Mamma is pushing kids away from teat

[barelahh]

hi,
i woke up to two new does this morning, mamma is cleaning them but won't let them nurse keeps backing up away from them or pushing them away.

Any ideas on what to do

[chris30523]

I woke up this am, 2:00 to be exact and had a new mom kidding.She didn't even clean hers.I watched for a few minutes to see if she would get to it, but it is awful cold at 2am.I cleaned up baby and herded mom into the barn into a clean stall and left them alone.She never did lick the kid but she finally let her nurse after backing away for quite awhile.I will keep them seperated from the herd for about 3 days and watch.I have had to help by holding mom still or pointing the kid in the right direction but it depends on the doe how much help I give.Mine was a first time mom but she is one of the wildest does I have.She is terrified of me.So I tried not to scare her by having too much of a presence in the stall.Most of mine I can help if they need it .Penning them up together and away from the other goats helps too.

[LittleRedHen]

Hello Stevie *Waves* (whip in hand)

[deetu]

Originally Posted by barelahh

hi,
i woke up to two new does this morning, mamma is cleaning them but won't let them nurse keeps backing up away from them or pushing them away.

Any ideas on what to do

Is there a way that you can lock up her head, preferably while she is eating something? I notice that sometimes the bag is overfull and sensitive and just needs to be emptied a little and they settle down. I also keep them separate from the others for a few days for bonding.

Congratulations on the new babies, by the way

[Sweet Goats]

I had a doe do that this year. I held mom for a few minutes while my daughter put the babies on. That is all it took. I do believe mom just didn't know what was going on. She is a great mom now.

[moonspinner]

Is this a first freshener? I've had a few do just as you describe. I even had one go ballistic trying to race away from her kids. The backing away syndrome usually doesn't last long. I now keep some of the placenta and when I see this happening I rub some on kids. I haven't had one reject the newborns yet, once they settled down.