Kidding Procedures
Feeding Schedule when Bottle Feeding Kids
Disbudding
Castration
Shots

Our Experiences
This is one important area where a little extra effort and attention pays off. If you are looking for livestock to throw old hay to or leave them in the pasture and forget about, then come back several months and harvest a crop read no further. A successful kids crop takes your attention.

The beginning of a profitable kid crop, does not start at breeding season, it is a year round process. This article will deal with the kidding. Go to our What we feed & Why page for more information on year round care for the does.

We make it a practice and a priority to be present at every birth possible. Sometimes a doe will fool us and have her baby without our being there and ‘usually’ everything is just fine. However, problems can arise and we always feel our presence is an important beginning to ‘harvesting’ that bumper crop. We do have Great Pyrenees livestock guardians who are on hand if there is a birth we miss, they also alert us if we are needed. But since there are occasionally problems during the birthing process we try to be there at every birth we possibly can. Assuming that the doe gives birth without incident the first thing we do is to be sure that the kid’s nose and mouth are clear of mucus, etc. Do this by simply by wiping the kids face with a piece of paper towel. We prefer old clean bath towels because they are reusable but some people prefer paper towels to a cloth since it is a single use item and therefore more sanitary.

For years we raised on CAE prevention so at every birth we took the kids and bottle feed.

There are 2 reasons we do this:
1) It is our belief that bottle fed goats are much friendlier and make better pets.
2) Washington State University found a disease called Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) can be passed on to the kids through raw goats milk. CAE causes big knees and arthritis. We have since found information on the value of Raw milk at www.realmilk.org

Pasteurize the colostrum at 135°F for 60 minutes in a hot water bath {we use a multi-purpose cooker, Ziploc bags and a thermometer}.

Pasteurize milk at 165°F for 60 seconds. Bring the temperature down to 40°F as quickly as possible, preferably within 1 hour.

We keep some molasses on hand. {Corn syrup will work in a pinch}
When a doe kids we give her raspberry leaves, nettle {for vitamins}, ivy leaves, black or blue cohash {to aid in expelling afterbirth and cleansing} , and water with black strap molasses {preferred because it also contains iron} or Corn Syrup, for an energy boost.

For the kids we get them cleaned off and use iodine to dip the umbilical cord, and start pasteurizing their colostrum, if a kid seems weak I will put a little molasses on its tongue a couple of times so that by the time the colostrums has been pasteurized it will usually eat, if not then just hold it’s head up and let it have small sips from the nipple so it drains down it’s throat. After it has slept a while and recovered it should eat better, sometimes it will take a weak kid 48 hours to get it’s strength up, but make sure it gets at least 1 oz of colostrum for every pound it weighs within the first 24 hours.

If our kids are born during the cold of winter we do bring them in briefly until they dry off and keep them comfortable. For the first 24-48 hours of life we put them in a small box (just big enough for the kids to stand/lay with straw and keep it partially covered so they get their strength).

If kids are born during cold weather we provide dog kennels/ houses with straw to keep them warmer and for the kids to snuggle into. Kids like the security of a closed in ‘hiding place’. But beware several kids will crowd into a small space so care must be taken not to house different age/size kids together to soon, or you will run the risk of smaller kids being squashed or other wise suffocated.

AGE	FOOD	AMOUNT
First 24 hours	all of the colostrum you can get in them	4-5 feedings
Day 2-3	Whole Pasteurized milk	4 feedings @ 4 oz each
Day 4-7	Whole Pasteurized milk	3 feedings @ 12 oz each
Day 14-21	Whole Pasteurized milk	2 feedings @ 16 oz each
	Offer high quality hay	free choice
	water	free choice
Day 22-28	Whole Pasteurized milk	2 feedings @ 2-3 cups each
	High quality hay	free choice
	water	free choice
	Start Caprine pelleted Feed	what is cleaned up in 15-20 minutes2 x’s daily
	Minerals, Sodium Bicarbonate	Free Choice
About 6 weeks to weaning	Whole Pasteurized milk	1 feedings @ 3 cups each
	Start Caprine pelleted Feed and a handful of sunflower seeds	2 cups 2 x’s a day
	High quality hay	free choice
	water	free choice
	Mineral, Sodium Bicarbonate	Free choice
Weaning to breeding	Offer high quality hay	free choice
	Caprine pellets {handful of sunflower seeds}	4 cups 2 x’s daily
	Water.	Free Choice
	Mineral, Sodium Bicarbonate , Kelp	Free Choice

We disbud our kids at 12—18 days, we do this ourselves so we wait until we can feel the bud and do it on the exact day we feel it needs to be done. Check disbudded kids every 2 to 3 months for scur growth. If you find even a tiny bit of horn, the goat may need to be disbudded again. It's easy to eliminate scurs when the goat is still young. In a couple weeks the scabs will fall off and you may see some blood. We keep on hand spider webs (collected throughout the summer), or Blood Stop Powder for bleeding. We put an antibiotic aerosol wound dressing called Wound Kote on the area at the time we disbud. After this the hair will grow over this area so no scars remain.

We do not castrate until at least 6 weeks of age, and before 3 months of age. This is to allow the urinary track to fully develop. If you castrate before this time, you run a higher risk of urinary calculi when the wether is an adult. This is not a big concern if you are planning on a meat wether, but it will be considerate for the new owners if you intend to sell him as a is sold as a pet.

At castrating and at dehorning some give 1 cc of tetanus antitoxin, in the muscle.

The best way to learn to give shots safely is to have an experienced person you trust show you how. Always aspirate {insert the needle and pull back the syringe to make sure you get bubbles/ not blood} when you give an injection. Sub Q is injecting a medicine under the skin. IM or Intro Muscular is injecting in the muscle Make sure you always have Epheniprin on hand for shock, for when you give shots