More assistance please for new doe

tinetine'sgoat · #1 01/19/07, 01:20 PM

Our new doe was outside with momma for about an hour, temp dropped again. I brought her in and put her on the heating pad, she is back up to 101.5 now, but refuses to nurse again. She had 4-6 oz of colostrum this morning, nothing since then. I have not seen a bowel movement. I cleaned her bottom last night with a washrag, but there was only a tiny amount of meconium there. Is it possible that she is getting stopped up and needs assistance on the other end?

sixstrothers · #2 01/19/07, 01:51 PM

Sounds like she needs more milk to make her go. Sometimes ours takes a little while to go, but they are eating well. I would see about getting her to nurse or take a bottle first.

DocM · #3 01/19/07, 01:57 PM

Kids don't poop very much. People worry too much about not seeing poop. They're not going to poop much in the first day. My bottle kids 24 hours old would only be getting 4 oz 3 or maybe 4 times a day. When they nurse free choice, they only nurse for a few seconds at a time. Warm her up and put her back with mom. I wouldn't put her outside at all, inside, in a well bedded stall for now at least until her temp regulates. If she's alert and not butting around for a bottle or teat, she's most likely not hungry. If you think she should eat, offer her a bottle but too much and she's going to scour. Calm down goat gramma, your baby is doing okay.

tinetine'sgoat · #4 01/19/07, 02:17 PM

I'm a worrier, it's what my dh claims I do best. Thanks for all the info. My outside is actually in the barn, I worded it weird. At about what age should she start gaining more control of the body temp. She mantains fine when she is in here, but when she gets out in the barn her temp gets dangerously low within an hour. Our temps here are in the low 30's today.

Jim S. · #5 01/19/07, 02:32 PM

I think you should worry. I had one like that, she turned into a bottle baby. By going back and forth between barn and house trying to warm her and then get her to nurse, I was just running her down over and over. She would not hold temp herself.

I'd get ready for a bottle baby.

You might also consider a heat lamp out in the barn if you have one. It didn't work for me, though. Worth a try. I much prefer they suckle ma if they can do it.

manygoatsnmore · #6 01/19/07, 04:37 PM

Trying to regulate temp from indoor temps to temps in the 30's outside over and over isn't good for your little kid. I'd start milking momma and bottling the kid, and just keep her in until she's bigger, has a buddy or two to snuggle with, and the temps moderate a bit. Might be a while...

One thing I've always been told is that once they have had milk, they are no longer able to make use of the antibodies in the colostrum. Can't remember where I first heard that...I'll have to go research it again. I just know I was told to make sure they have plenty of colostrum in the first 12-24 hrs, then switch them to milk, as after that time frame, they also can't absorb the antibodies.

DocM · #7 01/19/07, 04:40 PM

Yep, I think this is a bottle kid. An inside the house, dog crate, in your lap in a blanky kid. It's just so cold this time of year... If she were mine, that's where she'd be now.

tinetine'sgoat · #8 01/19/07, 05:09 PM

She is snuggled down in her tote, and has finally decided to eat again. She just took a few ounces, but it seemed to satisfy her. She has become our indoor baby I think. Next year I'm gonna try and get everyone kidding in the spring, just easier on all of us.