birthing question

I do not separate does when they are kidding.

I used to use kidding pens back when I first started with goats. I sometimes had trouble with the does fighting a lot when the just fresh doe was re-introduced to the herd. Gotta see if that pecking order is still the same! This causes stress on the new mother, stress on the still pregnant does, etc. Who needs that?

Now, for years I have let the does choose their own spot. This is usually in a corner of the barn, maybe away from the others, maybe not. Depends on the individual doe, how much privacy she desires. Also depends on how crowded the barn is. If your barn/shed is overcrowded, you probably should make sure she has her own area, preferably right next door or in the same group area, just fenced off.

If you have a doe who bullies everyone else and you are afraid she will bother the labouring doe, I'd be more likely to lock up her fat butt in a separate pen till the new mother has bonded with her kids.

The only time I stop a mother from kidding where she wants to kid, is if its likely to harm the kids. Out in the mud, outside in a blizzard, etc. If she insists on that stupidity, I will lock her up........then consider culling her.LOL!!

But for the most part the does find their spot, do their thing, the other goats lay around and chew their cuds, etc. Very few of my does ever try to find privacy.

As for cows, some will find the deepest darkest part of the woods to calve in, others will calve in the middle of the herd, even when woods are available. Some want privacy, some want exposure, heck, I had one who would come find me cause she wanted me to be there while she calved! Its an individual thing.

__________________
Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net

"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence

I always let the does kid in a large pen with their herd mates. Never had a problem. Many of my does chose to kid in dog houses that are about 4X4. If they're dumb enough to try to give birth with their butt pointed at the wall, they'll eventually get up and move, or I'll reach in and pull them away from the wall if I'm there. Goats generally lay down and don't move when they're having contractions, or they squat and don't move. Between contractions, they may get up and move around.

I do like to keep the kids confined in a small place once they're born, because they have a tendency to go wandering off for the first few days. This can really upset a doe if she has multiples and they head in two different directions. I've also had Nigerians and the babies are so tiny they can squeeze through the fence in spots.

I put them in "playpens" with a doghouse that has walls making a yard in front. The walls are about two feet high. Mom can jump over the wall, but newborns can't. Once they're big enough to get over the wall, they've grown enough brain to be able to locate mama on their own and are less likely to squeeze through the fence and wander off or get stuck in a mud puddle or any of the other dumb things newborns do.