Kidding Time part 5: Birthday when it all comes together

Vicky has so graciously allowed me to take pictures of a kidding, Vicky was dam raised as is a bit wild, but for some reason when it is kidding time they usually want MoM to be near by to hold their hooves.. Everything was going so well that it gave me opportunity to take pictures and sell be there if needed. This was a very easy and fast kidding for Vicky in which i am grateful.. I would love and wish that all kiddings went like this one did. A single birth for a first freshener is pretty normal..We all love the Nigerians Dwarf because of the multiple births, but often with multiple births things get tangled and turned the wrong way, so then that is when the owner breeder has to be prepaid to ..yes..go in and assist or take them to the vet .. So do your homework be prepared.

Vicky is stretching her tail,vulva she is dilating

usually a water bag will come first not always

here comes the baby,
  sometimes this will burst and sometime you will need to be there to break it
this is the bag that the kid has been living in for 5 months. 

 Vicky repositioned herself and gathered momentum for the final push

 And here is Hazel Nut
Vicky as a First Freshener blessed me with only one doe

 time to meet the baby
Vicky chose to rest until the after birth was delivered,
 not all will do that some will be up and down and all over the place, each doe is different

ok we are up, come here baby, your still wet behind the ears

24  hours later, time for some rest

and i am off to a good start

And i get lots of love
this is my son spoiling Hazel 

Kidding Time part 4 getting the doe ready

Maybe this should be in first place, but i figure by this time you/I should already have everything else in place
This is something that i advice you to do further research on as there is 2 sides to every coin, Some people don't do anything in fear of abortions and deformities and there is proof that this can do both, so you need to talk to your vet and fellow breeders then make up your own minds

• Month before kidding I have talked to breeders that advise to give CD&T, BoSe, and Vit A,D shots along with a dose of wormer one month before kidding, make sure it is a wormer that is supposedly safe for the unborn, such as safe guard or panacur.. I do give the CD&T booster and the BoSe and Vit A,D ,, I also feed Mana pro mineral for it's high content of Copper. and start giving just a little bit of grain
• Be careful feeding grain in this trimester as this is the time of kid growth, too much grain can cause the kids to be too big to deliver, a handful, 1/4 cup should be enough
• Others like to wait until one week before kidding to worm and yet others wait and worm with in 24 hours after kidding. this is what i do, and i will do a series of 3 times by the time the withholding is over it is then time to milk and i pull kids off at night. . 
• Trim feet 
• do an udder clip. i have seen this done two ways #1  shave the rump along with the udder underbelly #2 shave udder and most of belly, down the back side of the rear legs and around the tail. smear KY jelly on the rear to help keep the goo from sticking making clean up easier.  The object here is clean. 

Kidding Time part 3 : When things go wrong

Most of the goat kidding is uneventful and the does will poop out kids with no problems.. so what do you do when things go wrong: HUMMM

wat you talking about? 

• I have been told to wait 45 minutes of hard pushing with no results before you go after the kids
• don't panic, take a deep breath have your phone #'s on hand for support as well as help
• don't stop once you start to assist.
• clean gloved hand with lubricant, go in slowly, 2 fingers at a time, if there is a blockage she will most likely not be completely dilated, spread your fingers out, add another finger, do this until you can get your hand in with out much resistance. 
• resently learned that Lutalace a drop or two in the lubricant can help dilate, ( warning do not use this if you are pregnant or if you might be pregnant, this will cause you to abort your own child make sure you are wearing gloves )  but in an extreme situation Lutaclace could be a good thing to have on hand
• Oxytocin is also a good product to have on hand, if a doe is tiring give a shot of Oxytocin to help stimulate contractions
• Have the doe lay on her left side so that you can feel in side of her "horns" channels sometimes kids can hide in a horn and it is tuff to find.
• I have found that  when in a pickle and things are getting tangled, it is best to find the back legs with tail facing up, cover the hooves so they don't tear the placenta and guide them out and pull with her contractions if you can, if there is no time just pull. 
• If you start pulling kids, chances are you will have to pull the rest of them also. 
• sometimes it is really tight inside and you can't turn a kid around, if this is the case, then grab head, then with your hand fallow it down and smooth the legs out along the sides of the tummy then quickly go back to the head grab and pull. this will be a bit tuff for mom cus this will make chest a bit bigger but she can do this, give her some time to dilate but not too much, try to work with contractions 
• it is always good to watch your doe after kidding until she has passed the afterbirth and is up and eating like nothing happened. if she is still straining chances are there is another one possibly a dead kid, you will have to go and fish it out. 
• sometime it is a good idea to bounce her stomach, in other words pull up her stomach from underneath as far as you can, sometimes you can feel movement in this position, keep your hands touching the abdomen  and let the abdomen fall, if there is still a kid you will feel it bounce on the abdomen wall. 
• Apply the Uterine Bolus after the invasion, 
• Preparation H will help reduce the swelling of the vulva. 
• for and abortion my vet told me to do 5 cc of Pen G for 5 days, check this with your vet to be sure. 
• when to call or go to the vet. if you can't get the kids out, it is time to go ASAP but call vet in advance so that he/she will meet you.

There is no way that i can cover all of the things that could go wrong, it is best that you have a good relationship with your vet, what i listed here is based only on my limited experience. I do not claim to know it all, and I do not claim to be a vet..And by no means is every situation the same...Do your homework, join goat groups, talk to other breeders, talk to your vet.

Kidding Time part 2 : Gathering Supplies

what you looking at

Kidding Kit You might want to start this a bit early make a list check it twice ... what I am doing here is combining several lists to attempt to meet the extreme, do the best that you can, and gather as much as you can, chances are you wont need much of your kit but it sure is a time saver when you have it on hand just in case.. the list will be rather long, adjust it to fit your needs :

• Storage Place  cabinet, cooler, a tool box or a tack box something to hold your supplies so they are handy
• Cell Phone - with the emergency phone number of your vet, it seems as if if your going to need a vet it will be late at night or on the weekends.. also the number of your goat mentor, if you don't have one find one.. very important.
• Spiral Notebook and a pencil leave it in your tool box so that it is always near by or hang it on the wall. use a pencil instead of a pen or marker because it will not freeze as a pen would, you will need to use this to keep account of who is born to which doe, and who is born first, give a brief color description and left ear ID #, time of birth, number in birth, anything unusual, and weight. 
• Wear clothes that you don't mind ruining such as cover alls, if you have to assist you will get slimy goo on you
• Spool of ribbon to right ID #'s on the kids, this will help keep track of who belongs to whom until everyone is properly tattooed and bonded to their dams or sold.  
• Digital Camera, set it to display the date and time, this will also help keep track of who is who and when, make sure you got new batteries. 
• Flash light or other light sourse in case the power goes out, also new batteries
• Towels and Sweaters, you can make some quick sweaters form old sweat shirts or sweat pant legs, wont look fancy but will help fend off the cold in extreme temps
• Newspaper to put under each birth to catch the fluids to help keep pen dry and clean, and to keep kids from being born in siblings birthing fluids. makes for a cleaner birth
• Paper Towels i like using paper towels better then cloth towels, they absorb the fluids and make cleaning a kid faster and cleaner, cloth towels seem to just smear the goo around not absorbing it like paper towels too, boy a big package or two you wont regret it. i use old feed sacks to gather the dirty ones in
• Hair Dryer to help dry kids quickly
• Dental Floss to tie of navel or shorten it
• Sterilized Surgical Scissors to cut off navel cord that  is too long
• Tamed Iodine to coat kids navel
• Ivory Soap and Container of Worm Water I use a large water thermos in the winter with hot water, by the time i need it is will have cooled... this will be used to wash your hands if you need to assist.
• Long surgical gloves can be found at you local pharmacy and many feed stores, I no longer use this because i feel that it hinder my hands from feeling what i can not see. 
•  Germ X i use this before i go in to assist 
• Water Based Lubricant such as KY Jelly or Ivory Soap, i use the Ivory
• Uterine Boluses or Antibiotic found at your local feed store or vet, give a ND doe one bolus if you have enter her uterus to help prevent infection
• Wash moms udder getting it ready for kids unless you pull kids at birth, in which case you start milking right away
• A card board box to put kids in if you intend to pull them ( i don't unless requested )
• Nasal Aspirator to remove mucus and any uterine fluids that might have gotten in the nose and mouth, helps kids get to breathing faster, clearing the nose and mouth also lessons the chance of newborn pneumonia 
• Feeding tube or syringe found at your vet or goat supply store to use to feed week kids
• Pitchered Nipple bottle or baby bottle either will work, i like the Pitchered nipple, especially for newborns, i will milk mom and give their first sips from a bottle, this makes switching later on a bit easier and also starts the bond with me, even though i dam raise
• Nutra Drench a squirt of Nutra Drench goes into the blood giving the kid a jump start 
• Scale to weigh the kids, i use a fishing scale, Nigerian Dwarf usually weigh between 2 - 4 lbs. 
• Popsicle stick and surgical tape to make splints for weak legs, a shot of BoSe will also help straighten and strengthen kids legs 1/4 cc in the muscle
• Molasses Water for the mom gives mom energy and a reward for all her hard work, also a treat of grain or peanuts or cookies, now is the time to spoil her she has earned it.

to be continued Part 3 when things go wrong........................

Kidding Time Part 1 Getting the Barn Ready.

52 MORE DAYS until i start to kid, i am finding myself constantly looking, checking, and feeling for movement. I am excited for this to get underway. Not sure how excited i'll be when i am only half way through my herd. We will be kidding out ( assisting in delivering ) about 32 does, If you do the math that is A LOT of kids !!

In the mean time i am getting my Kidding Barn ready and gathering  my Kidding Supplies

FENCING  was made of 5ft and 4 ft. hog panels pieced together with tarp bungee cords, i have also seen this done with duck tape and others made of wood

HEAT SOURCE word of caution here, i use heat lamps cus I can afford them, make sure they are not too low that the will burn the doe, , many of them come with clamps DO NOT RELY ON THE CLAMPS, get baling wire and tie them securely on to something solid. I also have one hog heat pad, kind of pricey, you do not put bedding on this and the babies will lay on top, this is my first year using it, so no further comment given yet. Some people use warming boxes and i have some available if i feel they are needed. and goat/dog sweaters, I have a few on hand just in case. I however do not like using this sort of stuff, I do not like pampering them too much I feel that doing so makes it harder for them to adjust, but I will use them if I need to.

BEDDING I like to use straw bedding, for a couple of reasons, first is pine chips will stick to everything, and if you happen to miss the birth the chip bedding could cause the kid to smother, and also the air in the straw shafts hold heat and there fore the straw bedding is warmer.  old feed sacks are use to clean up the after birth and any soiled betting to help keep the pen clean and dry.

BARN YARD LIME It is a good idea to have this on hand to be used after cleaning out the kidding pen between kiddings this will help keep oder down but most importantly helps keep the pen dry.

IN THE CORNER of my kidding barn I have a stack of hay and straw and grain so that i don't have to go out to find it in the dark or bad weather

FEEDERS/WATERS  still working on improving this...I am going to use 5 gallon buckets to put hay in per doe per pen. i use the rectangle feed pans that fit on a 2X4 for horses for water and hang them high it holds may a gallon of water, have to be really careful with the waterer placement and the kids trying out their new legs could accidentally fall in. i use a round dish pan to feed the goats grain at this point, they wont yet get going to the milk stand for a few more days.

BABY MONITOR if you can't afford a barn cam then the way to go is baby monitor, You usually can find these in almost every garage sale you visit keep your eyes open. and gather a supply, great gifts for your goat friends or a new customer that bought a bred doe etc, You can hear any movement or sound that the does make, and the cry of a new born and often the cry of a doe giving birth, you can hear a doe talking to her unborn, or one that is restless and is up and down and digging a nest, this will save on a few trips to the barn. Others in the house can help listen while you get a short nap.

COT / SLEEPING BAG / RADIO  / AND OTHER CREATURE COMFORTS FOR ME

There the barn is ready 

to be continued with kidding supplies.....................