Tips needed on moving Martin back and more ?s

[christij]

1. Once Martin is done to a bottle 4x a day I want to attempt to move him into the stall with his family - any one have any tips/tricks in getting mom to accept him staying with them?
2. Being the over protective newbie I am I haven't let Miracle and the two with her (Jewel and King) out yet b/c of the cold temps - it might get up to 40 tomorrow so I was thinking about leaving them out in the afternoon.... the other 3 (2 dwarfs & a PG Nubian) should be okay with this right? Miracle is pretty protective of them.
3. Martin's poos aren't that nice orangey color (they were born on Monday) - he did get SOME colustrum that I milked from mom, then goats milk (I ran out), so now he's on whole cow's milk....... should I be concerned?
4. I am dreading disbudding.... we haven't seen it or done it before!

Okay I think that's all for now.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by christij

1. Once Martin is done to a bottle 4x a day I want to attempt to move him into the stall with his family - any one have any tips/tricks in getting mom to accept him staying with them?
2. Being the over protective newbie I am I haven't let Miracle and the two with her (Jewel and King) out yet b/c of the cold temps - it might get up to 40 tomorrow so I was thinking about leaving them out in the afternoon.... the other 3 (2 dwarfs & a PG Nubian) should be okay with this right? Miracle is pretty protective of them.
3. Martin's poos aren't that nice orangey color (they were born on Monday) - he did get SOME colustrum that I milked from mom, then goats milk (I ran out), so now he's on whole cow's milk....... should I be concerned?
4. I am dreading disbudding.... we haven't seen it or done it before!

I don't know about getting mom to accept Martin. It totally depends on the doe. Some are overprotective and push away any kids that are not their own(I realize he is hers...but you know what I mean. ), and some don't care if the kids cuddle together. I would just keep a *very* close eye on him at first and see how it goes. If Miracle has something she really likes, you might try sprinkling these on Martins back. I have done this before and it seems to make the doe associate the kid with something pleasant. Looks very funny though...till she eats it off. Miracle was always a lover of treats when she was here. Might help.

As long as Miracle is protective, I doubt your other goats should bother the kids. Might keep an eye on your wethers as sometimes they think they should "ride" anything new.....

His poos will naturally be less orangey than his siblings who are on a richer diet. As long as his are semi-firm and yellow...he should be fine. Kids poo differs in color from kid to kid, even on the same milk.

Disbudding is really not as bad as it seems. It is painful short term, give them back to momma or give Martin a bottle afterward and they will forget it. They may be more subdued for the rest of the day and their heads will be tender for about a week, but its not something they mind much at all. Its a lot better to do it now than to have to worry about a *very* painful dehorning later.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on your questions, hope they help a little.

[christij]

Thanks Emily. You said it we could wait on the debudding a bit right? And on the poo b/c I have always been a watcher of my dogs -- how many should he have -- he's peeing alot but I'm not seeing a lot of poo and what I have is brown...

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by christij

Thanks Emily. You said it we could wait on the debudding a bit right? And on the poo b/c I have always been a watcher of my dogs -- how many should he have -- he's peeing alot but I'm not seeing a lot of poo and what I have is brown...

I have always benn able to successfully disbudd my Boers up to two weeks of age and sometimes three weeks with the FB Boers. But it does differ with Boer/Dairy kids. The dairy bit may push you to disbudd earlier. I know it surprised me yesterday when I was feeling Cherry's kids heads...I'm going to need to disbudd by a week and a half with them. Maybe before that. I'll probably just pick the next halfway nice day and do it. Feel their hornbuds..especially the bucks. If they are starting to feel a bit obvious, then its best to do it earlier. Especially as she went late....the kids had more time to develop before they were born. Did you find someone who could do it for you??

Poops from kids.....It differs so much. I really only worry if I see extremely little. How much is he drinking a day now?? Kids pee a TON. If you think about it...they are on a "liquid diet" so it makes sense that they would pee more and poop a bit less. Is he bouncy and energetic??

[christij]

he's happy and entergetic -- just haven't seen a poop today...

So ho many kids do you have running around there?

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by christij

he's happy and entergetic -- just haven't seen a poop today...

So ho many kids do you have running around there?

Likely he'll poop during the night and make a huge mess for you. My house kids always seemed to enjoy doing that to me.

Big Mama and Tootsie kidded last night about midnight. Both with twins. Tootsie had twin bucks right before I got down there to check and one landed with his head turned under his body. Had suffocated shortly before I got there. Her other one is handsome and warm. The apple of mommas eye.

Big Mama had buck and doe twins. Long, leggy and BIG. I think they both weigh over 11 lbs. They are fine and lively.

So its 7 kids born out of three does, but only six lived. All are happy and warm in the shed tonight.

Are you getting ready for SNOW??

[ozark_jewels]

Here is the update on Big Mama and Tootsie.

[christij]

Wow! Babes and more babes!

Tanks for the reference too -- the family Fordland is coming to get Martin this afternoon!

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by christij

Wow! Babes and more babes!

Tanks for the reference too -- the family Fordland is coming to get Martin this afternoon!

Wonderful!! They were on my list for Boer bottle babies, but since it doesn't look like I'm going to have any......glad to hear they are taking Martin. Now you won't have to worry about getting him back outside.

[christij]

They just picked them up - a real nice family -- they were all over him! I am so happy for him -- I think he will be a lot happier with them. His siblings played with him but he wasn't keeping up with them when he went out in the afternoon. They also really like Miracle and the rest of the gang. Of course Mistcahio decided to play it up to get attention as well.