Goat Pregnancy Care
By–
Dr Parvinder Kaur
Veterinary officer
NRDDL ,Jalandhar
9814652576
- After your goats are bred, don’t worm until later in the pregnancy. Two months before they are due, dry off them and give them a break from milking. This is also a good time to give them a hoof trim before the belly becomes bulky. At this point you should start increasing her grain slowly as well, to provide for those growing babies.
- Four weeks before her due date the doe will need at CDT(clostridium perfringins and clostridium tetani) vaccination to protect the newborn kids from tetanus, and if you live in a selenium deficient area, she will also need dose of selenium.
- About two weeks before she is due make sure you have all your birthing kit ready to go, a birthing stall set up, and that you know what to do in the case of an emergency during kidding. If you have a vet or a goat keeping friend it’s a good idea to get their numbers easily accessible.
- One week beforehand you may want to give your goat a hair cut around the back end. I’ve skipped it before, but then they tend to be messy for a few weeks after the birth, so next time I’ll just give them a quick shave with the electric hair clippers instead. Start watching the goat for signs of labor, and check on her frequently or move her into a kidding stall at night.
Goat Birthing Kit
- Before the babies arrive, make sure you have some supplies ready. Here is a list of what I like to keep on hand.
- Some of these supplies you may not ever use, but you wouldn’t want to get caught without! Others are things I used for all my goats’ kiddings.
- Empty feed bags for birthing on with easy cleanup
- Old cloth diapers and towels
- Garbage bags
- Chucks pads for wet slippery babies to stand up
- Flashlight
- Scissors to cut the cords
- Dental floss to tie the cords
- Vaseline just in case you need to turn a baby
- Bottle and nipple
- Gloves
- Iodine to treat the cord
- Heat lamp if the babies get chilled
- Bulb syringe to clear airways
- Feeding tube and syringe just in case you have a kid too weak to eat
Goat Kidding
Active Labor
- You can tell goats are in labor because they bleat and yawn, which they do when they are uncomfortable. When you think your goat is in active labor, start keeping an eye on the time.
- If it goes too long that’s a sign of a problem. One of the first things you will see is the amniotic sac, which looks like a big bubble. Two little white hooves come next, and then the head.
- Birthing the head is the most difficult part, and the rest of the body will slide out after it. When the baby is born, wipe the goop and mess away from its nose and mouth.
- Now that it can breathe, put it in front of the mother. She should instinctively start licking and cleaning it and this is very important for bonding.
After Birth Care
- At this point I like to give the mothers a little warm molasses water, as they seem rather exhausted. It seems to help them perk up and get ready to deliver the second kid.
- After the kids are delivered, stay until they are nursing.
- You will also need to put iodine on the umbilical cords and possibly cut them shorter if they are too long. There are no nerves in them, so you won’t hurt the baby, but it’s a good idea to tie some dental floss around the cord so it doesn’t bleed when you cut it.
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