Extremely pg goat and 9 mth. old female

TamInAz · #1 11/30/05, 01:42 AM

Sorry, I seem to be hopping all over this board tonight...my dear Dad who is visiting is populating our property faster than I can keep up with (house full of sick Littles & sick dh) went out w/16yr. old son and they came home with an almost ready to deliver goat and 9 mth old doe (along w/4 extremely grouchy laying hens)

The barn is insulated & heated, all appropriate food was purchased. What do I need to do to keep the pregnant girl happy and healthy until she gives birth?

The weather is okay here right now...hovering around 50 degrees daytime and around upper teens to low 20's at night. A decent sized, electrified fence paddock (I think you'd call it that) is up for daytime use.

She is supposedly due to deliver in 10-20 days.

TIA for any words of wisdom (including selling my well-intentioned Dad)

Blessings,
Tam

SherrieC · #2 11/30/05, 02:46 AM

EEK!! The first thing is are they full sized dairy goats, or ? pygmy, boer, fainter? Did your dad ask what they have been feeding the does? It's best not to change their feeding habits quickly, or you could end up with problems. Put out loose cow/horse minerals for them and baking soda, or bi-carb. Fresh water, full feed hay.

If it were my goat she'd be on at this point alfalfa hay/alf pellets, and about 1 pound of grain a day. But mine are full sized dairy goats who milk a lot. Grain here is 2 prts oats, one prt cracked corn, 1/2 part sunflower seeds.

Try to find out what they were fed first.

TamInAz · #3 11/30/05, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SherrieC

EEK!! The first thing is are they full sized dairy goats, or ? pygmy, boer, fainter? Did your dad ask what they have been feeding the does? It's best not to change their feeding habits quickly, or you could end up with problems. Put out loose cow/horse minerals for them and baking soda, or bi-carb. Fresh water, full feed hay.

If it were my goat she'd be on at this point alfalfa hay/alf pellets, and about 1 pound of grain a day. But mine are full sized dairy goats who milk a lot. Grain here is 2 prts oats, one prt cracked corn, 1/2 part sunflower seeds.

Try to find out what they were fed first.

Thanks Sherrie! The pg girl is a Boer (2nd kidding ...if I'm saying this right) and the little girl is a Nubian (gorgeous). The guys bought a good supply of food from the owner and will be buying more at the feed store tomorrow.

The loose cow/horse minerals and baking soda thing is new to me....why does she need the baking soda or bi-carb? I have all of this on hand but curious as to why.

My dad is quite experienced w/cattle & horses but his only exp. w/goats is occasional looking after friends goats/sheep when they were out of town.

SherrieC · #4 11/30/05, 07:38 AM

Goats need minerals especially those growing, or preggars, or milking, but Not sheep/goat minerals, because sheep can't handle as much copper without dropping over dead, and goats need copper! So your choices here are buy $$$ goat mineral for goats alone, or give them loose horse/cow mineral.
on the bicarb, it settles their acid stomach, that they get from too much change in diet or too much grain, or molasses in the grain, some of them may like the sweet taste, but it does upset their tummies. If a goat gets into a strange new tasty food and eats too much of it, bicarb being available can help them not to bloat.

feed them very much like horses, if you wouldn't feed the hay to a horse it's too dusty or moldy for the goats, except of course a lot of people don't feed such rich alfalfa to horses. I'm not sure if a preggars boer needs it either?

Right after she kids you'll want to give her warm molasses water to help strenghten her, and you'll want to worm her , if you have pour on cattle cydectin (sp) that'd be a great choice, though it goes in a syringe and then in her mouth @ 1cc per 25 lbs, or valbazen 1 ml per 10 lbs, or ivomec 1 cc per 35-50 lbs, all of these oral! Oh and dip those wet navels in Iodine!

Goat Freak · #5 11/30/05, 09:51 AM

I think that SherrieC pretty much covered it, so I just want to say "Welcome to the Forum, and Congrats on getting goats!".

goatkid · #6 12/01/05, 02:29 PM

I have both dairy and Boer goats. They are housed together. The Boers get fat on the other goat's diet, so I would suggest at least half of the pregnant goat's hay be grass hay. They also suggested this for dairy goats the last month of pregnancy when I attended ADGA convention last year. It is supposed to help prevent toxemia. If you have enough feed including hay fron the seller, I would try and keep the pregnant doe on the same feed til she kids to prevent toxemia. If not, switch over gradually. If you have never had baby goats before, some things to have on hand: 7% iodine to dip the navels, clean towels, J Jelly or some type of vaginal lubricant in case of kidding problems (and the phone number of someone who can help deliver kids if necessary) a clean 20 oz. pop bottle and a Pritchard nipple. Boers are usually good moms, but I still keep a bottle handy in case I need to milk the mom and give the baby colostrum. Good luck with your new goats.

TamInAz · #7 12/01/05, 05:46 PM

Thank you everyone

It's getting exciting waiting the birth and then the Jersey will be having her baby next month.

Goat Freak · #8 12/01/05, 05:58 PM

Good Luck, and make sure that when she does have the baby/babies to tell us, although I am sure that you would anyway. See ya, bye.

Sorry I just read your info and am curious. Are you saying that you have 12 kids and that you are pregnant with twins? Sorry, I am just REALLY curious. Bye.

TamInAz · #9 12/01/05, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goat Freak

Good Luck, and make sure that when she does have the baby/babies to tell us, although I am sure that you would anyway. See ya, bye.

Sorry I just read your info and am curious. Are you saying that you have 12 kids and that you are pregnant with twins? Sorry, I am just REALLY curious. Bye.

LOL, I'll probably have the laptop out in the barn as the girl is birthing and give every one a minute by minute acct. of it as I'm freaking out.

Yes, I have 12 awesome blessings (2 married w/darlings of their own) and another set of twins on the way. We do the "family Compound" thing ...the marrieds will be moving up here when the big house is built w/in a year. In the city we shared 3 townhouses. (Nope, we're not crazy...I don't thing <G> ).

Blessings,
Tam