Our 1st Kid!

TheNelsons · #1 12/19/05, 08:52 AM

Well not sure if anyone remembers me worrying and asking for signs to see if my new doe was preggers... She was!
Last Tuesday 12/13, Eric and I where packing up our car to go spend the day with his mom making christmas stuff...
Beauty, our doe, had spent the whole morning "Talking" to us and by this time had gone back into the barn and was screaming!
I walked over to the barn to check on her and see what was the matter, followed shortly by Eric. We were both just standing there talking to her and she laid down, her water broke, and within 7-8 mins we had a beautiful baby girl, we call a friend who said to wait for the placenta or more babies.
Celeste, was born at 11:30 am, 2.8lbs(she is 3/4 nigerian), very healthy, nursing...
Mom and baby are doing fine, Eric and I had to be told to leave them alone and let them bond...LOL
I have been able to milk Beauty twice!

Yippy!
Steph

Goat Freak · #2 12/19/05, 09:37 AM

CONGRATS! I am glad to hear that everything went fine. Good Luck with the little one and her mama. Bye.

goatkid · #3 12/19/05, 10:02 AM

Congratulations on your new baby. Aren't they just precious! Though it is good to let them bond, it is also important to handle the doeling regularly so she isn't afraid of people, especially if she is to be a pet.

Sweet Goats · #4 12/19/05, 04:19 PM

Congratulations! You were so lucky to be able to watch her give birth. I waited 3 years before I was ever able to be around. Did you drench or spray the umbilical cord? I also give the baby Nutra drench and mom Molasses water for all her hard work. It is a little late now, but Congrats

Sher · #5 12/19/05, 04:23 PM

Way to go! Gotta love those goats and their babies..one of lifes distinct pleasures for me! Congrats!!

Milking Mom · #6 12/19/05, 07:17 PM

Congratulations on your new baby! They are such fun.

MillsFarmFamily · #7 12/19/05, 07:54 PM

We have 2 new kids also, they are the cutest things ever!!! Congratulations, I know that you are really going to enjoy them.

sancraft · #8 12/19/05, 08:51 PM

You are so lucky. I have to see a baby born. My girls are keeping it in a secret club.

Misty · #9 12/19/05, 08:57 PM

The first one's will always be remembered!! Ours were Sabrina and Titan. 1/2 nubian/boer

Rachel K. · #10 12/19/05, 11:45 PM

Congratulations!

TheNelsons · #11 12/20/05, 05:03 PM

We did put iodine on the cord after birth, I have a good friend who is a vet and also has dairy goats, she helped us out on the phone with what to do.
Both baby and Mama got treats after all the hard work

Baby is already fast as a greased pig, but love cuddles from us, she fell asleep in my husbands arms today! CUTE!!!

My only quandry is when to let all 3 goats play together, we have a year old wither that is Mama's best friend, both Mama and Sammy have horns so I want to be sure he does not hurt the baby in his play, he has been close by, but not with them, so I am trying to think of the best way to intro all of them together, safest way anyway?
Any suggestions, ok suggestions that do not include getting rid of our wither that is, he is useful as a pack goat to us, helping me with things around the farm that I can not manage alone, not to mention that he and Mom have been together since birth.

MillsFarmFamily · #12 12/20/05, 06:27 PM

We have 4 does and one of them just had twins. We've left them all together the entire time. They all seem to get along just fine. If the kids try to get too close to one of the does that isn't its mother they just get a little nudge, and they move along. Not sure what a whether would do, but you might be able to introduce them to him while you are out there to see what will happen. Grab a chair and watch for a while :baby04:

goatkid · #13 12/20/05, 09:56 PM

My goats and their kids all live together in the same family pen and so far, I have never had a goat be mean to another goat's baby. They nudge them away when they try to nurse, but do not harm them. I have 4 goat houses in the pen so that new moms can have some privacy when they first kid. My other two goat pens are for the bucks and the bottle babies. So far this has worked for me. I do have a former horse stall that I can convert if needed for a new mom. Momma goats are usually very protective of their new babies. If your two goats like each other, they should probably be OK in the same pen with the kid, but it would be good to observe them for a while.

Rachel K. · #14 12/20/05, 11:07 PM

A lot of people keep all of the Goats together even after kidding. The Bucks, Wethers, Does, and Kids all seem to get along fine. I will be doing this after getting my Oberhasli Buck this Summer. The Buck, Wethers, Does, and Kids will all be together year round.

I suggest keeping a eye on them at first, just to see how things are going.

dok · #15 12/21/05, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachel K.

A lot of people keep all of the Goats together even after kidding. The Bucks, Wethers, Does, and Kids all seem to get along fine. I will be doing this after getting my Oberhasli Buck this Summer. The Buck, Wethers, Does, and Kids will all be together year round.

I suggest keeping a eye on them at first, just to see how things are going.

Do you milk your goats, or primarily for meat? Do you have any experience with keeping bucks with does? I like the idea of keeping a buck but not the idea that it should be kept seperated and if seperated I'd have to give it a companion, etc. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal for meat goats but my main reasons for getting goats are for milk. Does a ram grazing with your does really affect the milk? Anyone feel free to comment I'm not talking only to Rachel..

and congratulations TheNelsons! How is the milk coming? Is it more or less or about what you expected? What about the tempermant of your doe? Is this your first time milking a goat? Do tell!

dok

shelbynteg · #16 12/21/05, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dok

Do you milk your goats, or primarily for meat? Do you have any experience with keeping bucks with does? I like the idea of keeping a buck but not the idea that it should be kept seperated and if seperated I'd have to give it a companion, etc. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal for meat goats but my main reasons for getting goats are for milk. Does a ram grazing with your does really affect the milk?
dok

YES, bucks with milking does affects the milk quality!

I encourage everyone who has a small number of does (less than 20 or so) to lease a buck each year, rather than keeping one. Advantages:
* no housing issues, no need to separate or keep companions
* no smell
* no buck destruction of fences/gates
and probably the biggest factor
* no year round feeding of the big guy

You likely can lease a better quality animal than you can afford to buy.

This won't work for everyone, but it works for a lot of people I know. Because of our extensive breeding programs, I keep a lot of bucks, and almost always have a quality animal to send to someone's place for 6 weeks or so.

Food for thought...

Merry Christmas to all!

Goat Freak · #17 12/21/05, 11:34 AM

We had NO problem reintroducing our girls to eachother, at least not the three that kidded around the same time, within two days of each other, the other one had her baby a month later and one of our other girls decided that SHE was the herd queen now, and Queenie did NOT like that. Other than the incident with Mitzi and Queenie though we have had no problems, the babies even swap breakfast with no problems from the mamas, that is the mamas that still have milk. Good Luck wtih your little girl, and her mama, nad the wether. Bye.

TheNelsons · #18 12/25/05, 11:12 AM

Happy Holidays to all and thank you for all the wonderful advice! We have been allowing all 3 goats to play together while we are outside and it seems they are all doing great!

Yes, This is my first time milking, it is fun, Beauty(my Doe)was a bottle baby and had her udder touched from birth so she tolerates it ok, I thought I could do it without a milk stand, I am finding I am either wrong or she still needs more time to get accustomed to me milking her twice a day? I have a friend willing to loan me a stand and I will just keep working with her

Thanks everyone!

ozark_jewels · #19 12/25/05, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachel K.

A lot of people keep all of the Goats together even after kidding. The Bucks, Wethers, Does, and Kids all seem to get along fine. I will be doing this after getting my Oberhasli Buck this Summer. The Buck, Wethers, Does, and Kids will all be together year round.

Do you expect your does to be pregnant year 'round?? Because if you run your buck with your does all the time, the does will *very* possibly breed back as soon as they kid. Also some bucks can make trouble with the does as they get close to going into labor, because of the hormone smells. They can kill kids and hurt does if the get excited when the does start birthing. And your doe kids?? Will they be getting bred at 2-3 months old?? Because they *will* come in heat that young and the buck(no matter how big) *will* figure out a way to get them bred. All together in one place is a sweet idea but is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Some segragation must take place for a reasonably healthy herd. A weaning pen for the doelings to stay in long enough to be weaned and grow enough to be safely bred, and a buck pen for the big boy/s at least a couple months out of the year to give your does a break are two essentials in my opinion. Don't take this wrong, I am not running you down, but I hope you will consider what I have written.

ozark_jewels · #20 12/25/05, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dok

Do you milk your goats, or primarily for meat? Do you have any experience with keeping bucks with does? I like the idea of keeping a buck but not the idea that it should be kept seperated and if seperated I'd have to give it a companion, etc. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal for meat goats but my main reasons for getting goats are for milk. Does a ram grazing with your does really affect the milk? Anyone feel free to comment I'm not talking only to Rachel..dok

A buck running with your does year 'round can cause several problems. Pregnancies all year round, causing you problems because you never really get a break from kidding and kids born in the hot summer can be a real pain to raise well. Being pregnant year round also means you won't be able to get as much milk from your does because A: They will need dried off 3-4 months after they freshen so they can kid again, B: their bodies will simply not produce as well if they are run down from perpetual pregnancies, and C: You will have kids to bottle year round which cuts down on how much milk you get for your own use. The buck will smell from July/August on through December and the smell will be all over your does, hence all over you and may taint the taste of the milk. And also some bucks cannot be trusted with does who are close to kidding. They may hassle them and cause abortions and/or stressed does.
Bucks are really not that much trouble to separate and a wether makes a great companion, they are cheap and easy to aquire(everyone has wethers to sell at kidding time...). I reccomend a strand of hot wire around the top of the buck pen and one running around the inside about a foot off the ground to keep them from leaning on the fence. Bucks will be much happier if they have enough room to browse a little, but they can be kept on hay very well too.
I don't know *anyone* who keeps their bucks with their does all year round. Everyone at least takes them out at some point so as not to have does kidding year round. I am speaking of meat and dairy goat breeders, large and small operations.......