy she needs to keep going strong!
Instructions
- Molasses. Add molasses to some warm water and give to the doe. This will be a nutritious pick-me-up for her as she recovers her strength. Not only do the vitamins and minerals present in the molasses help her but the water helps replenish the fluids she has lost.
- Grain. Offer her some grain. Good job mamma!
- Camera. I better not forget to mention the camera! Although it's probably a moot suggestion...you've already snapped a couple hundred photos by the time its head appears, am I right? 😉
You and your doe got this! It's going to be a great year for kidding and you will be so relieved that you are prepared for anything!
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Goat Management Binder
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I am not a doctor or a veterinarian. The information herein is my opinion only and is not meant to replace professional, veterinary, or medical opinion. Any products mentioned here are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. Statements made on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA.
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